I saw a reading by my hero and inspiration, pop culture analyst, Chuck Klosterman. Someone asked him the pressing question: “with all the media and pop culture that’s been bombarding us, how does one select what to watch?” Chuck didn’t hesitate. “If you are not fully enjoying it 100%, stop immediately and move on.” So true. Who wants to waste time on something not of quality? Then why do I spend so much time watching stuff that I know is horrible?
I know I am not alone on this. Following twitter, blogs, and the internet in general, it seems everyone finds joy in watching and commenting on the low-brow and low-quality. It makes total sense: hate-watching is an easy, DIY way of producing comedy. No longer are you simply with a group of friends in your living room making fun of a movie, you are live-tweeting it to your followers or in a crowded movie theater riffing on a classic bad-good movie. Furthermore, it takes little effort. Someone else creates a show, tv, or movie, the comedian who makes a witty comment on twitter or another public forum gets most of the payoff. In a way, it is like a parasitic form of comedy.
Obviously, comedic commentary is not brand new. Vaudeville Peanut Galleries and The Muppet ’s Statler and Waldorf have paved the way for the new “hate-watching” commentary that has come into a whole genre of its own, led by Mystery Science Theater 3000 and later, the Rifftrax movie commentaries. Commentary and “riffing” aren’t always mean-spirited, it can also be seen as an homage and celebration. It’s a fine line between the two.
The podcast How Did This Get Made, for example, is anything but nasty; it’s such a celebration of everything bad. - so much that some of the directors and actors of the movies mentioned are happily appearing on the podcast. Celebs celebrate when they are featured on Go Fug Yourself. The Razzie Awards, reserved for the worst movies, has become almost as exciting as the Oscar nominations. in the past few years, some actors and filmmakers have shown up in person to accept the awards. Are they taking it in stride? Is it “laugh at yourself before they laugh at you”? at play? Have we come to the point that any attention - even if critical- is a compliment?
Some targets of comedic commentary aren’t such good sports. The website WTForever21, which provides acerbic commentary on some of the more adsurd and questionable fashion decisions of the retail chain Forever21, was sued by the company for not only using the brand name without their permission, as well as “dilution of the brand name”. The hilarious Regretsy, which highlights the best “worst” crafts from Etsy.com has had some cranky crafters take insult with being featured. Are they rightfully demanding respect, or are they not just in on the joke?
Acerbic commentary has also become a new kind of nostalgia for pop culture. Even those shows and movies that are a part of our childhood are not immune to the criticism. The mass popularity of the “I Love the ____” shows on VH1 were like a loveable jab at ourselves for liking such media that in hindsight seem ridiculous. However, as more shows from our past have become more accessible on dvd and streaming online, there’s more opportunity to sit where we are with artistic hindsight with our more refined taste and laugh at our ignorance of quality television. Thanks to the wonders of ebay, children’s book series are also up for snark and commentary, including the widely popular Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High series. LOLSlater reminds us of the cringe-worthy Saved by The Bell Moments “I’m so excited! I’m so...SCARED”). On the one hand, one could see it as a way of destroying a memory. On the other hand, it can also be interpreted as a loving tribute to younger, naive times.
Let me be clear, I’m not placing any judgement on those who participate in this type of comedy. In fact, I am one of the biggest participants. The intent of hate-watching can range from downright nastiness to light-heated fun, just like any other form of comedy. Some reasons come to mind as to why we indulge.
1. We are sadistic consumers of pop culture. We eagerly await the feelings of engagement and disgust we will find. It’s a way to assure ourselves that we know the difference between quality and what “Plus, something about the reaction it will cause in us. We know it’s bad, but we want to be sure. Was Gigli as bad as it sounds? Yes. Is Jack and Jill unwatchable? There’s no doubt that it is horrible, but we need to see it with my own eyes. We want to be a part of the communal cringe.
2. It’s a case of comedy Schadenfreude: Anyone with even the slightest aspirations of writing or performing comedy can feel a bit envious when something of poor quality was given a shot on a major network a. The recent ABC show Work It, already a small blip on the pop culture timeline, for example, seemed more like a producer who lost a dare than an actual good idea. Comedians and writers were virtually stepping all over each other to get their say, and witty hate-recaps were a must. This outrage was probably not based on outright jealousy, but more of an outrage that someone who was given a chance to produce on a network squandered away the chance with such garbage.
3. The crowd experience. Fifteen years ago, my college friends and I secretly watched Showgirls on VHS to see what the fuss was about. We were actually a bit ashamed of ourselves. Skip ahead fifteen years, and I’m in a sold-out screening at the 3000-seat Castro Theatre watching a hilarious, over the top pre-show featuring drag queens reenacting key scenes from the movie. The rise of Showgirls as a cult status has a lot to do with the shared experience of watching it with a group, and sharing in the joy of yelling “work it! work it!” to Nomi as she goes through her grueling audition. Not to mention the unintentional comedic moments.
Bad movie screenings, where the comedy is crowd-sourced, like the long-running Bad Movie Night in San Francisco. There are main “riffers”, but audience members are also encouraged to yell their own commentary and punchlines, the comedy is self-generating. And seeing your favorite bad-movie with people that appreciate its horribleness as much as you do can be as exhilarating as watching a really clever comedy.
4. There is a slippery slope between being hated and cult status.
The quintessential modern example of hate-watching creating cult status is of the 2003 movie The Room. The little-known film was a vanity project by the bizarre auteur Tommy Wiseau. In 2008, it was rediscovered, and by word of mouth, it became a cult sensation, with midnight screenings complete with Rocky Horror-style chanting and strategic prop-throwing.
When I first heard about The Room, I had the “must see it to believe it” attitude and rented a copy. At home by myself, I felt weird, as if I were watching a mentally disabled person try to make a serious movie. A year later, I attended a midnight screening, where I gleefully shouted the awful dialogue back at the screen, shouted back at the characters, and having the time of my life. Why does everyone love such a horrible movie? The divide between hating and loving it is blurred. People have spent tremendous amounts of time and money on merchandise, a novelization and a video game. Those are labors of love that has gone way beyond a jab or bad review.
It’s no secret that viewership, not critical acclaim, drives the success of popular media. Publicity from hate-watching could also, however, drive the success of the “so good it’s bad” tv shows and movies. The criticism just creates opportunities for good comedy, so perhaps we should all be thanking Adam Sandler for Jack and Jill.
