Don't understand the hate...

Rating: 7/10 (26 April 2015)

I felt I had to review this movie just to protest against all the hate for it here...I don't understand all the hate for this movie. People are making so many wrong and absurd claims about the content and intentions of this movie, I can only assume most people just don't get it at all. It does not glorify and promote domestic abuse against women, it is not sexist, and does not contain rape. The sex in it was consensual, and it was made very clear over and over again that the female lead could choose to not go along with it and stop whenever she wanted. If people want to explore different forms of sexual practices than what they (and you, the viewer) are used to, who are you to say that they can't do it, that it's wrong, and that it glorifies violence or whatever other nonsense. The BDSM stuff in this was really tame in comparison to what most real life BDSM practitioners are into anyway. And no, on the other end of the spectrum, that does not mean the movie was an insult to BDSM practitioners either. This isn't a porn movie.
Now, this movie is about two people who are very different, and who have very different desires and values for what is and isn't normal in a relationship, who are trying to make it work, and fail, because they can't reach a middle-ground, understandingly enough. They are physically attracted to each other, but that's it. They are too different, so it's kind of obvious it's doomed to fail. The male lead, Grey, has a rather traumatic past, and has probably been shaped by this, making him a control freak who is unable to open up, and give into romance and/or his real emotions, thinking he HAS to keep the female lead, Ana, at a distance, and that he HAS to be dominant in everything for it to work, and that he can't enjoy it otherwise. I guess you could say he has a bit of a psychological issue/condition. The plot/script was fine to me.
Also, several people here are saying that the acting was bad, but I don't agree. They are also saying the movie wasn't erotic, which I disagree with even more. And as for the women in here who are saying things like that the actor playing Ana was "irritating, and there were too many close-up shots of her": You're probably either unable to recognize that Dakota Johnson does in fact have a beautiful body (she does), because you yourself are a woman (which I can't blame you for, it's pretty normal for both guys and girls to often have a hard time seeing what it is the opposite sex finds attractive in people of the same sex as them), or, you're just jealous, and letting that get the better of you. I hope it's the former.
Finally, the music and the cinematography were both very good, in my opinion. This seems to be the only points the haters somewhat agree with me on. In closing, I'd like to point out that one person here who didn't like the movie said that the only people who can like this movie or the book are people who are psycho cult fans who live in their parent's basements, and who wouldn't know good literature or a good love story even if it stared them in the face. I find this very funny, considering I am not only not a psycho cult fan, but also actually have a degree in English language and literature. I've even studied abroad, and am quite used to living by myself. So yeah.