⭐letterboxd rating scale and jargon, explained for normal people

for the friend who got a Letterboxd account and now needs a translator.

Never miss an update

This list changes over time. Get a short email when it does.

At most one short email a week. Unfollow in one click.

★★★★★ (5 stars)

means whatever the reviewer decides. some rate for quality, some for enjoyment - no shared standard, so context is everything.

half stars (the .5s)

a lot of people skip these out of habit and round to a whole star instead. when someone does use 3.5 it basically means good, not great.

Diary

logging a rewatch

there's a literal rewatch toggle on the log entry. people who actually use it constantly are the ones worth following for recs.

"it's a bit of a slow burn"

translation: nothing happens for the first hour. can be a compliment or a warning depending entirely on tone.

"this is a Bergman"

shorthand for slow, austere, emotionally bleak, arthouse. said with either total reverence or total sarcasm, you have to read the room.

"the vibes were immaculate"

plot didn't really work but the movie felt incredible to sit through. extremely common under A24 reviews specifically.

"camp"

so over the top it loops back around to good, whether or not the movie meant to be funny.

"prestige horror"

horror with an arthouse visual style, usually said by someone slightly embarrassed to admit they like horror.

"no notes"

perfect, don't ask me to explain further. the review equivalent of a mic drop.

"the sound design was doing a lot of work"

the movie had one thing going for it and it wasn't the script.

Year in Review ("Letterboxd Wrapped")

the December feature everyone screenshots. genuinely how most people find out a friend watched 200 movies this year.

"I fear this might be a me problem"

everyone else loved it and you didn't, said before the pitchforks show up in the replies.

watched vs. liked (the heart icon)

you can mark something watched without liking it. the heart is the real endorsement, the checkmark is just bookkeeping.

Or start a list of your own. Free, it takes a minute.

Related lists