Who's to blame when a movie is bad?

[MarkAndrew]

Every movie production has it's own story, so it varies a bit. 
The most common offenders are:
1. The Director - He has the most ability to take the raw materials and make it crap.  If the Director has total creative control (which is rare but does happen) the he the buck stops with him.
2. The Producer (s) - They have the ability to frell with the finished product, order script re-writes, fire directors, hire new ones.  They have the second most potential to screw up a movie. 
  However, they are also the only barrier between  a complete pile of dren that a director has turned in and the public.  So sometimes they are the ones trying to salvage something from the footage shot.

[Nunyerbiz]

I corrected your post below. No need to thank me.

Every movie production has it's own story, so it varies a bit. 
The most common offenders are:
1. The Director - He has the most ability to take the raw materials and make it crap.  If the Director has total creative control (which is rare but does happen) the he the buck stops with him.
2. The Producer (s) - They have the ability to frell with the finished product, order script re-writes, fire directors, hire new ones.  They have the second most potential to screw up a movie. 
3. Rance Mulliniks 

[gbeenie]

...

I blame Satan, the father of all lies...

Nine movies! Nine!

Wait. Did I say nine? I meant to say SIX.

In fact, I always said six. That business where you thought I said nine? Clearly your over-active imaginations.

[gbeenie]

  I blame the producers first. Tons of awesome screenplays have been -destroyed- by panels of producers who sit around thinking they know what people want to see but really don't have a clue.

You realize, if you replaced "screenplays" and "producers" with "ideas" and "politicians," your statement would still be pretty much exactly true. 

[Tyrant]

  I blame the producers first. Tons of awesome screenplays have been -destroyed- by panels of producers who sit around thinking they know what people want to see but really don't have a clue.

You realize, if you replaced "screenplays" and "producers" with "ideas" and "politicians," your statement would still be pretty much exactly true. 

  Had not thought of that. But now that I'm thinking about it, you're 100% right.

  So I bet that ep of Southpark where Cartman is coming up with hundreds of movie ideas involving Adam Sandler is probably not too far from the truth. In both movies and politics. 

[Variety of Cells]

Depends on your definition of 'bad'.  Most Hollywood movies are not trying to be what you consider good, they are trying to entertain people enough so that they don't feel bad about giving up their money.  But by their standards, they are good movies.

So you could blame intentions.

[msmpls]

(sorry, it was just too easy  ...)

[Minnesota]

I blame Make Grace...

"I'm coming for you Mark Grace, this isn't over."

[Rude]

...

One of the funniest stickers i saw here in San Francisco came after hurricane Katrina. Obviously SF is a huge liberal city, so everything is blamed on President Bush... whether he deserves it or not. Almost right after the hurricane hit, certain groups began turning this horrible event into a politcial blame-game. Anyway, i walk into the bathroom at a bar here, and i see a sticker that just says "George Bush Has A Weather Machine!"

Ha!...

-Rude

[Steve-O]

Depends on your definition of 'bad'.  Most Hollywood movies are not trying to be what you consider good, they are trying to entertain people enough so that they don't feel bad about giving up their money.  But by their standards, they are good movies.

So you could blame intentions.

In other words: You are to blame when a movie is bad.

[Hazzah]

The writer is a big part...they're the ones who come up with the story and dialogue.  But the director makes the choices they do on how to portray the written word.

[BathTub]

Well interestingly enough I just read Vol 11 of the Babylon 5 Scriptbooks and JMS said he takes full responsibility for any suckage on season 5 trying to stick too close to the Ivanova story after she screwed the show over.

[Pak-Man]

I blame focus groups and the inability of big studios to take risks, but it doesn't apply across the board. Wicker Man had flaws that I can only imagine came from the screenwriter, Catwoman, from what I've heard, was an awesome movie before it got through the Producer. I liked X-3, but I know in my heart of hearts it would have been better if they'd kept Singer. Dr.Moreau could have been cool with better actors. And sometimes you have your Battlefield Earths where everyone who ever touched it dropped the ball. :^)

[Sharktopus]

I blame focus groups and the inability of big studios to take risks, but it doesn't apply across the board. Wicker Man had flaws that I can only imagine came from the screenwriter, Catwoman, from what I've heard, was an awesome movie before it got through the Producer.

I agree up until the Catwoman thing. There is no way that film could've turned out well. It was doomed from conception.

[ScottotD]

Tom Hanks, lack of zombies and censorship.