TACurtis

It's all in the delivery.

gcameron

Criticism is what happens when you describe a work of art that bores you, usually because it contains no new information. It may be merely snobbishness, but it is also inevitable. I doubt any human can expose him or herself to a large quantity of any art-form without developing a case of criticism along the way.

MzNeko

I don't know if being really critical is snobbish, but if it's done constantly, it can be annoying as hell.

For instance, my sister - I love her a lot, but at this point I've given up talking about movies to her. I used to come home and rave about how much I enjoyed a movie I'd seen. She'd see it sometime later, and pick, pick, pick! It was even worse if her fiance was along, because he'd do it too.

Mind you, I know that I'm not very high-toned about movies - if I was entertained for two hours, I'm happy.

I think some of it is the delivery. She may not say so in so many words, but what comes across is "That movie was stupid and anyone that would like it is stupid, too!"

Kind of makes you reluctant to share something that you enjoyed, doesn't it?

So, these days if she asks me how a movie was, I just say "Oh, it was okay." and leave it at that.

The weird thing is, if we see a movie together, it's usually fine. She has a good time, we laugh about it, there may still be a little criticism, but not nearly as scathing.

gcameron

Well, speaking as a film snob, I can relate to those who tend to pick movies apart. But I can also sympathize with those who are annoyed by this behavior. Social concerns should be respected. If you go to a movie with one friend, you may be going in order to enjoy a couple of hours of social interaction and relaxation. But if you go to a movie with another friend, you may be going in order to get food for a heated debate over coffee afterward. Or, as is often the case with me and my friends (who are mostly film snobs too), both purposes are served. The thing is to know why you are going to the movie, and act accordingly. It is, I suppose, socially inept to indulge in verbose criticism when the other person in the room doesn't want to hear about it; but I can understand the boredom that might lead some to do just this.

You say you are happy if you are entertained for 2 hours. This is fair; but most people criticize movies because for whatever reason, they haven't been entertained. That is what honest criticism is about, anyway... dishonest criticism comes from a desire to impress other people with one's intellect and vocabulary. The latter should be censured.