Are there films considered among the greatest of all time that leave you cold? Here’s my list of 10 “great” films I just don’t get. I’m not saying they’re bad films – well, not all of them. I’m just saying that these universally adored films aren’t adored by me. Feel free to disagree.
10. The Shawshank Redemption
When I was studying in LA, Stuart Beattie gave me the script of this yet-to-be-produced film and said it was among the best he’d ever read. When it was released, the critics raved. On IMDb, it has a rating of 9.2, making Shawshank, by this reliable measure, the greatest film of all time. I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. I think the twist at the end reflects the film’s short story origins and denies us any emotional release because his escape is achieved off-screen rather than earned on-screen. But, clearly, I’m in the minority on this one.
9. Jerry McGuire
Cameron Crowe has made some good films (Singles, Almost Famous) and he is a fellow devotee of Billy Wilder but he’s also made some stinkers (Vanilla Sky). This is a film that lots of people loved and heaven knows they never tire of shouting that tagline – “Show me the money” – but to me this is a prime example of faux character growth. The writer understands that the character is meant to evolve but the change just doesn’t feel authentic. When I get bored in a film, I have a habit of taking off my glasses. The specs came off very early in this one.
8. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I think Ang Lee is one of the best directors working in the world today. I loved The Wedding Banquet, Ice Storm and Brokeback Mountain. But, I loathed this over-long, over-praised film. Why? Let’s just say I refer to it as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Narrative.
7. The Big Lebowski
Apart from their wonderful and traditionally structured first film, Blood Simple, the Coen Brothers are narrative iconoclasts. This can produce some great films (Fargo), some diverting fluff (Burn After Reading) and some films that really piss off their audiences because they fail to finish what they’ve so successfully begun (No Country for Old Men). The Big Lebowski is none of these. It’s just a great big festering stool of a film – aimless, paceless and pointless. A lot of my mates say – “Oh, man, you’ve got to love The Dude!”. No, I’m sorry, but I just don’t. Having said that, it looks like art next to A Serious Man.
6. The Piano
I can remember being at a dinner party of about a dozen people back in 1993 when everyone was waxing on about what a great film this was. After a while I just couldn’t take it any more. I literally stuck my paw in the air, and said I had a dissenting opinion. Did I cop a caning? The film has a really interesting premise, some iconic shots and I didn’t even mind the soundtrack, but I just didn’t connect with the character and 90 minutes later I held her in no greater regard. I was interested that the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw had this to say in his recent review of Bright Star: “It (Bright Star) is almost certainly the best (film) of Campion’s career, exposing The Piano as overrated and overegged”. That’s great, Pete, but where were you in ’93?
5. The Wizard of Oz
The Tin Man, the Straw Man and the cowardly Lion? Great. The yellow brick road? Nice. Judy Garland? Irritating beyond belief.
4. Citizen Kane
This film always pops up in discussions about the greatest films of all time but after seeing it for the first time I was left thinking, what did I miss? Originally I thought I must have just been too immature and ignorant to appreciate its genius. However I’ve liked it no better on two subsequent viewings so we’ve at least removed immaturity from the calculations. Tragedy is not my favourite genre but it’s compounded when you find the central character a pompous twat.
So what are the three greatest films I don’t get the most?
3. Lord of the Rings 3
2. Lord of the Rings 2
1. Lord of the Rings 1
Well, I’ll be honest. I never actually saw Lord of the Rings 3. I was so bored by the first two legs, the collective cast of all 3 films couldn’t have dragged me in for the final instalment. Yes, I’m sure it’s a good story, in mythological terms. But a story is more than the mechanics. You need to be comfortable with the tone and Tolkein is just way too earnest for me. Yes, there is comic relief, it’s just not funny. I love wit and genuine comedy and, alas, that is still beyond even the best CGI technology. Lord of the Rings is what Star Wars would have been if it didn’t have Han Solo. Unleavened Luke Skywalker? May the force be without me. Of course, the LOTR trilogy took a combined $3.5 billion at the box office, so clearly I’ll be making few friends with this astonishing admission. I don’t care. I just. don’t. get it.
Honorable Mention - Amelie
Admittedly I was horrendously jet-lagged at the time, but I fell asleep in this “delightful French charmer”. I have to declare that I’m not a great fan of French cinema in general. While storytellers for about a million years have generally relied on a 3-act structure – beginning, middle and end – French film-makers seem to limit themselves to just the first two of these. How do you know when you’ve reached the climax of a French film? The credits are rolling.
Great films I do get
Lest you think me a total curmudgeon, here is a list of great films I love to bits.
Have your say
I’d love to hear from people who share my lack of appreciation for any of these films but, by definition, I’m more likely to be attacked by ardent admirers – offended by my want of taste, intelligence and film vocabulary. Fire away. But what “great” films left you underwhelmed? Now is your chance to ‘fess up. Offer your own list in the Comments.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
My only disagreement is Amelie- however without the intention of provoking a vicious retort- I think it is a chick flick. Plus I like quirky French cinema as long as the actors aren’t too unattractive.
