Just saw it. A lot of fun, kinda cheesy, good acting, solid action.
I’m not saying he never did anything good. But a large part of his reputation as a director (is, in my opinion, based on kids liking movies that weren’t really that good (Bueller, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink). But since I like Uncle Buck and Planes, Trains & Automobiles it is evidence of proper upbringing for people to like those.
Things are more muddled on the writing front. But I think we can all agree that he peaked at the end with Drillbit Taylor.
I think you have the cause and effect backwards. The studio knew they had a stinker on their hands, so they didn’t screen it for critics in advance, hoping to get some Friday night money before word of mouth sank in. (Not screening a movie in advance for critics almost always indicates a gold-plated turkey). It turned out, as it usually does, that the studio was right and the critics agreed.
Except, it wasn’t a 'stinker". I quite enjoyed it.
Well, then we just get into the meta-conversation about what constitutes a “bad” movie – is it critical consensus, rotten tomatoes (wisdom of crowds/audience ratings), or box office?
And at the personal level, there’s no such thing: there’s just movies you like, and movies you don’t like.
Unless you insist on following the herd and going on the opinions of others rather than forming your own or allowing family members to think for themselves.
Well, that was unnecessarily snarky.
Time is too short, and movies too expensive, to waste on crap. So what you call “following the herd” I call “making an informed decision.”
So you don’t think the expressed attitude of “oh the horror, my child wants to see a movie for her birthday that The Anointed Critics sneer at, I need to get out of letting my child find out for herself how reliable TAC are or aren’t” isn’t “snarky”, condescending, or teaching a child that only what is approved by self-proclaimed elite experts is acceptable to have any interest in?
I’ve generally found that the movies critics have orgasms over bore me to tears or are actively obnoxious, while I’ve greatly enjoyed movies that were sneeringly dismissed by The Experts. In fact, after applying other filtering criteria, I tend to go contrarian as far as what TAC bestow their benedictions upon or what the “hot and trendy, EVERYONE needs to see this or be an out-of-touch pathetic loser” herd decrees, not being the film snob type. When I’m picking something to watch, I’m interested in the entertainment value, not whether it would have gotten an A for artsiness at film school.
Ddi you see it yourself?
Well said! Look, I do read reviews, but not to see what the “critic” thinks of it, but more to see what’s it about.
This film had:
Good acting, a great cast, fun lines, and exciting action- not to mention Jeff Bridges, the Dude himself.
Yes, other films have gone over similar material, but so what?
No, but then I haven’t commented on its quality in this thread, so that’s not particularly relevant.
I saw the trailer, and thought “hmmmm…unattributed remake of MIB.” Doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been good.
What did cause me to chime in was the point raised about critics and the lack of a pre-release screening. I would bet a million cyber-dollars that there has never been a good* movie that wasn’t pre-screened for critics.
*Using any definition of “good” that you care to choose, other than “I liked it”.
You should let her make an informed decision. Let her know that critics panned it, and that it’s possible that she’ll find it disappointing compared to MiB, but that she can make her own decision for herself. If, based on that knowledge, she decides that she wants to see something else after all, fine, you’re off the hook. But if she still decides she wants to see RIPD, despite what the critics say, suck it up, it’s her birthday, and she can see whatever stinker she wants to.
That’s a mighty powerful sense of the magic of your opinion to change whether something is good or not.
I like plenty of awful movies. But sadly my opinion doesn’t make them not-awful movies.
If I could put your power to use, could you do me a favor and quite enjoy most of Jackie Chan’s early movies so I can like them without having to now they’re really not very good.
No, for God’s sake don’t tell her what the critics said. Kids know this is the way adults act when they want the kid to pick the ‘right’ answer (the one the adults want to hear). Why would a loving father put a kid through that ‘educational experience’ on her birthday other than the fact that the father is a jerk and only wants to do what he wants to do, so he gives the ‘you pick but the critics say it’s a stinker’ speech.
A father who loves his little girl more than himself would not have posted here. He would have sucked it up and said, “Sure sweetie, sounds like fun, we’ll have a good time”. A selfish dad posts here and asks for opinions about how to get his daughter not to pick a movie, because HE doesn’t want to go.
Maybe if he really wants her to watch only critically acclaimed movies, he could Netflix “The Master” for them to watch together. And watch her cry.
I have to proudly claim that I took my son to see Super Mario Brothers on his birthday, so I’ve done my time in hell, and earned my Best Dad Ever stripes.
Wait, this is a currently-in-theaters movie? 10 minutes before I spotted this thread, I got a e-mail from Amazon offering the opportunity to pre-order the RIPD DVD. That was the first I’d heard of it.
Then why are you trying to get them ripped off in an SDMB court martial now?
I agree with Agnes Nitt; telling her what the critics think is just trying to make her doubt herself and choose the answer that the adults want, and a rotten, rotten, rotten thing to do to her on her birthday.
Jesus. Post what you thought was a humorous thread and get accused of not loving my daughter. Judgemental much?
Anyway, we haven’t seen the movie yet. After selfishly shepherding my daughter and her friends through an four hour outdoor party complete with the kind of screaming only tween girls are capable of, and selfishly playing with her Monster High & new Harry Styles dolls, I then selfishly acquiesced to play her new Lego Lord of The Rings game with her for nearly every free moment of the weekend. All part of my selfish plot to avoid seeing the movie. Anyway, it’s been selfishly postponed to later this week.
Psycho : (wiki)*Psycho initially received mixed reviews, but outstanding box office returns prompted reconsideration which led to overwhelming critical acclaim and four Academy Award nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Leigh and Best Director for Hitchcock.
It is now considered one of Hitchcock’s best films[3] and praised as a work of cinematic art by international film critics and film scholars. Ranked among the greatest films of all time, it set a new level of acceptability for violence, deviant behavior and sexuality in American films.[4] After Hitchcock’s death in 1980, Universal Studios began producing follow-ups: three sequels, a remake, a television movie spin-off and a TV series.
In 1992, the film was selected for preservation by the US Library of Congress at the National Film Registry.*
I expect payment in quatloos. 
True, my opinion doesn’t make RIPD “not awful”. But my opinion is worth more than the opinion of someone who hasn’t seen it.