In recent years it seems like the standards for films have gone up significantly. When people think of “good” or “valuable” movies, they tend to imagine long, high quality dramas like “The Brutalist” or “Oppenheimer.” Movies considered to be “bad” or not of the same high quality usually get disregarded and belittled. But these bad movies have more worth than they let on.
Take for example the recent box office dominator “A Minecraft Movie.” There is a pretty unanimous consensus that this movie is by no means a masterpiece or even a very good movie at all, but it has been a cultural phenomenon that has brought people together and reinvigorated people’s enthusiasm for the movie theater experience. Does this cultural impact not give this movie value even if it may not be the next “The Shawshank Redemption?”
One of my favorite films of all time is “She’s the Man.” This is another movie that is by no means a masterpiece. The plot is over-the-top, the character development is rushed, it has a level of queer baiting to it, and it makes absolutely no sense that people cannot tell the main character apart from her brother. And yet, I would probably rather watch this movie over my favorite “high-quality” films like “Poor Things,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” or “La La Land.”
The reason for this is because, unlike the movies listed above, “She’s the Man” makes me laugh. Yes, there are moments of comedy and joy in the those films, but “She’s the Man” is easy to watch because it is just simple and silly. This may make people view it as a lower quality movie, but the film’s light heartedness and comedy is what makes it an effective film. It shows that we need to destigmatize films that just make us laugh and have a good time and recognize that those elements are what give these movies value.
In technical terms, “She’s the Man” may not actually be a “good” movie, but it is the joy I get from the experience of watching it that makes it worthy of being regarded equally to critically acclaimed films.
It seems ridiculous to only place value on movies if they take our breath away, are visually stunning and have some deep commentary on life. This ignores the exceptional impact movies that bring people together, influence pop culture and are just generally entertaining have on everyday people in our everyday lives. While prestigious movies are incredibly important for the history and future of cinema, these "bad” movies should hold just as much value for the way they entertain and impact us.
At the end of the day, isn’t the true goal of cinema to entertain?
People make movies for the people who will watch them. I know that for me personally, the reason I wanted to get into filmmaking was not just to bring my ideas to life but specifically for the intention of viewers developing connections to them — to be able to make stories that let people feel something and take something away from them.
Whether that’s discovering the meaning of life through a three-hour dramatic film about an atomic bomb or just having fun with friends while watching an over-the-top movie about a teenage girl pretending to be her twin brother, what does it matter? These movies all make us feel, they take us out of our everyday lives and have a visceral impact on us. I think that that is what really makes a "good” movie.