I actually couldn’t agree more on the rest of these complete atrocities. I could live to be 100 and never understand the obsession with Lord of the Rings 1, 2, 3. Overrated, boring, badly edited, dubiously acted and really just wank material for grown up adolescent males who couldn’t play Star Wars games due to their asthma/weight/lack of coordination with a lightsabre…. The Piano- snore. Shawshank Redemption- badly adapted, longwinded ( I preferred the Family guy version). Crouching Tiger- long, drawn out, loathable characters, occassional overexcited drumming… The Wizard of Oz = Mary Poppins = please gouge my eyes out and stick dynamite in my ears.
You forgot Wolf Creek- it’s so hard to care about stupid characters… Was I the only one who thought pushing the car over the cliff and then announcing that they really need a car was all a bit redundant? And let’s not forget the poor couple in Paranormal Activity being terrorised by Big Bird or an enormous demonic chicken.
I have a particular interest in horror movies and am always disappointed by the popularity of say, Rogue versus Black Water, which is a far superior film in every way.
Maybe I should give Amelie another shot when I’m not jet-lagged.
How about Gone with the Wind?
and Broadcast News?
I’ve never seen Gone with the Wind. I didn’t mind Broadcast News but it’s not one of my favourites.
Funny, I didn’t get LoTR too. Watched the first 2 times to see what I was missing, but never even got to the second.. Didn’t mind Shawshank (liked it a bit), couldn’t finish Citizen Kane. But I beg to differ on The Piano, since it’s one of my favorite movies of all time! (perhaps because I went to it knowing nothing and didn’t have any expectation at all)
It’s not just me then. I turned the first Lord of the Rings off about 45 minutes in and haven’t seen the others. Nothing engaging about Hobbits and skanky haired sweaty looking blokes for me! I’d add Star Wars I, II & III – Phantom Menace et al – lots of earnest people cracking unfunny jokes with no sex appeal in CGI studios! You were right about Han Solo. Liam Neeson and the young fella with the silly plait – no wet knickers over here! And were we not supposed to notice that Annekin (who was irritating called Annie) grew in to a man while his love interest failed to age. He was so unsexy, their love affair wasn’t in the least bit believable. Maybe their universe works differently to ours.
I actually like many of the films on this list. I understand your LOTR assessment. I didn’t hate it as much as you, but I get it and I can understand your opinion on all of them except for Kane. I was 23 the first time I saw it and I loved it. It is one of the few films I will re-watch. The central character though pompous wasn’t always that way, very likable in his younger days. Besides all the great technical achievements and the well crafted scenes, it is a great story of rise and fall on an internal level. Kane changes a great deal from his early Rosebud riding youth and as a young grab life by its tail young adult. I like your site and you have great advice and it is clear you know about movies, but I think you did miss something here.
Quite possibly, Lenny.
Firstly, excellent blog! I’ve really been enjoying reading your insights into screenwriting and story design.
I have to disagree with you there about The Shawshank Redemption. I think the brilliant thing about the film is that it’s *not* told through the perspective of the protagonist (Andy) but through another character (Red) who observes the protagonist and becomes intrigued and moved by him. This story is about how this enigmatic, almost superhuman, figure transforms Shawshank – his actions touch the lives of the prisoners and they ultimately move us, the audience. If the whole film was told through Andy’s perspective then he would become too “human” and the element of intrigue would be lost.
Needless to say I absolutely adore “The Shawshank Redemption”. In fact I think it’s after seeing that film in high school that I decided to be a filmmaker!
Cheers,
Jiao
Shawshank is very interesting. It bombed at the box office but people who love it really love it. It’s great that it inspired you but no-one can convince me that this a great movie. Just didn’t get me where it counts.
The Shawshank Redemption is an interesting film because it does something incredibly unusual for a Hollywood movie.
It starts off seeming as though it is going to end up just another story about how you basically can’t fight city hall, but you can inspire a few people along the way. You know, films that pretend to be about individualism while actually crucifying the main character. Dead Poets Society, Brubaker and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest being prime examples. Then instead of taking the well trodden road, Shawshank takes this basically conservative, pro-establishment message and turns it right on its head by having Andy get away with destroying City Hall and escaping to a life in the sun into the bargain.
If you can point out another movie, especially one set in an institution like a prison, boarding school or mental hospital that attempts to do this then I’m all ears.
As for the Big Lebowski the medium is to a large degree the message and its lack of structure obviously mirrors that of the Dude’s life in general. The point is that this lack of form is okay, and again, just like Shawshank this film is one big, upright, middle finger directed at conservative America.
Besides, if the scene where the Dude drops his cigarette while driving doesn’t make you laugh I would check yourself for a pulse.
You seem to like Shawshank Redemption and The Big Lebowski because they are different, Peter. That’s fine. But it’s not sufficient for me. There’s ultimately only one thing that matters to me – am I engaged? Am I moved? If not, then I can’t rate the film. Your position is valid, but so is mine.
As for the scene you mention, how far in was it? I might have been asleep.
Maybe you were asleep, but it always takes me by surprise and is one of the most perfectly played pieces of slapstick I’ve ever seen.
Thanks for responding by the way.
