In a good movie, the hero faces difficulties that the audience can recognize and identify with, and he overcomes them through his own strength and tenacity. That's in a good movie. In a bad movie -- say, Patch Adams, to choose one example purely at random -- the hero faces obstacles that are contrived and fake and bear no resemblance to real life, even if they give him the opportunity to show how awesome he is in defeating them.

Smart audiences see through the ruse. They say, "Why should I…