How is this in the top 250?

Rating: 1/10 (30 July 2004)

How did this movie get to be in the top 250? Why is it rated so high? If you have sat through this three hour movie you may be asking yourself this same question.
Movies from this era tended to move a bit slower, take their time, and deliver some sort of message on the meaning of life. I have patience and can sit through many slower films. But what drags this film down is that the protagonist Michael (Robert DeNiro) does not hold your interest for 20 minutes, let alone 183.
Long scenes such as the wedding reception where we watch the guests dance for 20 minutes leave you wondering, why? What does this have to do with Michael? Does he want to get married? Does he wish he had the life of his friends? Do they envy him? How does this move the story forward?
In contradiction to the long scenes, there are several shorter ones that seem to have no point at all. Why was Linda (Meryl Streep) beaten by her father and what did this have to do with the story?
At times the movie moved forward too fast, leaving the question, what just happened? I continually felt that I was being left out of some crucial plot points that would move the story forward, or at least keep me interested.
Nick (Christopher Walken), would seem to make a far better protagonist than Michael. His character actually went through the most change and his story held the most interest.
My guess is that this movie spoke more to the times of 1978 with Vietnam being not to far behind. In that way, one who saw it then might rate it higher. Seeing it today, however, one wonders, "8.1 stars?"