Hot take: Taxi Driver (in my opinion) is bad

Submitted by [deleted] t3_127hqo7 in movies

Taxi Driver is universally loved, but it’s rare to see anybody saying that taxi driver is bad. I watched it for the first time 3 years ago, and wanted to like it because how well it was loved but now looking back at the movie in my opinion is a real stinker. It’s in the same boat as American Psycho for me, where we basically follow around a psychopathic weirdo for a couple hours with vulgarity and violence mixed in. I’m genuinely confused on why people like these kinds of movies, when there’s more upbeat inspiring movie flicks. I’m honestly confused on what the message was in Taxi Driver, it bamboozles me why people love obscene erotic violent movies like this. Like I get it, he’s a psychopath who’s alone and is an incel and that “society” is at fault for him falling into a even deeper pit. Honestly movies in my opinion should have a positive influence on people, they should really inspire people to chase after their dreams and to be hopeful. Which is why I love movies like Rocky, or Forrest Gump. I just wanted to get on here and voice my opinions, because in my opinion we need more movies that fill us with inspiration and hope not obscene anti-social psychopaths who want to kill everything in sight but underneath it’s a deep social commentary that needs thousands of hours of research to finally see if the whole ending was in his mind. Because in our generation that’s what we need, most people just need a positive perspective to tell them that life isn’t that bad and we should help people realize that no matter your circumstances you can always rise up. Help people find new hobbies, or help them realize that everybody is different and to help them realize their different strengths but movies like these make the outside world and ultimately “society” the bad guy. The world honestly isn’t a bad place, and sure some people may treat your harshly or make you feel bad but honestly at the end of the day the only opinion that really matters to you is what you think of yourself. Be proud, and courageous to always seek a way to be the best version you can be. Sure it’s hard, but life is never going to be easy but in the words of Rocky Balboa (if I remember correctly from Rocky V) “A fight ain’t over till you hear the bell.” So always strive to be better and to leave a positive impact on people, no matter what. With these closing words this is what I think about Taxi Driver in my opinion, it’s an outdated and violent movie that is a huge waste of time. If you disagree it’s okay, I understand that everybody has a different view on things but this is what I thought of the movie. God bless, and I hope you have a great day. :)

0

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

[deleted] OP t1_jee6auq wrote

Don't you think that sweeping humanity's negative side under a rug is rather unhealthy?

Like, you want movies to be only feel good, but isn't that avoiding the real truth?

It's art, not an inspirational poster.

47

Cadian609 t1_jee7jfu wrote

This is a bad take

27

Ok-Survey-9077 t1_jeehyd8 wrote

Your take that “Movies should have a positive influence on people, they should really inspire people to chase after their dreams and be hopeful” is genuinely a horrendously reductive and embarrassing way to approach art. Art is about exploring and expressing the full range of humanity, not just a shallow slice of it that makes you feel good about yourself.

You’ve also not actually provided any meaningful critiques of the film, just highlighted your own extremely limited and childish understanding of film/art.

25

kjhwkejhkhdsfkjhsdkf t1_jeeindt wrote

Taxi Driver isn't a bad movie. It's a movie you don't like. Those are two completely different things, and people on this sub REALLY need to start using those two completely different concepts correctly.

It's OK just to say you don't like something. There are plenty of works of art which are universally considered to be great which I just don't care for. But that doesn't make them bad, it just means I don't appreciate them as much as other people, and that's OK.

20

polybiusbabe t1_jegelnq wrote

this is my favorite response! you hit the nail on the head.

2

The_Meemeli t1_jeeaho4 wrote

>I’m genuinely confused on why people like these kinds of movies, when there’s more upbeat inspiring movie flicks.

Being upbeat and inspiring does not inherently make a movie better, for me.

I experience stories in order to have memorable emotional experiences. These can also be from "negative" emotions (tensions, sadness, fear, being disturbed). I can look back on those experiences with nostalgia.

>most people just need a positive perspective to tell them that life isn’t that bad and we should help people realize that no matter your circumstances you can always rise up.

I'm sure plenty of people have watched Taxi Driver and thought to themselves something along the lines of "well, at least I'm doing a lot better than this guy" and/or "damn, we really need to help people like these", instead of "life sucks"

7

Abject-Plankton-1118 t1_jeebesn wrote

I'm not reading that. Your punctuation/formatting is Bickle-ing my brain.

