Act Four: Why I don't have lower standards for some movies

Just because they're young doesn't mean good taste shouldn't start early.   Alyssa Rosenberg on culture and politics   A scene from “Finding Dory.” (Disney Pixar) Michael Thompson, a reader I often chat with on Twitter (and the Emmy-winning news director at KWES NewsWest 9 in Texas), asked me an interesting question earlier this week. While I gave him an answer there, he gave me permission to expand on the ideas we discussed here. “When you review, does [the] intended audience play a factor?” he wanted to know. “Say [you’re reviewing] a crappy kids’ movie, but kids would love it.” As I told him, the answer is yes and no. I don’t judge “Finding Dory” by the same standards I’d use to evaluate, say Pablo Larraín’s “Jackie,” or Pete Travis’s terrific, ultra-violent Judge Dredd adaptation, “Dredd.” They’re trying to do different things, and at least part of what I weigh is how well a movie (or television show, or book, or anything else) actually expresses an artist’s intentions. I wouldn’t punish a kids’ movie about a talking fish for not having a great performance by Lena Headey as a crime boss who skins her victims, just as I wouldn’t criticize Natalie Portman for not playing the former first lady of the United States in a way that makes a grieving widow as likable as a cartoon talking fish. At the same time, I do think that people of all ages and tastes deserve good movies. It’s also possible to do good work in all genres of movies. Saying that it doesn’t matter if something is bad, or giving something a pass, because it’s just for children or it’s just for people who like superhero movies is an insult to children or genre fans. There are gradations in pretty much all genres. Even if you don’t like superhero movies, there is a qualitative difference, simply in how the movies are plotted and edited, between “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Just because it sometimes seems like young children are easily distracted by irksome singing dinosaurs or animate yellow pills doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hope Hollywood has better to offer them. Taste has to start somewhere, and sometime. ADVERTISEMENT   The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute wants to build a pipeline to Hollywood Lawmakers want the entertainment industry to tell more and different Latino stories. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Sneaking a noose into a museum is a hateful act — and a cowardly one Whoever did this may hate the story the National Museum of African American History and Culture tells about America. But the person wasn't brave enough to stand behind his or her own ideas. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Kathy Griffin committed a terrible artistic crime: She made a beheaded Trump boring Artists have the right to depict the president's death. But they ought to use it to say something interesting. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   If you’re going to use books to resist Trump, pick better ones than ‘Harry Potter’ There are more-apt books for the current moment, and ones that will better prepare you for what lies ahead. By Sonny Bunch  •  Read more »   ‘Baywatch’ would be a funnier movie if it dared to be more polemical If you're going to make a meta riff on a brainless old TV show, might as well really commit to your sharpest ideas. By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   The Health 202 Your daily guide to Washington's health-care debate. Sign Up »         Share Act Four:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Act Four. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071