Life may be short, but we need to stop with the hyperbolic knee-jerk film reactions. Today it’s people saying that The Bride! is the worst movie ever, and who knows what it will be tomorrow.
This isn’t even about how I, Leah Marilla Thomas, think The Bride! is a pretty good movie–which I do. That’s just my opinion, and you are entitled to yours. There’s just simply no way that the movie you saw last is the worst movie you’ve ever seen.
Let that thought marinate for a minute. To be fair, I wouldn’t believe you if you said something you just saw was the best movie you’ve ever seen, either; but this especially applies to the haters. There are way more bad movies than there are good movies. There are bad movies you don’t even know exist. Movies you haven’t thought about in years because they suck. Movies that you wouldn’t be caught dead watching and therefore didn’t… but maybe you should have.
Recency bias goes both ways.
It feels weird to say say “watch more bad movies” with a smile. Who wants to suffer? Why would you want to subject yourself to something you know you aren’t going to enjoy? Eat more anchovies! Smell more farts! However, unfortunately, if you really want to develop your taste in cinema, you do need to watch as many movies as possible. It’s not the worst kind of homework in the world. You’re still watching movies. You might discover that you actually love a movie that you’d thought was universally despised. That’s a valuable thing to learn about yourself. Sitting in that weird, uncomfortable space between recognizing a piece of art is commendable for whatever reason, but just not to your personal liking, is valuable too.
Throwing up your hands and declaring a movie the worst you’ve ever seen before the credits have finished rolling, however, is not valuable for anything except social media engagement.
Watch older movies, shoestring budget independent movies, and older shoestring budget independent movies. Marathon clunky made-for-television movies. They may be low on production values, but they’ll teach you about structure at minimum. Watch as many short films as you can. You’ll get to see how filmmakers developed their voice and style. You will also see some very questionable choices. (Not all short films are bad! Many are good! However…) If there’s a performer you like, I think it can be fun and informative to watch their early or more obscure projects, before directors figured out how to use them.
At the very least, narrow your scope.
If you insist upon throwing around words like “worst,” set some perimeters first. Is the film you saw the worst movie you’ve seen this year? Sure. If you say that about something like The Bride!, I am going to wonder if you saw Melania. But at least that statement is not as extreme. 2026 is still young, after all. Did you think the film contained the worst performance from one of its leads? I’m more willing to listen to criticism like that as well. It’s focused. We can have more of a conversation about that.
How am I supposed to respond to “this is the worst movie ever” exactly? That statement is too broad. “Why?” “Are you sure?” “Have you seen the Bama Rush documentary?” (The actual worst movie I’ve ever seen only has a single Letterboxd review, so I’m not going to name and shame it.) Most likely, you’re going to be met with anger or silence. It’s not really an invitation to debate.
One critic said that The Bride! was one of the worst movies they had reviewed in their tenure on the job. While I disagree with that person’s opinion of the film, I can at least respect the specificity.
Interrogate your negative feelings further, please!
Keep digging. Why did you think the movie you just saw was bad? Isn’t saying “I had high expectations for The Bride! and was severely disappointed” so much more interesting than “The Bride! is the worst movie ever made”? That invites follow-up questions. What were your expectations? What were you looking forward to seeing? How did the film fall short? If you hated a movie’s dialogue or got bored during an entire sequence, provide examples! Maybe you thought a movie was bad because it struck a nerve, offended you, or engaged with a narrative trope that you’ve seen one too many times.
Your opinion might be shaped by the day you had. We’re not robots, y’all! Objectivity is a myth and a lie. Minutes after I saw Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, I turned my phone back on and learned that Roe v. Wade was going to be overturned. As a result, I hated that movie. I was no longer interested in extending any good will towards a narrative about how motherhood makes women crazy. It may not the best reason, but it’s human and it’s nuanced and it’s mine.
But worst movie ever made? Please! I have a stronger constitution than that, and so do you.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
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