“As Movie Night continues through 2023, it didn’t take us too long to get to Big Trouble In Little China, a much-loved movie of mine that Poonmaster Flexxx…did not care for.
This could be a couple different things.
1. She’s just objectively wrong. Which is possible considering the movie we’re talking about here. I do think it’s a kind of movie she hasn’t seen a lot of where, for example, Kurt Russel is meant to be an obnoxious buffoon who spends a significant portion of the big battle unconscious and useless. His unearned swagger and John Wayne impression kind of grated on her, and for me, it’s hilarious and wonderful, and I just think it’s sort of rare to see this sort of hero outside of an Evil Dead movie.
2. I will acknowledge that this, like Goonies or Princess Bride, might be something you have to see before you’re…let’s say 25 in order to really enjoy. I knew someone who had never seen a Star Wars movie, and she was in her mid-30’s, finally watched one, and didn’t get the fuss. BUT, Star Wars is a thing that’s culturally unavoidable. I can’t imagine there were many surprises, and even if you’d never set out to watch one, you’d probably end up seeing…25% of the movie without even trying. Big Trouble In Little China isn’t really like that. There’s no one saying “Mawidge” like there is with Princess Bride. I don’t know, it seems like it’s still unique and full of surprises if you’ve never seen it before. Sidenote: This Star Wars person had also never seen an Indiana Jones. I’m not really sure what her life was like, although these days I wish I’d asked more questions. They might seem a little invasive, but fuck it, some mysteries require putting aside social mores.
3. It is a movie type, which is a movie that doesn’t so much have a plot as it does a series of things that happen. I know a lot of people think those are the same thing, and if you are one of those people, I encourage you to watch the film Big Trouble in Little China.
4. Movies that can be described as “charming” are probably not for everyone. One person’s charming is another person’s obnoxious. Another person’s charming is my Sweet Home Alabama (fuck that movie). Charm is a tough thing to make universal, and I get that. “