The Great Fracturing of American Attention
Why resisting distraction is one of the foundational challenges of this moment
Frontiers of Sports
Where Did ‘Synchronized Swimming’ Go?
More than 30 years after its Olympic debut, the sport was rebranded as “artistic swimming”—a controversial move that athletes fear could backfire.
What Kate McKinnon Gave to Saturday Night Live
Of the show’s big cast departures, this one will hurt the most.
Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers Is a Reboot That Requires Zero Nostalgia
The Disney+ film is like an updated Who Framed Roger Rabbit—a fantastically funny cartoon satire.
Something’s Up With Harry Styles’s Vibe
Don’t be fooled by the pastel tones and gentle sounds of Harry’s House.
The Review: Knocked Up
Sophie Gilbert, Megan Garber, and Hannah Giorgis discuss Hollywood and the way it depicts abortion (or doesn’t).
How Hulu’s Conversations With Friends Got Sally Rooney So Wrong
The novel is darkly observant of Millennial malaise. The TV adaptation is a different story.
Pleasure Is a Deeply Unerotic Portrait of the Porn Industry
The film offers the same clinical gaze to both the mundane and graphic sides of the adult-entertainment business.
The Fight to Decouple Sex From Marriage
Sixty years ago, Helen Gurley Brown’s best-selling book promised women sexual freedom. Today, it reads like an omen.
The Impossible Ambition of Kendrick Lamar’s New Album
Despite what the artist says on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, he’s still trying to save you.
The Miraculous Comeback of the Field Trip
What we can learn from a group of third graders on their first school outing since the start of the pandemic
What It Would Take to See the World Completely Differently
The marine biologist Rachel Carson saw immense value in helping the public cultivate a sense of wonder.
The Defiant Strangeness of Werner Herzog
The director brings his signature theme—adventurers who share his quixotic compulsions—to his debut novel.
Office Hours
A short story
Joan Didion’s Magic Trick
What was it that gave her such power?
The Frenetic Basketball Nostalgia of Winning Time
Three basketball-loving writers discuss the first season of HBO’s controversial series about the 1980s Lakers.
SNL Couldn’t Be Bothered
In its penultimate episode of the season, the show delivered a sleepy collection of surface-level sketches.
The Imprisoned Egyptian Activist Who Never Stopped Campaigning for His Country’s Future
Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s writings reveal where the revolution lost steam, and how to rebuild its momentum.
Alex Garland Knows You Might Hate Men
The director’s new horror film will probably alienate some viewers, but that was a risk he was prepared to take.
The Allure of the Campus Novel
Why schools provide such fertile ground for fiction: Your weekly guide to the best in books
An Ode to Chewing Gum
Have a stick.
Knocked Up and the American Impulse to Edit Out Abortion
How the comedy, now 15 years old, foresaw Roe’s looming tragedies