The 1999 “sex film” Quentin Tarantino is proud to say he’s never seen: “I became a punk about missing it”
Quentin Tarantino has revealed he has never seen Stanley Kubrick's 1999 film Eyes Wide Shut, and has taken a stubborn pride in avoiding it, despite being widely regarded as one of cinema's most knowledgeable directors. The admission is notable given Tarantino's evident debt to Kubrick, whose film The Killing directly influenced Reservoir Dogs, yet the filmmaker has never fully embraced Kubrick's work and has also voiced criticism of A Clockwork Orange.
Speaking to author Bret Easton Ellis, Tarantino explained that after initially missing the film on release he "became kind of a punk about missing it," admitting he dismissed it as "a sex film by an 80-year-old man who can't get it up anymore" and calling his own remark "an asshole thing to say." In fact, Kubrick was 70, not 80, when he died in March 1999, four months before Eyes Wide Shut premiered in the US. Tarantino has previously admitted to avoiding other acclaimed films, including The Sound of Music and any Toy Story sequel beyond the third instalment.
- Tarantino admits he's never watched Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut
- He dismissed it as a "sex film" by an elderly director
- Kubrick was actually 70, not 80, when he died
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Filmmakers develop strongest work through independent creative instincts rather than canonical deference. Tarantino's later self-awareness about his dismissive remark shows genuine artistic autonomy, and his originality often stems from knowing what he wants to create without being constrained by what others deem essential viewing.
The case against
A filmmaker celebrated for deep cinema knowledge has intellectual obligation to engage seriously with acknowledged influences like Kubrick, especially when drawing on their work. Deliberately avoiding and dismissing a film one hasn't seen represents performative rebellion rather than principled artistic independence.