Inspired somewhat from this thread and also a certain nameless chick flick I just watched…I really do want to know. Why do women enjoy depressing themselves over a 2 and a half hour movie only to have somebody die in the end! If you ask me, I think its masochistic.
Seriously though…why do women enjoy depressing movies?
I had no idea Full Metal Jacket was a chick flick. Huh.
Does Brazil count too? I love that film, but…
He’s only “lobotomized” at the end, not dead.
Well is not Saving Private Ryan a long drawn out movie where almost everyone dies at the end?
How about Platoon?
Or Friday the 13th part XX.
Usually even though someone dies there is someone who lives.
The one character death makes the other characters pull their heads out of their hinders and value life more.
Well, far be it from me to speak for every woman, but I like all kinds of movies.
Sometimes I like to watch a tear-jerker. Maybe I just feel like crying? I don’t really know. Sometimes I like to watch a romantic flick, that could be the tiny part of me holding on to hope that someday I’ll fall in love? Or be fallen in love with? Sometimes I want to watch a movie so scary I don’t want to go to bed.
I’ve been known to watch Indiana Jones or Star Wars. I love all of the Die Hard movies, too. In fact, any of my ‘favorite’ films are nowhere near ‘depressing’ or ‘chick flicks’.
Everybody has different tastes.
Not to generalize, but the women I know tend to want to be in close touch with their emotions, whereas most of the men I know aren’t real keen on cozying up to that side of themselves. My son and my dad are exceptions to that rule. I don’t know why, but that’s my experience.
<----- woman
And I detest emotionally manipulative movies aka chick flicks.
Okay I can understand that…but I still dont get why you want to envy somebody who falls in love and then promply dies as soon as everything is perfect.
I don’t know; they’re just more interesting than movies where no one forms any sort of emotional bond and a lot of stuff goes boom. Why do guys like short, herky-jerky, explosion movies, anyway?
Yes, I can’t understand what anyone could possibly see in “Romeo and Juliet.” Shakespeare was clearly writing for the crucial female demographic. :rolleyes:
I hate depressing, slow-paced and long-winded movies, but they have their place. Saying that more women like them is ridiculous. You know why Vin Diesel’s movies make huge amounts of money? You know why the Lord of the Rings has 5000 fan sites devoted to hot elves?
I’ll give you a hint: It’s not because of gay men. Women see action movies too. Oftentimes we like them, even when they’re as silly and contrived as XXX. I love movies where things blow up and beautiful men save the world. So does my sister, so does my mom, so do most of my female friends. I’m not somehow incredibly rare in this.
Me too, me too! I have such a thing for swords and guns(and a certain blond elf). Three people shoulder to shoulder while they stand down the bad guys is just about as cool a visual effect in a movie that I can think of; movies about G-men are good, and hitmen are better(not mafia ones though); I liked Resident Evil and Vertical Limit better than Shakespeare in Love… OTOH, I tend to skip chick-flicks that aren’t funny. Will they revoke my chick membership?
As I’ve often said leechy likes movies where things go ‘boom’! No boring chick flicks for me please. And I hate those movies where people just seem to stand around and talk alot.
Just yesterday I was thinking about posting a thread called “Do guys really decide to see a movie because there’s a cool explosion in the preview or T.V. ad?”
I’ve noticed particularly on T.V. that almost every movie ad has to include some big explosion. While it’s possible, if unlikely, that I’ll go to see a movie that includes an explosion, there’s no way that I’ll go to see a movie because there’s an explosion. Are the movie advertisers nuts, or do guys really say, “Ooh, explosion! I must see that movie”?
To answer the OP – I like movies that are thoughtful and intelligent and draw me into the lives of the characters. Whether I want to see characters with fun, happy lives or characters with depressing lives depends mostly on my mood on that day. I generally dislike movies in which main characters die at the end, unless it’s something based on a work with which I am already familiar so I know it’s coming. There’s nothing worse than investing your emotions in a character and having her (or him) die at the end. 
I don’t envy anybody who falls in love and promptly dies. I said I sometimes like to watch tear-jerkers or romance movies.
Could somebody name of one of these Long, Drawn-out, depressing movies so I get a better idea what we’re talking about?
The Godfather is long, and isn’t exactly life-affirming. (though in my opinion, it needed a grand total of one extra scene. The one in the book where the bodyguard who blew up micheal’s wife is killed along with the rest, but I digress…)
Many men(including myself) rather like that film.
How about Das Boot?
Not exactly a happy ending, and it’s not short either.
If the movie works better with the depressing ending, I’m all for it.
I’ll check out anything at all that looks interesting, from any genre.
That said, I saw The Hours last night, and it was pretty depressing. And I didn’t like it all that much.
I’m with HPL…Let’s have some more titles here so we can be more specific.
Such as “The Fellowship of the Ring?” LOL not that it was boring by any means, but it fits the description of 1)long, and 2) someone dies at the end.
This is a big fat generalization, IMHO. Any cite?
“Women” don’t enjoy depressing movies. The Hours got a B- Cinemascore rating from women, which is pretty low. By conrast, women rated Kangaroo Jack an A (as did men, so don’t start pat yourself on the back there, guys.) Thus proving that A) the general public prefers happy endings to sad, regardless of sex, and B) the masses are asses.
you’re right, i do.
of course my favourite movie is “Full Metal Jacket”, followed closely by “Apocalypse Now” and " A Clockwork Orange"
Explain the success of The English Patient!