The defence The Popcorn Loyalist
“It owes the canon nothing.”
The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.
Back to trending 
Shock Treatment
Comedy · 1981
Brad and Janet Majors find their strained marriage put to the test on popular Denton TV show Marriage Maze. Poor Brad is heavily sedated and institutionalised, whilst Janet is given a radical makeover and primed for stardom. But what are the real motivations behind the kooky DTV crew and their enigmatic head-honcho, Farley Flavors?
Movie details
Shock Treatment
“Trust me, I'm a doctor!”
1981 Comedy 1h 34m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
5.9 / 10
Community rating
Brad and Janet Majors find their strained marriage put to the test on popular Denton TV show Marriage Maze. Poor Brad is heavily sedated and institutionalised, whilst Janet is given a radical makeover and primed for stardom. But what are the real motivations behind the kooky DTV crew and their enigmatic head-honcho, Farley Flavors?
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 Shock Treatment?
For the defence
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
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.
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High School Musical 2
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The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning
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When mischievous teenaged cousins Bo and Luke Duke are arrested, both boys are paroled to the care of their Uncle Jesse in Hazzard, sentenced to a summer of hard work. It's not long before the Duke boys learn of Boss Hogg's plans to foreclose on Uncle Jesse's farm. Together, with help from their cousin Daisy, Bo and Luke vow to save the family's property and its storied history of producing the best moonshine in all of Hazzard.
Josie and the Pussycats
Comedy · 2001
Josie, Melody and Val are three small-town girl musicians determined to take their rock band out of their garage and straight to the top, while remaining true to their look, style and sound. They get a record deal which brings fame and fortune but soon realize they are pawns of two people who want to control the youth of America. They must clear their names, even if it means losing fame and fortune.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Jim Sharman
Written by
Richard O'Brien · Jim Sharman
Jessica Harper
Janet Majors
Cliff DeYoung
Brad Majors / Farley Flavors
Richard O'Brien
Dr. Cosmo McKinley / Kitchenware Announcer (voice)
Patricia Quinn
Dr. Nation McKinley
Charles Gray
Judge Oliver Wright
Ruby Wax
Betty Hapschatt
Nell Campbell
Nurse Ansalong
Court is in session
Put Shock Treatment on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Big-Idea Head
“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”
It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.