Why do some folk hate Magnolia so passionately?

Started by Marty McSuperfly, April 17, 2003, 05:59:15 AM

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Marty McSuperfly

Since Magnolia is the type of film people either love of hate, I'm intrigued to know what reactions you guys have got to it from friends, family etc. I got the usual "It was OK until the part when they all sang and it started raining frogs. What was THAT all about??!" (Cue me slapping hand to my forehead).

I honestly spent three hours in the pub one Christmas Day arguing with my reasonably smart mate about why Magnolia was a better film than Speed 2 (which he also hated, but prefered to Magnolia)

For example (from Amazon one-star reviews) "Let me just say this movie was completely engaging, interesting and thought provoking, right up until it started raining frogs. I thought and thought for some connection or metaphor that the frogs could represent. Did I miss something? What so brilliant about raining frogs?"

Or: "I'm still trying to figure out what the story was, not what it was about (which is nothing), but what it was. Why should I expend all my energy to figure this out?  No disrespect to those who really liked this movie, but are you sure you're not just trying to be weird?"

Or this cracker: " Tom Cruise was the worst. He did a great job acting but his character was so disgusting that I felt embarrassed just to be watching it. This was one of the worst movies I have EVER seen in my life. The movie was so stupid that I began laughing at the stupidity. Right around the scene where all the characters are singing together is where I came the very close to pushing the "stop" button on my remote control. "

Why do some folk hate this move so much?

Redlum

Dont some people hate what they dont understand? Or what they dont want to understand.
\"I wanted to make a film for kids, something that would present them with a kind of elementary morality. Because nowadays nobody bothers to tell those kids, \'Hey, this is right and this is wrong\'.\"
  -  George Lucas

MrBurgerKing

Perhaps in some cases because Kevin Smith doesn't like it, fans of Mr. Smith will not bring themselves to like that movie. They don't do it on purpose, but subconsciously. They rent the movie in some cases wanting to hate it.

As for commoners disliking the film, these are the people who go and buy Big Macs at McDonalds everyday (McDonalds, there's a horrible store.. At least at Burger King they let you choose what you want on it, at McDonalds they premake all their burgers in the morning and freeze them, nothing is ever fresh, it's disgusting).  They don't like films told in a unique or different fashion, and they don't like out of the ordinary. How can I make such a broad generalization about people? It's easy, just look at McDonalds' sign."Over 99 billion foods sold per day" (took some poetic license there). I'm not saying that all people who like McDonalds hate Magnolia, don't get me wrong, I'm saying that all people who hate Magnolia eat at McDonalds.

Jon

Maybe it's just not some people's cup of tea.

phil marlowe


Sigur Rós

Quote from: MrBurgerKingI'm saying that all people who hate Magnolia eat at McDonalds.

Well put! I'm a vegetarian.....but I do hate the french-fries at McDonald's. I guess that makes me a semi-magnolia-lover.......I do like the twister-fries at Burger King. So I'm a bit confused. Where does all this put me, MrBurgerKing...I need some of your burgerphilosophy to answer my questions.

To sum it all up:

-I'm a Vegetarian
-I don't like the french-fries and the Filet'O'Fish at McDonald's
-I Like the twister-fries at Burgerking and the fact that they have a vege-burger.

Now, my question to you MrBurgerKing is:

Is it possible to tell if I like Magnolia or not, on the basis of these informations i've given you?  :?

chainsmoking insomniac

What the fuck are we talking about here? Mr. BurgerKing, I think it's a tragedy that you reduce people's film sophistication to what kind of food they eat.

Sorry, but I don't think burger or unburger has anything to do with it.

People who enjoy engaging stories and characters with depth gobble up P.T. Anderson films.  People who like cardboard stories and equally flat characters like those 'other' films.

And that's all there is to it, my man.  :-D
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote: 'The world's a fine place, and worth fighting for.'  I agree with the second part."
    --Morgan Freeman, Se7en

"Have you ever fucking seen that...? Ever seen a mistake in nature?  Have you ever seen an animal make a mistake?"
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Sigur Rós

Quote from: punchdrunk23What the fuck are we talking about here? Mr. BurgerKing, I think it's a tragedy that you reduce people's film sophistication to what kind of food they eat.

Sorry, but I don't think burger or unburger has anything to do with it.

People who enjoy engaging stories and characters with depth gobble up P.T. Anderson films.  People who like cardboard stories and equally flat characters like those 'other' films.

And that's all there is to it, my man.  :-D

I have absolutely no idea what you are trying to say.....

phil marlowe

sigur, thats a nastyass ugly avatar. you have.

Sigur Rós

Quote from: Phil Marlowesigur, thats a nastyass ugly avatar. you have.

Yeah, it aint suppose to be a Picasso. Get tha' message....?

Cecil

some people just dont like it. and think its way too long. and theyd post similar things:

"why do some people love magnolia so much? probably because its long and 'symbolic' (frogs?) and theyre all snobs to they want to appear smart by saying they love it"

fulty

Quote from: Sigur Rós
Quote from: MrBurgerKingI'm saying that all people who hate Magnolia eat at McDonalds.
-I don't like the french-fries and the Filet'O'Fish at McDonald's

This, please, cannot be....

You have nailed my favorite meal.
The window girl types it in before I even get to the drive thru.

My favorite favorite movie is Magnolia.
Most people, including myself, did not understand it on the first viewing.
Tinapop  

I used to be smart.... now I'm just stupid.

phil marlowe

a nasty man indeed you are if you buy your fish tru a drive thru. that is sick.

by the way, so is the filet'o'fish.

neatahwanta

I loved it, but....people it hate it because......

it was too long
the story was not tight
the frogs

I think that if Paul would have removed a few *lives*, it would have been easier for the general public to digest.  Actually, that's what he did w/ P-DL, but it was too weird for the general public, and too classy for the average Sandler fan.

IMHO, I could be wrong.

SoNowThen

A film school teacher (who's actually worked a real job in the industry, and who had a fairly decent taste in films) thought that Magnolia was too gimmicky (frogs, et al). Some people can't see through the shock value to the brilliance underneath. It's a shame.

But I have a bit of a theory about the "common moviegoer" not liking Magnolia. Most films that seem to do well always push a message that says "do what you like, follow your heart no matter who it affects, and good things will happen". I personally hate shit like this. Magnolia seemed to say that "we all do bad things, we have to look back and realize this, and try to be more responsible in the future". This is all summed up in Rose's line "you should know better". The common filmgoer doesn't like to feel guilty at the end of a movie, and hates the idea that he is responsible to try and fix his own stupid actions. So, they end up "not getting the point" of Magnolia, and they tell us it's a stupid movie, because it doesn't excuse them from life like most popcorn movies do.

'course that's just my opinion... I could be wrong.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.