"I wanted/expected to like this film."

[Congruous]

When I was a kid and my parents dropped us off at the theater, I always expected to be entertained. In my self-centered little world, I felt it was owed to me. Usually I had a great time. The only time I was disappointed was when my parents or my older sister would go and we would watch something that was above my head. As I aged and spent more time in school and enlarged my social circle, I became more accepting and tolerant of new viewpoints. The disappointments did grow, but the pleasure was greater when I found it.

Today when I watch a movie, I'm not sure I expect anything. I watch the screen and take what it gives me. I don't feel that anything is owed me. If I'm bored, I sure as heck don't watch the whole movie.

I've just been over at imdb again and have stumbled across several posts talking about expectations. Why not just watch what is happening and try to figure out the angle that is being tossed to the audience? Isn't there pleasure enough in that?

[LITobsession]

I think it's good to have certain expectations of what you're going to see. Not neccesarily love it or hate it, but if I'm going to see a film like "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" I'll have different expectations than if I'm going to see Fellini's "8 1/2".

Not only does this allow me to enjoy both films for what they are, but I can choose what I want to see depending on what mood I'm in. This is why I always check reviews on IMDB and try to avoid building expectations entirely on previews which are usually misleading.