MovieChat Forums > Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) Discussion > Anyone hate this?

Anyone hate this?

posted 17 years ago by raindog517
31 replies | jump to latest

I thought this movie STUNK!!! I always get a ton of heat for saying this and I'm sure people will post alot of negative responses to me, but I loathed this movie. I wanted so badly to like it because everyone I know who has seen it absolutely loves it!
Personally, I found all the characters unlikeable, the multiple plot lines were as lifeless as a boulder and that irritating guy who kept saying "Give it a name!" made me want to toss my TV in the furnace. Oh, and that dumb business where dying people record messages for their loved ones??? Couldn't you just do that with a camcorder at home a la MY LIFE? The only enjoyable part of this movie was when I hit the off switch on my VCR.
If I go 100 years without seeing this movie again, it's not long enough of a break!

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] nutlug5 17 years ago

No, in fact it's on my all-underrated list. The characters were a treat, if a little too two-dimensional: leading man Garcia; hilarious Walken, Lloyd (Pieces, what a GREAT name!), and Williams; hotties Balk and Anwar. Yes, Jack Warden's "give it a name" was grating, but I'd be happy to stack this one next to Usual Suspects, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and others in a "Cheer for the Bad Guys" collection. PS, there is an entire industry where you professionally tape and edit "post-humous" messages for last will and testiment/meaningful goodbyes to loved ones - yes, you could do it at home by yourself, but as your assessment of TTDIDWYD shows, to each his own.

[–] JaySherman7 17 years ago

when i used to watch it when i was 16 or so, i kinda liked it. i thought it was edgy and cool and i liked a lot of the cast. i was even naive enough to find the whole vernacular thing cool. as i got older, i found it pretencious. jack warden's whole role was just there basically to explain it. i think it was trying way too hard. one of the first "tarantinoesqe" films. y'know, suicide kings, 2 days in the valley, boondock saints. i wouldn't say i hate TTDIDWYD, but i wouldn't say i like it either.

[–] polysicsarebest 12 years ago

a film can't be pretentious. films don't have thoughts or feelings. a director can be pretentious. an actor can be pretentious. but a cold emotionless celluloid spool doesn't have pretenses.

what exactly is more "tarantino school" stuff? cuz i like 2 days in the valley more than his films. hell, i like city of industry more. suicide kings is just horrible, though it gives us another chance to see a role of just walken in a chair for 90 minutes.

jack warden's character was my favorite though he only really interacted with random ass people aside from one or two little sentences to jimmy and a question posed to mr shhh.

i find this film fascinating and highly likable aside from the romantic plot, which goes nowhere, as well as the cheesy ending, and then the cheesy ending to the cheesy ending, and then the cheesy ending to the cheesy ending to the cheesy ending... it's like "yes, we know he's the bitch's bastard! enough already!"

I thought Christopher Lloyd made the film. He was hilarious. I find it interesting, also, that The Man with the Plan never interacts with any character who isn't seen in the first scene with him. So, he never interacts with any of the people who turn up dead in the film on-screen aside from Jimmy the Saint. So, that's interesting; it's like there are whole different worlds operating in this film.

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Shuji Terayama forever.

[–] JaySherman7 12 years ago

films don't have thoughts or feelings

Really?!? thanks for that! I had no idea... by the way, I'm being sarcastic. most intelligent people would of course realize that themselves. much in the same way that everyone on this post over the last few years understood I wasn't implying the film had actual thoughts or feelings. everyone understood what I meant, but due to your inability to grasp the obvious, I'll spell it out for you.

... you didn't actually think you were clever for pointing that out, did you? btw, if you bothered to read closely, I didn't call the film pretentious, I said it's vernacular was.

the writer was clearly proud of it. not only did he create a character who existed solely to translate it all for us, which is lazy writing, but the characters would repeat their expressions ad nauseum. "Buckwheats, Buckwheats, buckwheats" "It keeps my powder dry. It keeps, my powder dry. Jimmy, it keeps my powder dry"

Bring me four fried chickens and a coke.

[–] polysicsarebest 12 years ago

Nah, I'm not clever, just pointing out fact. Thanks for clarifying your response, nevertheless.

