So Subjective

Christian had an interesting question for me. Not a parental inquiry, but one for a cinephile. My son knows and shares my love for movies and he generally trusts my judgement when I tell him a movie is rubbish or worth watching.

So, he asked me, “Dad, what makes a good movie good?”

“That’s a difficult question to answer,” I told him. “Everyone has a different definition of good. There are movies that are universally praised that I think were horrible. There are award winning films that I think are a complete waste of time. But there are also movies I thoroughly enjoyed that were mocked by critics and mass audiences.”

“But in your mind, why do you think some movies are good and others aren’t.”

I had to think a while as his question does not have easy answers. How can I enjoy movies that were critically panned while rejecting others that are seemingly adored by everyone else? It is all so subjective. After some introspection, I gave Christian three thresholds to be met for me to consider a movie as worthy of my appreciation.

1. It needs to have a coherent story. It needs to make sense. That doesn’t mean it needs to be a simple story, or even easy to understand. Christopher Nolan’s ‘Memento’ was challenging to follow; the scenes mostly flowed in reverse chronological order. To comprehend the plot, you had to watch the whole thing. As far as the story was concerned, viewer knew what was going to happen but were unaware of what did happen. It created a feeling of confusion forcing audiences to understand how it felt to suffer amnesia like the film’s protagonist. Yet, the closing scene provides an ah-ha moment explaining everything. Memento satisfies my need for a coherent story.

2. It needs to have characters I care about. I want to be invested in the outcome of a story, like it actually matters what happens to the characters. For me, I don’t care if it is the villain or the hero, I want to experience sympathy for them and be interested in their survival. I want to understand and empathize with their motives. ‘Spider-Man Homecoming’ is one of those films that made me cheer for both the hero (Peter Parker) and the villain (Vulture). Not every movie can satisfy my need to care about its characters. For example, consider ‘Pain & Gain’ with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson. I wanted to like this movie but couldn’t. I hated every character. The athletic trainers and bodybuilders who are central to the plot are all abhorrent people. The person they kidnap, torture, and extort is repulsive. I can’t identify who is a good guy or a bad guys because they’re all bad to me and in the end, I want the worst to happen to all of them. Because it failed my second criteria, I don’t think ‘Pain & Gain’ was a good movie.

3. It needs to move me in some way. Either it should create a strong reaction, make me ponder my existence, or profoundly affect my emotions. The ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise might not be great movies by any standard, however they pass this third requirement for me. They thrill me. They are exciting and spectacular. They flood my system with adrenaline. Other movies that satisfy this requirement are those bringing me to tears like ‘Toy Story 3’ or ‘Bridge to Terabithia.’ I would also include movies like ‘Donnie Darko’ and ‘Inception’ for this final point because of how much they made me think and how they stuck with me long after watching them.

image courtesy of Baltimore Sports and Life

Finally, the best movies, the ones I truly consider great are those that satisfy all three of my requirements. They’re coherent, I care about the characters, and they make me think deeply or feel something. Some of my most favorite movies do this. Here are a few examples.

In ‘Good Will Hunting,’ Will is a troubled yet brilliant kid. At the recommendation of an MIT professor, Will must see a therapist to avoid jail. The story follows a logical order. I want Will to find love and overcome his abused past. I want his therapist to help him. By the time Sean (the therapist) tells him “It’s not your fault” and embraces the kid, I weep along with Will.

‘Beautiful Girls’ tells the story of a piano player who returns to his home town and reconnects with his old friends for their high school reunion. It is a very simple premise for a story which makes me consider if I’m making the best of my life. They drink, go ice fishing, and discuss the flaws in their lives. One is having an affair with his high school sweetheart (who married a different man), another is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend (who already started dating someone else), and the piano player stresses over dissatisfaction with his job and relationship while developing feelings for the thirteen-year-old girl who lives next to his dad. Everyone is a mess and I want them to change their ways.

And ‘The Goonies’ is a masterpiece in achieving what I want from a movie. It is the most straightforward adventure plot – a group of nerdy kids search for a treasure to save their neighborhood from greedy developers. To do so, they must avoid booby traps and murderous criminals. I strongly identify with the kids; if I was a fictional character in their universe, I’d a be a goonie too. Along the way, I (the viewer) feel what they experience – the apprehension in moments of peril, the relief as Sloth saves the day, and the vindication when the families can keep their homes.

Filmmakers need to do those three things for me to love their movies. Make sense, make me care, and make me think or feel. What about you? What makes a good movie good?