# Inglourious Basterds is Possibly the Stupidest Best Picture Nominee I've Ever Seen. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246 "2012-10-09T19:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/41 "2012-10-10T00:09:48Z")
I heard Hitler was furious when they told him about the movie too. There used to be a video of it, but I can’t seem to find it. ---
**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/42 "2012-10-10T00:39:52Z")
Apart from IB - what do these days the recognition and understanding of genre conventions in literature, film or on stage seem dying or dead? Many genres have unrealistic conventions. There are no dragons, fairies or magical fireballs; police officers don’t freely share their knowledge with their PI buddies, vampires do not exist, humanoid aliens with bumpy foreheads probably don`t exist, and people generally don’t start to have sex the very moment the lift door has closed or the Pizza arrived. And they especially do not sing for half an hour while dying of tuberculosis. For all these genres, I have seen people claiming that this lack of realism killed any enjoyment of the work in question. I have read the claim that no planatery romance set on steamy, swampy, dinosaur-y Venus could be written anymore since we now know that Venus is not like that. I don’t imply that any poster here has said or implied these things. But I get the feeling that suspending ones own disbelief is an art slowly lost. In a certain way, that might have its positive side, since _in general life_ critical thinking and scepticism towards euphonious fluff is good - we are on the Straight Dope MB, after all. But uncritical scepticism towards stories that mainly aim to entertain seems rather self-defeating. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/43 "2012-10-10T00:42:36Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I heard Hitler was furious when they told him about the movie too. There used to be a video of it, but I can’t seem to find it. I’ve been searching for it too, for hours and hours! I’m sure this quest will be my downfall. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/44 "2012-10-10T00:49:18Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > It’s a fantasy movie. Specifically a Jewish fantasy. Why should fantasy movies only involve dragons and dwarves? Especially if they want to win awards in an industry historically dominated by one religious group? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/45 "2012-10-10T01:02:51Z")
A very cogent and interesting analysis, **Uther Penguin**. I doubt you shall last long here. 😉 Oh, and I love your username. Welcome aboard! ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/46 "2012-10-10T01:25:05Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Especially if they want to win awards in an industry historically dominated by one religious group? Let’s leave Scientology out of this. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/47 "2012-10-10T03:04:43Z")
I’m probably just shallow, but the deliberately illiterate title put me off. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/48 "2012-10-10T19:25:49Z")
> [@Uther\_Penguin](#): > > Apart from IB - what do these days the recognition and understanding of genre conventions in literature, film or on stage seem dying or dead? > > Many genres have unrealistic conventions. There are no dragons, fairies or magical fireballs; police officers don’t freely share their knowledge with their PI buddies, vampires do not exist, humanoid aliens with bumpy foreheads probably don`t exist, and people generally don’t start to have sex the very moment the lift door has closed or the Pizza arrived. And they especially do not sing for half an hour while dying of tuberculosis. > > For all these genres, I have seen people claiming that this lack of realism killed any enjoyment of the work in question. I have read the claim that no planatery romance set on steamy, swampy, dinosaur-y Venus could be written anymore since we now know that Venus is not like that. > > I don’t imply that any poster here has said or implied these things. > > But I get the feeling that suspending ones own disbelief is an art slowly lost. In a certain way, that might have its positive side, since _in general life_ critical thinking and scepticism towards euphonious fluff is good - we are on the Straight Dope MB, after all. But uncritical scepticism towards stories that mainly aim to entertain seems rather self-defeating. This is a cop out, a fantasy movie must follow its own rules, if the hobbits sprouted wings and flew to mordor that would have been awful because it does not follow the rules set out. IB took place in WW2, in a war zone, therefore its characters need to act like people act in a war zone. it is therefore and insult to the audiences intelligence to have a group of american soldiers screaming and clapping in the french countryside. It is stupid to say someone is a famous criminal and then have no one recognize him. There were numerous other times where people acted in an implausible way. That is just bad writing. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/49 "2012-10-10T19:50:36Z")
I liked the movie mainly for one reason. Cat People. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/50 "2012-10-10T20:19:51Z")
OP, I think you kinda missed the point of the movie. It’s not meant to be taken seriously. (If you think that Best Pictures, by their definition, should be “serious” movies, then blame the nominating committee, not the film). I’m not saying it’s perfect by any means - I agree with **well he’s back** ’s point that the pacing is horrible (a common problem with Tarantino films), for example. And I only liked a few scenes in the movie overall, whereas others love them all. But given that you think the movie is supposed to be a “taut thriller” I think you got a bit wooshed. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/51 "2012-10-11T01:03:36Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Reported for antisemitism. This made me laugh out loud. I HOPE you are kidding, but i would not be surprised if someone DID report it for this reason. Which is sad. ---
