The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
Dutch
Comedy · Drama · 1991
To get to know his girlfriend's son, a man volunteers to pick him up from a prep school... only to learn that her son's not the nicest kid.
Movie details
Dutch
“They're the best of friends... And they've got the scars to prove it.”
1991 Comedy · Drama 1h 47m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.5 / 10
Community rating
To get to know his girlfriend's son, a man volunteers to pick him up from a prep school... only to learn that her son's not the nicest kid.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Dutch?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Coupe de Ville
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In 1971, five college buddies from the University of Texas embark on a final road trip odyssey across the Mexican border before facing up to uncertain futures, in Vietnam and otherwise.
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SubUrbia
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A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
My Own Love Song
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Ezra
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Stand-up comedian Max Bernal lives with his father Stan while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra with his ex-wife. When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son's future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives.
Benny & Joon
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A mentally ill young woman finds love with an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Peter Faiman
Written by
John Hughes
Ed O'Neill
Dutch Dooley
Ethan Embry
Doyle Standish
JoBeth Williams
Natalie Standish
Christopher McDonald
Reed Standish
Ari Meyers
Brock
E. G. Daily
Hailey
L. Scott Caldwell
Homeless Woman
Court is in session
Put Dutch on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.