With the recent release of the very controversial Blonde (2022) which has created waves of discourse among film reviewers and watchers alike, there was one particular tweet which inspired me to write this post. Many people have been divided by their thoughts on the film, either loving and appreciating the beauty of its artistic style, or absolutely despising the exploitative and sexist approach to Marilyn’s story. This one Twitter conversation I read regarding Blonde went a little something like this: someone who said they enjoyed the film was met with unkind responses that targeted them as a whole. There were comments along the lines of “if you enjoy a movie like that you must be sexist too”, “you must be a terrible person to like something like that”, and “no one should be watching this movie!” For liking a film that has been deemed controversial, this person was being completely bashed just for sharing their opinion. This got me thinking, is it okay to enjoy problematic media?
My short answer? Yes, it’s okay. It is very difficult to find a piece of media in today’s world that doesn’t have its share of faults or flaws. That being said, this is certainly a complicated question because while I don’t think it’s bad for people to enjoy problematic media, I definitely think there’s a right and wrong way to handle it. One Twitter user mentioned that films are sometimes meant to be problematic and that it can open our eyes to relevant issues, allowing us to critique them. For the most part, I do agree with this statement and I think it’s totally acceptable to enjoy something that is controversial while also fully acknowledging its faults.
Let’s take a look at Blonde for example. If you read my recent review on the movie, you’ll remember me saying that I found it to be demeaning in its portrayal of Marilyn and every bit as exploitative as I feared it would be. So no, long story short, I did not enjoy the film and that’s my own personal opinion. Was it because of the problematic themes? Well, for me it definitely play a part in why I disliked the film. In my perspective, it simply overshadowed everything else. But I’ve also read a plethora of reviews by individuals who did like the film and appreciated its chaotic beauty despite the polarizing plot. I may disagree, but that’s their opinion and I respect the commentary they’re offering. It’s important to remember that enjoying films is a subjective experience and we have to be open to the possibility that people will like things that we don’t. After all, our unique experiences shape how we see things differently from one another. And it’s not like they’re screaming to the world that they support sexism and self-destruction, they just saw the movie in a way that worked for them.
And that kind of leads us to a big issue regarding my question, “is it okay to enjoy problematic media?”. Living in a rather sensitive climate, I feel that people often struggle to differentiate between enjoying problematic media and agreeing with it. Just because some reviewers liked Blonde, doesn’t mean they stand behind the sexist and traumatic themes. You can’t judge someone’s character so easily like that. Liking a piece of troublesome media doesn’t mean you believe and value those issues too. So let’s not be rude and say mean things about other people so quickly, okay?
I’d now like to take the time to share one of my own experiences dealing with problematic media. When I was in my second year of university, I took a social justice course as an elective and about halfway through the semester, my professor announced we would be watching a film and analyzing it. She called it: “the worst movie ever made”. Do you have any guesses as it what that movie might be? It was in fact, the highly popular James Cameron film, Avatar (2009). Having only watched it the one time prior to this class, I remembered having an overall positive experience of the film. No, it’s not amazing by any means, but I remembered finding it entertaining and having some fantastic visuals. After hearing what my professor had to say about this movie, it certainly opened my eyes and allowed me to critique Avatar (2009) in a new light. In all honesty, it’s a fairly problematic movie – not only is there a strong focus on white saviourism, there’s an over-sexualization of female characters and the Na’vi people who are indigenous to Pandora were very stereotypically depicted as wild, violent, and animalistic. As I rewatched this movie with this new perspective, I struggled with the fact that I was, well, still enjoying the movie. My professor was so adamant about making us hate this movie that I almost felt guilty for still liking it. I saw all the problems, so why did I? And I think this is where I came to have an understanding of what it means to like problematic media. I grew to realize that these issues didn’t have to completely destroy my experience of a movie, as long as I could understand the issues and the problems that lie within it. I happily share these criticisms with friends when and if ever Avatar (2009) comes up in conversation, and because of that, they’re learning too. While I definitely see the issues involved with this film, I still appreciate the grand spectacle of the fictional world and some of the other more positive themes being explored.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to feel guilty about enjoying a piece of problematic media. If anything, it shows you have an awareness of the implications those issues may have. And really, it depends from person to person. We all have a different tolerance level and based on our personal experiences, there may be some things we’re willing to tolerate more than others. The most important thing though? Remember to be respectful of others. If someone is truly uncomfortable with a piece of problematic media, don’t press it and force your opinion.
