Dear Mr./Ms. Anonymous...

On January 4, 2008 as 3:44 in the afternoon, an anonymous reader of this blog called me a snob (to read this snippet of hate please click here). Shocking. The comment was made after reading my review of Walk Hard which was titled Four Jokes Does Not a Movie Make. Being a reflective person I revisited my review of the movie and I have come up with this retort.

Dude, I am not a snob. I love silly movies, I love lame movies, I even love the occasional bad movie. Anyone who has been forced to watch Grandma’s Boy by my side will tell you that (if you haven’t seen it you really should, I have the unrated version on DVD). I understand that not all movies are intended to be masterpieces. I also understand that movies should have a purpose and meet or exceed that purpose. The Broken Lizard movies are a perfect example of this. When the Broken Lizard guys are in their element (making low budget moron comedies like Super Troopers and Beerfest) their work is delightful. However, when they tried to transfer their model to The Dukes of Hazard (a big budget, star-studded, Summer picture) their same talents fell flat. That is because the intent of Dukes of Hazard is something much different than the intent of Beerfest and thus they can be judged differently.

Walk Hard has some stupendously funny moments (best use of male genitalia on celluloid in a long time) but it intended to be something better than it was. Had it been packaged as “Scary Movie meets Walk the Line” I would have been more accepting of it. Instead a large amount of money and nearly every interesting comedy talent working today was used to make a movie that revolved around four recurring jokes. Four jokes that were funny, don’t get me wrong, the first time around.

Yes these are the ramblings of an insecure critic, but I think the topic of movie snobbery is important for a film society that intends to be middlebrow to address. So, anonymous reader, whoever you are, I hope that you take these words into consideration. I thank you for forcing me to articulate my feelings on this subject. I encourage you to keep reading and writing comments that call me all sorts of nasty names. If we ever meet, we can watch a movie marathon consisting of Kickin’ it Old School, Dirty Work, and Soulplane. Perhaps after watching three of my favorites you will wish I was a bit more of a movie snob.