While I’m on the subject of movie viewership, one of my pet peeves is when I ask someone how they liked a particular film, they say dismissively, ‘it wasn’t what I was expecting.’ As if that’s the movie’s fault! The only person to blame for your expectations is you! Learn something about the movie before you get the to the cinema. I’m always astonished (and it’s particularly prevalent here on Dublin’s north side) when people pitch up at the movie theatre and don’t know what movie they’re going to see!
Personally, I feel I often get this response from someone who didn’t like the way a film challenged them intellectually or emotionally. They’re uncomfortable discussing how the movie made them feel or think, so they dismiss it as not meeting their expectations. Being John Malkovich is a pretty good example of this. It had big name actors, but ultimately was a pretty unusual and sophisticated film. So, people went to it expecting a good natured comedy but got something different. Tough luck, I say. It bears repeating: ‘The only person to blame for your expectations is you.’
DarrenBarefoot.com 