# How important is the director to you on whether you see a movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679 "2012-12-20T23:02:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/1 "2012-12-20T23:02:34Z")
So against my better judgment I went to see THE HOBBIT. My hesitation was based, oddly enough, not primarily on my distaste for Peter Jackson’s RETURN OF THE KING, but on my feelings about several of his other movies: I specifically refer to THE LOVELY BONES, THE FRIGHTENERS, MEET THE FEEBLES. My sense of humor doesn’t track with his; nor my sense of what makes for an interesting drama, and so I was doubtful I’d be able to stand HOBBIT. But that’s just me. How likely are you to skip a movie you might otherwise be interested in because of its director? Are there any directors whose movies you’ll check out though you dislike the star? ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/2 "2012-12-20T23:18:03Z")
I tend to think several times before I see a Wes Anderson movie. I did go see _Moonrise Kingdom_, which I enjoyed more than I expected. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/3 "2012-12-20T23:25:32Z")
I dislike seeing films done by directors I don’t like. Michael Bay is clearly subnormal, Uwe Boll is just fucking with us. Zack Snyder is visually lovely, but ain’t gonna get bogged down with no story. If the film is otherwise interesting, I’ll give it a chance, of course. Like I plan to see the new Superman film. Sometimes I’ll give an otherwise uninteresting film a chance if I like the director. Guillermo del Toro, J. J. Abrahams, The Cohen Brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan. What was the question again? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/4 "2012-12-20T23:36:55Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > What was the question again? “Skald, would you like me to send you a check for a large amount of money?” And the answer is no. If I needed money from you – well, that’s what key-loggers are for, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/5 "2012-12-20T23:37:43Z")
It is probably the single most determining factor on whether I’ll see a movie or not. It doesn’t work 100% of the time (I generally like Soderbergh but did not see MAGIC MIKE, for example), but I will unquestionably give a movie a second glance (for good or bad) once I discover who’s directing it. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/6 "2012-12-20T23:40:46Z")
I’m not a movie buff with sufficient knowledge or attention span to know the names of more than one or two directors. It doesn’t cross my mind, when considering which movie to see. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/7 "2012-12-20T23:43:19Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > It is probably the single most determining factor on whether I’ll see a movie or not. It doesn’t work 100% of the time (I generally like Soderbergh but did not see MAGIC MIKE, for example), but I will unquestionably give a movie a second glance (for good or bad) once I discover who’s directing it. Yep, that’s pretty much me, too. I don’t think there’s a director out there where I’ve liked every movie that I’ve seen by them, but there are many for whom I will be in that theater, regardless of cast, subject matter, or critical reception. If I’ve never heard of the director, one of those three things I just mentioned has to have major drawing power for me. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/8 "2012-12-20T23:51:24Z")
Yes. I’m a director person more than anything. There are several directors whose movies I’ll see no matter what. I don’t even need to know the name of it, what it’s about, or who’s in it. Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson are among them. I always hope new directors will join that long list. I’ll be seeing The Impossible only because Juan Antonio Bayona is directing (he directed a movie I love called The Orphanage, and I was lucky enough to meet him at a screening). ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/9 "2012-12-20T23:55:07Z")
I swing all over the place. If it’s a director that I’m a fan of … I’d probably go see a film of his toe nails growing. If it’s a director that I actively dislike … I probably wouldn’t see one of his movies if a blow-job for me was included. On the other hand, I saw \*SkyFall \*last weekend and I don’t have the foggiest notion of who directed it. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/10 "2012-12-21T00:09:01Z")
If it is a director I like, I will definitely see the film. (When will Lynch come out with another movie?!) Also, if I like a movie, I will seek out other movies by the same director. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/11 "2012-12-21T00:19:48Z")
For the most part, not so much. But then, I wouldn’t touch _Pacific Rim_ with a 3.048 meter pole if it wasn’t directed by Guillermo Del Toro. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/12 "2012-12-21T00:32:50Z")
