Charlize Theron in The Odyssey.UNIVERSAL/Supplied
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey first had to deal with the culture wars, egged on by a fuming Elon Musk. The billionaire, who had not previously shown a whole lot of interest in the literary canon, spent months complaining all over X that this movie seemed suspiciously woke.
“Chris Nolan is pissing on Homer’s grave,” Musk posted in response to the film’s casting of Black and trans actors. He later said he might bankroll a “historically accurate” version by director Mel Gibson – you know, the guy who did Braveheart. Last week, Musk floated spinning up an AI-generated adaptation instead.
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The Odyssey then had to navigate the ire of Greek scholars, led by star classicist Emily Wilson. Nolan has cited her translation of the poem as an inspiration for his epic, but Wilson, it turns out, would very much like to be excluded from this narrative.
“I would have been embarrassed to write any part of this script,” she contended in a biting essay for the London Review of Books that went online on Monday. “It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth.” (Traffic to Wilson’s essay briefly crashed the LRB‘s site.)
Now The Odyssey has to contend with the costume backlash – and that, at least, is proving more fun. Whether on TikTok, Reddit, X or Letterboxd, movie viewers are in total agreement: Charlize Theron’s Calypso is definitely wearing a burrito blanket. Here’s what you need to know about the viral wardrobe choice.
Sorry – a burrito blanket?
Yes, although “tortilla blanket” would also be accepted. It’s a large beige blanket, circular in shape, that looks like unleavened flatbread, with blistered spots scattered across the surface.
Charlize Theron wears a burrito blanket?
Yes, and the internet won’t hear otherwise. “Off topic but there’s a scene in The Odyssey where Calypso looks like she’s in a fragrance ad with a 100% polyester burrito blanket,” reads a representative post on X, which has racked up nearly three million views. On Letterboxd, a reviewer laments: “250 million dollar budget and they gave Charlize Theron one of those tortilla blankets.”
The scene arrives after Calypso allows Matt Damon’s Odysseus to leave her island, where she’s held him captive for seven years. He builds a raft. She looks on, draped in some sort of shawl. And if TikTok comments are any indication, moviegoers everywhere leaned over to their companions and excitedly whispered, “that’s the tortilla blanket from Amazon!”
Is the blanket any good?
It’s certainly popular. The novelty item has been kicking around since at least 2018, but the pandemic prompted fresh demand for swaddling yourself like a burrito. In its latest roundup of gag-gift ideas, Wirecutter recommended the Casofu Burritos Tortilla Throw Blanket, which is indeed available on Amazon.
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Is this blanket the most-mocked costume in a recent Hollywood blockbuster?
No. That honour belongs to the sex cardigan from Wicked: For Good.
For the uninitiated: Halfway through Wicked‘s sequel, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) start to get handsy while belting out the power ballad “As Long As You’re Mine.” Elphaba pauses, considers, then proceeds to slip into something more comfortable – a chunky wool cardigan that falls mid-calf and has about 4,000 extraneous threads.
The internet lost its collective mind. There were takedowns: “I’m Being Driven Insane By Wicked: For Good’s Sex Cardigan,” a Vulture article insisted. There were counter attacks: “Stop the knitwear slander – the Wicked: For Good sex cardigan is good, actually,” the London Standard declared. There were mock public service announcements about catching your scraggly sex cardigan on a door handle, plus too many Devil Wears Prada memes to count.
Is Christopher Nolan fussed about the burrito-blanket jokes?
Highly unlikely. The Odyssey made more than US$650-million worldwide in its first 10 days at the box office and is already, according to Variety, the sixth-highest grossing Hollywood film this year. Also, the director doesn’t have a smartphone. Or an e-mail address. Or – one has to imagine – a TikTok account.