My review of The Great Gatsby

Ralph Waldo Emerson has an essay entitled "Self Reliance". I read it for the first time somewhat recently, and liked it so much that I gave it to all my economics students as a parting reading.  You should read it (21 pages).

Though I'm tempted to point out the irony of Emerson traveling the country and lecturing captivated crowds to rely on themselves and not listen to anyone else, I will.

His essay actually provides an excellent context for me to explain one of my rarely explained and oft misunderstood approaches to the world: my complete disregard for movie reviews.  I don't have much respect or tolerance for movie critics, irregardless of whether their critique is positive or negative.


The release of The Great Gatsby two weeks ago was a pretty big deal in my circles.  How bout yours?  That just made me realize something...my "circles" are basically teachers and students.  Who am I?

What's the big deal with movie trailers, anyway?  I have so many friends who hunt down every trailer for new movies.  What's the point?

My approach is the opposite.  I'd rather not know what's going to happen before I see it.  Once you know you want to see a movie, why do anything more than wait?  

I don't go to the theaters often. When I do, it's usually to see something I've been wanting to see for a while.  My last several movies minus Gatsby were..., Perks of Being a Wallflower, Start Trek: Into Darkness, Silver Linings Playbook, The Hobbit, Skyfall, in order of enjoyment.  I didn't hate any of them.

Maybe it's just a self-control thing.  Some people deal with the difficulty of waiting for something they want by consuming all the information they can find as soon as they can find it.  I learned early on that comedies often use their best jokes in their trailers, and trailers even depict scenes pretty regularly that don't even make the final cut.  Spending an entire movie anticipating certain jokes, memorable one-liners and particular scenes happening, especially when some of the ones you were expecting never happen, is not my idea of a good time.

I suppose self control is a part of self reliance, but the more obvious connection is still coming.

I make a point not to read reviews before I go see a movie.

WHY DO PEOPLE DO THAT.

If you want to see Movie X, see it.  If you don't, don't.  What I don't want to hear is you second-guessing yourself because of some random critic who typed up their intentionally reactionary reaction.  I mean, I might understand if you're trying to find a good movie, or choosing between several options.  But even then, I would advise looking at the overall rating and not the details.  Extreme claims get attention, but if you take the average review, the law of large numbers says it will be closer to the truth.  Nevertheless, I would never read a review of a movie I know I'm definitely going to see. It's worse than a waste of time.

If I know anything about the human mind, I know if I tell you something specific I liked or disliked about a movie before you go see it, it will affect your experience.

"Man, Bane's voice was really over-the-top ridiculous.  Almost as ridiculous as Batman using that absurdly gravelly voice way beyond the point when EVERYONE KNOWS BATMAN IS BRUCE WAYNE."

How does that comment not affect your experience of Dark Knight Rises?  It's basically a filter that you are now forced to watch the movie through.  Coming out of the movie, your opinion will either agree with or reject mine.

It's kinda like this sign.

Because I put this in your field of vision, now you either have the urge to touch the sign (which you wouldn't have if I didn't show it to you), or you intentionally decide not to touch the sign (which you wouldn't have if I didn't show it to you).  My action forced your reaction.

Reading a review is the same.  Most times it's unavoidable, so why not avoid it when we have the option?

On a related note, The Great Gatsby had a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes the weekend of its release.  That is silly.  I have a theory to explain it.

I just finished reading The Phantom Tollbooth — a text our kids read in fifth grade.  It was recommended to me, and I liked it (didn't read any reviews beforehand, though).  Consider this quote:

"My goodness," thought Milo, "everybody is so terribly sensitive about the things they know best."

That sums it up, doesn't it? Why books turned to movies generally don't do well, with Gatsby being the most recent example.  Those are the only instances where a large percentage of the audience (and EVERY critic) comes in with a set opinion and expectations already formed.  Everyone who has read the book considers themselves a legitimate critic, and has the confidence to follow through with criticism.  If we don't have an opinion/expectation coming in, we are far less likely to come out with a negative opinion.

And the "real" critics!  These people's horses could not be higher.  If the movie adaption doesn't match their particular interpretation, they initiate lambasting.  The problem is, the appeal of quality novels is their openness. You can't make a successful (mainstream) movie as ambiguous and open to interpretation as the original book; you just can't (especially if the primary plot mover is internalized).  And Baz Luhrmann was certainly attempting to make a mainstream movie.  If fact, if you watch his interview on the Colbert Report, you'll see how proud he is that The Great Gatsby sold more copies in the week before the movie opening than sold in Fitzgerald's ENTIRE LIFE.  Sure, it's not the ideal adaption, but it created a world where more people read F. Scott Fitzgerald, and that is better than it not happening.

By the way, if you don't have strong feelings about Carey Mulligan, you might after watching this clip.

I'm not saying I totally disregard movie reviews, I just refuse to "like" or "not like" something because some stranger told me to.  Once I've seen the movie and decided what I think, I'll read a few reviews.  My goal is to see how closely my opinion lines up with the critics.  They often have insight that I find useful, and observations I hadn't considered before.  And so, over time, my initial impression becomes more and more informed, balanced and, well, good.

But I'm not about to burden you with my actual review.