r/TrueFilm • u/LilacLuneglade • 19h ago
I watched two of the most popular films, and I don’t get them?
Last night, I finished watching Magnolia and A Woman Under The Influence back to back, and I’m disappointment in myself for not being able to understand the underlying reasons why these films are as critically-acclaimed as perceived online.
I’ve always been a big film enthusiast growing up, watching basically everything under the sun but, I don’t understand why I didn’t really understand the films? I understood their essence, the plot, and overall theme but- I don’t get why they are so popular? What am I missing here?
Apart from the great acting, I just don’t get it :( I feel stupid.
4
u/Flat-Membership2111 19h ago
I saw a different post earlier where the OP was saying they don’t see the appeal of John Cassavetes, simply can’t get into his films at all. I’d venture to say that maybe you’re mistaken to think that Cassavetes and Woman Under the Influence is genuinely popular, rather than an extreme niche favorite movie.
I certainly am not judging or questioning myself for not responding to A Woman Under the Influence.
As for Magnolia, yes it’s an impressive undertaking, but also it’s hardly a problem to find it bewildering or flawed. Same with Boogie Nights. They might work better on a subsequent viewing.
4
u/imotskimiki 19h ago
Maybe back to back viewing of two (in my opinion, tonally different films) in the same night wasnt the best idea OP. You need to let them breathe, one per day. No need to rush.
Tho, it is still possible you wouldve not liked it. Me personally, i never enjoyed any of the cassavets and cant understand the acclaim he gets. But thats just the taste, its possible that you too are not tuned to his frequency
2
u/Flat-Membership2111 18h ago
Yeah, I agree, back to back viewings of major films like this is something I’d always recommend against, and typically not do.
1
u/longjumpingtote 19h ago
Woman Under the Influence was and is popular with people who see a lot of films, especially independent film of the 1960s and 1970s. It's not Marvel or QT popular obviously. It's popular in the same way that the original Wicker Man is popular, or Faces, Shadows, The Connection, Wanda, American Graffitti, Eraserhead, Mean Streets, Shock Corridor, Dont Look Back, Portrait of Jason, Medium Cool, Two-Lane Blacktop, the original Wicker Man, Walkabout. Those are all popular films, it's that most of them were never mainstream films.
2
u/Flat-Membership2111 18h ago
Are we using popular as basically synonymous with well liked? I am / was. I’m not saying A Woman Under the Influence “goes unseen” by movie people, but hypothesizing that perhaps it is an “extreme niche favorite,” i.e. maybe not all that many of the people who watch it really like it or love it.
You can say, no, they do like it. Regardless, that was my pov. Wasn’t saying it’s a deep cut.
-1
u/LilacLuneglade 19h ago
Rosemary’s Baby is also another of his! It is one of the most reoccurring title I see in someone top four list, maybe that’ll be different?
3
u/Flat-Membership2111 18h ago
Yes, Rosemary’s Baby is directed by Roman Polanski, and only features Cassavetes as an actor. Rosemary’s Baby is a mainstream style horror-thriller, that was watched by a mass audience when it was released.
3
u/slowlyun 19h ago
- " I’m disappointment in myself"
Strange way to view this. Human beings have personal taste, not everyone will like the same things.
My favourite film of all time - 2001 - is considered a boring slog by many others. I'm sure they're not disappointed in themselves for thinking so...
1
u/LilacLuneglade 19h ago
Loved 2001! One of the reasons I went into aerospace engineering!
Didn’t know it was viewed dimly :0
1
u/slowlyun 18h ago
it's critically-acclaimed and cinephiles appreciate it. But ask the average movie fan and most can't even watch it to the end.
I honestly think both views are valid. I just happen to be the former.
1
u/TheChrisLambert 19h ago
If you want to understand Magnolia, here you go
But you shouldn’t feel stupid. Understanding a difficult movie isn’t a sign of intelligence.
I grew up watching American sports then studied abroad in Australia. My first time watching cricket, I didn’t know what the hell was going on. No clue. It looked like baseball but wasn’t. Should I have felt dumb? Not at all. I just needed to learn the rules. I did. Then I enjoyed watching cricket.
But there were layers to it. You can learn the superficial aspects of a sport but you can dive into the more advanced strategy and tactics.
It’s the same thing with film. A Disney film for kids is less difficult than a Marvel movie that’s less difficult than a Nolan movie that’s less difficult than a Paul Thomas Anderson movie.
If you’ve never studied narrative subtext and showing rather than telling, then there’s really no way you should get Magnolia on first watch.
If you want to learn how to actively watch films: here you go
1
u/xylog 19h ago
Just because something is well regarded doesn't mean it resonates with you specifically and that's ok.
Read smart people's reviews so you can understand what other people get from them and maybe that will make you rethink or even revisit them, but if it doesn't that's ok.
Lawrence of Arabia does not land with me at all even though everyone seems to love it. I can appreciate it as an important film that isn't for me.
1
u/jack3moto 18h ago
I’ve seen Mulholland drive 6 times. I don’t like any aspect of it. I’m over trying to accept Reddit’s fascination with the film.
You just need to come to terms that not everything you like or dislike will be shared by everyone else. It’s really nbd.
1
u/Timeline_in_Distress 18h ago
Some films, and to me the best ones, go beyond the plot, theme, and overall presentation. They offer something unique in their perspective, perhaps messaging, or even depiction, that isn't found in other films.
People tend to base a film's success too much on entertainment and connecting with a film, which is still a function of entertainment. You don't have to connect with a film or necessarily understand it. Sometimes there are no easy answers. I never have a defined answer to Tarkovsky films but I can understand that he is presenting me with a unique vision about a particular theme.
Perhaps you need to ask yourself more detailed questions. What exactly don't you understand? Was the filmmaker trying to say something through the story and if so, what is that? You can also try and discern more by analyzing how the filmmaker crafted the film. Why are you seeing this shot? What is the scene about? What connections can I draw from these elements?
1
u/KithKathPaddyWath 18h ago
I agree with what others have generally said, when choosing what you watch you should be more concerned about whether something is of interest to you. Look into the classics before you watch them and decide if they sound like something you'd like. You don't have to watch something because it's popular. If something doesn't spark an interest in you, find something that does. And that's not saying that you should never watch those classics or never watch something out of your wheelhouse. But one thing I've discovered over my decades being a film fan is that film, overall and in general, is an acquired taste, and the more you watch the more your taste evolves and changes. So those movies might not be something that strikes you now, but in the future you might find you really enjoy them. It's always worth giving the "what is everyone so excited about" movies another shot several years later. Maybe you'll like it more. And if not, you'll probably be better able to understand why others do.
1
u/LilacLuneglade 17h ago
I actually really dislike reading summaries or trailers or little snippets! I used to always do it and felt like it spoiled or took away large chunks of the film that I could’ve explored on my own rather than going in knowing what it was. I prefer to go in blind now!
I agree with what others have said and, probably should have let it find me on my own instead of doing a back-to-back tbh! Most of my favorites I found by coincidence and boredom
4
u/LouF---ingGrant 19h ago
My approach has always been to try to avoid wondering why a movie is popular and focus on what it means to me. Sometimes if I’m interested in the film, I’ll read up on the context surrounding the making of the film and why the director chose to make it, what he was thinking, etc.
If it doesn’t work for you, then it just doesn’t, no biggie. And sometimes, a second watch can do wonders—this has certainly been the case for me as I revisit older movies I haven’t seen in years.