The movie Roger Ebert walked out of after eight minutes: “The same level as a not especially good high school play”
Being a film critic might mean getting paid to deliver your most brutally honest thoughts about a movie, typically getting access to titles before they have even been released, but it also subjects you to some dire pieces of cinema. In certain situations, you have no choice but to sit through a bad film, wishing and hoping that it would end. The late Roger Ebert, one of America’s most famous film critics, was there too, but there was one film that he actually turned off just eight minutes in.
There are so many movies in the world, and we can’t possibly see them all. Even if we tried our best to cram in as many classic films and new releases, it would still be impossible to tick off everything on our ever-growing watchlists. Ebert watched many movies every week, but sometimes there just wasn’t enough time to sit through something he knew wouldn’t be worthwhile viewing. That’s the thing with some movies – you can tell from the get-go when they’re going to be an absolute waste of your time.
Sometimes, an opening sequence makes you realise you’re watching a film that just isn’t for you; maybe it’s a genre you don’t particularly like, or the filmmaker has used specific artistic choices that you can’t personally stand. Elsewhere, an opening sequence can instantly establish the whole film as lacking in technical proficiency – bad performances, dialogue, or cinematography can be enough to make us realise that what we’re getting ourselves in for just isn’t worth the time.
When Ebert began watching Tru Loved by Stewart Wade, the film didn’t even reach the ten-minute mark before the critic had already had his review formulated and ready to write. He switched it off and cleverly titled his review “Not quite 8½” in reference to Federico Fellini’s masterpiece, subsequently coming under fire from some readers who claimed he should’ve watched the whole movie.
Tru Loved, according to Ebert, “is on about the same level as a not especially good high school play.” He claimed that “Student directors could learn from it. I’m sure its heart is in the right place, but it fails at fundamentals we take for granted when we go to the movies.”
The film starred Jake Abel, Alexandra Paul, Najarra Townsend, and Matthew Thompson, with the narrative following a teenager named Tru, the daughter of a lesbian couple, who starts a new school. Here, she makes new friends, faces bullying, and becomes involved in a Gay Straight Alliance group.
Ebert noted that the movie just doesn’t have much technical skill, stating that “the actors lack the knack of making their dialogue sound spontaneous and realistic. They sound like bright English students who have memorized their lines but find themselves onstage without having had much experience or training.”
At the end of the review, Ebert revealed he had only sat through eight minutes, explaining, “For Tru Loved, the handwriting was on the wall. The returns were in. The case was closed. You know I’m right. Or tell me I’m wrong.” Eventually, Ebert did watch the whole film and give it a more balanced review, although he still wasn’t a fan. He wrote in another article, “I hope the review reflected the stream of consciousness that can take place when a movie loses a viewer’s sympathy and goes wrong.”
