18 Popular Movies That People Are Convinced Other People Only Pretend To Enjoy
I once had a friend who hated, hated The Devil Wears Prada and couldn't understand why people loved it so much. He thought that people only said they liked it because it was a popular movie. This always puzzled me because it's a personal favorite of mine that since its release has gone on to become an absolute classic.
Well recently, Reddit user LuinAelin had a similar thought in mind when they asked, "What movie are you convinced people only pretend to enjoy?"
People really, really had thoughts about this as the thread had over 7K responses. Here are the top, best, and most-often repeated movies:
1."I just watched all of the Twilight movies. There's no way in hell people actually liked those things. Not unless you were 13 when they came out. If you were an adult and were crying when Bella got married to Edward you are messed up in the head. Anyone on team Jacob is a f'ing weirdo, too."
2."The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy."
"If you watch them as comedies it's a pretty good time. 'I don't make love. I f**k. Hard.' That shit made me cringe laugh so hard I cried."
3."The English Patient. I've watched it three times to try to see what others see in it. The pace is so slow. The main characters are dull. I don't get it."
"I've never actually watched it because of the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine hates it and I'm convinced I wouldn't be able to get through it and take it seriously."
4."The Purge. I love the concept, but the movie was unbelievably boring given how cool it could've been."
"Plus, given all crime is legal, choosing 'murder spree' for your plot is really unimaginative."
5."The Great Gatsby...I know its an American classic, but I don't get it. Its really just The OK Gatsby."
"The movie Gatsby is pretty awful and entirely misses the point of the book (essentially living in excess and partying all the time is a bandaid for people who are deeply unhappy with their lives and are often unwell, and when that deep resentment and boredom with life festers to the surface it can be incredibly damaging and even deadly). Instead the movie spends a loooong time glorifying the parties without looking closer at why they're happening and if the people at them are even enjoying themselves, and the 'endless party' is all anyone ever remembers from the movie. It's a disappointing adaptation, to say the least."
6."Breakfast at Tiffany's. I remember being so excited to see this movie I'd heard referenced so much and because Audrey Hepburn is so lovely, but I was disappointed."
"Came here for this. I‘m convinced that when people say that they like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, they’ve never actually seen the film but they like the idea of what they think it’s about, High society glamour and sophistication.But if you say, 'Hey you wanna watch a '60s movie about two hookers with empty miserable lives that find each other? Also there’s some animal abuse and a guy in yellow face in it.' The answer is usually 'no.'"
7."2001: A Space Odyssey. Yes, it was groundbreaking visually. But the movie is so boring. I love many other Kubrick movies, but I think people just pretend to like 2001, I think they are secretly bored through most of it."
"I think there is a really good sci-fi short in that movie, followed by lengthy, trippy psychedelic sequences that were probably a lot of fun to watch in the theater tripping on acid or at least quality pot. I've never done either, so this is just speculation. But at least the Star Wars special effects budget was approved because of it."
8."I'm sure there are many people who really liked it. But there are at least as many people who pretend to like Oppenheimer — if only to not seem stupid."
9."Avatar, the blue people one. Never saw the second one."
10."Lost in Translation. I’ve never been more bored."
"Thank God someone else hates this movie. 'It’s about loneliness and the feeling of emotional deprivation even when surrounded by others because of cultural diff…' I don’t care. It’s boring and I f'ing hate it."
11."Citizen Kane"
12."Bird Box. Honestly, a boring movie. It doesn't even have the horrors beyond your comprehension vibe. It's just made clear that you aren't allowed to see what's making everybody go insane."
"I kept waiting for umm...something to happen. Think I got to 2/3 point when I couldn't take anymore. About the same as Tree of Life. Only I felt obligated to finish the latter just to be able to say, 'Yes, I understood the movie, but still hated it.' 😛"
13."Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"
"Anything Zach Snyder and I’m bailing on it. I hate CGI even for superhero movies. I know it’s make believe, but don’t insult my intelligence with unrealistic CGI and the plot sucks along with it."
14."The Last Jedi, lmfao. I get maybe kinda liking it but the people on Twitter who say it's the greatest film ever made have to be f'ing with us."
15."Joker. I know...unpopular opinion! But, bleh. They should have called it: What if Joaquin Phoenix played the Joker?"
"This and The Irishman are the two recent movies that completely escape me. Well-acted but completely uninteresting cinema drivel."
16."Tenet"
"I knew this would be here. I do actually really like the movie, but I can understand why someone wouldn't. I didn't try too hard to understand all of the nuances, I just went along for the ride and I enjoyed the ride."—jjxanadu
17."Les Misérables, the movie. That shit was so insufferable."
"That movie makes me irrationally angry. The constant close-ups were the worst. I want to see a scene, not count Hugh Jackman’s nose hairs, ffs."
18.And lastly, "I think some people just pretend to enjoy The Notebook because it's considered romantic, but it's actually kinda cheesy and unrealistic."
"I agree. I didn’t even like them as a pair. They were insanely toxic for each other. The overall concept is heartbreaking, though."
You can read the original thread over on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
