From the patriarch Francis Ford Coppola, critically acclaimed director of The Godfather, to his daughter Sofia Coppola whose films portray women in all their beauty and complexity. Francis also had a son Roman whose daughter Gia has directed the new film ‘The Last Showgirl’, Pamela Anderson’s biopic.
Nepotism is an elitist practice that gives opportunities to people not solely based on the merit of their work and talent, but rather the importance of their surname. Therefore, the question that always surfaces when the Nepo word gets brought up is… are they actually good? For example, critics have called Sofia Coppola’s acting performance in The Godfather Part III lacklustre and many of her films have been met with polarised reviews. And yet, she is still a household name. With a new Coppola on the block, we need to ask ourselves ‘Has Hollywood let nepotism get out of hand?’ as critics say The Last Showgirl ‘barely get(s) under the sequins, let alone the skin, of a bittersweet price-of-glamour story.’ (Rotten Tomatoes).
Have we allowed the branches of the Coppola family to extend too far and steal the light from the saplings on the forest floor? When we give opportunities to people who don’t have to prove their talent because of who their parents are, we take opportunities away from people who have something to say through great art. When maintaining a forest, one must keep the biggest trees under control so that the equilibrium stays balanced, but who takes the role of tree surgeon in such a powerful system as Hollywood?