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What's So Bad About Feeling Good?

Name: What's So Bad About Feeling Good?
Director: George Seaton
Released: 1968
Duration: 94 min

Representation Score

6.2/10

Good

1968

Director

George Seaton

Runtime

94 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

George Seaton’s film serves as a snapshot of the late 1960s, focusing on dismantling social norms. Its main strength lies in its anti-establishment stance, which challenges the rigid morality of mid-century cinema by promoting individualistic ability to act. The film effectively portrays a changing social landscape where women and young people assert autonomy against traditional patriarchal structures. It employs a diverse cast to reflect a modern urban setting, highlighting a sense of evolving diversity. However, the representation remains limited by the era's constraints. The absence of explicitly identified LGBTQ+ characters and the lack of disability representation prevent a higher overall score, despite the film's progressive undertones.

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Category Breakdown

Does What's So Bad About Feeling Good? have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film touches on themes of sexual freedom and attitudes that go beyond traditional heterosexual norms. Although there are no explicitly identified LGBTQ+ characters, the movie challenges conventional expectations by presenting sexual autonomy as a positive pursuit.

How does What's So Bad About Feeling Good? portray gender?

Good

Women play a significant role in shaping their own lives and bodies. The narrative overturns traditional hierarchies by emphasizing female autonomy as a key part of the new generation's identity.

How racially and ethnically diverse is What's So Bad About Feeling Good??

Fair

The film features a diverse cast with actors from various ethnic backgrounds, including Black and Hispanic performers. This mix reflects a modern urban environment within the film's stylized setting.

How does What's So Bad About Feeling Good? represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The story criticizes traditional Western institutions such as religious leaders and educators. It portrays rebellious lifestyles as valid forms of liberation rather than moral failings.

Does What's So Bad About Feeling Good? include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no significant depiction of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in this film.

Present on Screen

Strong critique of traditional Western institutions and authority figures
Shows women asserting significant control over their lives and bodies
Features a diverse cast reflecting a modern urban environment
Promotes individualistic ability to act and anti-establishment values

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicitly identified LGBTQ+ characters or gender-fluid identities
Provides no significant representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities
Ethnic roles often conform to typical ensemble clichés of the period

Official Synopsis

A new infection that simply makes people feel happy is treated as a threat by the authorities while its "victims" work to spread it to others.

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