Originality is important to me, but in the case of Shawshank it wasn’t just that it was different. I am not actually a huge fan of the film, but my theory as to why it is so popular is that it turned a classic Hollywood cliche around so completely. If you accept the modern society as prison metaphor, even slightly, then it’s obvious that a hell of a lot of people feel like Andy, the victims of out of control authoritarians, whether it be their boss, the people in Hollywood who commission movies, the faceless corporations or the government. Andy refuses to be a victim, and that is incredibly attractive and engaging for all those struggling in one way or another with their own version of Shawshank prison.
The lead characters in Brubaker, Dead Poet’s and Cuckoo’s Nest are all victims, inspirational victims, but losers none the less, and the message that comes from those movies is that you can’t win, you’ll be beaten down and you’ll also hurt others along the way just by trying.
Hence the young man with the stutter in Cuckoo’s Nest kills himself, the boy whose father will not allow him to act in Dead Poet’s is also driven to suicide, and the old prisoner in Brubaker is murdered after talking to the new governor.
The young fella in Shawshank who is murdered is not the same. He is not being beaten down because he aspires to more. Andy, up to that point, has had one or two moments of rebellion but has mostly been a model prisoner and hasn’t encouraged anyone else to overtly challenge the system. This young man is killed because what he knows threatens the criminals in charge of the prison. Its a straight forward crime, not the result of the victim being encouraged to question the status quo by Andy.
So, not my favorite movie, but one that gets better the more I see it. Its a film that suggests that corrupt authority will get its comeuppance, and if we are smart enough and disciplined enough, we can escape our pre-ordained victimhood. I actually find that quite a moving idea, in an age were so many people feel like they are not in control of their lives and that other, completely uncaring individuals, are busy pulling the strings.
Having said that, if it didn’t engage you it didn’t engage you, fair enough.
The Big Lebowski, however, really is a matter of taste. It’s another film that crept up on me gradually but now I love it. I can totally see how this film might turn off as many people as enjoy it.
Thanks for such a considered response, Peter.
I totally agree with you on Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Watched first one boringly. Walked out of theater after 30 minutes on second one. Never attempted third one.
Jerry McGuire is one of my feel-good favorite films. It triumphs more on its four characters (Cruize, Zellweger, Gooding, little boy). Cruize does admirable job as a willing-to-do-some-good sports agent. Audience clearly identifies with him as he is thwarted, humiliated and fired from his job. Resurrection scene of Gooding in Football field does bring a smile on faces. So does the scene when Gooding and Cruize re-unite and hug each other. Antics of little kid were adorable. So was Renee. I don’t know why but I found “Almost Famous” not that interesting and left it unwatched after 30 mins.
I believe, Big Lebowski became a cult film just because of El Duderino (Bridges). It doesn’t have any groundbreaking story, plot or direction. Though it does have an outstanding cinematography (bowling lane scenes).
Totally agree that occasionally some films get admired for no apparent reasons and some good films get shunned. And after getting all those accolades, they become highly overrated. Like Top 100 films of All Time?? That might make some wonder about their film-taste. Inception is one of them. And, am glad you pointed out why it isn’t so great.
I think one of the most important stepping stones in your development as a writer is to be honest about what you like and why. It’s one of the reasons I get annoyed with theatre audiences because I feel too often they say they’ve liked something when what they mean is they had no clue what the hell was going on but they don’t want to admit that they missed what everyone else seems to have got. No. If you like it, say you like it. If you don’t, say you don’t – and, more importantly, why you don’t like it. I’ve often had students deliver something that seems hollow and I’ll ask them whether their hearts were in it and they say, “I thought it’s what I should write”. No. There is no should. There’s what works for you and what doesn’t work for you. Of course, if what works for you doesn’t work for too many other people, you might need to keep our day job, but still. Be honest. That’s what this post is about. I’m meant to like these films, my life would be easier if I did, but I don’t, here’s why, and in the process perhaps I’ll encourage others to get to the heart of what they want to write.
I’ve always wondered why my friends and millions of others could love Lord of the Rings while I get bored just looking at the trailer. I watched all 3 in the series on their release dates with a large entourage of fanatical friends and desperately tried to brainwash myself into caring enough to follow the film. All 3 times my dreams took over as I fell asleep. I always thought there was a psychological difference between the likers and the haters.
As for the rest, there are films I enjoy for their unexplained hypnotic effect and I guess Shawshank Redemption could be one of them. Saying that I never felt that the characters were anything more than fiction because I had the same “Family Guy” questions running through my mind throughout the movie.
What about the English Patient? yawn yawn.
And I agree – Jerry McGuire was sooooo bad!
Yes, Helen, the Academy has made some unusual decisions and choosing English Patient as Best Film was one of them.
When ever I think of the hype around “2001: A Space Odyssey” I think emperor’s new clothes. (was that harsh?)
Allen
You forgot Titantic. One of the all time greatest real life stories which would have had enormous opportunity for tales of heroism, tragedy and heartache. Instead it was turned into a teenage melodrama inspired by “Dawson’s Creek”.
All I could think was give me Billy Zane over Leonardo any day and when is the bloody boat going to sink!