Anyone else struggle with long movies?

Checking out this thread on Benjamin Button, and I noticed a huge chunk of people—mostly women—complaining that the movie is way too long.
It just backs up the theory I've been sitting on for years: generally speaking, women have way less patience than men. They don't seem to care for anything that drags past that standard 90 to 120-minute mark.
So, ladies, what gives? Why is it such a struggle to just sit down and watch a movie if it hits, say, 220 minutes?
Seriously, if I'm totally off base here, someone please prove me wrong.

It really just comes down to whether the movie actually sucks or not... but honestly, I don't mind long runtimes.👍

Anthony Smith3 said:It really just comes down to whether the movie actually sucks or not... personally, I don't mind a long runtime if the story works.👍

Sure, but how are you supposed to know if it's any good until you actually sit through it?😉

so

between the long version and the short one 😁--actually, let's be honest

I'm going with the short one 😁just because

Lawrence Booth2 said:no

between long and short 😁

I'm going with long 😁

Either I totally misread you, or you voted completely wrong.😁>

I haven't the slightest clue 😁 I got swept up in it 😁

rustywalker42 said:Sure, but you can't really judge a movie until you actually sit down and watch it.😉

Fair point... but honestly, I haven't had much trouble with stuff like this before. I've been fine with LOTR, King Kong, The Godfather, Heat, Once Upon a time in The West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Aliens, Schindler's List... you get the idea.👍

When I sit down for a movie, I don't give a damn about the runtime. I look at who’s behind the camera, who’s starring in it, and what genre we're dealing with—but the actual clock? That's irrelevant to me. There are plenty of absolute masterpieces that stretch long past three hours, yet there's also a fair amount of total garbage that left me absolutely dying of boredom (take *Lord of the Rings*, for instance; I couldn't wait for the credits to roll)

Anthony Smith3 said:Fair point... but honestly? I haven't really had issues with stuff like this before. LOTR, King Kong, The Godfather, Heat, Once Upon a time in The West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Aliens, Schindler's List... you name it.👍

Me neither. Now we just wait for the rest of the crowd to chime in. Because I genuinely don't get it—how can anyone be bothered by runtime? Especially if the movie is actually good? You find out how the pacing works *while* you're watching it.
Take Leone, for example. He wanted Once Upon a Time in America to run over six hours. Personally? I wouldn't have complained. Not even a little bit.
But of course, some clueless Americans thought four hours was way too long, so they chopped an hour and a half off the whole thing.😵

Look, if a movie is actually well-made, I honestly couldn't care less if it clocks in at 75 minutes or 175. Honestly? With some of those epic, long-winded masterpieces, I’m usually sitting there wishing they wouldn't end... So yeah, I definitely don't have a problem with longer runtimes.

Andrew Roberts3 said:If a movie actually hits, who cares if it’s 75 minutes or nearly three hours? Honestly, when a film is that good, I’m usually bummed when the credits start rolling. Long runtimes don't bother me one bit.

Exactly. Same here. I don't even look at the runtime. Looking back at my watchlist, I realized I actually prefer the longer ones.

rustywalker42 said:So I’ve been scrolling through this thread about Benjamin Button, and I noticed a huge chunk of people complaining that the movie is way too long—and honestly, it seems to be mostly women.
It basically backs up this theory I’ve had rattling around my head for years: women, generally speaking, just don't have the patience we do. Most of the time, they aren't interested in sitting through anything that pushes past that standard 90 to 120-minute mark.
So, ladies, what gives? Why can't you just sit down and commit to a movie that runs, say, 220 minutes?
Look, if I've got this totally wrong, please, someone set me straight.

Okay, here's your reality check: 😬
I'm a woman, and I'll happily sit through a movie regardless of how long it is—as long as it actually keeps my interest.🍿

wiredeagle5 said:Fine, let me try to change your mind 😬
I'm a woman, and I can sit through movies all day long—provided they aren't boring as hell, obviously. 🍿

Talk about an exception that proves the rule.😁

Sure. If a movie actually hooks me—if I can tell right away it isn't some total waste of time—I don't really care how long it runs. Honestly, there are times when I feel a bit cheated when it’s over after a couple of hours.😁

Long movies don't bother me. Especially if they're actually good.

slywolf45 said:Totally. If a movie actually hooks me—you know, if it isn't complete garbage—I don't care how long it runs. Honestly, sometimes I'm actually bummed when it's over after just a couple of hours.😁

Signature...

Dana Cruz5 said:I don't really mind long movies, especially if they're actually good.

I feel like that should have been an unspoken assumption in the original question.

Because, honestly... does anyone actually set out to watch a bad movie? Regardless of whether it's twenty minutes or three hours long?😕

If I’m interested in a film and the quality holds up, the runtime isn't going to be an issue for me.

As a woman, I personally don't mind a longer runtime at all, provided the story actually holds my interest.

In fact, I managed to sit through the entire 150-minute run of Weather Underground yesterday, and even though it wasn't particularly good, I didn't find the length to be an issue. 😁

I suppose it's all quite subjective. I've sat through plenty of collections of short films that felt far more tedious and drawn-out than a single feature, which really makes you wonder why filmmakers feel the need to drag the audience through such unnecessary filler.

So, am I submitting this? Well, one way I judge film quality—just my own little theory, anyway—is the runtime... I’ve always felt that longer is actually better... you just can't tell a truly great story properly in only an hour or maybe ninety minutes... 👍 😁

slywolf45 said:I think that should be an obvious assumption based on the title.

Because... does anyone actually enjoy watching bad movies? Short or long?😕

If I love a movie and it's genuinely good, the runtime isn't going to be a drawback for me.

Actually, it doesn't matter. Some people find long movies annoying, even if they're great. They just can't sit still for more than two hours, or their focus completely bottoms out... regardless of how much they liked the story.

So, it shouldn't be taken for granted.