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The Dartmouth
July 4, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Film relates story of movie criticism

"Film critics really only go to movies and write about them," Peary said of the film's seemingly mundane subject matter during an interview with The Dartmouth.

Yet "For the Love of Movies" demonstrates that the seemingly simple act of reviewing movies has created a subculture that has a considerable, albeit declining, influence on the film industry and popular culture.

Although Peary said his primary motivation for creating the film was to record the as-yet unexamined history of the profession, his own years of experience as a critic have also informed the film. According to Peary, he did not originally plan on becoming a film critic, nor did many of his colleagues. His love for movies coupled with his proclivity for reading critics' work, however, made writing criticism a worthwhile distraction when Peary was studying for his PhD at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Along with the considerable amount of "travel and access" film criticism provides, he cited the feedback he gets from readers as its most rewarding aspect.

"It's gratifying to a critic when a person reads a review and then watches a movie that they probably wouldn't have seen otherwise," Peary said. He also commented on the gratification that comes from knowing that a filmmaker has read and enjoyed a review.

In recent years, however, film criticism's influence on American public taste has declined since its peak in the mid- to late-20th century. Many of the esteemed critics of that era have fallen out of modern audiences' favor, Peary said, with his own taste in films as a case in point. Most critics lack interest in the action movies and "silly romantic comedies" that dominate American popular culture today.

In the place of such mainstream hits, Peary said he prefers "emotionally driven, yet objective" films or those in which "the protagonist strikes out instead of always hitting a home run." And while most filmmakers and viewers see computer animation as a miracle worker, Peary said he dislikes the opportunity it provides directors "for taking the easy way out."

Peary recognized the rift between his taste and the public's, jokingly admitting to being among the "old farts" in the industry. As a result, he has carved out a niche for himself by mainly writing about foreign language, independent, classical and documentary films.

"For the Love of Movies" focuses mostly on the ever-growing disparity between the goals of movie critics and production studios. While critics view film as a medium of "high art," Hollywood sees only movies' potential for profit.

According to Peary, this "longtime animus between the industry and the critics" has been around since film criticism became an influential cultural force during its peak, and will likely never go away.

"Hollywood doesn't like to make small profits," Peary said in the interview, explaining that he expects the industry will continue to produce movies in the interest of profit, not art.

During a question-and-answer session after the screening, Peary spoke about a sizable subgroup of film critics who are fascinated with the idea of "rubbing shoulders with celebrities and high level producers" and tend to write reviews that either further "the interests of the industry or their own publicity." These critics or rather "quote whores," as Peary explained they are often labeled by other critics contribute to the profession's perceived transformation from a legitimate source of cinematic advice to a source of empty fodder.

The film also examined how the digital boom has been a contributing factor in the decline of film criticism. With the instant access and unrestricted publishing venue that the Internet provides, anyone can become a film critic. Further complicating matters, databases that compile and analyze these reviews including "Rotten Tomatoes," "Metacritic" and the "Internet Movie Database" have developed a voice of their own. Although this is beneficial to the American public, as it provides a new forum for the public voice, it dilutes the voice of the better-informed film-critic community.

With such considerable burdens, and without typical job incentives like money or publicity, film critics have entered their profession for one reason only: for the love of movies.