I just don't get it

Rating: 2/10 (18 August 1999)

This opinion might get me kicked out of any film criticism class, but I absolutely loathed 'Vertigo'. It is manipulative, dreary, and completely unlikeable. The first hour or so is spent with Jimmy Stewart on some wild goose chase following a friend's wife to see if she's possessed by a demon(?!?). For some inexplicable reason, he falls in love with her. Once we reach what we're first to believe is the climax, we learn he's been duped somewhat. As have we. The last 45 minutes certainly move more fluidly, but Jimmy Stewart's character becomes so obsessive and controlling, he ought to have been served a restraining order. If I seem a little vague in my analysis, there are two reasons for it: 1. Revealing any plot points might be considered a spoiler, which I'd never do even for a movie I hate, and 2. the movie itself was vague. There is never a logical explanation given for anything that occurs.
I have now seen 27 Hitchcock films, and without a doubt, this would rank as #27(just behind two other overrated films, Psycho and Lifeboat), although, in all fairness, I don't count Torn Curtain or Marnie since I fell asleep in the middle of both. So, if you want to belive hype over quality, then by all means, rent Vertigo today, and watch one of our greatest actors wallow in a storm of hopelessness. My advice is to see Rear Window, Hitchcock and Stewart's *real* masterpiece.