Posted by Jessica c/o Adam:
Perhaps some of you thought I was joking when I said I was going to not only add Rachel Getting Married to my queue, but bump it all the way to the top. I was not. I debated announcing this again when I received the hot topic in my little mailbox so that I might hold a public viewing, but I didn't want my goal of actually watching the movie and attempting to form my own opinion on it be derailed by a peanut gallery. According to Netflix, I will rate this movie 3.5 stars, this has me wondering how Netflix thought Ward or Rick would rate the movie prior to them actually viewing it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Perhaps some of you thought I was joking when I said I was going to not only add Rachel Getting Married to my queue, but bump it all the way to the top. I was not. I debated announcing this again when I received the hot topic in my little mailbox so that I might hold a public viewing, but I didn't want my goal of actually watching the movie and attempting to form my own opinion on it be derailed by a peanut gallery. According to Netflix, I will rate this movie 3.5 stars, this has me wondering how Netflix thought Ward or Rick would rate the movie prior to them actually viewing it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
There is an aspect of Ward's original post on this topic that I originally glossed over (and perhaps you did too) that is really pivotal to his review: watching a movie after hearing rave ( and/or even "reverse") reviews on it. I get both sides of the coin with this little gem. "Part of the reason [Mike] hated this so much is because this movie received all kinds of accolades, with reviews calling the movie "brave" and "raw", etc." and yet I'll be viewing it knowing that Mike hated it and most certainly does not recommend it for viewing. I'm sure I'm not alone in having more than one movie ruined for me after missing the bus -- something about great expectations, blah blah blah. However, having gotten this far without yet viewing the movie I suspect that Netflix is pretty dead on with it's guess.
I was a little worried because as soon as I hit play all that running through my head was the critical acclaim vs Mike's reverse recommend and it took about 10 or 15 minutes for the story to pull me in. However it did, and I was able to watch the movie like it was any other on my long Netflix queue instead of like the project it's become. And, I ended up genuinely liking it and probably would've liked it even more had I watched it under different circumstances. In fact, I would even go as far as giving it a 3.7 or 3.8 if I were allowed [insert rant here about the Netflix rating system and how there's so much in between a 3 and 4 and 4 and 5], yet it is also a movie that I would never actually recommend to anyone either (along with You Can Count On Me, Happy Endings, Winter Passing, We Don't Live Here Anymore, Junebug, and countless others).
I was a little worried because as soon as I hit play all that running through my head was the critical acclaim vs Mike's reverse recommend and it took about 10 or 15 minutes for the story to pull me in. However it did, and I was able to watch the movie like it was any other on my long Netflix queue instead of like the project it's become. And, I ended up genuinely liking it and probably would've liked it even more had I watched it under different circumstances. In fact, I would even go as far as giving it a 3.7 or 3.8 if I were allowed [insert rant here about the Netflix rating system and how there's so much in between a 3 and 4 and 4 and 5], yet it is also a movie that I would never actually recommend to anyone either (along with You Can Count On Me, Happy Endings, Winter Passing, We Don't Live Here Anymore, Junebug, and countless others).
Here's the tricky thing about movies like Rachel Getting Married, at least for people who aren't professional movie reviewers, they're poignant only in as much as you can relate to them. That, and in as well as they're told. While watching this movie I couldn't help but think of one of the main guidelines my creative writing teacher refrained over and over again in college: you get to the universal through the specific -- that was a big selling point for me. It's very specific, if that makes any sense at all. I also thought the acting was fantastic. These characters, unlikeable though they may be, were complex, unique, and human (my guess is this translates into "raw" in movie review lingo). It wasn't the Hollywood pitfall of bad guy vs. good guy which doesn't give you anyone to root for. And for me, that was another big selling point. Not to say that there's anything bad about a Hollywood bad guy vs. good guy movie, there are lots of great ones I'm sure will be pointed out in the comment section here. But, in a movie where you can't relate to the characters or the story, it would help to have at least one guy that redeems it for you. And while the shaky camera work was over the top and annoying at times, I understand why it was chosen over the steadiness provided by dollies. It not only lends to the whole unsteadiness of the characters and plot, it also makes it feel like it less of a Hollywood movie and more like someone we could know. So, I can understand why someone (perhaps even several people) might not like the movie so I wouldn't recommend it even though I think it's a worthwhile viewing.
6 comments:
"hoorr"(ay)!!! I love this reverse recommending. I love this debating. The 1996 version of Crash was my very first Netflix movie because I remember hearing mixed reviews of it, but never got a chance to see it. I say go for it. I mean, it's James Spader. That guy can carry anything.
I apologize. This looks much longer in blogspot format than it does in an email.
And, yes James Spader makes me 'gumooduc', that another thing I'm afraid of compromising by watching Crash.
This is wordier than a Myers post! But possibly more enjoyable. I would love to do a post where I badmouth Kid A.
It's funny that you mentioned Crash. The 2004 Crash is another one of these critical rave movies that I hate. That Crash was absolute garbage. The James Spader Crash is one I haven't seen, and recently added it to Netflix. I remember hearing John Waters speaking of it very highly on NPR, so that kind of peaked my interest.
As for this Rachel movie, I have stated my case. Scenes too long, hateful characters (including an annoying weepy dad), overly done shaky cam, horrendously awkward confrontations...let's close this case and move on to another anti-recommend.
i don't like that lady's eyes on the cover. she looks like an alien.
Sorry I never comment guys, but I always read the blog on my google reader. I'd just like to say "Excellent post" to Jessica. Also, btw, I liked this movie a lot. It's the kind of thing that I'll probably never watch again, but I do believe it was well done and a good story. I mean, I think the whole point is how all the characters are fucked up and mostly they can't admit it to themselves or each other. That's why it's rough to watch. A little like Requiem for a Dream, maybe, in a way.
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