Excellent film seen by too many of the wrong people

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2000)

I finally saw the film--on video--and it was much better than I had expected! The premise was creative and original and the execution by the filmmakers was outstanding.
I knew it had been victimized by way too much hype--only Bruce Springsteen could survive cover stories by Time and Newsweek on the same week--and I know now that it would have been more "successful" if the popular media would have ignored it.
When a film (especially a quirky one) gets so much attention, some people feel challenged. So Joe Sixpack and Jane Chablis march into theatres--with their arms folded metaphorically--saying, "o.k., big shot film, so scare me!" And of course they miss the whole point because they don't understand how to identify with the characters and don't even want to participate in the experience. Too bad for them.
I find that for me films are more enjoyable on their own merits if I don't have too much information about them up front. The overkill hype slathered on this great little film is a good example of it.