Hiro11

I just found out that a friend of mine has never seen any Star Wars movie except for the one with "Zar-Zar Binks" in it, never seen any Pixar movie (she recently saw Shrek and wanted to know what this new-fangled computer animation thing was), she's never seen any Godfather movie, never seen any Disney animated movie other than "Lilo and Stitch". I didn't even bother asking about any of the classics. She lists her favorite movies as "Runaway Bride" and "Maid in Manhattan". This is a very intelligent 33 year-old mother of two (one 14, the other 3).

How much are people missing by not having seen "the basics"? What effect does it have?

I admit, I'm a pop-culture junkie, but how can it be there are people out there who haven't seen any Star Wars movie? Does it matter? I suspect probably not...

marty888

We won't even ask about Citizen Kane.....

Rypro 525

Help her and buy some of the classics that she missed (well mostly all of them)

Boot

Sounds like you have a great project on your hands. Is she willing to let you be a guide? Why don't you start educating her on good cinema by feeding her films to watch. Don't just give her a list as she is likely to largely ignore it. Instead, loan her actual movies to watch or go the video store and help her pick out films to watch.

Share the love my friend.

NCMojo

If someone is in their 30's and has never seen any of these films... there's probably a good reason. She is probably not a "movie person" -- apparently there are groups of humans that roam wild and free and do not actually care to watch and appreciate good movies.

Hard to believe, but apparently true. I know of others who are like this -- if they see a movie at home, great, but they "don't really have any favorites".

Lost cause, my friend -- lost cause...

Boot

Not necessarily a lost cause. He said she saw Shrek and wanted to know what this "new-fangled computer animation thing" was. That shows interest.

I see what you're saying, though, ncmojo. I've known a few people who just didn't like watching movies, even great ones. They just weren't interested at all.

Jaymole

I know quite a few people who haven't seen any of the Star Wars films or Pixar films, but they have seen films such as 8 1/2 and Breathless. Does this mean they live under a rock?

Hiro11

I don't think so, it sounds like more of a case of willful effort to not see more commercial flicks. If someone has the time and effort to see 8 1/2, they definitly have the time to go see Toy Story 2. This is a slightly different situation than what I'm talking about here, though.

My goal is not to "edumacate" her by renting her movies and forcing her to watch them. Not only is that annoyingly Simpsons-comic-shop-guy-esque and patronizing, she apparently doesn't give a hoot that she hasn't seen them. My question is more: should it matter to me at all that she doesn't care to see The Empire Strikes Back? In the grand scheme of things, it's really doesn't matter...but why does it bother me?

Boot

I loan movies to a good friend all the time because he doesn't really keep up with films. He'd just see the latest blockbuster and not much else. He usually likes the stuff I give him, though.

So does this make me annoying, patronizing, and comic-shop-guy-esque? I'm not saying that you must do this for your friend, but damn, I don't consider myself patronizing for trying to turn on friends to something I appreciate. Sheesh.

And to your follow-up question. After your response, I would say no. You shouldn't give a damn.

fumanstan

It doesn't matter that she doesn't care, especially about Star Wars, but i think as a mother she would be more akin to catching more Disney or Pixar movies. I'd recommend those to her for a good time with her whole family.

KingSmoth

There's plenty of people out there who just don't care, it shouldn't be a surprise.
I've tried showing some of my friends movies such as 2001, A Clockwork Orange, The Godfather, and Scarface, but they just say "this movie sucks" "this is boring as hell" "I can't understand what he is saying, this blows", and they just walk off, or go to sleep. I can understand if someone thinks 2001 is boring, but not the rest.
As for myself, I've only become a classic movie junkie in the past few months. I saw Citizen Kane for the first time a few months ago, only Hitchcock movie I've seen is North By Northwest(saw it around February), and I still haven't seen movies such as Casablanca or Gone With the Wind. I've always loved movies, but it took me taking a film appreciation course this spring before I decided to watch movies more classic than Star Wars and Friday the 13th....

Holly E. Ordway

The fact that she's in her 30s and hasn't seen a lot of "must-see" or well-known movies doesn't make her automatically either uninterested in movies, or with bad taste.

Amazingly enough, I didn't get truly hooked on movies until my early 20s. Before then, I'd go see a movie with friends, but I didn't seek them out, and I could basically "take it or leave it," though there were some movies that definitely had knocked my socks off. But then (thanks to my boyfriend-->fiance-->husband) I started watching movies on a more regular basis, and suddenly realized that there were all these cool movies "out there" just waiting for me to see them. And look where I am now...

