Movie review
July 23, 2022 · 98 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Honor Society is a 2022 Paramount+ high school comedy about ambitious senior Honor Rose, who schemes to eliminate three rivals for a Harvard recommendation letter from her guidance counselor before unexpectedly forming bonds and falling for one of them. The story follows her Machiavellian plans involving a school theater production and personal manipulation that ultimately lead to self-reflection on authenticity and relationships. A visible supporting subplot centers on helping a closeted gay Black athlete publicly come out, paired with light nods to pop feminism and female self-discovery that remain secondary to the scheming and romance.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Honor Society.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent Black gay athlete Travis with explicit closeted-to-public coming-out arc tied to Honor's schemes and school play; Asian-American Kennedy in key creative role; diverse friend group visible throughout high school setting.
Woke political dialogue
Brief dismissals of feminist pop icons as superficial image props, positive Handmaid's Tale reference by characters, and sleazy male counselor subplot; no extended activist speeches or modern ideological framing.
Identity-driven story themes
Recurring support for gay character's self-acceptance and public outing as a positive plot outcome, plus female lead's shift from ruthless ambition to valuing authenticity and romance; these serve personal growth rather than identity politics as core engine.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Satire of college prestige obsession and abusive male authority figure (counselor); one 1970s feminist teacher portrayed as pitiable cautionary example; lacks any systemic modern activist framing of patriarchy, whiteness, or institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant – original screenplay with no adaptations, canon changes, or reinterpretations of historical figures.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No meaningful backlash, "too woke" articles, race/gender-swap complaints, or social media campaigns; reception stayed positive or neutral with only scattered non-ideological user gripes.
Creator track record context
Writer's decades of mainstream comedy credits show no activist pattern; director has clean debut record and pro-Israel stance; DP's prior Dear White People work is secondary and non-controlling.
Production
