Review or Not to Review

When you think about it, movie reviews are a strange thing. Kind of like stopping a stranger on the street and asking for a restaurant suggestion. And believing that person’s opinion will actually match your own. So why do we love them so much?

If you spend as much money as I do on movies, it’s not about the thirteen bucks. It’s not even about agreeing with the reviewer half the time. And I would hope it’s not about the perverse pleasure of watching someone else’s creation get lambasted.

So why do we care what a total stranger says about a movie? Any movie? My guess is we love to share opinions. With friends. With strangers. With fellow bloggers.

As a reviewer, I don’t read other reviews until after I’ve seen the movie. But once my take is done and submitted, I’m on the web faster than anybody else. There is nothing better in my world than checking out what other folks are saying. Reading the full range of opinions - especially the ones that are on the other side of the fence. Yes. I’m officially addicted to information.

But I think we all are. Even more so if you’re in the biz. We are a business that lives and dies on opinion. Especially when they’re our own.