Friday, February 17, 2006

Stupid Movies

Some movies are so stupid, they're funny. Others go too far past that point--they're so stupid...that they're just stupid.

The statement I'm about to make will no doubt inspire outrage among some of my readers, but it's my blog and I'll say it anyway: The Princess Bride is the clearest example of a movie that falls into the latter category. I will never understand the appeal of that ridiculous movie. I saw it once or twice when I was younger, and thought it was completely stupid. But by the time I was a freshman in college, I knew several people who thought it was the greatest movie ever made--so when our campus was showing it during orientation week, I decided to give it another chance. Maybe I had missed something. No. It was still completely stupid. I think I have lost brain cells every time I have seen it.

Anyway, as of last night, a new movie joins the ranks of The Princess Bride in the category of "movies that are so stupid, they're just stupid."

When advertisements and previews for Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit came out a few months ago, my husband sat at the computer watching clips from the website and laughing out loud. I, on the other hand, was not amused. I chalked it up to the fact that we occasionally have a different sense of humor, and knew it was a movie that he would love to watch with his brothers, a movie that would have all three of them laughing their heads off as they endlessly quote it in bad British accents afterwards. Not that that has ever happened before with other movies...

Anyway, I decided to be a good wife and surprise Steve with the DVD for Valentine's Day. I knew he'd love the gift, and I figured maybe it wouldn't be that bad. The reviews on the DVD case gave me hope: Time magazine called it "the flat out funniest movie in dog's years" (which doesn't exactly make sense--how many dog's years?--but whatever) and Rolling Stone said "you will laugh yourself silly."

So Steve and I sat down to watch it last night. Apparently in order to laugh yourself silly, maybe you have to be smoking whatever the reviewers were smoking when they wrote those comments? I think I may have given a courtesy half-smile/half-chuckle twice, and laughed once. The rest of the time I sat there baffled, wondering how in the world anyone could consider this movie "an ingenious, witty, wonderful film."

After it was over, I asked Steve, "Did I miss something?" Incidentally, he hadn't been laughing out loud either, as I had expected him to. He shook his head and said, "The previews were funny..."

I can't believe I spent good money on that movie. I want my $19.95 back. Also, I want those 90 minutes of my life back.

9 comments:

Kayla said...

Amy, I just have to comment that I feel that exact same way about ALL of the Austin Powers films. Everyone always says "they are so funny, what are you talking about" but truly I feel depressed "trying to watch them. I could never finish even one of them. (I could go on for hours with a long list of these just plain stupid movies)

Anonymous said...

Amen. Enough said.

Jules said...

I feel the exact same way about all of those movies (including Monty Python, which every man I know quotes incessantly). At least they aren't as tasteless as the new breed of "stupid humor" movies (Anchorman immediately comes to mind).

I just don't "get" them...but then again most men don't "get" the appeal of chick flicks either.

Amanda said...

Sorry Amy, but Josh & I saw The Curse of the Were Rabbit in theaters and both really liked it. How can you not think the Wallace rabbit who kept talking about how he liked cheese was not funny?

Perhaps you needed to have seen & liked the short films first? Have you seen them?

And dang, I like Monty Python (some definitely more than others) AND Anchorman!

So I will stand up for them on your blog. :)

Hope you are well,
Amanda

Amanda said...

Whoops. Should have been "How could you think that the Wallace rabbit who kept talking about how much he liked cheese was not funny?"

Too early to comment error-free.

Also, I want to know from you & your friends who are commenting, what movies do you like? Just curious...

Amy said...

Well. I have to say I'm surprised...five comments and not ONE defending The Princess Bride. Clearly this proves I am right: it IS the dumbest movie ever. ;)

Amanda, I don't know--Steve loves Wallace and Gromit. He was SO excited when he first heard they were doing a feature-length film...as I said in the post, he watched clips online and laughed a lot. He's seen the shorts and still didn't think the new movie was any good.

As for the other movies mentioned, I haven't seen any Monty Python movies or Anchorman, so I can't speak to those (though I do know Steve finds Monty Python pretty funny).

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any movies in the category of "so stupid they really are funny" instead of "so stupid they're just stupid." I'll let you know if any come to mind--I know there have been some I've laughed a lot at.

Anonymous said...

I would put Tommy Boy in the "so stupid they really are funny" category.
As far as Princess Bride, I never liked that either (and yet I still ended up on the Chorale bus that played it on every trip!)

Thanks for the heads up on the Ware rabbit movie...I had added it to the list of movies I'd like to watch, but now I think I'll just skip it.
Love ya girl and hope all is well,
Sandra

Elizabeth said...

I like Princess Bride. the other day my co-worker and i quoted sections. Only neither knew the lines well so it was more an adlib quoting. very enjoyable.

I haven't yet Were-Rabbit.

But I am a fan of Tommy Boy, didn't like Anchorman or Mystery Men.

Some movies i thought were so stupid have become very funny after the fact, like Napoleon Dynamite

Anonymous said...

The best place for reviews of movies is Yahoo. I always look to them before I waste my hard earned money taking the wife, and friends to the movies. Wow, you really have a outstanding blog here. I'll be back to visit again.

For the most funny videos on the web please visit my blog!

Happy double oooh seven to you, and all your visitors.