In defense of Other Mommy, the rotten tomato score is indeed, ridiculous. I feel like a lot of people in the horror community these days have forgotten that horror movies can be silly and fun and they don't all have to be arthouse think pieces. Other Mommy is not a great movie but I had a ton of fun watching it. Chastain was great and the child actor was really impressive considering how much of the story she had to carry. The movie ignored some annoying horror tropes which was refreshing, and there was some really cool and unsettling imagery.
When l saw "Other Mommy," l ran into a friend in the theater aferwards. She didn't like the movie and gave it a 5 or 6. I loved it, was floored by its creativity, gave it a solid 8. The difference between me and my friend? She saw the trailer for "OM" before every movie she saw for months, while l didn't see any trailers before it came out. I think expectations based on trailer exposure can sink a movie's effectiveness. Me? From the moment early on when the kid's parents could see "OM" (instead of the usual 'haunted person is the only one who can see the ghost' trope), then everyone who ran into OM could see her (or the physical damage she left behind), l knew this movie was gonna be special. 😁👍
The Rotten Tomato score has always been a silly thing. It's not even an average score. It's a compilation of passing and not passing scores.
I think the passing score is 60%, so if a reviewer gives the movie a score of 59% (which often they don't have scores, so RT have to 'guess it') the movie is rotten.
I think there's a real average of the scores hidden somewhere, but I didn't check, I don't use RT.
JM, I completely agree, I was so glad the movie didn't spin its wheels for the first hour, with the kid keeping it a secret from her oblivious parents and repeated scenes of "is this Mommy or Other Mommy?". The first five minutes alone earned it enough goodwill for me to label the movie enjoyable.
FYI: Tom Arnold is in a movie i watched for Scary Movie Month: Dead Ant. Its a super low budget movie with cheezy CGI killer ants. It had a good enough idea and wacky cast to really play well as a silly cult flick buuuut the writing was kinda lacking. (Note: Sean Astin is in it with the worst fake wig/hat ever worn in a film....at one point in reference to doing drugs he says "Im from the shire!").
In defense of Other Mommy, the rotten tomato score is indeed, ridiculous. I feel like a lot of people in the horror community these days have forgotten that horror movies can be silly and fun and they don't all have to be arthouse think pieces. Other Mommy is not a great movie but I had a ton of fun watching it. Chastain was great and the child actor was really impressive considering how much of the story she had to carry. The movie ignored some annoying horror tropes which was refreshing, and there was some really cool and unsettling imagery.
ReplyDeleteWhen l saw "Other Mommy," l ran into a friend in the theater aferwards. She didn't like the movie and gave it a 5 or 6. I loved it, was floored by its creativity, gave it a solid 8. The difference between me and my friend? She saw the trailer for "OM" before every movie she saw for months, while l didn't see any trailers before it came out. I think expectations based on trailer exposure can sink a movie's effectiveness. Me? From the moment early on when the kid's parents could see "OM" (instead of the usual 'haunted person is the only one who can see the ghost' trope), then everyone who ran into OM could see her (or the physical damage she left behind), l knew this movie was gonna be special. 😁👍
DeleteThe Rotten Tomato score has always been a silly thing. It's not even an average score. It's a compilation of passing and not passing scores.
DeleteI think the passing score is 60%, so if a reviewer gives the movie a score of 59% (which often they don't have scores, so RT have to 'guess it') the movie is rotten.
I think there's a real average of the scores hidden somewhere, but I didn't check, I don't use RT.
JM, I completely agree, I was so glad the movie didn't spin its wheels for the first hour, with the kid keeping it a secret from her oblivious parents and repeated scenes of "is this Mommy or Other Mommy?". The first five minutes alone earned it enough goodwill for me to label the movie enjoyable.
DeletePatrick couldn't come up with any horror movie Tom Arnold was in? What about Freddy's Dead and Body Bags?
ReplyDeleteFYI: Tom Arnold is in a movie i watched for Scary Movie Month: Dead Ant. Its a super low budget movie with cheezy CGI killer ants. It had a good enough idea and wacky cast to really play well as a silly cult flick buuuut the writing was kinda lacking. (Note: Sean Astin is in it with the worst fake wig/hat ever worn in a film....at one point in reference to doing drugs he says "Im from the shire!").
ReplyDelete