Thanks for reading my opinion piece and because I know this may be a bit of a controversial topic, I’m hoping I managed to get my message across very clearly. I’d love for you to share your thoughts (you don’t have to agree with me 100%!) in the comments below where we can have an open and respectful discussion 🙂 Is this something you’ve thought about before? How do you feel about the topic?
Fan First Reviews 
Thanks for thinking on this Cathy.
Art is subjective and I would think it depends on the intentions of its creator(s). If the art (not artist/creator but the art itself-whether it be image, music, written or movies) gets the viewer to think or talk about it, then I think it’s done its job.
At the same time, the viewer needs to assess why they would rewatch a movie that is a hard watch. I would hope to never judge a person on their personal preferences. Yet, we are constantly bombarded with violent and graphic images all the time. I am finding too much of it makes me feel disassociated or numb from it. And that is the danger-how do I become empathetic for my fellow humans if I am like this? I am sure this is one for the psychologists to analyse and help those who need it.
The only other movie I can think of that was a hard watch, but an important one and also one I would never rewatch is the excellent movie Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. Different to Blonde (which I do not think I will ever get around to watching because I know how hard a watch it would be). But some would argue the same points I had seen you observe. When it gets to the point where people cannot respect another’s opinion, then it says a lot about that person. That you wrote this piece, told me that you are thoughtful about the content and art you are watching. And that to me gets my respect. Thanks for expressing your thoughts in a more detailed and layered and balanced way instead of in a one note way 👍😃
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Thank you for your kind words and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me 🙂 I definitely agree that a lot of the media we consume nowadays is so graphic and alarming – I feel society does suffer from disassociation and sometimes we can’t truly understand the gravity of things because of how often we’re exposed to it.
Whenever I read people being mean to each other over other’s own opinions, it really makes me sad. Social media has definitely made people a bit more brave with their selfishness and “I’m right” kind of attitude. I think it’s so easily forgotten that people are free to have their own thoughts about things 😦
I’ve actually never seen Schindler’s List because I’m aware of the heavy subject matter and that it may be difficult watch. I really want to though, and with you bringing it up, I might give it a watch sometime soon. Also, Blonde is certainly a hard watch so don’t watch it if you think it’ll be too much 🙂 I had to spread it across three days to finish it.
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Cathy, with the long-awaited sequel to Avatar arriving in theatres soon, it is very interesting to read your history with it. As far as its entertainment value, while my wife and I never saw it in the theatre, we did see it at home…and have always been stunned at the box office it did, and the glowing reviews it gets. We don’t get what a lot of other people see in that film. And, that is BEFORE we get into all the areas you have noted above. Having been a major in Humanities-Journalism, taken film criticism courses, etc. I have always been able to like problematic movies and support and promote them. However, I would always offer up a disclaimer the subject matter is certainly not for everyone, and I would indicate I’d get it if someone didn’t like the films. However, once they “came for me” as if I personally was promoting or supporting the behaviors in the film, that’s when I’d set them straight, I totally get that a lot of people cannot possibly divorce themselves from the opinion that if someone likes a problematic work of art…that someone has a problem. We just have to be true to ourselves. We absolutely can appreciate challenging, troubling, disturbing films. That doesn’t mean anything more than a comment on the movies, not on us.
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Hi Bruce, thanks for sharing and for giving me some insight into your background (what a great major!). I really respect your openness to a variety of films but also your understanding towards people’s personal perspectives!
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I don’t have Netflix so I’ve not seen “Blonde”, therefore can’t comment on it. However, it is important to remember that the majority of films, especially from Hollywood, are generally made for general audiences who don’t give star ratings or pour over every visual or symbolic nuance of a film, not critics who do.
