Why did we watch THAT
Movies
Have you ever watched a movie that was SO BAD but you kept watching? Turns out there’s psychology behind it. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The other evening the hubs and I watched A Bad Moms Christmas. It has a great cast: Susan Sarandon, Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathyrn Hahn, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines, Peter Gallagher and Justin Hartley. So what could be so bad? In a word: EVERYTHING. Over the top, silly, time lines that are impossible. Actions that only play out in someone’s head. Oh wait. Yeah, that’s part of the appeal. Who wouldn’t want to steal a Christmas tree from a store in the mall and take it home to spare you the trouble of decorating your own? Or the scene with the moms, now boozed up, posing in ways the mall Santa NEVER imagined. But we kept watching. And we laughed. I think we laughed at the ridiculousness of it. I think we kept watching in HOPES it would get better. But let’s face it, after the first few minutes of a clunker you know it won’t improve. So back to the psychology. Seems film makers KNOW these story lines have an appeal. In scanning the internet for info on this I found an article quoting Doug Walker, creator of online review show “Nostalgia Critic. He says the internet has opened our options. There’s simply so much to view. From Youtube videos to TikTok, we’ll watch pretty much anything. And it’s easy. No trip to the video store required. Producer David Latt theorized that the bar for regular movies has become so low that viewers have developed a nuanced appetite for camp and farce adding, "Sometimes, you just want to check your brain at the door and enjoy." And I have to admit, silly as it was, we did enjoy. We laughed at the nonsense. Didn’t have to think. In short, it was a respite from the world. And, as other movie mavens point out, we keep watching if the cast is good HOPING or EXPECTING it will get better. It didn’t. But there’s the surprise factor we’ve come to rely on that, just maybe, we’ll be surprised at some redeeming factor we didn’t see coming. Would I make a steady diet of watching bad movies? No. But, like the Sharknado movies, and yes, I think they’re a scream. Sometimes this, ahem, entertainment is worth the hour or so investment. Now, if I had to pony up 15 dollars to see this in a movie theater I’d feel ripped off. But with the ubiquitous streaming services, hey, why not? So as the end of year best movie lists come out what movie did you see this year that vies for the WORST? And yes, I’m well aware that Bad Moms dates back to 2017 but hey, there’s no rush to watching the stinkers.