7

OfferOk8555 t1_jeecvou wrote

The point of Taxi Driver isn’t that society is bad, and things just suck. It’s much more a commentary on the choices Travis Bickle have made and the person he is. Ironically, much like what you’re suggesting, things aren’t bad for Travis because society is harsh and people are mean to him. Things are bad for Travis because he’s a mentally and emotionally unwell person who instead of working on himself obsesses on the negatives of his life and the surrounding world… but is unwilling or unable to make real changes to his lifestyle or attitude.

It’s important because the negative aspects of Travis are the negative aspects in most of us but taken to the extreme. A lot of us don’t take accountability for the state of our lives, for the decisions we’ve made, a lot of our displacing blame and don’t actively deal with our emotional turmoil. But instead displace it on the world around us. There’s a lot of anger in the world just like Travis’s who ultimately decides to channel his anger in an extreme act of random violence which is also unfortunately how a lot of people channel their turmoil in this country and world too. It’s a character study that has only gotten more relevant tbh.

So yeah, if anything Taxi Driver is In itself a criticism of the negativity and cynicism you’re describing but it criticizes those things by exploring a deeply flawed protagonist who brings us into his deeply flawed world view by the very design of the story. It criticizes it by portraying it.

If you just wanna watch happy movies that make you feel good about how things are that’s fine. But don’t try to portray it as like noble or something or like what the world needs more of. There are plenty of mindless entertaining movies that people love and are available if that’s your thing. If anything there are less and less movies that aren’t just mindless entertainment around. And if those are what appeal to you that’s valid but it almost verges on fascist to be like: “yo let’s not have negative portrayal of how things are if they bum people out too much. Let’s instead disingenuously make art about how everything is golden and if you try hard enough all your wildest dreams will come true.” Like that’s not the point of storytelling or art.

5

blondeath t1_jef20kw wrote

one of these days you're gonna get organizizized

3

Conscious_Level_4715 t1_jefb5hd wrote

Possibly the worst movie take I’ve ever scene. And Rocky 5? Of all the Rockys?

3

Chen_Geller t1_jee679o wrote

I also think that Travis is played a little too crazy in the beginning, rather than gradually lose his mind, going from perfect sanity to madness.

Nevertheless, I think he's much more sympathetic and pitiable than Patrick Bateman, and that's really what makes the film.

2

TheRuinerJyrm t1_jee8nvv wrote

It's not a case where we're meant to question whether or not Travis is "crazy" from the beginning. The movie shows you what the life of such a desperate person is like.

4

Chen_Geller t1_jee9f3i wrote

Travis is "on the edge" but I think he only becomes truly crazy as the film unfolds.

1

Worth-Frosting-2917 t1_jeesoch wrote

I mean he takes a date to a porn theater and doesn’t comprehend why she gets upset or even that it was a porno.

His connection to the world is never really there.

5

Bigbeautifulmeme t1_jee6fmz wrote

I don't watch documentaries because they don't inspire me and make me want to take a pottery class

2

MartinScorsese t1_jeec7fu wrote

Thank you for your courage.

> I’m genuinely confused on why people like these kinds of movies, when there’s more upbeat inspiring movie flicks... Honestly movies in my opinion should have a positive influence on people, they should really inspire people to chase after their dreams and to be hopeful.

Lmao.

> The world honestly isn’t a bad place.

ROFLMAO

2

DocGoose92 t1_jefuaxf wrote

(Shakes head) That’s Bait.👆

2

MurkDiesel t1_jegprh6 wrote

>Honestly movies in my opinion should have a positive influence on people, they should really inspire people to chase after their dreams and to be hopeful

so sanitized, propaganda movies?

​

>Which is why I love movies like Rocky

i like that movie too, except when he repeatedly pressures Adrian multiple times to come into his apartment, then when she wants to leave, he pins her in the corner with his hand on the door

​

>most people just need a positive perspective to tell them that life isn’t that bad
>
>The world honestly isn’t a bad place

said every privileged person ever

2

[deleted] OP t1_jeh31es wrote

Art needs to inspire only good feelings is the most reductive and basic take I've seen on here for a while. And that's saying something

2

Knowlesdinho t1_jee86wo wrote

I have a great life, and I think the world is a wonderful, but very flawed place. Sometimes those flaws make me occasionally want to live my life vicariously through the eyes of Travis Bickle, Patrick Bateman, and D-Fens. There is nothing wrong with that.

