# Critically Acclaimed Movies You Don't Want to See **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583 "2004-03-04T20:59:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baby\_Fish\_Mouth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@Baby\_Fish\_Mouth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baby_Fish_Mouth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/21 "2004-03-05T19:03:08Z")
There’s a bunch of films on that AFI list that I have no interest in seeing. The top one is **Gone With the Wind**. Too long and seems overly melodramatic. And I will probably be slapped on some Homeland Security list of Un-Americans, but I’ve never seen **It’s a Wonderful Life** in its entirety. I know the whole plot of the film, but never had much interest in sitting down to watch the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/22 "2004-03-05T19:20:52Z")
It seems funny to not want to see _Birth of a Nation_ because it is racist, and then see a list of the top 100 films of the 20th century that includes _Gone With the Wind_. In some ways, GWTW is worse. At least as racist as BoaN, but more accessible, since it is not a silent film. Back to the OP - I have never seen _Forrest Gump_ or _Schindler’s List_, and don’t really want to. But I am not sure why. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/23 "2004-03-05T19:41:40Z")
I have a (not very rigidly observed) policy about going to movies where the movie is based on a book and most of the movie critics say, “the book is better.” In that case, I figure I should read the book and skip the pale imitation. This policy was inspired by The Remains of the Day: I had read the book and couldn’t really see how it would make a good movie. So I decided to skip the Anthony Hopkins/Emma Thompson vehicle, and haven’t had any cause to regret it. (More recently this policy got me out of having to see Possession.) I’ve never seen Black Hawk Down, partly because I figured it would really make more sense to read the book (see above) and partly because of my abiding hatred of schlockmeister producer Jerry Bruckheimer. But I’ve already fallen off the Bruckheimer wagon by seeing Pirates of the Carribean, so I guess I might as well go rent it now… ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/24 "2004-03-05T19:52:10Z")
> [@T.rex](#): > > . . . I also thought I didn’t want to see Schindler’s List because I thought it would be just extremely depressing, and would show a period of time I didn’t want to know about. I did see it though, and its in my top ten movies of all time. To see how the people dealt with adversity,…it was very moving and uplifting (and eduactional of history, too). . . Oh. My. Gggrgglkghlkk– FYI, Schindler’s List is NOT a good source for history education. In fact, it’s abomination in that regard. So see it for entertainment (unless you think that it’s also an abomination to use the death camps as light entertainment), but look elsewhere for history. ---
**Author:** ![T.rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@T.rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.rex)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/25 "2004-03-05T20:27:26Z")
I know that Schindler actually did a lot of what he did for financial gain. When I say history, I could care less about the story of Schinder, but I meant it in the terms of Nazi takeover, camp conditions, and depictions of the Jewish people. Speilberg’s mom was in a camp, and that film was one of his lifelong endeavors to make, so I respect the movie in that vein. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/26 "2004-03-05T20:54:17Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > I have an irrational prejudice against _Scent of a Woman_: I don’t want to see a movie named after the way someone smells. You know, for a film about a blind guy, the sound quality of _Scent_ is pretty bad. There is a lot of clipping and distortion whenever Pacino raises his voice. Personally, I have no interest in seeing things like Finding Nemo, Toy Story, or anything else pumped out by the Disney powerhouse. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/27 "2004-03-05T21:19:32Z")
> [@Baby Fish Mouth](#): > > And I will probably be slapped on some Homeland Security list of Un-Americans, but I’ve never seen **It’s a Wonderful Life** in its entirety. I know the whole plot of the film, but never had much interest in sitting down to watch the whole thing. If it’s any consolation, you’re not the only one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/28 "2004-03-05T21:29:11Z")
> [@T.rex](#): > > I know that Schindler actually did a lot of what he did for financial gain. When I say history, I could care less about the story of Schinder, but I meant it in the terms of Nazi takeover, camp conditions, and depictions of the Jewish people. Speilberg’s mom was in a camp, and that film was one of his lifelong endeavors to make, so I respect the movie in that vein. That’s exactly where its inaccuracies are most heinous. Please look further afield for historical information about the treatment of the Jews, the camps, etc. For a better idea of what really went on, see \*Shoah \* or _The Sorrow and the Pity_, for a start. (If you’re willing to sit through \*Birth \* just out of historical curiosity, these other movies are far more valuable as historical documents than \*Schindler \* or _Birth_.) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/29 "2004-03-05T21:35:48Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > You know, for a film about a blind guy, the sound quality of _Scent_ is pretty bad. There is a lot of clipping and distortion whenever Pacino raises his voice. > > Personally, I have no interest in seeing things like Finding Nemo, Toy Story, or anything else pumped out by the Disney powerhouse. FWIW, I’m a pretty hardcore Disneyhater myself, and I like the Pixar movies. They tend to be a lot more irreverent, a bit darker, not as saccharine, as your usual Disney fare. I’m pretty happy that Pixar left Disney; maybe they’ll get even better. So though I can’t recommond _The Emperor’s Grgglghlgrgkh_, or _PocaHORKK_, or _The Little Squirmaid_, I do recommend the Pixar pics: _Toy Stories, Bug, Monsters_, and _Nemo_. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/30 "2004-03-05T21:39:30Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > I’ve also never read The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, nor Mein Kampf, but feel reasonably safe is accepting that they are also racist tracts. I’d recommend reading ‘The Protocols…’, because it will give you an insight into the origins of a huge number of crackpot conspiracy theories… ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/31 "2004-03-05T22:11:21Z")
