The Results of Slate's Reader Survey on The Longest Unwatched Netflix Rental

More than 1,000 people responded to Slate's request for stories about the longest movie you've ever held from Netflix, A Very Long Engagement.

Slate readers, I'm afraid I've got some bad news: You don't care about Africa as much as you think you do. Last week, I asked you to reveal what Netflix rental has languished on your coffee table the longest without getting watched. More than 1,000 of you sent in e-mails confessing to having sat for days, weeks, months, and even years on everything from All About Eve to Z, the Oscar-winning French drama starring Yves Montand. Renee from North Carolina has conceived and carried a child to term in the time since Fracture, the Anthony Hopkins thriller, arrived in its red envelope. ("I'm sure it's very good, I really want to watch it," she writes.)

The movies most people had trouble watching? Hotel Rwanda, followed by Schindler's List. (both are quite good, and I highly recommend watching them).

I rented The Passion of the Christ three times, and I still haven't seen it.

Tip: If you don't watch a movie within a week, just send it back and get something you'll watch. You can always rent the movie again, and you'll stop suffering from "Netflix Guilt."

Thanks to Anna and Juliet for sending this in.

Comments

[Matthew]

Oh my God. How spoiled are people that they are renting discs and leaving them sitting for years without watching them?! Add this to my list of reasons to hate other people.

I guess the movie I passed judgement on the quickest (Because I am not a moron who would leave it sitting for two years before deciding to watch the rest) was Blood Diamond. Maybe I was in the wrong mood for it, but I got a few minutes in, and saw kids dying, and that was enough for me. I hope I didn't rate it, because I sent it right back. I can see that Hotel Rwanda and Shindler's List would be the same way. No one wants to watch something so realistic about kids and innocent people dying. Not even so you can tell your friends you are cultured and a cinephile.

[Anna]

I was one of those people that had "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" sitting there for awhile. After two months, I just watched it on Wednesday and thought it was beautifully done.

[Robert Martin]

thinks, "this film will tell me about the death of innocents, and may inform me of what should be done about it...since I know I'm not about to do anything, I will just feel guilty. This is a bad movie that should not be watched."

[Karva]

The longest time for me is probably only a few days. My budget is too tight to waste money like that.

[suze]

I've had The Lives of Others at home since July 2nd. Have made no effort to watch it because I started marathoning all five seasons of The Wire instead. Omar Little owns me.

[Kris]

I too don't keep movies out long, because it increases the cost per disc that month.

So if I just don't want to watch a particular movie after all (last night it was Towards Darkness, wasn't in the mood), I sample it and send it back the next day.

I figure I can catch it someday on HBO or Showtime or wherever, assuming my mood changes. (In HD, yet, though if I don't particularly want to see it on a regular disc, HD doesn't make it more exciting.

[ralphdaily]

My wife and I keep all our Netflix dvds unopened by the television and pick one when we want to watch. The rule is either watch or send back. They don't sit there.

[corvette-lady]

I sent my movies back as soon as I watch them. I figure someone somewhere would might like to see it.

[Throttled by Netflix]

Just holding on to DVDs and not sending them back is a real douche move.
Not only does it screw other people out of getting the DVD if Netflix has limited copies, but it is a waste of money.

[jimofoz]

Makes you wonder how many of the DVDs I have with an Expected Availability of Long Wait or Very Long Wait are sitting on someone's TV under an inch of dust?

[kh]

Here's another question, if anyone dares to answer: what's the longest you've kept a movie *after* watching it, just out of sheer laziness or forgetfulness? (I thought about this because I forgot to mail one today).

[Metoo]

I'm usually fairly snappy about sending back because I'm on the one-disc plan and I want to get my money's worth each month. The one time I did it was with Munich. I like the cast, but I have a problem with 3-hour movies. I never want to put the time into them.

[Quint]

You don't care about Africa as much as you think you do.

Yeah, I'll try not to lose any sleep over that.

[Im Not A Turnip]

ralphdaily said "My wife and I keep all our Netflix dvds unopened by the television and pick one when we want to watch."

TIP: Open them immediately just to make sure none of the discs are cracked. That way you can send the damaged disc back BEFORE you are disappointed to find something is unplayable.

[mike.]

Triply-ironically, the movie that I've held onto longest is, in fact, "A Very Long Engagement", which I held onto for over a month before finally sending it back, unwatched. Of course, the first thing that went through my head was, Why did I hold onto this disc so long?

Before and since, I watch everything and mail them back in a timely manner, but should this ever happen again, I'm gonna have to remember: if you've been sitting on it for a whole week, you're probably not ever gonna watch it.

[mike.]

On a semi-related note, every last title on my queue is now listed as "Very Long Wait". I am certain that this couldn't possibly be the case, and it certainly didn't look like this last time I checked (maybe two days ago). Is this a systemwide glitch, or just me?

[moviemeh]

Mike, it's definitely not just you. Seems to be affecting me and the other person I had check.

[Roy Watts]

I think the longest time I held a movie from Netflix was about 8 months. I can't recall the title because this was several years ago but it was a foreign title and I couldn't muster the energy to concentrate on subtitles during that period. In my defense, I have to say that I was a customer from the 96931 zip code (Guam) and shipping took about a week one way so returning a dvd and getting it's replacement took about two weeks.