If there’s one lesson worth bestowing on those who indulge in film and television on even the most elementarily critical level, it’s that disliking things should not be an enjoyable feeling; indeed, if one jumps at the chance to slander pop culture before attaching buzzwords to anything out of the Criterion Collection, there’s a good to fair chance that such an interest in film is lacking in sincerity.
It makes it all the more refreshing, then, when such a phenomenon is flipped on its head in all the best ways; with not only objectively great films being the bearer of one’s distaste, but the people in question acknowledging the quality of these films, and perhaps suggesting that they desperately wish they could enjoy them the way so many others do. It is, of course, rare that Reddit pairs nicely with the word “refreshing,” but r/movies has pulled it off nonetheless.
A couple of users pitched the filmography of Wes Anderson, who turned out to be a particularly divisive auteur; Python-esque whimsy just doesn’t land with everyone, apparently.
Lars von Trier’s work also had a fair share of detractors, and anyone who’s caught a glimpse of Dogville or Manderlay may immediately understand, even if they themselves adore their minimalist, avant-garde, and acutely controversial makeup.
As for individual films, perhaps the fairest take in the whole thread goes to The Green Knight, the Dev Patel-led A24 epic that admittedly derives most of its value from an Arthurian academic lens.
Savor this moment, folks, for it’s not often that the internet sees such a peaceful combination of unpopularity and uneven critical consensus. Thus, we take our leave with the reminder that it is, in fact, okay to not like things.