**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/52 "2012-10-11T21:26:09Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > This is a cop out, a fantasy movie must follow its own rules, if the hobbits sprouted wings and flew to mordor that would have been awful because it does not follow the rules set out. IB took place in WW2, in a war zone, therefore its characters need to act like people act in a war zone. it is therefore and insult to the audiences intelligence to have a group of american soldiers screaming and clapping in the french countryside. It is stupid to say someone is a famous criminal and then have no one recognize him. There were numerous other times where people acted in an implausible way. That is just bad writing. I dispute this statement vehemently. In LOTR, wing-sprouting hobbits would be awful nonsense, but a generic “fantasy movie” can indeed have its own rules, so if a species is stated to magically grow wings there, the plot can show it doing so. Likewise, there a no binding laws for “WW2 movies”. Do you seriously think that _Schindler’ List_ or _Saving Private Ryan_ follow the same set of narrative rules as _Hogan’s Heroes_, _Kelly’s Heroes_ or as _Catch-22_? Each of these has its own rules, as they belong to different narrative styles. IB is a mixture of revenge fantasy and comedy, and does not in the slightest have to follow the rules of serious WW2 documentaries. Should I open a thread how awful _The Court Jester_ was, since there never was an usurper called Roderick in England and the characters’ garments and teeth were much too clean and **a lot of the rhymes would not even work in medieval English**? In general, I think the current concept of genres is less than useful. It muddles a type of setting with a type of story. Once upon a time there was a strong correlation - fantasy often combined a magical-medieval setting with a epic quest story. WW2 implied a rather heroic fighting tale. Horror usually run “man meets monster, man fights monster, man kills monster”. But today, the connection of setting and plot is much looser - a vampire setting can contain a story of romance, a wild west setting can have a plot about a heroic quest, a grimdark heist or even an alien invasion. But for some reviewers and a lot of readers and moviegoers there still seems to be the one true plot type for a given setting. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/53 "2012-10-12T00:05:53Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > You also have to have an utter disregard for logic. An admirable quality I suppose. There are artists where an utter disregard for logic is quite all right. I don’t look to Tarantino for logic. Same with David Lynch. Other directors or genres? Sure. I don’t read Lewis Carrol for his logic. Nor Douglas Adams. You didn’t like IG. That’s OK. Not like IG for its lack of logic? Harder to defend. But why bother defending? It just didn’t appeal to you. Nothing wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/54 "2012-10-12T00:11:54Z")
> [@Uther\_Penguin](#): > > Should I open a thread how awful _The Court Jester_ was, since there never was an usurper called Roderick in England and the characters’ garments and teeth were much too clean and **a lot of the rhymes would not even work in medieval English**? You mean the vassal with the paisan doesn’t flog on the dragoon? ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/55 "2012-10-12T00:27:53Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Hitler leaves his bunker to attend a movie in occupied France? _nitpick_ Hitler would not have been residing in his bunker during the time when France was still occupied. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/56 "2012-10-12T01:03:40Z")
> [@Quintas](#): > > _nitpick_ Hitler would not have been residing in his bunker during the time when France was still occupied. In _this_ movie, he probably would. Fine. Be it resolved that this movie has the right to exist. I never said it didn’t. But I did not enjoy it because it was incredibly stupid. If it had been entertaining, I could’ve forgiven the stupidity. I loved _The Blue Brothers_, which was also incredibly stupid, but had the virtue of being entertaining. But this incredibly stupid movie did not entertain me. End of story. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/57 "2012-10-12T01:16:19Z")
Stupid is great if it doesn’t take itself so seriously. Tarantino takes film too seriously to really do any kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/58 "2012-10-12T03:14:49Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Especially if they want to win awards in an industry historically dominated by one religious group? In what way was this a film tailored to the tastes of Jews? It portrayed a brutal Jewish deathsquad attacking sympathetic Germans. I am sure some Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe may have fantasised about latter-day maccabies dealing out payback to their oppressors, but I doubt twenty-first century film bigwigs would feel the same. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/59 "2012-10-12T03:25:36Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > In what way was this a film tailored to the tastes of Jews? > > It portrayed a brutal Jewish deathsquad attacking sympathetic Germans. > > I am sure some Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe may have fantasised about latter-day maccabies dealing out payback to their oppressors, but I doubt twenty-first century film bigwigs would feel the same. For years they couldn’t make movies about their own people. Here, they’re more or less the gimmick. And they’re physical action heroes, which is still kind of a taboo. I can;t help thinking think there were some high fives amongst the more self-conscious members of the tribe. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246/60 "2012-10-12T03:55:31Z")
It’s a regular _Ruffian’s Agreement_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inglourious-basterds-is-possibly-the-stupidest-best-picture-nominee-ive-ever-seen/637246.md?page=4)