How to cope when you like a movie everyone else hates

Perhaps you pride yourself on your movie taste. Your friends look up to you and frequently consult you on what movies they should spend their hard-earned money seeing.

So what do you do when you like a movie everyone else hates?

Let’s take “Independence Day: Resurgence,” for example. It bowed last weekend to dismal reviews (its Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score is a paltry 33 percent out of 100 – ouch!) and made “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” look like an Academy Award contender.

But you know what? I actually thought the movie was … OK. I didn’t love it, but I thought it was exactly what it promised to be: overblown, idiotic and a little silly. It was eye candy to munch popcorn to, and that’s exactly what I wanted. Anyone expecting a good – or even coherent – script clearly didn’t see the first film and believes that unicorns are real, because they are not in touch with reality.

So let’s say you liked “Independence Day: Resurgence.” I offer this completely unscientific and unresearched advice on how to cope when you like a movie no one else does:

▪  Stay calm (you’re not an idiot).

Hey, you watch a lot of movies, and you are a well-informed movie fan. Just because you liked a movie everyone else is calling moronic does not mean that you are, in fact, a moron. The movie just spoke to you in a way that was personal to you.

▪  Don’t get defensive.

When we’re ridiculed for what we like, we feel vulnerable, exposed, offended. It would be easy to lash out, to dish back the unwarranted shame you are feeling. But try to take the high road. Remember, you are completely innocent and have done nothing wrong. (This does not include that extra butter you ordered on your popcorn, however.)

▪  Celebrate your individuality.

You are your own being, and what you like makes you who you are, so don’t apologize for it. If we all liked the same thing we’d be as mindless as “The Stepford Wives,” and no one wants that.

▪  Point out the good.

I do not consider watching a movie I did not like a waste of my time. I take away something from every single movie I watch, whether I liked it or not. For instance, I learned in “Independence Day: Resurgence” that Liam Hemsworth has only one emotion and that his hair never moves, even when it’s wet.

▪  Admit the bad.

OK, the “Resurgence” script was absolutely terrible and it’s credited to five “writers.” It had characters openly revealing their back story and motivation with inane dialogue that made Wikipedia seem like poetry.

This was an actual line: “You did almost get him killed, remember?”

Wow. How can someone forget that?

▪  Rationalize. Is it just because you’re being sentimental?

For me, it probably was. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen the original “Independence Day,” but if I were flipping through channels on a lazy Saturday afternoon and saw that it happened to be on, I’d watch the whole movie again, glued to the couch.

It was more than a guilty pleasure. It was the equivalent of comfort food. To me, “Independence Day” is the cinematic equivalent of Cheetos.

▪  Stick to your guns.

I freely admit that I am a movie nerd. I don’t just watch movies, I consume them.

Movies such as “Independence Day: Resurgence” are made for movie fans like me. Sure, it’s nothing more than a well-polished high-cheese schlockbuster.

And you know what? That’s perfectly OK.

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 5:28 PM with the headline "How to cope when you like a movie everyone else hates."