MovieChat Forums > Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) Discussion > I just didn't like it...

I just didn't like it...

posted 14 years ago by kettle_fish
4 replies | jump to latest

and I'm so disappointed, because I really wanted to! After hearing friends rave about it and how much it touched them I really thought it was going to be a new favourite, but I didn't connect to it emotionally at all. I found it so meandering and dull...I found the characters were underdeveloped and I was so emotionally unsatisfied by the end. I think it's because it was a musical film. The storyline was so fantastic and I think would have made an INCREDIBLE drama...but because it was a musical, it was so bombarded with symbolism and over the top style direction that I found myself desperate to get to the realism and raw emotion of such a situation, but there was none. I stopped caring about Hedwig's journey and her ordeal because all you ever saw from her was so over the top, there was a wall of flamboyance and melodrama and sugar coating I just wanted to beat down. It didn't need all of that because Hedwig's character is enough. As a drama I think it would've worked, yes. But as a musical, no.

I can understand why people would love it though, having listened to friends talk about it. And I'm not knocking anyone who does like it. I just found it emotionally infuriating. But I'd love to know other people's opinions and why it connected so much for them.

[–] RHPSvegas 14 years ago

If you want raw emotion, try to see a live performance of the play (a well done one preferably, I saw an awful production last year but I've seen four excellent productions). The play is basically going to Hedwig's concert and listening to amazing monologues about her life. The music is perfectly suited. You can't say there's no good meaning behind Origin of Love. Also, the ending is totally about being yourself and not giving into what other people want you to be.

[–] ingmarbunuel 11 years ago

I'm surprised you say this - when I was told my class was watching a musical about a botched sex change operation, I was not happy; I'm not a musical person. But this is one of the few films that I think the music actually added a lot to deepen the story and characters. I usually hate musicals, but I really loved this one particularly because of the complex character relations. Maybe the fact that it was edgy rock as opposed to typical conflictless show tunes helped in my case.

"I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd."

[–] prplayer 8 years ago

me neither, the movie was incomprehensible and there were too many songs (even for a musical) and not nearly enough character study

so many movies, so little time

[–] lordofthelake (142) 5 years ago

I don’t either. I’m gay and I like rock and roll, but I just did not see anything interesting about this movie. I want it to like it, but I didn’t.