# What Are the Most Divisive Movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289 "2005-08-30T17:47:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/1 "2005-08-30T17:47:40Z")
What movies o you think are in the either you “love it or you hate it” category and rarely falls into the “It was ok/not awful” on people’s meters? **Magnolia** is amovie I love and I know thers who love it. I also know folks who absolutely despise it ad I can’t htink of anyone who thought it was ok. **Natural Born Killers** is a movie I think is horrible, one of the worst of the 90’s, yet I recall seeing it on several best of the 90’s lists. **A.I.** is a brilliant film. I know I am in the minority, we are a small but dedicated group who realize how great this movie is 😉 . Most people, however, think it is absolutely horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/2 "2005-08-30T17:54:45Z")
Blair Witch Project. Some think it was interestingly shot, cleverly marketed, and told a scary story. Others think it was the perhaps most worthless piece of crap ever laid onto film. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/3 "2005-08-30T17:57:25Z")
The **Crying Game**. Very traumatic to 2 17 YO virgins, which we were when we saw it. :eek: We never guessed. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/4 "2005-08-30T18:10:50Z")
In a somewhat lighter vein, I’d have to say _Napolean Dynamite_. The geeky types I work with (and I) think it’s a work minor genius. Others seem to think that it’s the biggest piece of drek perpetrated by Hollywood in recent history on the American people. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/5 "2005-08-30T18:12:56Z")
Moulan Rouge seems to be one of those. You either think it’s a lot of fun or that it’s a flashy piece of dreck. Interestingly, I had a friend who just felt it was “meh”, so I guess he’s the exception that proves the rule. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/6 "2005-08-30T18:13:01Z")
**Dancer in the Dark**. Count me among those who consider it manipulative, predictable, contrived, and wallowing in misery. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/7 "2005-08-30T18:17:31Z")
Pretty much most–if not all–of the movies directed by David Lynch, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, and Stanley Kubrick. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/8 "2005-08-30T18:17:51Z")
Fahrenheit 9/11, although that’s not strictly for cinematic reasons. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/9 "2005-08-30T18:18:26Z")
Dare I mention **Starship Troopers**? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/10 "2005-08-30T18:23:28Z")
Star Wars, especially Episode I. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/11 "2005-08-30T18:36:35Z")
**Lost in Translation & Happiness**. The first is either brilliant or banal, depending on who you ask. The second is either art or just sick. I’ll take banal and art. ::shakes Gangster Octopus’ hand:: Nice to meet you. You now know someone who thought **Magnolia** was okay. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/12 "2005-08-30T18:43:04Z")
Based strictly on what I’ve seen on this forum, I’d have to say **Lost in Translation** and **Starship Troopers**. Oddly enough, while most people see these two movies as either genius or “W.M.E.”, I thought LiT was fairly good, but not all that great, and ST was fairly bad, but not the worst thing ever. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/13 "2005-08-30T18:57:53Z")
Freddy Got Fingered The greatest absurdist comedy ever made or unfunny tripe by a flash in the pan. I go with greatest absurd comedy. Tom Green said it best “I didn’t set out to make a good movie. I set out ot make a stupid movie.” ---
**Author:** ![Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/14 "2005-08-30T18:59:04Z")
I would add **American Beauty** and **Titanic**. ---
**Author:** ![biscuitsandgravy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@biscuitsandgravy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biscuitsandgravy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/15 "2005-08-30T19:00:32Z")
I’ve found that when I get friends to watch **Freeway** with me, they either decide I’ve introduced them to a formerly unknown treasure or else they basically say, “Get away from me, you sick fck.” ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/16 "2005-08-30T19:32:00Z")
_Eyes Wide Shut_. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/17 "2005-08-30T19:32:17Z")
I’ll name **Battlefield Earth,** where the love/hate crowd can be divided between Scientologists/Everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/18 "2005-08-30T19:41:03Z")
Opinions of “Fight Club” seem to be split very cleanly down gender lines. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/19 "2005-08-30T19:47:38Z")
There’s a recent thread about **Independence Day** that demonstrates that people seem to really like or really hate the flick. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289/20 "2005-08-30T19:48:05Z")
The Verhoeven oeuvre. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-divisive-movies/319289.md?page=2)