> [@shy guy](#): > > I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’ll hate Forrest Gump if I ever see it, so I’m actively avoiding it. I thought that too, but I loved it. In a weird way, I think it’s underrated. There’s a level of depth there it’s not often given credit for. When I read the thread title the first movie I thought of was **Mystic River.** I don’t mind a depressing movie, but it just looks a bit too bleak and repulsive for my tastes. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/32 "2004-03-05T22:29:10Z")
For me it’s sports movies. I’m just not interested. So, even though I smiled a few times during _Bull Durham_, I’m probably never going to see _Raging Bull_, _Field of Dreams_, _Hoop Dreams_ or _The Natural_. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/33 "2004-03-05T22:29:12Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > I’d recommend reading ‘The Protocols…’, because it will give you an insight into the origins of a huge number of crackpot conspiracy theories… Actually the best reason I’ve seen for owning and reading ‘The Protocols…’ comes from my father’s Treasury of Jewish Folklore: A Polish Jew, a poor man, who’s donkey just died, putting an end to his carting business, is seen having sold his cart to buy a copy of ‘The Protocols…’ “Zev, why are you reading that trash?” “I like reading how powerful I am.” ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/34 "2004-03-06T00:44:37Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > Actually the best reason I’ve seen for owning and reading ‘The Protocols…’ comes from my father’s Treasury of Jewish Folklore: A Polish Jew, a poor man, who’s donkey just died, putting an end to his carting business, is seen having sold his cart to buy a copy of ‘The Protocols…’ > > “Zev, why are you reading that trash?” > > “I like reading how powerful I am.” I’ve heard a nearly identical story - except it was a Polish Gentile reading a Nazi hate rag. Looks like the anti-Semites are co-opting. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/35 "2004-03-06T02:03:45Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > I’ve heard a nearly identical story - except it was a Polish Gentile reading a Nazi hate rag. Looks like the anti-Semites are co-opting. Now, now. Not ALL Poles are/were anti-Semites. 😉 And even some who were still protected Jews from the Nazis. Of course collaboration was fairly common, but you can never tell… ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/36 "2004-03-06T05:58:00Z")
Wow. . .after looking at AFI’s list, I realized there are a LOT of acclaimed movies I’ve never seen nor have any inclination to see. Among them: Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz (no, I’ve never seen it), and Ben-Hur. I notice they’re all old films…maybe I’m subconsciously biased against aged movies. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/37 "2004-03-06T07:13:07Z")
E.T. I’m just not interested in finding out whether I’d like it or not. It was aimed squarely at my age group when it was released and I wasn’t interested then either. ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/38 "2004-03-06T07:21:17Z")
I have no interest whatsoever in ever seeing _Titanic_. Probably not critically acclaimed but hey. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/39 "2004-03-06T11:31:14Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > Now, now. Not ALL Poles are/were anti-Semites. I never said they were. The point is that the story is about how stupid and bigoted the readers of such things are - so when you’ve got Joshua Q. Publicstein doing the reading, it comes across as anti-Semitic. That’s why I said it looked like the anti-Semites had co-opted the story; it makes your Treasury of Jewish Folklore sound like a poisonous tome that also contains “The Tale of the Big-Nosed Usuring Parasite” and “How The Kikes Killed Christ”. Anyway, we’re drifting right off topic now. Fancy a bagel? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583/40 "2004-03-06T16:00:34Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > The example that comes to mind immediately is D. W. Griffith’s **The Birth of a Nation** , one of the most racist movies I know. I am perfectly willing to accept that it pioneered many of the techniques for movie telling, but I have no desire to see the film. **Birth** is actually the movie I’d most like to see right now. I’ve just finished reading John Ronson’s _Them_, which mentions it quite a few times in the context of Hollywood Jewry. Does anyone know where a copy of said movie, and/or a full-length (I’ve only read synopses) copy of _The Protocols_ might be available? I have an innate fascination with racists and racist literature and so on, to the point that I attended a National Front meeting in Britain, and a Klan rally in the middle of the Ocala National Forest. Keep in mind I’m half Indian, half white, and I look _all_ Indian. To those who refuse to see _Forrest Gump_, I say I did too, and then one day it was on HBO and I was too sick to get up and change the channel… I wondered what else I’d been missing, because it’s a really good film. > [@UnwrittenNocturne](#): > > I have no interest whatsoever in ever seeing Titanic. Probably not critically acclaimed but hey. Nine-odd Oscars means the critics did some acclaiming, I think. That said, I sat through the first five minutes and couldn’t stand it anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-movies-you-dont-want-to-see/232583.md?page=3)