

Idk, I think the issue here is that Mario is for plebians. I don’t know any “real” gamers who would answer a Mario game as their favorite game. Hell they likely wouldn’t be naming a platform game period. Why wouldn’t they throw in a song like that? Mario is fun for everyone, and it’s one of the video games that isn’t niche, has little to no barrier to entry and is just goofy and fun. Why wouldn’t the movie just be goofy and fun?
Our friend group sits at around 17. It ebbs and flows with girl/boyfriends coming and going (though mostly all married now). I hate to say it, but the key is low standards. We don’t all agree on anything. We don’t all have the same hobbies or even sense of humor. But we don’t kick each other out over stupid fights, and everyone is always welcome at everything. If you cut people out when they don’t agree with you, or when they screw up, your friendships disappear. You just have to treat it like family.