Wednesday, April 19, 2017

11 Million Views: Video Pokes Fun at Millennials in an Era of Engagement Ring Selfies and Viral Proposals

Comedian Jon Crist's video spoofing millennials' obsession with social media in an era of engagement ring selfies and viral proposals has earned more than 11 million views on Facebook.

In the 3-minute-long vignette, Crist co-stars as a young suitor who takes his girlfriend (played by Megan Batoon) to a scenic overlook, where he's about to surprise her with a marriage proposal.

Stopping along a dirt path, he gets down on one knee, pulls a ring box from his pocket and asks, "Madison Marie, will you marry me?"

But before she answers, the girlfriend looks around curiously.

“Wait, you hired a photographer, right?” she asks. He points to where the photographer is hiding.

"I'm sorry," she tells the photographer. "Do you mind actually coming a little bit closer?"

Her concern is that the proposal video shot from a distance was not "going to share that well" on social media.

What follows is a series of quick cuts that focus on his girlfriend's desire to control the "production value" of the video with the end goal of earning tons of likes on social media.

Each scene becomes more and more extreme. First, the girlfriend makes sure she's facing the camera and that the lighting is just right. Then, she insists the photographer shoots them so the skyline is in the background. She even obsesses about how she doesn't like her middle name, how much she is sweating and the amount of cloud cover in the sky.

The mild-mannered boyfriend repeats his proposal from every angle, enduring 43 takes. But, in the end, it's all worth it because the girlfriend is delighted.

"Babe, it's so beautiful," she says looking down at what is presumably her new engagement ring. But then the viewer notices that she's actually viewing her phone.

"Look at all these likes!"

Please check out Crist's proposal video, which he captioned this way: “What’s the point of getting engaged if you don’t post it on Instagram?”

Credits: Image captures via YouTube.com.

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