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Shuji Terayama forever.

[–] danavenell 12 years ago

This movie stinks. So many great actors struggling with a trying-to-be-hip script that is just so *beep* annoying. And the flimsy story makes no sense. I'm actually hate-watching it at the moment, actors I love having to say crap like 'buckwheats' a boat drinks' as if it's sharp dialogue rather than empty ramblings of some coked-up Tarantino clones.

[–] movie_nazi 17 years ago

Loved it.

My vote history link:
http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=5504773

[–] reasonformirrors 17 years ago

I completely agree with every point you made. Seriously, this movie is mind-numbingly bad. The assignment they were sent on was silly, but I let that slide. Little did I know that things would only get worse. The "romance" was just nauseatingly cheesy. And were we really supposed to give a crap about any of these completely uninteresting characters who were responsible for the deaths of two innocent people? Don't get me started on Buscemi. He singlehandedly shoots and kills about five or six armed men, beats up three guys in an alleyway without breaking a sweat; he's supposed to be this expert hitman and he falls for the old 'decoy in the bed' trick? And it wasn't like it was some elaborate Ferris Bueller set-up. Too many pointless subplots- crackhead hooker wants a baby, videotaped messages. This movie was just horrible, and the ending almost made me puke out of my skull. I can't believe this even got a 6.5.

#59

http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=14301171

[–] lotsofcheese 17 years ago

I thought the dialogue in this movie was one of the highlights it was far better than a tarantino movie

[–] firephoenix6 17 years ago

"I thought the dialogue in this movie was one of the highlights it was far better than a tarantino movie"

AMEN.

[–] BleedingRed77 12 years ago

reasonformirrors, i disagree with just about everything you said about this film. Maybe the Ferris Bueller bit was funny and maybe a little true too. I reacted about the exact opposite as you as I found it easy to enter this world, with it's rules, and leave my cynical eyes behind. That having been said, I also want to mention that of all the people that have bashed this movie on these various threads, yours is the only opinion that didn't feel knee-jerk. You gave many reasons for your distaste and I can accept all of them, unlike just about everyone else who has a negative opinion here. Well explained and certainly understandable. You support your negative view with examples and re-enforce them too. I wish more dissenters would employ this strategy rather than just articulating hate and negativity.

the only thing i could do was be me and keep on keeping on, like a bird that flew...

[–] filmprincess 16 years ago

Nope, I loved it; and, as someone else previously posted, it is far UNDERRATED! Top notch material in my view! Jmho...................fp

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] rabksaj 16 years ago

i agree. it was not as good as i had expected it to be.

[–] TheBlueEyedDevil 16 years ago

I liked a lot of the supporting players but really disliked Andy Garcia and Jack Warden. I agree that the love story was terrible too.

[–] mr_superlove69 16 years ago

I love this movie! In fact I'm watching it right now! Hopefully Raindog has acquired some taste in the last year.

[–] raindog517 16 years ago

Geez, dislike ONE movie and I have poor taste? Wow...anyway, aren't Likes and Dislikes relative to the individual?

"You idiot, that's condensation. It's on the outside!"

[–] Midnight-Boy 15 years ago

Denver has EVERYTHING!

Great cast, sublime direction, unique look. It also has comedy, romance and violence and moves between all three effortlessly!

On top of this, there's ethics and codes of moral conduct and threads of loyalty. The movie is as deep as you wish it to be if you go looking yet never preachy and still manages to retain a hip flip easily accessible edge. It's flawless. Tarantino should take note.

Above all else, Denver has HEART and if it should be applauded for anything, it should be that. Watch it again.

[–] barryshaft 15 years ago

I by no means hated the film but it just falls into a category of films I just know I'll never watch again. That being, the "hip gangster film" made by first time screenwriters. Generally they're filled with cliche, half baked characters that spit out holier than thou clever dialogue meant to show off just how original a voice the writer has (this worked for Tarantino who legitimately did have a unique voice). Put this up there with Boondock Saints and Suicide Kings as far as I'm concerned (which of course I've noticed other people around her touting as "great" movies as well).