Topical references don't really bother me, in fact I love them, but that may be more of my personal taste and you see it differently.

To me, topicality in movies and other media represents a snapshot of the time and place of when it was made, and to me, that gives it a texture and verisimilitude.

Like in Knocked Up, Leslie Mann gets upset because she wants to see Spider-Man 3 with her husband, which instantly dates that movie to 2007. I like that kind of stuff. It makes it feel more real.

If she had wanted to go see a made up movie instead, or like an ersatz of Spider-Man called Spider-Dude or something, that would take me out of the reality of the film.