When is it acceptable to give up on watching a film? I ask this question while watching Shotgun Wedding on Amazon Prime. Admittedly it’s only filler TV – on in the background while I’m doing something else. This is somewhat hypocritical as I’m regularly telling students about the myths of multitasking.
Even as wallpaper viewing, there must surely come a point when it is acceptable to give up on a film if it isn’t working out for you. I wasn’t expecting it to be amazing, but this isn’t even average, it is appalling. There are few laughs, the action is poor. I’m not optimistic it’s going to get any better. A few weeks ago I wrote about some to the reading I’d come across around the importance of quitting. Here would be a good time to quit, I’m not gaining anything from persisting with the film.
Tempting as it might be to give up though, I can’t remember the last time I abandoned a film, no matter how bad it was. The only time I recall not following a film through was actually when I kept nodding off during the Blade Runner sequel. Even then, it wasn’t just about the film being bad, I was also tired. Before that, I remember trying to watch Looper and repeatedly nodding off. That time though, I seemed to be tag teaming the film with a colleague of mine – we were room-sharing on a school trip – and every time I nodded off, he woke up and vice versa. For those who aren’t familiar with the film, the plot is complicated enough without falling asleep during it. When I watched the film again, I managed to stick with it and it proved worthwhile. I don’t think Shotgun Wedding is going to be as easily redeemed.
Commonplace 