Sweet Movie : This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

I saw this last night, knowing a little of what to expect, thanks to my research of similar movies, like Salo, which I don't care to see. Concerning either of those, honestly, it does not matter to me if every scene is analogous to any aspect of anything of any importance. You can waste your time trying to explain it, but no matter how highly intellectual an argument can be made for this movie, it won't sway me. I consider myself a clear-thinking individual with a very open mind (I watched Sweet Movie from beginning to end), and my general thoughts after seeing it were, "I hope every individual who had anything to do with this movie are proud of themselves!" "What is wrong with every person who had something to do with this movie? (maybe with the exception of the kids)" & "Possibly the worst movie I've ever seen!" because I never want to see it again & on a lot of levels it wasn't right--oh, maybe, that's part of the point--so what! I realize this is just a movie, but there were aspects of it that were real. It seems to me that countering something bad with something bad, worse, or much worse, even if its through realistic-looking re-enactments, equals two bad things, which is pointless. I understand using harsh analogies to describe things, and for some (like those at Criterion whom I respect for releasing many great films and most of which are done quite well, & by the way, I am glad that they are free to release movies like this because I oppose censorship), this hit home, but at some point, in my mind at least, there should be some accountability, unless, of course, you feel there is no reason to be accountable, well then, by all means, do your worst--NOT! Sweet Movie represented things that have happened throughout history and still happen today, literally as it was portrayed in the movie and in its metaphorical counterparts, most of which I want nothing to do with. I know I'm not the only one who has seen this to feel this way about it; to each his or her own, & if you like it or love it, great, seriously, I don't really care, but this did nothing for me & was a waste of my time.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

Your reaction is pretty typical. It's not necessarily the "wrong" reaction. It's your opinion -- which is just as valid as mine. But I think one thing to think about is the nature of some of the images in SWEET MOVIE. Is the movie pornographic? I say no, simply because it does not appeal exclusively to a prurient interest. Think about the images of violence that appear in movies and even television shows today. We are regularly treated to scenes of people being gunned down, stabbed, blood flowing, eyes gouged out, heads blown off. And that's in PG-13 movies. The images in SWEET MOVIE are of...what? People defecating? People throwing up? People doing things that people do everyday? Things that your body does naturally? I think the images are shocking because they are presented out of context. As far as the scenes on the boat with the young boys. I think one could argue that this crosses the line, but does it really? When mainstream movies like RAMBLING ROSE present shots involving sexual situations with minors that are much more explicit, I have to say that SWEET MOVIE isn't breaking any taboos that aren't being smashed by Hollywood in the modern era. We live in a society where young starlets and popular actors appear in pornographic videos that just "happen" to find there way onto the market...and not only are their careers not destroyed, they thrive...they get reality shows on MTV! SWEET MOVIE is art. It is controversial. It does raise questions...it spurs discussion...just like all great art does. No one says that the movie should be your favorite, but pause for a second and wonder why you feel the way about it that you do.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

Or you can argue that the director admitted to losing control of his direction at one point in the movie, furthermore, admitting he had a problem getting it back on track. Maybe your points are valid, but so is, "The movie, as far as a movie goes, is actually quite bad." So pause for a second as well and think about the composition and maybe you will see it could have been done much better.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

So, the obvious question, since you did research it, knew it was something like Salo, which you do not intend to see, is: Why did you watch it? And having done so, why complain to us? This filmmaker had a big statement to make; he made it, which was quite a difficult thing to do in that time. Like so many other things, you have to take this considering the broad context from which it came. You haven't done that. Hardly anybody else has, either.

What made you more sick, the food party, or the playing with the corpses at the mass grave? You should do more research and then watch it again.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

Yes Bernie, he made it and it was difficult to do. But then again, it should always be difficult to make a movie which subjects minors to such erotic nudity.

Is this movie art? Some might say that. The same people are the ones who sit in galleries that showcase urinals on the wall as art and say "Wow, it's so deep". Personally, I'm not of that type and much like I wouldn't find a urinal on a wall a piece of art, nor did I find this movie to be. It's also neither "brave, bold or wonderfully shot".

The director's statement is that women are one of two things: beautiful, dumb and only useful for sex (The Miss Canada character even refers to her female parts as her "goldmine") OR that we are killers, seducers of the young that only seek to crush and destroy.

There's nothing brave nor bold or even new in this view point. It's blatant machismo that is a raging under current in almost all films of this time. The director loses himself in the gluttony of trying to disgust his audience while not remembering what his own original point is. I don't buy that this was what he was trying to do purposefully as it doesn't further his theme.

There is no character development, (I assume because in his mind, women are not worth further developing?) there is not plot, the storytelling becomes almost all visual which is a disservice to the audience as the editing is poorly done with scene breaks ending suddenly or jumping.

