Citizen Kane (1941) directed by Orson Welles

AFI Top 100: #1

Warning: The "greatest American motion picture in history" is definitely not what you think it will shape up to be. In my opinion, Citizen Kane should be renamed "2 Hours of an Entitled, Rich, White Asshole." This may seem harsh to critique this classic this way, but I really did not enjoy this film. I can understand why it may seem to be the greatest film ever made in its time period, but there are many reasons why it is not good, especially nowadays. Citizen Kane is really just a good time to take a power-nap on the couch.

I am going to begin with talking about the few things that I did enjoy about this film. The set design and acting were wildly mediocre, which was understandable given that the director also plays the main character. This has always been a pet peeve of mine when stars decide to direct and star in their own feature film. While there are some notable exceptions, such as Ben Affleck's Argo and Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, I have always been annoyed by artists who do both. Do not ask me why, but while some people can pull it off, most can not. This film is an example of can not. Anyways, back to the topic at hand: the good aspects of this film. Citizen Kane did do a very good job with their set designs, especially given the conditions back in the day that they had to work under. The sets looked very appealing and caught my attention while providing a good sense of where Charles Kane lived and worked. Another good part of this film was the shooting and editing. The cinematographer did a phenomenal job on their work, as the shots throughout the film definitely helped to emphasize different aspects. Certain shots, including the one where Charles and his second wife Susan were preparing for the "picnic" in his mansion, were so important. They displayed how much extravagant wealth that Kane had, but also showed how lonely he was on the inside, even having gone through two different wives. While the cinematography and editing was quite excellent, there were many aspects that I definitely did not enjoy.

Many parts of Citizen Kane were very questionable. I understand that times were quite different back in 1940, but that does not make the actions of Charles Kane inexcusable. If this truly is the greatest American film of all time, then why does the main character emotionally abuse his two different wives? Why does he waste all of his wealth on statues and art rather than donating and helping his starving community? Why does he have luxury parties and invite crooked politicians and businessmen? These are many questions that I had during this film; not because they were character traits of his, but because the film did nothing to explain why he was the way he was. He was a privileged man who took everything for granted and did not care about the opinions of others, even if they did happen to show any concern for him. Charles's actions and behaviors were terrible, even for the 1940's, and the writers could have shown the repercussions of his actions instead of excusing him with some quirky prep-boy lifestyle. The final element that bothered me the most about this film was the main storyline that had been followed since the initial shot: what is Rosebud? In the very last scene, when the movers are throwing Kane's belongings in the fire, it is revealed that Rosebud is the wooden sled that he had played with in his childhood. This was one of the most underwhelming endings that I have ever seen, and I was expecting Rosebud to be so much more. While it represents the lost naivety of his childhood that he never experienced, that could have been explored much better throughout the film instead of saving this infamous term for an unsatisfactory conclusion. After all of the positivity and hype surrounding this film, I was expecting to appreciate it a lot more, but that is not the case.

As grating as my opinions may be, I firmly stand by them and hope that others may see the same as I do, instead of putting this film on its ridiculous pedestal. Citizen Kane is an outdated waste of two hours and definitely not the greatest American film of all time. It is more fit, however, to be renamed "The Pathetic Story of a Spoiled, Misogynistic Prick."

My Rating: ½