They say there's no accounting for taste, but that doesn't stop people from trying to understand why we like the things we do.
Netflix uses a computer program called Cinematch to guess whether you'll like a movie. After you rate several movies, Cinematch generates suggestions from among films you haven't rated. Amazon and other retailers use similar programs to try to anticipate user tastes.
According to a recent article in The New York Times, the folks at Netflix have offered a $1 million prize to any programmer who can improve Cinematch's predictive ability by 10 percent. Thus far nobody has claimed the prize, in part because of what one of the programmers called the "Napoleon Dynamite problem."
Napoleon Dynamite generates extreme ratings from users: People either love it or hate it. Even folks who agree on many other movies often disagree about Jon Heder's breakthrough film. This is a problem for Netflix, because ultimately Cinematch determines its predictions based on a comparison between viewer ratings.
Cinematch does not really know anything about your personal taste. It can only guess what you'll like in relation to what other people have liked. If you and I have given five stars to a lot of the same movies, Cinematch guesses you'll like other movies I've rated highly.
This works pretty well up to a point, but nobody has claimed the $1 million because when we rate movies "Loved it" or "Hated it," we do not reveal why we liked or hated the film. Even folks who agree on a lot of films can disagree about some others.
For example, I can't stand Rushmore. This is baffling to some of my friends who love the movie and whose tastes in movies are usually similar to mine. Netflix's guess was that I'd rate the movie with four stars, but I give it a one - I hated it.
Why do I hate Rushmore? I find the lead character annoying and unlikable, I think the music cues are emotionally manipulative, and I think the plot is either boring or ridiculous.
Yet I've liked other movies with disagreeable protagonists, pointed soundtracks and absurd stories. Based on films I like and on films friends of mine like, I should like Rushmore - but I really, really don't.
The appeal of a film, book or work of art is something that can't be quantified or measured. We can love or hate a movie without being able to articulate exactly what we love or hate about it.
I don't think Cinematch will ever be "perfected" because the vagaries of aesthetic appeal will trump a computer algorithm every time.
The chief executive of Netflix seems certain that improving Cinematch by 10 percent would be worth more than $1 million to the company, but I'm not sure why. I suspect most people use Netflix because it is convenient, not because Cinematch suggests good movies for them.
Movies are exciting and entertaining precisely because of the unpredictable and unexpected. Retailers may want to predict my taste with 100 percent accuracy, but I'd rather movies to continue to surprise me.
Jeremy Sullivan is a doctoral candidate studying American history. He can be reached at sullivandbk@gmail.com.
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