Do you worry you don't "get it" at theaters?

I was reading a great article regarding Scott Pilgrim vs. The World over at NPR.org. The article was talking about how some movie critics simply can't admit they don't "get it," and as a result, insult the movie's demographic who did love it. The best example they sited was from the Bay Area's own St. Petersburg Times movie critic Steve Persall who said "First of all, I'm not a video gamer. I have discovered more appealing ways to not have a life." In the review, he clearly has no clue as to what he is seeing, and as a result, insults the target demographic.

At first, I was extremely annoyed by the lousy journalism from a critic who is supposed to know better, and I still am, but it got me thinking; have you ever been in a theater, or even hanging out with friends, watching a movie, and all of your friends were laughing, or glued to the set, only to have you stone-faced and bored? Do you ever feel like "what is wrong with me?"

My first encounter was actually my first review for Creative Loafing. The movie was Year One, ironically, a movie starring Michael Cera and Jack Black, about two cavemen. The movie was terrible in my opinion, as the jokes were sophomoric to say the least, and just plain terrible if I'm being blunt. The audience was eating it up, though, and as I got in my car to head home and write a review that lambasted the film, I had to stop and ask myself the question "was it me?" The whole audience was in tears except for me, so, clearly they saw, or didn't see something I did. Is that bad?

It took me a few minutes of pondering as I drove over the bridge before I realized I could only be honest, and that my readers could take it or leave it. My opinion, if consistent, would be what drove readers to look for my reviews of the latest movies, not my willingness to pander or not pander to the general opinion.

So, it sounds like I'm defending my ol' pal Steve Persall. The difference, in my humble opinion, is saying that you didn't like it, and saying why, without insulting those who did. In my aforementioned Year One review, I said that "I didn't like the humor, but if you do like poop and dick jokes, you would like this movie." In my opinion, it's different than insulting the people that liked it.

So, movie critics out there, and even just anyone reading this, don't say some one's an idiot for liking a particular movie. Acknowledge the strengths and weakness of the film, based on your opinion, and give us an idea of the movie, and then state whether you liked it or not. It really can be that simple!