That's a totally fine hill, I'll join you. That said, I had never seen Dirty Dancing until about three years ago. I had always simply assumed I would hate it. But I watched it and...I thought it worked! I could see why it was the phenomenon I was. I also read Jennifer Grey's biography, which was fantastic. Great art? Nah. But a LOT bette…
That's a totally fine hill, I'll join you. That said, I had never seen Dirty Dancing until about three years ago. I had always simply assumed I would hate it. But I watched it and...I thought it worked! I could see why it was the phenomenon I was. I also read Jennifer Grey's biography, which was fantastic. Great art? Nah. But a LOT better than the silly teen romp I thought it was!
(Also, NO ONE thought it would do ANYTHING. It wasn't a movie made from cynicism. It was a labor of love.)
DD definitely has its charms (especially the two leads - and excellent dancing!), and I totally memorized the soundtrack like everyone else who was in eighth grade when it came out, ha. I didn't realize it was a runaway hit! I think it's one of those, though, that upon revisiting, came across as grimmer and more aimless than I remembered. I feel like SB tells both the underdog-dance story and the romance better, and with more fun and color.
It's funny, 15 or so years ago, everyone was going nuts for The Perks of Being a Wallflower. So I read it, and I thought it was UTTERLY RIDICULOUS. Just non-stop angst-porn that I didn't buy AT ALL. Just one thing on top of another thing, in a kind of Perils of Pauline kind of way. And the movie just totally leaned into that. But everyone else was LOVING this thing that felt so so so false and silly to me. And in the end, I realized, "Oh, wow, this isn't for me. When I was a teenager, I loved angst too. Dead Poet's Society is probably a 'bad' movie too, but I loved it at the time. This genre helps teenagers deal with runaway emotions, maybe?" That said, I do think movies like Muriel's Wedding and Strictly Ballroom are operating on a--what? More universal level? Or maybe just a better "movie" level. I could be wrong, but I don't think people are going to be watching Perks of Being a Wallflower or Dirty Dancing in 50 years.
Absolutely—I ate up angst and melodrama as a teen. (I remember watching at least one literal soap opera in high school!) And I thought for a while that I'd be an adult who loves YA forever. But sometime within the last ten years, I've found that I'm kind of over most of it, at least for the time being. The exceptions have been those that do appeal on a more universal age level. I know I read Perks of Being a Wallflower, once, and I saw the movie (also once), and I don't remember a ton about it, so it must not have left that profound an impression on me either. :D
Re: YA. Yeah, me too, big-time. I recognize that most of any genre is mediocre, and the great stuff is rare, but it's interesting when you realize you're no longer willing to put up with (what you perceive as) mediocrity in order to find the great stuff.
That's a totally fine hill, I'll join you. That said, I had never seen Dirty Dancing until about three years ago. I had always simply assumed I would hate it. But I watched it and...I thought it worked! I could see why it was the phenomenon I was. I also read Jennifer Grey's biography, which was fantastic. Great art? Nah. But a LOT better than the silly teen romp I thought it was!
(Also, NO ONE thought it would do ANYTHING. It wasn't a movie made from cynicism. It was a labor of love.)
DD definitely has its charms (especially the two leads - and excellent dancing!), and I totally memorized the soundtrack like everyone else who was in eighth grade when it came out, ha. I didn't realize it was a runaway hit! I think it's one of those, though, that upon revisiting, came across as grimmer and more aimless than I remembered. I feel like SB tells both the underdog-dance story and the romance better, and with more fun and color.
It's funny, 15 or so years ago, everyone was going nuts for The Perks of Being a Wallflower. So I read it, and I thought it was UTTERLY RIDICULOUS. Just non-stop angst-porn that I didn't buy AT ALL. Just one thing on top of another thing, in a kind of Perils of Pauline kind of way. And the movie just totally leaned into that. But everyone else was LOVING this thing that felt so so so false and silly to me. And in the end, I realized, "Oh, wow, this isn't for me. When I was a teenager, I loved angst too. Dead Poet's Society is probably a 'bad' movie too, but I loved it at the time. This genre helps teenagers deal with runaway emotions, maybe?" That said, I do think movies like Muriel's Wedding and Strictly Ballroom are operating on a--what? More universal level? Or maybe just a better "movie" level. I could be wrong, but I don't think people are going to be watching Perks of Being a Wallflower or Dirty Dancing in 50 years.
Absolutely—I ate up angst and melodrama as a teen. (I remember watching at least one literal soap opera in high school!) And I thought for a while that I'd be an adult who loves YA forever. But sometime within the last ten years, I've found that I'm kind of over most of it, at least for the time being. The exceptions have been those that do appeal on a more universal age level. I know I read Perks of Being a Wallflower, once, and I saw the movie (also once), and I don't remember a ton about it, so it must not have left that profound an impression on me either. :D
Re: YA. Yeah, me too, big-time. I recognize that most of any genre is mediocre, and the great stuff is rare, but it's interesting when you realize you're no longer willing to put up with (what you perceive as) mediocrity in order to find the great stuff.
Yep. Maybe it’s part of becoming wiser as we mature. 😄