Defence of the film snob

I try my hardest not to be a film snob, but sometimes it’s tough. When I hear someone say they love watching films, I inevitably ask them what their favourite is while I mentally prepare lists of my top 5 cinematographers of the 21st century. Then they reply with the name of an Adam Sandler movie and my excitement crashes and burns, just like his reputation. The question is, how do I respond? Should I politely agree and start an in depth discussion about whether Waterboy is better than Happy Gilmore, even though I couldn’t care less? Should I be honest and start reeling off the obscure art house films and Old Hollywood classics which make up my DVD collection, and doom myself to a reputation as an arrogant show off?

I tried to think of a comparable situation, to see how it would feel to be on the other side of this situation. My reading habits aren’t exactly made up of classic literature. Stephen King is my literary idol, and I have a weird obsession with biographies of Tudor royals. Oh yeah, I’m cool. I know plenty of people who regularly read Chaucer and can reel of a list of poet laureates, but it just doesn’t interest me. If someone tried to force me to read Dickens, I would probably pick up a hefty volume of A Tale of Two Cities and smack them over the head with it. It would be hypocritical of me to force Italian Neorealism on disinterested parties and then be angry when they threw my DVD box-set back at me.

Then again, an argument could be made for the benefits of my interference. It’s pretty much accepted that Little Women is higher literary quality than Twilight, just as Citizen Kane is of higher cinematic quality than, well, Twilight. Access to classic films and independent releases is restricted, meaning many people miss out on films they might otherwise enjoy. It sounds patronising, but my snobbery might just broaden the horizon of others.

Me at the cinema

Admittedly, many film buffs enjoy lording their superior viewing over people as much as – if not more than – they enjoy watching the films themselves, but I like to think my snobbery comes from a more innocent place. I love cinema and simply want to share my passion with others.

I suggest the best way forward is some give and take between the snob and their unwitting victims. If your favourite film is a cheesy chick flick which won the Razzie, then embrace that. Cinema should be a meeting of the minds. A film snob who refuses to watch any big budget crowd pleaser is just as frustrating as a blockbuster fan who refuses to watch any film with subtitles (my dad won’t watch foreign films because he “doesn’t like reading”).

From now on, I’ll have the Adam Sandler chat with a smile on my face. Then I’ll introduce my new friend to my favourites and hope they return the favour. If not, I have a pretty hefty collection of Stanley Kubrick DVDs waiting to be thrown at them.

 
Images courtesy of movies.allwomenstalk.com and funny-pictures-blog.com