1

Xenomorph_kills t1_jee8vzx wrote

I think it’s beloved because it captures an irredeemable side of humanity. The people we can’t sympathize with. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows

1

TheRuinerJyrm t1_jee9cmc wrote

Sometimes, throwing people's grime back in their face can be a necessary wake-up call. Taxi Driver said a lot about post-Vietnam New York and a particular ugliness about America that needs to be addressed from time to time. You can wave your hand about "society" all you like, but you're only able to minimize the message because you don't see any of the context. By your own words, you didn't understand. It's evident.

1

TheCosmicFailure t1_jee9fpz wrote

I don't hold Taxi Driver in high regard like other ppl do. But I don't believe all films need to have a positive influence. But if that's how u feel I could understand why u don't like this film.

1

Dentt42 t1_jeebsvm wrote

I don’t even get the criticism here. Rocky and Forrest Gump have made hundreds of millions over the years and got the healthiest budgets to begin with. Taxi Driver and American Psycho had modest budgets and box office returns, and maintain popularity mostly within critics and film geeks like us. I’m confident if you asked around at any gathering of people in roughly the same age group, you’d find far more familiar with FG and Rocky than you will AP and and TD.

TL;DR: Hollywood and viewers have already voted with their dollar.

1

MasterTeacher123 t1_jeech6f wrote

So the movie is bad because it’s violent and the main character is a bad guy?

1

KFBR392GoForGrubes t1_jeedia5 wrote

Yeah, I can't read that wall of text, but the post title is something I strongly disagree with, so I'll say you're (in my opinion) wrong.

1

AdmirableTurnip2245 t1_jeefn3v wrote

You're certainly entitled to you opinion and I actually appreciate that you didn't really go on any sort of angst filled rant and gave an honest assessment on why you don't like the film. Having said that, I really do think you fail to realize just how awful 1970s NYC was. How depraved it was prior to sweeping law enforcement changes in the 1980s. This could actually be said of most of America's major metro centers in the mid to late 70s. So yes, it's a social commentary that when looked at through today's lens seems so very alien but for the time was a largely honest assessment by Scorsese on how far the city he loved had really fallen. Which brings me to a larger issue we have a society today which is that we all insist on only looking through the lens we have right now. Books, music, cinema, history -- so many of us only view these things through today's lens and when it doesn't line up we discard it. I offer up that we should instead consider evaluating those things both how the world is today and how the world was.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for the Hot Take!

1

w_paskee t1_jeegjtb wrote

The reason I loved Taxi Driver is because it's bleak, it's not afraid to show some issues going on in the world or what things do to a person. Plus, he just like me fr

1

talkingbook t1_jeekbst wrote

Forrest Gump is bubble gum propaganda that entirely squeezed the nuance out of Vietnam, civil rights and the 80’s corporate take over of America.

It exploits the handi-capable genius savant trope and serves only to create a false expectation that ‘simple minded’ people are all olympic level runners just waiting to be discovered. Much like Rain Man mythicized autism.

Taxi Driver would not be easily confused as such.

1

UnderwhelmingAF t1_jeeujac wrote

I agree with your unpopular opinion, I thought Forrest Gump was shit. The Shawshank Redemption should have won Best Picture that year.

2

Next-Mobile-9632 t1_jeffxbo wrote

Well, its a pretty grim and bleak movie, that's for sure

1

Territorial_Bonsai t1_jeft1pf wrote

Lol as if I'd read ANYTHING that starts off with "hot take"

1

brokenwolf t1_jegt3gt wrote

I’m going to ask what op’s age is. I could see teenagers not getting into it at all.

It’s fine if you don’t like it but just to say it’s bad isn’t fair.

1

tantrum007 t1_jeeimqt wrote

It's extremely overrated.

−2

charleyismyhero t1_jeffbo9 wrote

It’s not a genre I’m interested in, so I can agree with you there.

It also is becoming more difficult to find exceptional quality films that have more inspiring messages or simply do not default to sigma cinema.

So I get your frustration.

−2

Bruhmangoddman t1_jefn3y9 wrote

I do get your position, I think it's quite valid, but I sometimes find darkness refreshing. Like in Watchmen. A superhero movie with such an uncompromsing grim tone is nothing short of impressive.

−2