Yes it matters, but only partially. It is what initially interests (or disinterests) me from an upcoming release. One of many factors that go into my decision-making process for movie-watching, along with genre, who is in it, and what the general buzz is for it. Then it gets to specifics like trailers and even posters. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/13 "2012-12-21T00:41:18Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I swing all over the place. If it’s a director that I’m a fan of … I’d probably go see a film of his toe nails growing. If it’s a director that I actively dislike … I probably wouldn’t see one of his movies if a blow-job for me was included. > > On the other hand, I saw \*SkyFall \*last weekend and I don’t have the foggiest notion of who directed it. I don’t think that’s remotely inconsistent. There’s a first time you saw any of the directors you liked or disliked, after all. And just because you’ll never see, saw, John Wu, doesn’t mean you make a note who directed every movie. I only try to do so for movies I really, really loved or really, really hated. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/14 "2012-12-21T00:50:00Z")
Good point. Unfortunately, you used John Wu as an example. He is on my “I Don’t Care If A Blow-Job Is In It For Me” list. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/15 "2012-12-21T00:51:35Z")
Good directors make good movies, great directors make good movies even from unpromising materials. Bad directors make bad films even with great materials\*. I watch for the director’s name and, if I liked his work in the past, I’ll go see him. If I didn’t like his work, it will take something more to make me see the film. \*Though sometimes, they can surprise you. Chris Columbus did **Adventures in Babysitting** and Joe Johnson did **October Sky** , both welcome breaks from the mediocrity of their careers. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/16 "2012-12-21T00:53:47Z")
There are a small handful of directors where them being involved will sway me one way or another. But for 90% of movies, the director is an unknown entity to me and I’m fine with that. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/17 "2012-12-21T00:59:35Z")
if there were a blacklist of directors who utilises shaky cam, i would use it. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/18 "2012-12-21T01:03:20Z")
I’d say the director is more likely to influence my decision to see a movie than the star. If there’s a movie I’m interested in seeing and I don’t know or recognize the director’s name I’m probably not going to look it up, but there are some directors I have positive feelings about and this could influence my decision to see a movie I’d otherwise be on the fence about. Directors I have negative feelings about tend to be ones who direct movies I wouldn’t be interested in anyway. I’ve never seen a Michael Bay or Uwe Boll movie, but even if these directors had better reputations I don’t have much interest in action or horror movies. There are a couple of other directors I can think of who do have fairly good critical reputations (one has directed at least one Best Picture nominee) but whose work I tend to avoid either because I find their fans to be unusually obnoxious or because the directors as individuals come across as unusually obnoxious. Again, none of these directors have made movies that would have sounded particularly interesting to me even if I didn’t know who directed them and I haven’t been impressed by the examples of their work I have seen. But if I didn’t have a negative association with these directors, I probably would have seen some of their big movies just out of curiosity. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/19 "2012-12-21T01:03:27Z")
Money is so short for movies in theatres, that Director is not one of the criteria that makes me choose. It matters a little more when renting. More important overall to me is story, and to a lesser degree the actors in the film. (some actors just ruin a movie for me). Skald - what was you opinion of the Hobbit movie or do I have to plow thru the Hobbit movie thread to find out? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679/20 "2012-12-21T01:08:13Z")
> [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > Money is so short for movies in theatres, that Director is not one of the criteria that makes me choose. It matters a little more when renting. More important overall to me is story, and to a lesser degree the actors in the film. (some actors just ruin a movie for me). > > Skald - what was you opinion of the Hobbit movie or do I have to plow thru the Hobbit movie thread to find out? I didn’t like it. I doubt I’ll be posting in that thread, any more than I posted in the anticipation thread. It’s not like RETURN OF THE KING, SUPERMAN RETURNS, or STAR TREK, in which I went into the movie expecting to be pleased and thus had a lot of hot rage to expend. My dislike for Jackson as a director has long since been established, so all I could do would be to threadshit. I only went because my stepdaughter is in town and wanted to see it with me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-the-director-to-you-on-whether-you-see-a-movie/644679.md?page=2)