Variations on "It was stupid but I liked it" in almost every damn movie review

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is anybody else getting tired of reading about a new comedy and seeing a couple sentences about how the film was really dumb before they admit they had a good time and enjoyed it?

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

a/k/a "this is great if you're drunk / high"

So, I appreciate reading that because it's helpful..

― dean? (deangulberry), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I dunno, this is kinda different then "drunk/high." "Drunk/high" implies the film is NOT good when you're sober. These are mainstream reviews (salon, voice, ebert, etc) that say they enjoyed the movie (allegedly) DESPITE its stupidity.

is it being done as a favor to the reader (they want to warn people who don't like "stupid" movies) or are they just defensive about what they find funny?

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

stupidity does not negate enjoyability, look at porn

― Huck, Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

what i hate is when they describe a dumb movie by saying "it's a great popcorn flick." like you can't eat popcorn while watching the pianist or something.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

The Pianist doesn't sell a lot of popcorn though, thus the usage.

― dean? (deangulberry), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

they are just being snooty. that's why they always say stuff like: "well, for what it is, it isn't bad." which is just dumb.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I tend to interpret "It was stupid but I liked it" as "only see this if high or drunk," which is what I was briefly mentioning upthread.

I would say though, that critics generally seem to use this phrase to say "This movie (not film) is the best of terrible, mindless crap that you cretins normally enjoy, which is why I can enjoy it somewhat, being above you and all..."

― dean? (deangulberry), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I have more of a problem these days with lengthy plot-recap reviews that NEVER ONCE describe what the movie looked like. Visuals don't seem to matter to many movie reviewers which is just really really fucking bizarre to me. Last one I read like that was the New York Times review of I,Robot. LOOOOOOOOOONG-ASS review of it. Not one mention of what the movie looked like. Not one.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

scott sewart OTMF$$$

― Maneating Leopards of India (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:49 (twenty-one years ago)

seward even

― Maneating Leopards of India (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 1 August 2004 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Phillip French in the Observer is terrible for that - he gives you a recap of the plot (usually up to the last half hour) and then a bit of trivia vaguely connected to the film, presumably to show how knowledgeable he is. He often barely hints at whether he liked the thing or not.

― Wooden (Wooden), Sunday, 1 August 2004 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Man, I never thought about it but Scott's right re: look.

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 1 August 2004 21:20 (twenty-one years ago)

stupidity does not negate enjoyability, look at porn
-- Huck (handsomishbo...), August 1st, 2004.

OTM.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 1 August 2004 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Not all porn is stupid, case in point: girls with glasses spread-eagled on encyclopaedias making creative use of slide rules.

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Also, I think that the 'stupid but I liked it' trend exists so that reviewers allow themselves a layer of disconnection with the movie and feel superior to the mere mortals who found it funny without qualification. cf. AO Scott, any of the boston globe crits.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Sunday, 1 August 2004 22:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Possibly also, "this is movie is stupid and you may recognize that and it may not do well or it may become a gigantic hit ... either way, i'm not keen enough to know which will happen, but i want to leave the door open for me to take either side in the future."

― dean? (deangulberry), Sunday, 1 August 2004 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

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