Just got around to watching it for the first time tonight. We had so many people tell us we’d love it and need to watch it, so it was high on our list. Great cast, and it won so many awards.
I didn’t hate it, but I was left scratching my head over all the hype. I like odd movies and books, so it’s not that I couldn’t handle the weirdness. It seemed like in the same vein as Scott Pilgrim, and if you told me it wasn’t a bit box office but got a cult following, I’d totally believe that.
My wife felt exactly the same way. Maybe it’s just one of those cases where there was too much hype for us, but I felt kind of let down.
Hype is the not-so-quiet killer of good movies, but it’s a paradox: good movie gets spread by word-of-mouth so much that people stop wanting to hear about it and create a negative opinion before ever engaging with it.
I do my best to recommend movies/tv/games with simple “I liked it” or “it’s worth watching” type statements. I try to avoid overly personal statements like “you would love this” or “you need to see this”, since it takes the autonomy away from the person who might choose to watch it. Additionally, I very often use the phrase “say no more” when getting recommendations, to let people know I’m convinced to try it, without the need for overbearing elaboration.
I have had things ruined by pre-judgment for the over-hyped, and all I can do now is try not to ruin things for anyone else. It’s natural to want to rave about something we really like, but it’s worth being conscious of how bias can set in and affect other people.