The Scandal of Rotten Tomatoes

Summary

The video discusses the influence of Rotten Tomatoes on film culture, highlighting concerns about its simplistic scoring system and the potential for manipulation. It references an article detailing how film PR companies can manage scores, and reflects on the platform's evolution from a fun tool to a significant industry metric. The speaker laments the loss of nuanced film criticism and the impact on filmmakers and viewers, urging a more critical view of Rotten Tomatoes' scores.

Takeaways

• 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes, launched in 1998, has become a central part of the film landscape with its simple 'fresh' or 'rotten' rating system.
• 📊 The website's scores often dominate discussions around film criticism and are frequently used to compare movie quality.
• 💸 There are allegations that film studios and distributors can influence Rotten Tomatoes scores, potentially undermining their integrity.
• 📝 The article by Lane Brown on Vulture delves into the inner workings of Rotten Tomatoes, revealing practices that call the scores' reliability into question.
• 🎬 The example of the film 'Ophelia' shows how a PR company allegedly influenced its Rotten Tomatoes score by paying critics for reviews.
• 🔍 Rotten Tomatoes responded to such allegations by delisting certain movies and emphasizing the importance of the integrity of their scores.
• 📚 The speaker's relationship with Rotten Tomatoes has evolved over time, recognizing its influence but also its limitations.
• 📉 The website's rise to prominence has corresponded with the decline of more nuanced film criticism and discussion.
• 🏛️ Rotten Tomatoes is now owned by corporations with ties to the film industry, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
• 📈 The oversimplified scoring system of Rotten Tomatoes encourages a binary view of film quality that lacks depth and nuance.
• 📘 The importance of Rotten Tomatoes scores in marketing campaigns highlights the need for a more sophisticated approach to film criticism.

Q & A

What is the main criticism of Rotten Tomatoes as presented in the video?

The main criticism is that Rotten Tomatoes' simplistic fresh or rotten scoring system has become overly influential in film culture and marketing, potentially leading to a less thoughtful discourse about films.

What did Martin Scorsese write about Rotten Tomatoes in 2017?

Martin Scorsese wrote an op-ed for the Hollywood Reporter expressing his distaste for Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting it reduces the film viewing experience to a superficial rating.

What was the reported incident involving the film 'Ophelia' and its PR company?

The PR company Bunker 15 allegedly paid smaller critics to review the film 'Ophelia' after its initial poor reception at Sundance, which led to an increase in its Rotten Tomatoes score and eventually distribution.

How did Rotten Tomatoes respond to the allegations against Bunker 15's practices?

Rotten Tomatoes responded quickly by delisting several movies that Bunker 15 had done PR work for and issued a statement emphasizing the integrity of their scores.

What is the historical context of Rotten Tomatoes' rise in importance?

Rotten Tomatoes was launched in 1998 and has since become increasingly central to film culture, despite its simple scoring system. It has been bought and sold multiple times, with its current ownership involving major film studios.

What is the 'jumptheshark.com' website mentioned in the video, and how does it relate to Rotten Tomatoes?

Jumptheshark.com was a website where users voted on moments when TV shows did something terrible that they never recovered from. It's related to Rotten Tomatoes in that both sites provided a simple metric for evaluating TV or film content.

What does the video suggest about the ease of becoming an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes?

The video suggests that it is extremely easy to get approved as a critic with a Rotten Tomatoes profile, which may contribute to the site's scores being gamed.

How does the video's narrator view the impact of Rotten Tomatoes on film criticism?

The narrator views Rotten Tomatoes as having a negative impact on film criticism by encouraging a caustic and loud discourse rather than thoughtful discussions about films.

What does the narrator suggest about the future of Rotten Tomatoes?

The narrator implies that while Rotten Tomatoes can be a fun website to visit, its scores should not be taken as the ultimate measure of a film's quality.

What quote from Martin Scorsese does the narrator use to conclude the video?

The quote used is: 'They create a picture the way you'd rate a horse at a racetrack... they have everything to do with the movie business and absolutely nothing to do with either the creation or the intelligent viewing of film.'