I'm in a quandary.
I have list of movies that are must-see movies. There can only be 2 per year.
The "must-see" notion is a combination of best (whatever that means at the time), and most influential. Perhaps if there is a singular advance or adventure, it may qualify.
This surely is one of the most influential movies ever made. It spawned an industry that is larger than movies. That industry literally drove the market for recorded movies and then became the backbone of the web.
It also plays a role a significant one in changing attitudes about sex acts, and became a focus for the religious nuts and feminist movement. And there's a side note about the name being used in the greatest political scandal until recent times.
So, surely this has to be on any list of influential movies. But the funny thing is that there is no value in actually watching it. The interaction with it as a movie has no relationship to its importance as a movie.
Rather than recommend watching this, I'd recommend "Inside Deep Throat," except that does a less than stellar job itself.
An amazing thing this: an important film not worth watching.
Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.