It’s a problem with objectivity. Some people just aren’t capable of it, believing that their opinion equals fact. It is possible to disagree with the narrative, themes, or social/sexual politics of a film, but still appreciate it as a piece of art, or its production values.
However, some like to throw the baby out with the bath water and they, in my opinion, are the worst type of “critic” – the ones who will give a Star Wars or Marvel film 1/2 star because they didn’t enjoy the story when there is much more to it that is worthy of praise.
Obviously, there are precedents where this provokes discussion as it should – D.W Griffith’s “Birth Of A Nation” from 1915 is a great example of this. A tremendous technical achievement for its era, and a ground breaking piece of Hollywood spectacle cinema but also a politically and thematically repugnant one through its racial stereotyping and depictions of black people, not to mention its pro-Klan stance. Ironically, it remains important BECAUSE of these negative factors for film buffs and scholars alike to discuss and learn from.
A terrible film has poor scripting, poor acting, cheap, risible effects, lousy editing, sloppy camerawork and so on. Regardless of how much Hollywood today is style over substance, at least you know it will be a well made film, and as an amateur filmmaker myself, I can appreciate the effort that goes into making a film, so if I have problem with a film it is is content or lack thereof, not the craft itself unless warranted.
Taste is subjective, that is not open for question, but opinions can be challenged through reasoned debate. Your example of someone accused of being sexist for enjoying “Blonde” because someone else thought it was sexist film, is the sort of toxic mindset we can do without it. Like with “Birth…”, one can enjoy the film without endorsing everything it stands for; if they do, that’s a different discussion.
tl;dr: Some people are idiots, ignore them! 😛
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Thank you for your very thoughtful comment! I appreciate your open mindset and the ability to see that liking problematic film doesn’t mean agreeing with it.
That Twitter comment I read was very disappointing and I was sad to see people have such a black and white view of things. The online aspect of social media definitely also makes people feel more “powerful and brave” with voicing their opinions. You’re right though, we could definitely do with less of this toxicity!
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Huh, that Avatar bit is interesting. As someone who has studied film in education it’s an issue that comes up often; teachers shoving their opinion of something on to you. Amazingly this doesn’t happen much in literature studies, but in film it’s bonkers. As you say, there’s no reason not to like problematic films. I mean most classics that have influenced movies to this very day came out in a time where many sexist/racist character tropes prevailed everywhere and they can still be enjoyed.
Warner Bros puts a warning up on their loony tunes cartoons that directly says “this is fun, but just know they are a product of their time”. And I think that’s the right mindset to have if you want to critically think about the implications of dated messaging in media.
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I would’ve loved to have taken a film course in university, I think it would’ve been very interesting! And I totally agree. Many classic films have flaws that are deeply based in sexism or racism, but we still enjoy them to this day. I like your comment on the right mindset because I agree, as long as we’re aware of the issues that lie within it, it’s perfectly acceptable to have fun with it.
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I actually studied english and creative writing. But the nice thing about university is creative courses are flexible and its not just literature you draw from. That’s how I ended up watching a lot of movies for my assignments.
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Oh cool! I also majored in English 🙂 I think the only classes where I really got to dissect movies were in my final English seminar and in my social justice course I mentioned taking. I would’ve loved to have taken some film courses thinking back!
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Thats cool. Dont think there is anything like a social justice class over here. We had to write a screenplay for one of our assignments which is when the movie thing ramped up. For some othe rmodules I decided to do a couple film reviews and cited a few movies in my final dissertation.
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I absolutely say yes. The one I get in trouble for liking most often is Passengers (2016). Often by people (and especially other women) who have never even seen it, but say that it should basically never be seen. And they want to argue about how “bad” it is, without even having viewed it – that I’ll never understand.
I think it’s a really dynamic exploration of just the same problems they see in it, and more ethical dilemmas besides. Which is why I really like it – because it’s such an exploration.
So I say yes, enjoy problematic media. And realise that even non-problematic media of the now may become problematic in the future.
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I think it’s totally fine to enjoy problematic media the same way that I think it’s totally fine to enjoy problematic “ships” in fiction as well. They’re not real life.
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Absolutely – and I think that’s where many people have trouble finding that distinction because they start bringing those problems into real life.
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