I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, film critics have gone too far. They have created an environment where any schmo on the street can calm himself a ‘film person’ and honestly believe that his opinion carries more weight than yours or mine. And I am downright sick of it. In my mind, if a movie entertains me, it has done its job, end of discussion. Today, in this opinion piece, I am going to make the case for a democratized moviegoing experience unlike anything any of us have seen before. My thesis: Why must a movie be good? Is it not enough to feel something, anything?

I don’t know about you, but there is nothing I love more than sitting in a theater, letting a movie wash over me. I just let whatever is going to happen, happen. I even go so far as to avoid all trailers for the film in order to keep this experience as pure and as untainted as possible. Then, as the movie unfolds, I gasp, groan, and giggle along with everyone else. It is in these moments that I feel truly human.

Now, before you tune out my Keanu Reeves-esq monologue, consider this: which movie would you watch if you only had one movie on a desert island? I’m telling you right now it’s not going to be Her or The Revenant, it’s going to be Forgetting Sarah Marshall or What We Do in the Shadows. Are you starting to see what I mean? The best movies aren’t the ones that win awards or get the highest Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s the ones that make you feel.

And yes, I will admit that there are ‘good’ movies and ‘bad’ movies, but we should all also understand that the entirety of art is subjective by definition. I can like something that you might loathe, it doesn’t make my thoughts on the matter any less valid, it just means that we are different people with different tastes. It’s literally just that simple.

So next time you ask someone in a shocked tone, “You haven’t seen Pulp Fiction?” Think to yourself, what other, better thing could I be doing with my time? And then exit the conversation and go do it.

By the way, if anyone wants to watch my favorite movies, you are welcome to come over and watch them. Only, you can’t say anything negative about them and you must like them and I will stare at you the whole time to make sure you are enjoying it properly. Sounds fun, right?

This was written by Nathan Ellwood, who can barely even call this one satire. Follow hm @NPEllwood.