Liking the Unlikable

Everybody has one or more movies that they love and watch every time even if they are aware that they are very far away from being masterpieces. At least, I like to think that everyone is like me because I do not want to be the only one watching “embarrassing” movies over and over again. The term embarrassing may be a little harsh: it is more appropriate to say that, if we have time to watch a movie, it would logically be more productive to watch something new or already seen but good, correct? However, logic sometimes loses and I often sacrifice it to tradition and familiarity: a handful of objectively bad movies are very dear to me and I have watched them hundreds of times…shameless! Here is a few of them.

Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980). First of all, I want to explain why I think it is not the greatest movie of all times. It is the adaptation of a XIX centuries novel, of that literary age where predominant themes were the good values of Christianity. The movie is no different: it is literally flooded with good feelings. Way too much: little Ceddy is so sweet he is annoying. Also, the dialogues are so punctuated that they end up being mechanic and fake. Yet, I watch it at least twice every Christmas and it really moves me every time. I like watching the cold hearted Earl being won by his nephew’s affection and also I really love watching the scenes where Mrs Errol builds up her speeches with incredible wits. Very similar to Mrs March from Little Women, she is smart and good through and through: she goes on giving to poor people the little she has and helping who is sick, even if she risks getting tuberculosis…and passing it on to her son! The out of the world level of goodness is what I love more about this movie, because it makes me feel better and worst about myself at the same time.

Woman On Top (2000). I said that the adjective “embarrassing” may be a little hard on these kind of movies. When it comes to this one, it is close to right. It is a mixture of love, magic, cooking, fate and own will, religion, music, weird diseases, men vs women conflict, cultural differences and so on and so forth. The main reason why this movie is bad is that it is completely senseless and pointless: but not in a Kafka way, where the lack of sense is the point…just there is no point . The scene with the flower opening up with a drop of sweat of beautiful and enchanted Isabella is the top of the low. However, this movie is so senseless that it is funny and that is why I like it. I like the cooking scenes, the colors of the settings, the jocks and, above all, the music. The soundtrack, made of Brazilian tones, is really pleasant and keeps together like glue the otherwise disgruntled film. This movie makes me want to cook, smile, dance, feel beautiful and love every time I watch it. It cannot be that bad, can it?

Far and Away (1992). I like Ron Howard, I like Tom and Nicole (especially when they were young and all the pieces on their faces were original); but this movie is not ok. Both audience and critics said so and I have to agree. It is some sort of epic travel from poverty and backwardness to fortune, prosperity and modernity; it is the ultimate rhetoric of the American dream; it is a very predictable love story between people from two different worlds. Despite all this typicality, or maybe because of it, I cannot help myself watching it. The story is so linear and the themes and emotions it deals with are so straightforward that it is easy to relate with what happens, get involved, get upset even if you know what is going to happen. When Shannon gets drunk and goes on messing around in the club I know it is the beginning of the complications that, for the sake of the narrative, have to happen after the initial “peace”; but I still try to convince her to go to bed instead! And when you start talking to the TV, you know you are stuck with that movie, which I am.

As I said, I cannot be the only one liking the unlikable. I think we like this kind of movies for at least two reasons. One is that we cannot just like movies that make the brain tangle on itself for how complicated, intellectual and stimulating they are: we also want to be touched and entertained in very simple and basic ways, minimum effort required. And second, tastes are tastes: they can get a certain inclination based on each one’s background, education and experience; but I think that  there is something basic in us for which we are going to like movies like the ones I just mentioned (and yes, there are many more) for no reason, just because we do.