History YMMV / RequiemForADream

*** That's kinda the point. That something that you recognize as horrific comes in the form of something comedic and funny. You find yourself laughing until the true horror of it sinks in, which is its FridgeBrilliance. You also have to remember that this is a Dramedy (or Tragicomedy), where parts are ''meant'' to be funny or crossing the line between tension and laughter. This was all ''intentional'' - WordOfGod from Arronofsky himself - so I don't know if it would be called {{Narm}}. Narm is when something that is supposed to be dramatic is comedic instead. The purpose of a lot of scenes was to be tragically comedic, where something is funny and it's only after the fact that the tragedy sinks in. I don't think anyone would call the places that are ''supposed'' to be dramatic in this movie funny though.

* CompleteMonster: "Little John", Marion's pimp, has absolutely no redeeming qualities about him.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Very much so, but [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped not necessarily in a bad way]].

* CompleteMonster: "Little John", Marion's pimp, has absolutely no redeeming qualities about him. The same can be said for the wardens of the prison that Tyrone and Harry end up in.

** Regarding Burstyn losing to Roberts, you can chalk it up to Burstyn having won decades previously for AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore, and Roberts being at the peak of her career and up til then unlauded for it. That's just [[ConsolationAward how the Oscars work]]. The snubs of other categories, however, are outrageous.

** She is also a loving mother who genuinely cares greatly for her son, and this love seems to extend to Marion (whom she fantasizes about marrying her son, implying that she already thinks of Marion like a daughter and feels that Marion is a good match for him).

* OneSceneWonder: Christopher McDonald as Tappy Tibbots. He filmed all his scenes in one day and the cast gave him a well-earned round of applause.

* TheWoobie: Besides, you know, ''everyone'', [[BreakTheCutie Sara]] in particular comes off as the most sympathetic, having never gotten involved with the drug trade and simply wanting to have something to live for again. She plays the most part of a victim, being neglected by her son and doctor and appearing generally unhappy and lonely even before ItGetsWorse. Especially since she only wanted to lose weight and wasn't trying to get high in the first place.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: Used really oddly to highlight decidedly unawesome events.

* Narm: The excessive cuts, overly dramatic music and oddly music video feel of some scenes can make them a bit hard to take seriously.

* AwardSnub: Ellen Burstyn's heartbreaking performance as Sara lost the Academy Award for Best Actress to... '''Julia Roberts''' in ''Erin Brockovich''. And the film didn't get a single other nomination, not even for Original Score, Cinematography, or Film Editing.
** Regarding Burstyn losing to Roberts, you can chalk it up to Burstyn having won decades previously for AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore, and Roberts being at the peak of her career and up til then unlauded for it. That's just how the Oscars work. The snubs of other categories, however, are outrageous.
*** Particularly the score. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjWHlKAsBNA This]], just listen to it. This track is not merely very good, it has become part of the musical lexicon on a scale comparable with [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT7_Y1pIBb4 Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik]].

* HilariousInHindsight: Dylan Baker playing a doctor who is involved in an amputation? Wouldn't be the [[Spider-man last time]].

* Narm: The excessive cuts, overly dramatic music and oddly music video feel of some scenes can make Them a bit hard to take seriously.

*** Particularly the score in my opinion. I mean come on, how did [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjWHlKAsBNA this]] not merit at least a nomination?

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: DrugsAreBad. Full stop.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: Then this film is a masterpiece.

* AwardSnub: Ellen Burstyn's heartbreaking performance as Sarah lost the Academy Award for Best Actress to... '''Julia Roberts''' in ''Erin Brockovich''. And the film didn't get a single other nomination, not even for Original Score, Cinematography, or Film Editing.

* TearJerker: Special mention goes to Sarah's monologue about growing old. Notice how the camera seems to move out of focus? It's because the lens was fogging up because ''the cameraman was tearing up.''

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: Pretty much the entire second half of the movie, once the consequences of addiction kick in.
** The whole movie could apply to some, though most of it falls into {{Tearjerker}} territory. The real HONF here is Sara's descent into madness over the course of Fall and Winter. This sequence gives us such gems as Sara's POV of the world, which is menacing in every possible aspect, a refrigerator coming to life to eat her complete with loud, startling banging sounds, a TV personality emerging from the TV as a bizarre being made of static and mocking her, and the simple, horrific image of a completely fucked up Sara walking down a sidewalk in broad daylight. That last one also serves as the first image seen during the Winter segment, just to make sure you knew what the last third of the movie was about to be like.

** The ending.

* MemeticMutation “So what do you want?” "Ass to ass." "ASS TO ASS!"

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The film's use of the "hip hop montage", a series of rapid cuts accompanied by sound effects, looks normal now, despite the fact that this was the film that popularised its use (Aronofsky previously used it in ''{{Pi}}''.) This extends to the point where ''TheSimpsons'' used a similar montage to show Homer's reaction to eating a McRib sandwich, which McDonalds themselves then copied for a bacon wrap ad.