My buddy the film snob laughed at me for liking Armageddon and now I don't know what to think

He said it's just a Michael Bay explosion fest with no real emotion, but I told him the scene where Bruce Willis stays behind gets me every time. Has anyone else had a friend trash a movie you love and make you second guess your whole taste?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_tessa24d agoMost Upvoted

Look, I've noticed this pattern with people where they have this weird need to put things into boxes. Like if a movie has big explosions, it can't also have a meaningful moment. I've been in your shoes with a different movie, the one where the guy gives up his dreams for his family and it wrecked me but my friend said it was manipulative. The thing is, taste isn't some ladder where liking Armageddon means you're on a lower rung. Your buddy probably gets off on acting like he's got refined taste, but that Bruce Willis scene hits because it's about a dad making a choice, not just because of the fireballs.

keith_bennett24d ago

Wait, do you really think that buddy is just posturing? I mean, maybe it's just me, but I've met some people who genuinely feel like a movie trying too hard to make you cry is a bit cheap. Like they'd rather earn an emotional moment through subtle stuff than a big speech. I get what you're saying about the dad choice in Armageddon, but I also kind of side with the friend on this one - that scene is pretty on the nose. For me, sometimes the more subtle stuff stays with you longer because it doesn't feel like it's begging you to feel something. Different strokes for different folks, I guess, but I don't think it's always about someone trying to feel superior.

aaron74024d ago

Tbh I've noticed this same thing plays out everywhere not just movies. Like you'll have a buddy who swears by some craft beer that tastes like dirt and looks down on you for liking a cold Bud Light on a hot day. The whole "my taste is more refined than yours" thing is just a way people try to feel special. Armageddon works because it knows exactly what it is and commits to it 100 percent. Your buddy probably has some "deep" movie he likes that is just as cheesy if you look at it the right way but he gives it a pass because it has subtitles or whatever.