Film is an art itself, so I don't understand why the review is discussing art vs melodrama, they are not contrasting terms.

"To ask for anything else is to desire to watch a different kind of movie."

Well, couldn't that be said about any movie then? MacDowell is making the assumption that this is the exact movie Aronofsky wanted to make, that he was 100% in charge of every aspect of the filmmaking and succeeded in his attempt.

This movie WAS asked to be taken seriously. Look at how it was marketed; everything from the poster to the trailers implied that this was high art -- an Oscar contender from the get-go. There was no camp value attached to this until after people watched it and tried to justify their reaction to it.

Somehow this movie had that "it's supposed to be good" stigma attached to it. We were led to believe that this would be a great psychological thriller, and yes, that's what we would expect from a talented director like Darren Aronofsky. But even the greatest directors fail sometimes.

I didn't desire to watch a different kind of movie, I desired to watch a good movie.

Scott, I think you were right in your first impression of Black Swan. In fact, I think you were too kind. I thought this movie promised a lot but was ultimately a big letdown.