What movie was it where the woman starts acting like her roommate and it gets creepier and creepier until she starts trying to literally replace her, possibly by killing her… was that Single White Female? Yes, IMDB says it is.
Well, I suggest that the fictional director of the parks and recreation department of Pawnee, Indiana, should not rent any rooms to the new O’Charley’s spokesmanly man:
Look, I like Ron Swanson, too. That doesn’t give me any right to model my entire personality after him in a not-even-subtle way. If I did, of course, I would say it’s an homage, and that he should be flattered.
No. Here’s the lesson: figure out your own brand. Don’t copy other people’s work.
Seriously: You can’t just take someone else’s personality.
America is about originality.
And (argh!) you can’t fix it by making your end frame say LITERALLY THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU JUST DID for crying out loud:
Do you even know what the word “original” means? Isn’t it kind of a dangerous topic for you to bring up, Mr. O’Charley (if that is your real name)?
Be yourself, all the kids’ book say. There is no one like you. Go find yourself. There is only one you.
O’Charley’s, please. Get a therapist or a Judy Blume book, and try to get in touch with what makes you you.
In the meantime, here’s the real Ron Swanson being awesome (and I freely admit I took all these from the Adweek story this morning):