MovieChat Forums > Mank (2020) Discussion > people are only pressured to like this b...

people are only pressured to like this because of Fincher...

posted 3 years ago by filmgeek99 (592)
2 replies | jump to latest

If he didn't direct it, this would in no way get the amount of praise it does. Virtually every review I've seen says the same thing, that it's technically well-made but uninteresting and hollow. I have yet to find one person who claimed to have actually enjoyed the film, but it seems to get a past just 'cause it's Fincher.

People seem to just not want to admit that he made a boring, lousy film, that more or less fits the mold of every other Oscar bait film out there. Fincher's goal of making a throwback film to the Golden Age of Hollywood is such a trite, unambitious one for a director capable of doing so much more. It's such an easy bet to score Oscar brownie points with, and it's one that has already been done much better elsewhere (Ed Wood, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Artist etc). I respect David for wanting to make a film to complete a lifelong passion project his father worked on, but other than that, I don't see much of a point for this movie's existence in his filmography.

Like really, ask yourself, if this weren't made by one of the most acclaimed mainstream filmmakers working today, would anyone give this anything higher than a 6? Nearly every review I've seen seems to be tip-toeing around the fact that it wasn't very good, so they focus on the technical aspects instead and say "oh, maybe I'll just get it more the second time I see it". Even YMS, who said he found the film boring and wouldn't watch it again, gave it a seven just 'cause Fincher makes shots pretty.

I think what's happened, is that we live in a time where movies suck so much now, to the point where people have clung on to their favorite directors like a cult. It's fun to imagine that in a sea of non-stop terrible garbage out there, Fincher is one of the few directors you can always rely on, when it clearly isn't the case (he's good but not great).

Can anyone here honestly deny how in denial people's reactions to this movie are? Can anyone here honestly state how they felt about this film in a honest, unfiltered way?

[–] GingerbreadPimp (1767) 3 years ago

I love Fincher and this movie was a pile of shit. Perfect example of style over substance.

[–] Sidha108 (2356) 3 years ago

I was really disappointed by Mank as well being both a fan of all of Fincher's previous work and most of the films of Orson Welles. I like how you mention the other films that have done "old-time Hollywood" better; that aspect of the film would seem more brilliant had it not already been done in countless other films. This movie may have been more forgivable if Fincher had another theatrical film recently, like if Mank were a direct-to-Netflix side project while another better film by Fincher were in theaters. The fact that this was Fincher's first movie in 6 years added to the disappointment. Hopefully we won't have to wait that long for his next film.