MovieChat Forums > Robert Rodriguez Discussion > The pass this guy gets is astounding.

The pass this guy gets is astounding.

posted a year ago by samoanjoes (58585)
30 replies | jump to latest

Francis Ford Coppola gets shit on for not making good movies in decades, but at least Coppola has The Godfather 1 and 2, Apocalypse Now and The Conversation. Why doesn't Robert Rodriguez get this hate? He has a fanbase and yet his IMDb ratings are mediocre. His highest rated film was co-directed.

El Mariachi - 6.8
Desperado - 7.1
From Dusk Till Dawn - 7.2
The Faculty - 6.6
Spy Kids - 5.6
Spy Kids 2 - 5.3
Spy Kids 3 - 4.3
Once Upon a Time In Mexico 6.3
Sin City - 8.0
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3D - 3.7
Planet Terror - 7.0
Shorts - 4.7
Machete - 6.6
Spy Kids 4 - 3.5
Machete Kills - 5.6
Sin City 2 - 6.5
Red 11 - 5.0
Alita: Battle Angel - 7.3
We Can Be Heroes - 4.7
Hypnotic - 5.5

Of his 20 films, he only has 5 movies rated a 7.0 or higher. On the flip side, he also has 5 films rated lower than a 5.0. It's amazing how making 5 good (not great) movies can mask a mostly mediocre career.

Putting his IMDb scores aside, the movies are really not that great. He has the odd cool shot, but the movies themselves aren't memorable. He's capable of making a passable movie, but if I wrote a screenplay, I'd be concerned if he was directing it.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) a year ago

You know what they say about first impressions. My first impression of Rodriguez came about when I saw Desperado when I was a teenager in the 90s and I thought it was such a fucking cool movie that it bought him goodwill for life.

Since then I agree that his filmography has been pretty checkered and that he's made a lot of films that were disappointing. He also has made a lot of films where I was not the target audience (Spy Kids series and Shark Boy and Lava Girl).

For me, Desperado, From Dusk Til Dawn and Alita are his best films. El Mariachi gets credit for being a complete movie made on a tiny budget. Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Machete are also worth a watch.

[–] samoanjoes (58585) a year ago

Rodriguez is the type of director that highschoolers like but grow out of when they see more films.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) a year ago

That strikes me as a statement that is at least somewhat true. I will agree that the style and subject matter of his films typically will appeal more to younger people than to older ones. That said, I am still happy to watch Desperado again and I saw Alita as a middle-aged man and enjoyed it and am hoping for a sequel.

I thought the trailer for his recent film Hypnotic looked cool. I know it was poorly-reviewed but I intend to check it out at some point.

[–] johnmiller (4011) a year ago

He checks the "Latino" box. Question answered.

[–] filmgeek99 (671) a year ago

The problem with him is that he never evolved his craft whatsoever. Not only does he work from the same approach of just getting it done, as he had back when he had no money, but his sensibilities as both writer and director have not changed at all in the 30+ years he's been making films. He still seems to favor coming up with just cutesy, one-note gimmick plot lines over complex, meaningful, feature film narratives, and he'd much rather do everything himself (writing, shooting, editing etc) than hire actual competent professionals.

His way of working is okay for someone starting out, but when you've made as many films and have been doing it for as long as he has, you should be far beyond this stage by now. The guy's in his mid-fifties, there's no excuse why he can't be bothered having at least once tried making more personal, thoughtful films at his age. Even Kevin Smith has at least tried making films outside of the usual Kevin Smith brand a few times (to no success, but still), whereas Rodriguez is still going around making movies like a first-year film student.

The guy really needs to take some time off to rethink his life a little. Or better yet, maybe just open a restaurant and ditch the whole moviemaking business while he's ahead (dude honestly sounds more passionate in his Ten Minute Cooking School videos than he's ever been with his films).

[–] samoanjoes (58585) a year ago

You're right. I honestly can't imagine him doing a drama with actual character development. His best bet would be to make something like "Roma" (2018) because it's an easy film to make as long as you have locales. The story is thin, but I still think he would have trouble making a good drama even if a Mexican film about family is within his wheelhouse.