Worst First Date Movies

[alexxkay]

Here's an idea for a conversation. What was your most... 'unfortunate' choice of a movie to see on a first date? Why did you choose it, and what happened?

My first runner-up would be a movie that all my friends were raving about as one of the best movies of the year, but which I didn't know much of anything about. Pulp Fiction. *Not* what I was expecting! Good movie, to be sure, but one doesn't usually expect a date movie to have quite that much gleeful ultra-violence in it...

All-time worst would have to be Prospero's Books. The date in question was an actress, so I figured, "Hey, can't go wrong with Shakespeare." Actually, you can. While it certainly had some relation to The Tempest, it was fairly obscure. It had rather more nudity, excrement, and gore than one normally associates with this story, costumes that were beyond ludicrous (eight-foot wide ruffs!), and directorial choices that went beyond eccentric and well into insane. I mean, sure, Sir John Gielgud probably *is* the best actor in the cast -- but to have him read *all* the lines? Come *on*! This was one of only two movies I've ever attended where people actually walked out in the middle. I think only about eight people showed up in the first place, but half of them didn't stay until the end. Not a good omen for the relationship (though, as it turned out, a fairly appropriate one).

Comments

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

My worst first date movie ever was "Celebration". I picked it because it sounded cheery and because I knew nothing about it, and I was on a kick where I thought it was best to approach film without prior information, so that I could have a first experience of the movie unadulterated by prior expectation.

"Celebration" is an experimental Swedish film about a guy who goes to his father's sixtieth birthday party and gives an after-dinner speech in which he reveals the sexual abuse his father inflicted upon him and his twin sister.

If I'd had half a brain, I'd have leaned over after that initial reveal and suggested we skip it and go get dinner. Unfortunately, I failed my intelligence check there. The guy called me the next day to say that he'd decided to chase someone else. I was impressed that he bothered to call.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I picked it because it sounded cheery and because I knew nothing about it, and I was on a kick where I thought it was best to approach film without prior information, so that I could have a first experience of the movie unadulterated by prior expectation.

You're not alone. I did the same thing with a stage show of "Cabaret." All I knew was the song, which is fairly cheery. I felt rather shell-shocked afterwards. Fortunately my date was in the same boat.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I don't recall if I saw Prospero's Books with you (after you'd seen it this time) or just on your recommendation, but it was, um, bad. Expensively bad.

As mentioned in another thread, I thought that Excalibur looked like a good first date movie, but when you're 17, that early owie-sex scene was far too ... well, far too much.

And when one has attained more maturity, there are other good date movies. Such as Plan Nine from Outer Space.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Surely I didn't *recommend* Prospero's Books? And you definitely didn't see it with me.

*Our* first date movie was Amazon Women on the Moon. I thought it was a tremendous success, though I remember you being somewaht non-plussed by it :-)

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

It's possible that you recommended it before you saw it. Or maybe I'm misremembering entirely. If it wasn't you, it was Pamela.

[carneggy.livejournal.com]

In a similar vein, my dad taking me (10) and my brother (7 1/2) to see Excalibur was a Big Clue that he was not the best at parenting skills.

[mermaidlady]

I was attending PhilCon with a gaggle of friends. Two of them clicked on the car ride down. I tried to convince them to come to the Masquerade, but they insisted on seeing the midnight movie -- more romantic, they said.

Later that night they burst into the room and she shrieked at me, "Why didn't you warn me! That was a terrible movie to see with someone you've just met!" I said, "I told you to go to the Masquerade."

The move was "Dead Again". Still, they got maried a couple of years later.

[baron-saturday.livejournal.com]

Damn! That was gonna be *my* comment! :-)

[mickeymao.livejournal.com]

#1 Boogie Nights (I dunno, maybe that could've been good if we'd left at the halfway point before it turns dark and awful).

#2 Grave of the Fireflies.

Honorable mention to When Night is Falling -- which could've been awkward, but I managed to spin that one pretty well.

I feel your pain about Prospero's Books. That one is in the running for worst movie I've ever seen, and I count myself lucky to have only rented it.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Neither were first dates, but two impressively bad date/movies: The 1992ish Dracula, which I saw on a double-date with L---- and dsrtao and I--- as a Valentine's date. The movie was really, really uninspired, and not worth the three busses and half-mile's walk we'd had to get to it.

I also dragged galaneia to "Gladiator"; I kind of liked it (ish), but she was shell-shocked, and spent all night waking up from resulting nightmares. Not my wisest choice.

Tie

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

I rented The Young Poisoner's Handbook which was billed as a black comedy, but is mostly balck and has too much soul struggling to fit a real comedy In fact, it is plain gruesome and deals with people trusting the main character too much, which isn'treally the right foot to step off on.

Then there was Mulholland Drive which is a delightful David Lynch brainfry of a movie. However, a first date is the incorrect time to get your brains fried. Through a technical error in ticket sales, my date and I walked in halfway through the film and were truly mystified. I later rented it a few months later to see if seeing the whole thing cleared up questions. No. It really is just that scattered.

Both are fine films in and of themselves, just bad date movies.

Re: Tie

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen The Young Poisoner's Handbook, but the title and "black comedy" description remind me of Kind Hearts and Coronets, one of my favorite movies. (Though, perhaps, not a good first date choice, either :-)

[lauradi7.livejournal.com]

John Geilgud said that it was one of his favorite roles. Mark Rylance, who played Ferdinand, later became Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Still, a bad bad bad movie.

[corwyn-ap.livejournal.com]

_The Tin Drum_.

Fortunately, for my date, she bailed before we ever got to the theater.

Also the last movie I will ever see alone.

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

Zardoz. It wasn't our first date, but I think it was our first movie date; and while it didn't directly end the relationship, it was the first of many awkwardnesses. ("The penis is evil, because the penis shoots life. The gun is good, because the gun shoots death.")

[jducoeur]

I saw Zardoz as the 2am segment of the SF Film Marathon one year. There's nothing quite like waking up, seeing Sean Connery in a flowing white dress, thinking, "Okay, clearly still asleep", and then finding out you're wrong...

[new-man.livejournal.com]

As a rule, I don't go to movies as first dates because I like to talk to my dates. I'm big on dinner and dancing or a weekend in Paris. That being said, Fatal Attraction and The Crying Game are amongst the canonical Bad First Date movies.

[jewelweed.livejournal.com]

I avoid movies for a first date. I would rather spend the evening getting to know the person. That said....

Midnight Cowboy was not the buddy movie I thought it was.

[laurion]

Yeah. I managed to see Clockwork Orange as a first date movie. It was her idea, as we'd never seen it and she had heard good things about it. And yes, it was a good movie, but not that night. *grin*