LOS ANGELES — A movie released to critical and audience acclaim just six months ago is actually be quite bad, recently discovered opinions have shown.
“Overrated piece of trash,” said local cinephile Charlie Donahue, about The Cupboard, the popular film in question. “When I thought it was a well paced character study with a good sense of humor and several standout performances, that was before people exactly like me spent months talking it up Now I’m really sick of hearing about it, and ever since it became a popular pick to win some awards, I see that The Cupboard is actually a terribly paced movie with insulting characters and an awful sense of humor. What was wrong with me when I saw it last fall and thought I liked it?”
The evolution of the reaction to the film has confused the film’s author.
“I guess you take the good with the bad,” said Ed Bell, the young writer and director of The Cupboard. “When we premiered at Cannes last year and got a 20-minute standing ovation, I was like ‘Cool,’ but felt like it was a little much. Now that we’ve received some positive buzz, people are saying I made the worst movie in decades and don’t deserve a career after this, and well, that feels like a little much also. What I don’t understand is that it’s the same exact movie! I get where TV shows can change over time and alienate their fans, but this is the same two hours people loved until a bunch of other people saw it. It’s so weird. I’m gonna try to direct some commercials or something after this, I think.”
Meanwhile, critics stood by their initial positive evaluation of the film.
“I still think it’s good,” said film reviewer Jamie Whelan, who posted a glowing review of The Cupboard when it was released last October. “But I haven’t really participated in the discourse around it, like all of the people that seem to dislike it have been. Maybe if they stopped making memes about it they could be a little less hung up on it. Mix it up! Go listen to a band you hate or something!”
As of press time, The Cupboard had been nominated for five Razzie Awards, causing many of its detractors to change their position and defend the film from the cynical and pretentious ceremony.