I personally don't think this movie is at all like Salo as Salo was based on storytelling. I won't write a review here of Salo but, will say that Salo, to me, was in addition to a book and not meant to stand alone. Whereas Sweet Movie is meant to stand alone and fails miserably.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

Couldn't have said it better myself.

This movie is a great Analogy to someone smearing his *beep* all over a white canvas and there being at least a dozen people declaring it the greatest art ever known to man and him a genius.

I wasn't even particularly disgusted by any specific part, but shooting a movie of people urinating on themselves or throwing up isn't "art", it's just plain retarded...

I ended up giving it a 2/10, especially because of the last 30 minutes.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

May be the worst movie you've ever seen? Fine, then. Move on.

"Tolerance is the virtue of the weak" -Marquis de Sade

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

Yes, the movie is art. And yes, I feel your viewpoints. I say "feel" because it's an emotional reaction. I understand why you and others see this as little more than shock value. And I read a bit of that into the entire equation. But your version of the film's sexual politics are subjective. As it should be. But really, how can you claim no character development? I think the journey of Miss Canada is one where pure innocence is transformed into cynicism at the end (she's bathing nude in chocolate for a commercial). It's an abstract film, one where the Hollywood paradigms are experimented with but I think one could still apply the structure of classic cinema to it.

See, we're talking about it. That's what it's all about! Anything that can elicit a response from so many people has value.

Everyone has an opinion and should discuss it.

That is the purpose of art. I think the worst thing a filmmaker or artist would want is for people to leave the theatre and forget the movie 1 second later. They would take a negative comment over no comment at all anyday.

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Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

If this is the worst you've ever seen, then you have been spared a lifetime of horrible movies. Watch Batman & Robin- you know the one- then get back to me. THAT was a bad film. This? Maybe not the best to watch while eating, but it is neither terrible or pretentious. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised it gets such a bad wrap. I heard it was supposed to be shocking, but here I sit post-film thoroughly un-shocked. Maybe I'm jaded, or maybe the film gets built up in people's heads to proportions it can't meet. I for one thought it was just a movie. An ok movie. 5/10 if I'm being honest. Not worth the hype, not worth the derision.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

People probably thought it was so shocking because it was made in the 70s. That's the same reaction I got to watching Last Tango, "that's it?"

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

When you can watch a guy take a piss in another guy's mouth and not think it's edgy you know you've been overexposed.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

Lol

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

"Not worth the hype, not worth the derision" is wonderfully and precisely worded. Kudos.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

I think the director would love your comment. Art is not only a passive medium, but one that creates conversation, good or bad.

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Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

The urinal in the gallery is not an artistic expression! It's an anti-art expression. True connoisseurs have appreciated it not in the capacity of art but as a form of ideology or a movement whose purpose at the time was to shun and reject everything that was art. In a grand sense it was not just a voice against the conventional standards of art but also against war, against the banal beliefs of religion and against the gaudy bourgeois lifestyle.
The movie also does the same! It is an expression deliberately made to disgust, disturb and astonish us. It has intentionally been kept flawed, raw and barbaric. And it's brilliance lies in it's blatant violation of everything cinema stands for. The director does not want to impress anyone. He does not want any appreciation for his work from me or you. He hasn't made this from a mindset of giving a box office smasher. He doesn't even want to tell a story through a coherent form or structure. His only motive is to show nothing except Brute Reality. Repulsive, lascivious, perverted, vulgar, violent and filthy reality that batters our minds into a pulp. Antagonistic reactions are but natural!


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Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

the problem is that the director is trying way too hard to make this movie more than it is. it's not historical, theatrical nor represents either in the least. it was uninteresting and uncaring to the viewer. the characters were presented as extremely vague and never really defined. Miss Monde appears to be bi-polar or may suffer from multiple personality disorder. There is absolutely no continuity whatsover in the film. it was like a bunch of 2-4 minute scenes were cut together to make a movie-length film.

do i seem pissed? well, no i'm not. i just saw it this morning (garage sale VHS tape) and it's nearly two hours of my life i will never get back.

i really try to stay away from the "worst movie ever" statements, but this is pretty damn close. it's so terribly horrible that Rotten Tomatoes shouldn't even waste time asking for votes on it.


"The earth isn't something we can keep taking from without ever thinking about giving back."

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

Yeah this is such a horrible film. I don't mind more graphic art house films some are really interesting films such as Antichrist and Caligula. But this is almost unwatchable. I just rewatched this and it's even worse than I remembered it being when it was first released by Criterion years ago it's just atrocious. That's not even going ton the scenes of scat and urination both I have issues with especially the former. But just how this is filmed and the characters in this. It's very racist and just badly plays off cliches so much so it makes you bored and not care. Seriously what is it with a lot of Serbian made films that are just trying to be extreme just to do it with no narrative sense. I just don't get it.

Re: This may be the worst movie I've ever seen!

I couldn't even finish it, it was very uncomfortable. 😕

"You're a disease, and I'm the cure!" - Marion "Cobra" Cobretti
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