As for the "classics": I do feel a bit deprived that I didn't catch more of them when I was younger - I saw stuff like the Saturday afternoon "Creature Double Feature" while my future husband was watching Hitchcock movies and Ben-Hur and such But I definitely enjoy exploring the older movies now - the way I see it, if I haven't seen a movie, it's a "new" movie for me, even if 99.9% of the earth's population has already seen it.

As for commercial films... I basically *never* go to a movie theater, and I don't watch TV, so it's entirely possible for movies to come out and entirely pass me by until they come out on DVD. Even then, I have no particular interest in rushing out and seeing a movie just because it just came out on DVD, or because it was popular. I might end up seeing it years afterwards, in fact! So... in one way, that could mean that I "live under a rock," but I don't think it matters one whit in terms of my enjoyment of the movies I do watch.

So, as for Hiro11's friend, I see it as a great opportunity to suggest some films that she will like - not hand her a list of "famous and/or wildly successful movies you must watch", but suggest some classics that seem like good choices based on what she already likes. If she does enjoy movies, I'm sure a few suggestions will be appreciated.

Jason

Why "especially about Star Wars"?

renaldow

I know quiet a few people that have never seen any of the Star Wars movies and have no interest in them. They range in age from 23-45yo. I don't think any of them have lived under a rock.

I usually don't watch a lot of mainstream films, and I think the total number of Disney family pics animated and live action that I've ever seen is about 4. I'm 33. I don't think I live under a rock.

Some movies just suck. In the case of Disney, I grew up reading the actual original stories most of their animated films are stolen from, why would I want to see the Disney happy spin on these stories (with horrible singing/dancing numbers) when the original story is so much better? That's not just my opinion as an adult, that's been my opinion since I can ever remember.

In the case of mainstream movies, many are all the same. Have you ever been surprised by a romantic comedy?

wendersfan

I see more movies than anyone I know, but I've only seen about half of the top 20 grossing films of all time. Do I live under a rock because I haven't seen Shrek, Spiderman, or The Lion King? I don't think so. I made an informed decision not to watch those films.

The original poster asked how much people are missing by not seeing these films, referring to them as "the basics"? They might be "the basics" for those that follow a herd mentality, but I disagree. Assuming one could make a list of "required viewing" (and I doubt anyone could), a film's popularity at the box office would have only be a small factor in it's inclusion to such a list. A film such as Pulp Fiction (to name a film most of us know) would be far more relevant, largely because of its artistic merit and its influence over American cinema in the past decade. Yet it currently ranks 225th on the US box-office list, between Superman II and A League Of Their Own.

clemente

Believe it or not...some people go a whole year and only see one or two movies at the theater.

I know its hard to fathom, but some people live lives different than us.

fumanstan

Just mentioned it because the original poster mentioned it specifically at the end. And particularly because of the rabid fan base that would make some people feel its more of a "must see" then other movies

calhoun07

There is no such thing as a "must see" movie. That's just a fabrication of Hollywood they pump into advertising to fool people into thinking their lives would suddenly be less worth living if they missed the latest pile of crap they offered up. I disagree that there are "basics" "Everybody" should see. I can't think of one movie everybody should see. Movies are subjective, and one person's "essential" is another person's trash. Who cares?

cultshock

I know a few people around my age that never saw the Star Wars films, but they are all women (they are however very much into pop culture). I know that people in my generation (30 somethings) like to consider those films to be the defining films of our childhoods, but maybe it was more of a guy thing?? (I remember that my sister wasn't quite as excited about the films as I was).

JaxComet

It's true. Movies are just one of many hobbies that a person might take an interest in. I have a similar thinking in regards to music. Sure I'll listen to the radio while driving and such but I never buy CDs and have no interest in attending concerts or music related events...

Joel

Correct me if I'm wrong.
You love Star Wars .. The Empire Strikes Back in particular. You love it big time, and you want to share it with everyone around you, hoping they love it as much as you do. It bothers you, cause they don't recognize your favorites.

It happens commonly. I have many friends, including my own sister, who haven't seen my favorite movies .. for instant .. American History X or even The Sound of Music. Sometimes I'm amazed of how they miss seeing it, but all I can do is just offering them my videos. I know I can't push them, cause movies are about taste .. and it shouldn't bother me.

To be frank, if you asked me these questions two weeks ago, you could check me in. Thanks to my bro for dragging me out of the rock

caiman

I also find it very hard to believe that she has two kids and has never seen an animated Disney movie.