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Wild Things is lurid trash, with a plot so twisted they're still explaining it during the closing titles. It's like a three-way collision between a softcore sex film, a soap opera and a B-grade noir. I liked it. Movies such as this either entertain or offend audiences; there's no neutral ground. Either you're a connoisseur of melodramatic comic vulgarity, or you're not. You know who you are. I don't want to get any postcards telling me this movie is in bad taste. I'm warning you: It is in bad taste. Bad taste elevated to the level of demented sleaze.

Roger Ebert#73

FilmReviewEntertainmentTaste

About this quote

What does it mean?
The reviewer admits a movie is trashy but entertaining, stating some films polarize and he sides with the camp.
In plain terms
Bad taste can still be fun.
What can you take from it?
Entertainment beats judgment.

Where it applies

  • watching films
  • reviewing movies
  • discussing taste

Putting it to work

  • watching freely
  • writing reviews
  • enjoying film

Questions to consider

  • Can bad taste still be art?

Another view

Quality still matters to viewers.

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