Guilty as charged: Breaking down bad movie indulgence

Illustration by Zoe Arntsen, Illustrator

The title “guilty pleasure movie” is Hollywood’s biggest backhanded compliment.

It’s a phrase that no one has the same definition of. Some people say guilty pleasure movies are just plain bad, and others say they’re kitschy masterpieces.

In hopes of finding a clear answer to what guilty pleasure movies are, I spoke to Chapman students about their guilty pleasure picks and what those movies mean to them. 

Everyone has a guilty pleasure movie, but what qualifies for this controversial genre? 

“I think a lot of people treat guilty pleasure movies as synonymous with movie hot takes, but I think hot takes are movies you like that other people don’t, whereas guilty pleasures are movies you maybe don’t even like but can’t help to watch,” said Joey Gentile, a senior writing for film and television student and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” fanatic.

Gentile also emphasized the value of sharing guilty pleasure movies with friends and family and the reactions it can elicit.

“I think guilty pleasure movies exist especially to be watched in groups, like when everybody wants to be able to talk through a movie and not feel bad if they miss something. And the best ones will also get fun reactions out of everyone,” Gentile said.

Julia Kirton, a sophomore writing for film and television, said her guilty pleasure movie is “Someone Great.”

“They are just comforting, and I think that people feel guilty about them cause they might not have the best story or the best concept,” said Kirton. “But I don’t think they are bad movies, just not ones you would expect to be comforting.”

“I think what makes it a 'guilty' pleasure is the fact that it is (generally) disliked or frowned upon,” said Mila Asnis, a senior public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing major and “Twilight” fan. “So if the movie is good, that kind of defeats the term within itself.

If a guilty pleasure movie is not generally considered great or artistic, why do we hold onto them? One reason is the power of nostalgia. The yearning for one’s childhood is rampant, and these films provide Chapman students with their fix.

Molly Niswender, a senior biochemistry major, said her guilty pleasure movie is “Bee Movie.” 

“(It) reminds me of middle school and my best friends growing up,” Niswender said. “I turn on (“Bee Movie”) when I am sad or am missing my friends, or even if we are all home for the summer and we need something classic to watch.”  

Whatever the guilty pleasure movie, people turn to them to feel something, whether it’s connecting with new friends or diving back into their youth. 

“I love the nostalgia it evokes for me personally,” said Ava Touhy, a senior writing for film and television major and ”Mamma Mia!” fan. “‘Mamma Mia!’ was the only DVD I had in my mom’s minivan growing up, so I’ve watched it many times. That movie has practically grown up with me.” 

Guilty pleasures hold a soft spot; they’re a memory, they carry a familiar, casual feeling that allows you to let your guard down. They let you just sit back and enjoy. I got responses from avid movie watchers and film students, who seemed to express that they just wanted to have fun watching movies. 

“Not every painting can be a masterpiece, Asnis said. “But some bad art can elicit humor or remind ourselves of a younger time when our tastes were less developed.”

There is innocence to the movies we hold close to our childhood. At the time we fell in love with them, we weren’t such movie snobs. The movies, at that time, were just entertainment, and the pleasure they evoked bore no guilt. 

“(‘Bee Movie’) is a guilty pleasure movie because it has a silly plot and is not traditionally considered 'good' media,” Niswender said. “But I do not care because it makes me happy.”

Guilty pleasure movies get a bad rap. No one should feel embarrassed about their favorite movies, because, at their core, movies are a form of entertainment. Entertainment looks different for everyone, and what you watch in your free time should be what makes you happy — and it’s completely normal for that to not be the newest Best Picture winner.

Are guilty pleasure movies actually bad? Are we all being way too pretentious? Maybe. 

“Guilty pleasure movies exist to remind us that everyone is human,” Kirton said. “And I think the term is interpreted differently by everyone because we all have things that make us feel guilty.”

So I say, keep watching your guilty pleasure movies, and next time watch someone else's! Watching a movie you love is a gift, so bask in it.