However, what Letterboxd also does, much like any social media site, is draw in a variety of users all dedicated to using the app just slightly differently than others. From what I’ve witnessed through my time using Letterboxd, is that there are two distinct ways in which people interact with the app.
The first, is the longform film reviewer, those who take the app extremely serious in how they rate films and how they write about it in their reviews. These usually will write paragraphs upon paragraphs of detailed analysis of the films they have seen, and this Letterboxd user is almost the antithesis of the other. The other user being: ‘the comedian.’ These users often choose to take the route of sharing comedic one liners about different films, for example, user Ethan Colburn’s review of the cult classic ‘The Godfather’ that simply reads “leave the gun, take the cannoli.”
accumulation of different viewers and perspectives, all with their own opinions about a variety of films
These different types of review can both be entertaining to read in their own right, and their differences don’t necessarily suggest these groups of users won’t enjoy each other’s contributions. That’s the beauty of Letterboxd, its accumulation of different viewers and perspectives, all with their own opinions about a variety of films. Seeing what other people thought about your favourite film is all part of the fun.
The problem that can arise however, is when some people don’t like what they read. When comedic one liners are taken out of context, and fans start attacking in the comments. These interactions, I have seen, can even spread away from Letterboxd onto different social media platforms like Twitter. Screenshots are taken of specific “outrageous” Letterboxd reviews and are then posted onto Twitter for people to share their, usually negative, opinions on said review. This is a practice out of the control of Letterboxd, however it is a major drawback of the app, with some claiming to have been harassed in the comments of certain reviews and on places such as Twitter, due to people simply disagreeing with their opinion, or deeming a comedic review “unfunny.”
What I would say, is the app could be taken a lot less seriously by some. People should find enjoyment in however way they wish to share their thoughts and opinions on the app and leave others to do the same. I personally enjoy doing both, there are some movies that I feel the need to write about in-depth, sharing every thought and opinion I had about the film, but there are others that simply deserve my attempt at some quick wit.