By Melissa Park — Watched the classics. Did not love all of them. Feels fine about that.
Last updated: May 2026
I watched Citizen Kane because it is supposed to be the greatest movie of all time. Every list says so. Every critic agrees. I was in film studies in college. I had to watch it.
I did not like it.
I understood why it was important. The cinematography. The structure. The way it told a story backward. I could list the innovations. I just did not enjoy watching it.
I felt guilty about that for years. Like I was not smart enough to appreciate it. Like I was missing something.
Then I talked to a professor about it. He said: “You can respect a movie and not like it. Those are different things.”
That changed how I watched movies. I stopped trying to like things I did not like. I stopped feeling bad about it.
What I Learned
“Important” and “enjoyable” are different.
Some movies are historically important. They changed the way movies are made. That does not mean you have to enjoy watching them. You can appreciate them the way you appreciate a museum exhibit. Not everything is for sitting on your couch and having fun.
You are allowed to be bored.
Being bored by a famous movie does not mean you are stupid. It means that movie is not for you. Or you were not in the right mood. Or it has not aged well. Or any number of other reasons.
Guilt is not a good reason to watch something.
I watched movies because I felt like I should. That made watching feel like homework. Now I watch what I want. If something is famous and I am curious, I try it. If I do not like it, I turn it off. No guilt.
Famous Movies I Did Not Like (And Why)
| Movie | Why I Did Not Like It | Do I Respect It? |
|---|---|---|
| Citizen Kane (1941) | Cold. Distant. Did not care about anyone. | Yes. I get why it matters. |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | So slow. The monkey scene lasts forever. | Yes. It is beautiful. I was also bored. |
| The English Patient (1996) | Long. Slow. Did not care about the affair. | Not really. This one I just did not like. |
| Breathless (1960) | Jumpy. Hard to follow. Felt like showing off. | I respect the influence. Did not enjoy it. |
I am not saying these are bad movies. They are famous for a reason. They just were not for me.
What I Am Not Saying
I am not saying you should ignore classics. Try them. You might love them.
I am not saying “important” movies are bad. Many are great. Some of my favorites are also classics.
I am just saying: do not watch something out of guilt. Do not feel bad if you do not like it. Your taste is yours. You do not have to defend it.
A Few Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me
You can respect something and not like it.
That was the big one. I thought not liking something meant I did not understand it. Those are separate.
Taste changes over time.
I have gone back to movies I hated years ago and loved them. Not because the movie changed. Because I changed.
There is no test at the end.
No one is grading you on which classics you have seen. Watch what you want.
The Bottom Line
I watched Citizen Kane. I was bored. I felt guilty.
Then I realized: I do not have to like everything. I can appreciate it and move on.
Now I watch movies because I want to, not because I should. If a classic sounds interesting, I try it. If I am bored, I turn it off.
That is not disrespect. That is just knowing what I like.
About the author: Melissa Park watches movies for fun. She has seen the classics. She did not love all of them. She is okay with that.
This article is for entertainment purposes. You do not have to like every famous movie. Your taste is valid.
