Trippin'

Isn’t it frustrating when you have to explain to someone how awesome a movie is and they just don’t get it? The act of explaining is obnoxious enough because the film’s status should be obvious. How do you find the words for something that is almost innate? It’s like explaining the punch line of a joke: if you didn’t find it funny the first go-round, you probably never will. Well, that horrendous act of self-evident justification is exactly what I’m going to ask you to do, my friends.

Vertigo has me at a loss. Yes, the infamous Vertigo that has garnered eminent praise for the past 60 years. I have seen it three times and, to put it bluntly, I just don’t care.

I can’t exactly pinpoint why I don’t care for the movie. I’m a fan of Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart. In fact, Rear Window is one of my favorite movies. I’m a fan of the suspense genre and psychological thrillers. I enjoyed Kim Novac in Bell, Book, and Candle. My hat goes off to screenwriter Samuel Taylor for both versions of his film Sabrina. I’m a fan of California. I’m just not a fan of Vertigo.

Who is a fan? Seemingly everyone else in the universe. The film has lived in AFI’s top 10 for quite some time. The British Film Institute recently crowned it the greatest film of all time, knocking Citizen Kane down a peg. I’ve heard more than one person, including a former film studies professor, say, “If you don’t like Vertigo, then you don’t like film.” Ouch.

What am I missing? I’ll admit it: sometimes things go over my head but I’m okay with acknowledging when I’m wrong. I would love to revel in this great movie the way others do. If Vertigo is your jam, tell me why. I’d like to be jamming, too.