Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
After the initial celebration of making it to the Cannes Film Festival, a filmmaker’s next thoughts might jump to the nightmarish thought of potentially getting booed by French cinephiles. Unlike American audiences who take to social media to cheer or jeer a new release after exiting the theater, French festival-goers have never been shy about letting their fellow audience members know how they truly feel about the film playing before them.
Just ask Gus Van Sant and Matthew McConaughey, who felt the brunt of Cannes’ honesty after their film Sea of Trees was booed just the other day. Though this isn’t to say a film’s first viewers — and their opinions — are the ultimate deciding factor for its fate. Here are ten films that were originally despised upon their premieres at Cannes, including fare from Palme d’Or winners David Lynch, Terrence Malick, and Quentin Tarantino.
'Taxi Driver' (1976)
While Taxi Driver is regarded as one of the most important films any film fanatic can watch, Martin Scorsese‘s anti-hero Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) shocked and awed audiences at Cannes — and not in a good way. The idea of such a flawed protagonist was still a relatively new characteristic of the New Hollywood Era of cinema, and it wasn’t until the Academy Awards that year did audiences start to appreciate the groundbreaking nature of Scorsese’s powerful main character. [Where to stream Taxi Driver]
'Wild at Heart' (1990)
Though it snagged the Palme d’Or, David Lynch’s crime comedy wasn’t well-received at the beginning of the festival. But the jury thought otherwise and awarded the film the top prize at the closing ceremonies. [Where to stream Wild at Heart]
'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me' (1992)
Despite David Lynch taking home the top honor for Wild at Heart just two years earlier, his Twin Peaks film adaptation was torn apart by French audiences before many of them walked out of the theater. [Where to stream Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me]
'Pulp Fiction' (1994)
Quentin Tarantino’s hyper-violent crime masterpiece won over Cannes during its premiere, but when the outspoken young director waltzed up to claim his Palme d’Or, he was met with boos from those who wanted Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors: Red to take home the top prize. Yet, the risky decision from the Cannes jury paid off — when is the last time you heard someone reference the Three Colors trilogy? [Where to stream Pulp Fiction]
'Crash' (1996)
David Cronenberg is no stranger to having audiences jeer and walk out of his bizarre films, which often analyze raw sexual nature. But the James Spader-Holly Hunter drama couldn’t win over French audiences, who thought the film tried too hard to be overly graphic and shocking. [Where to stream Crash]
'Marie Antoinette' (2006)
Even after the success of Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola couldn’t hide from the disgruntled audiences at Cannes following the premiere of her highly stylized drama, Marie Antoinette. From Dunst’s performance to the modern music mash-up: Cannes filmgoers simply didn’t get what the director was trying to accomplish. But hey, getting the French to sympathize with a figure notoriously hated by the populace was a long shot. [Where to stream Marie Antoinette]
'Inglourious Basterds' (2009)
Sure, audiences had beef with Tarantino’s cartoonish reimagining of World War II, but the real issue festival-goers had with Inglourious Basterds was its place in the competition. Although Christoph Waltz ended up winning Best Actor at the closing ceremonies, Tarantino’s Palme d’Or nomination was met with eye rolls. [Where to stream Inglourious Basterds]
'Antichrist' (2009)
Never one to have a film come and go, maverick director Lars Von Trier’s harrowing relationship drama wasn’t just booed; audiences also laughed at the film during its Cannes premiere, which speaks to the French’s outlandish sense of humor. Frankly, Von Trier’s films aren’t exactly known for their comedic elements. [Where to stream Antichrist]
'The Tree of Life' (2011)
Terrence Malick’s visual storybook The Tree of Life was an overwhelming favorite at Cannes a few years ago. Yet, with favoritism comes a few disgruntled non-conformists who felt the slow-burning surrealist narrative was overrated. [Where to stream The Tree of Life]
'Only God Forgives' (2013)
Recently, Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn teamed up again with Ryan Gosling for Only God Forgives: an equally stylish crime drama compared to the director’s previous endeavors, but a lackluster script and inconsistent performances from Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas earned the flick a slew of boos. [Where to stream Only God Forgives]
Like what you see? Follow Decider on Facebook and Twitter to join the conversation, and sign up for our email newsletters to be the first to know about streaming movies and TV news!
