The 96th Academy Awards, better known as The Oscars, will be taking place in less than a week. Meaning some films will be recognized forever as the best of the best for 2024.
…But how many of us have sat down to watch an award winning, cult classic, incredibly popular movie, only to think…is everyone else watching what I’m watching? I don’t get the hype!
You’re not alone. Art, as we know, is subjective, and just because a movie is liked by many, it doesn’t mean it will be liked by everyone.
When Reddit user u/imnachos asked: “What is a film you didn’t really enjoy that everyone seemed to like?” their question got thousands of comments from less-than-enthused moviegoers. Some choices were to be expected, such as classics that maybe don’t hold up so well with a modern lens. But then a few films that seem completely harmless and universally loved made the list.
Check out the titles below:
The Notebook
“I first watched this movie when I was like 15 and of course at that age you think it’s romantic and the most beautiful love story ever. As an adult that has now experienced young love and mature adult love…. If my high school boyfriend had ever shown up out of nowhere while I was with my fiancé/now husband he would have no hold over me lol. Like I get the premise is that their love is so strong and eternal and that they’re soulmates blah blah blah but they didn’t even give her a bad fiancé. The guy she was engaged to was handsome and super kind and successful lol but sure, go back to your grouchy hermit ex you haven’t spoken to in yearssss.”
A Quiet Place
“‘S’on, we can talk as loud as we want next to this waterfall. Now let’s go home to our creaky home with wood floors where we have to tiptoe and use sign language….’ My guy… just move next to the waterfall!”
Avatar
“Unobtainium?? That’s the best name they could come up with?”
“You could argue that it’s a story about how humans gathering natural resources are blind to the devastating effects of their greed… But no, that’s just a literal description of the plot. Avatar takes the nuance and context and human characters out of real-world conflict and replaces everything with a one-dimensional min-max placeholder.”
The Princess Bride
“Sorry folks, but ‘The Princess Bride’ blows. The only interesting thing about the movie was actually in the Andre the Giant documentary, detailing the pain Andre was in throughout the filming.”
Everything Everywhere All at Once
One person lamented, “I had to take breaks to watch it because it was just too much going on.”
To which someone quipped, “The title does warn you.”
Saltburn
“I watched it last night and did not get the hype, just the ick.”
Fast & Furious
“I find them all to be ridiculously stupid. Just awful.”
The MCU
” I like comics but I despise the cinematic universe.”
Barbie
“It was fine. I get it’s standing as a cultural phenomenon…But it’s not as great as what people were celebrating it as. But if people found enjoyment in it then that’s good for them.”
The Godfather
“I think you would have had to see it when it came out. It paved the way for the modern mafia movies. Before it, there was nothing like it, and it was probably amazing at the time.”
Oppenheimer
One person referenced a review of “Oppenheimer” by writer Sam Kriss, who called it:
“…bafflingly pointlessly soulless…Less an actual film than a three-hour-long trailer: just snapshots, stitched together, each scene lasting a few minutes at most, until you start to get something like motion sickness…You get the sense that Nolan isn’t really interested in much. Not nuclear physics, not the terrible responsibilities of the atomic age, or the romance of Communism, or the cruel machinery of the US government; in fact, he doesn’t even seem to care at all about J Robert Oppenheimer, as a man or a totem. What he cares about are the following: firstly, shoving as many scientists and politicians in front of our faces as possible, so we all appreciate how thoroughly he’s done his homework, and secondly, employing a Mirror-wannabe non-linear storytelling technique for no apparent reason whatsoever. It sucks.”
Elf
“I hate ‘Elf’. I can’t stand Will Ferrell. He’s not funny; he’s just loud.”
Wonder Woman
“It was cool for a woman-led superhero film. But the plot was pretty mid.”
You know what they say—everyone’s a critic! But that’s all the more reason why we need a variety of films, focusing on different perspectives, cultures, genres, you name it, so that there can be something for everyone.