A list of the longest standing ovations in Cannes history is utterly chaotic
A Twitter user has reminded us of the outrageously long standing ovations at Cannes Film Festival, several of which have gone over 15 minutes!
Recommended VideosAttendees of the festival, which is running until May 28, traditionally honor films with ovations. In theory, the longer the ovation, the better the movie. That doesn’t bear out in practice, however, as the list of the longest Cannes standing ovations is filled with oddities.
A reminder of the longest #Cannes standing ovations by minutes:
1. PAN’S LABYRINTH – 22
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) May 20, 2022
2. FAHRENHEIT 9/11 – 20
3. MUD – 18
4. THE NEON DEMON – 17
5. CAPERNAUM – 15
6. THE PAPERBOY – 15
7. BELLE – 14
8. BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE – 13
9. THE ARTIST – 12
10. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS – 11
Sure, number one is Pan’s Labyrinth, arguably the most celebrated dark fantasy film of the 21st century, but is it worth 22 minutes of sustained, elevated applause? Some Twitter users don’t think that any film deserves an ovation that long.
How does anyone clap for more than 2 minutes?
— Roman Arbisi (@ArbisiRoman) May 21, 2022
Imagine actually clapping for 22 minutes 💀💀
— Brendan Kraus (@brendan_kraus) May 21, 2022
Does a standard ovation consist of just standing and clapping? Because most of these on the list are great movies, but I just couldn’t imagine clapping for 22 minutes. Can I tap out and tap back in?
— Antonio Soprano (@hayden_petty) May 20, 2022
Michael Moore has two films in the top 10, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine, both of which were critical successes, but the same can’t be said for The Neon Demon and The Paperboy. The former received mixed reviews, while the latter was a critical bomb, earning 45 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes.
THE PAPERBOY receiving a 15-minute standing ovation at *Cannes* is my favorite thing that’s ever happened
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) May 20, 2022
The Neon Demon getting applauded for 17 minutes fucking rules.
— jade give two rides (@aChairOverThere) May 21, 2022
How the heck did The Neon Demon get a 17 minute ovation??
— Eric Turpel (@SpiffDico) May 21, 2022
Mud, Capernaum, Belle, The Artist, and Inglourious Basterds are generally beloved, but Twitter users are torn on whether several-minute ovations were appropriate for any of them.
BELLE 👏👏👏
— Conor Holt (@conor_holt) May 20, 2022
basterds should've been longer smh
— 🃏cameron -▄︻̷̿┻̿═━一 🅴 (@colonelfuckass) May 21, 2022
Mud getting 18 minutes is cool
— Matthew D'Souza (@OceanSage771) May 21, 2022
Jesus. After a full minute, doesn’t matter how good a movie is, I’d be like “we’re still doing this? Cmon” lol
— Kyle Unger (@ungerkyle) May 20, 2022
Other films that received an extra long ovation but didn’t make the list include Foxcatcher (eight minutes), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (seven minutes), and Inside Llewyn Davis (five minutes). At this year’s festival, the Indian biopic Rocketry: The Nambi Effect entered the elite 10-minute ovation club.
If you’re attending Cannes, make sure to lotion your hands and stretch your legs before each screening, then. Who knows which film you’ll be compelled to stand and clap for.
