2021's Don't Look Up received a mixed response over its unique and transparent premise revolving around global warming and climate change. Some thought that the concept was a necessary point of conversation that needs to receive more focus in today's society, but others found the film to be rather pretentious in its delivery.
Pretentiousness in a film is not necessarily an indicator of quality, rather that the story was driven more by ego than ethos. s of Reddit have discussed which films are among the most pretentious they've ever watched.
Take This Waltz (2011)
Starring Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams, 2011's Take This Waltz revolves around a woman (Williams) falling in love with an aspiring artist (Luke Kirby) despite being happily married. Reddit lordhallucination felt that Williams's character Margot was framed "as her being independent and liberated, but she just came off as a d*uche".
Margot was the singular source of the film's pretentiousness. She is a character that is only out for her own self-interests, not caring about the ramifications of her actions. In the end, Margot suffered a boomerang effect when her new reality greatly parallels her old life.
God's Not Dead (2014)
Productions revolving around religion (specifically Christian media) can often be controversial, as is the case for the 2014 film God's Not Dead. While the movie spawned a Christian film franchise, Reddit RedThorneGamerSB claims God's Not Dead "thinks its smart but its really f**ck*ng dumb".
What makes the film pretentious is that while there are teachings and findings to validate the presence of the man upstairs, the belief of one thinking God exists is purely subjective. God's Not Dead missed an opportunity to provide logic to this timeless debate, instead using stereotypical responses for shock value.
mother! (2017)
Despire 2017's Darren Aronofsky's highest ranked movies on Metacritic, its positive response was lukewarm at best. Moviegoers felt that the film was a vanity project for Aronofsky and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lawrence, with this Reddit thinking "the whole thing felt like a giant ego stroke to his artistic genius."
While visually beautiful, mother! is pretentious for expecting its audience to figure out the story rather than providing an extended depth. Incidentally, the film's psychological and horror themes were seen as overkill when they could have had a more subtle yet impactful depiction.
Malcolm & Marie (2021)
The entire world was affected when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, with the film industry seeing exorbitant losses. Reddit NewZookeepergame4160 thinks "Malcolm & Marie", the first Hollywood film to have been made during the pandemic, is a rather pretentious movie.
John David Washington and Zendaya carried the film with their fervent chemistry and fantastic performances. However, this wasn't enough, as the pretentious element of Malcolm & Marie's simple premise was within the dialogue. Drawn-out monologues, in addition to a lack of consistency surrounding its themes, made the movie suffer.
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Quite a few Academy Award-winning actors have suffered from the Eat Pray Love, a film adapted from Elizabeth Gilbert's 2006 memoir of the same title. Redditor PreviousTea9210 calls the movie "Into The Wild" for middle-aged women".
The pretentiousness of Eat Pray Love lies in what makes it stand out, which is its scenery, focusing on the sites rather than the story. When the film reflects on spirituality, it felt more contrived when it could have been more authentic.
Mr. Nobody (2009)
Jared Leto has proven himself to be a very exploratory actor with the unique roles and films he takes. One such film would be the science fiction drama Mr. Nobody, but not everybody has ed the movies called following. Reddit Dougflooty2 feels that while Jared Leto has taken many pompous roles, "this one is without a doubt the most egregious".
What makes Mr. Nobody pretentious in its brilliance is that it's a film that pretends to be something it's not without active efforts. Leto's performance as Nemo Nobody was effective, but the character itself failed to connect with audiences.
Tenet (2020)
Another film that suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic was 2020's Dunkirk. Tenet's story was considered choppy by fans and critics, with Reddit St0lf having "no clue what they were trying to say, but they sure were trying."
Christopher Nolan prides himself on works that are beautifully complex and innovative. Tenet was praised for its aesthetics and acting, but a muddled delivery greatly hindered what could have been an even more epic ride. The premise was wrapped in too many paradoxes for audiences to clearly comprehend.
Titanic (1997)
James Cameron's Titanic was the all-time highest grossing film for 12 years, renowned for its visual effects and poignant love story. Alas, there are still some that weren't charmed by the film. Reddit MissScarlettSommer felt the character of deep-sea explorer Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) is "peak pretentiousness and destroys the whole flow of the film".
Many feel that the character was Cameron's self-insert due to his great interest in aquatic exploration. Since the overall focus was on the romance and epic disaster elements, the glaring historical inaccuracy also created some cracks in Titanic's foundation.
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
David O. Russell Is a rather experimental filmmaker, seen with both 2022's highly anticipated mystery comedy Amsterdam and 2004's I Heart Huckabees. The black comedy indie film is a 6° of separation between multiple characters, centered around Huckabees, a big-box department store conglomerate. Despite its peculiar premise, this Reddit suggests "I Heart Huckabees" as a pretentious film.
The film's emphasis on existentialism and overindulgence didn't have the impact that it should have on moviegoers. Rather, since the themes and story of I Heart Huckabees were so convoluted, it was very easy to go over the viewer's head upon watching.
The Room
Tommy Wiseau's directorial debut is pretentious for additionally having Wiseau as both writer and leading man. The 2003 film has been widely regarded as one of the worst movies ever made. In its absolute cringe, Redditor dachilleas feels that the pretentiousness "is what makes it so amazing".
Nonetheless, there's treasure in this so-called "trash", with The Disaster Artist in 2013 for the film of the same name starring James and Dave Franco released in 2017.
