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S.F.W.

S.F.W.

Comedy · Drama · 1995

An alienated and misanthropic teenager gains sudden and unwanted celebrity status after he's taken hostage by terrorists where his indifference to their threats to kill him makes news headlines.

Movie details

S.F.W.

“Fate made them hostages. The media made them stars.”

1995 Comedy · Drama 1h 36m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

An alienated and misanthropic teenager gains sudden and unwanted celebrity status after he's taken hostage by terrorists where his indifference to their threats to kill him makes news headlines.

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 S.F.W.?

The 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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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jefery Levy

Written by

Jefery Levy · Danny Rubin

Stephen Dorff

Stephen Dorff

Cliff Spab

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

Wendy Pfister

Jake Busey

Jake Busey

Morrow Streeter

Joey Lauren Adams

Joey Lauren Adams

Monica Dice

Pamela Gidley

Pamela Gidley

Janet Streeter

David Barry Gray

David Barry Gray

Scott Spab

Jack Noseworthy

Jack Noseworthy

Joe Dice

Court is in session

Put S.F.W. on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

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.

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.