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So, here’s a handy thing to know.

Next time you’re deciding whether or not to watch a movie, don’t take the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes at face value.

Especially if the movie is made by women or for women.

You see, good ole’ Rotten Tomatoes is a wee bit sexist as 75 per cent of the approved critics are actually male.

Yep, three quarters of the people who decide whether a movie is worth watching aremen.

I learnt this lil’ fact on Sunday when I attended the live show of the Triple J podcastBang On.

The hosts Zan Rowe and Myf Warhurst were discussing the new movieA Bad Moms Christmasand how they almost didn’t see it because it only got 29 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

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“Everybody take the biggest grain of salt when you’re looking at Rotten Tomatoes,” Rowe explained on stage. “The site has huge influence on what people decide to watch and 75 per cent of the reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes are male.”

“They’re the people who have been credited not just random people who can submit a review, but the actual critics who are approved on that site,” she explained.

Rowe then went on to explain that men “aren’t going to like Bad Moms 2”.

“It’s always worth remembering who’s actually deciding whether this is a story worth telling,” she said. “I think if there were a few more women reviewing for Rotten Tomatoes it would have pushed it up a bit.”

Intrigued, I decided to put my investigative hat on (spotlight journalism, guys, spotlight journalism) and have a lil’ dig around Rotten Tomatoes.

They were right –A Bad Moms Christmasis currently sitting at 28 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, despite the fact that every woman who has seen it, bloody loved it.

I then decided to compare “women’s movies” with “men’s movies” of the same calibre.

Rough Nightscored a measly 45 per cent whileThe Hangoverwas recommended by 79 per cent of the critics.

Due Datea ~ pretty crappy ~ movie starring Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifianakis got a 40 per cent rating on the site. WhileHot Pursuitstarring Reese Witherspoon,which some may refer to as an equally crappy movie, only scored seven per cent.

Overall, action movies or romantic comedies starring men score higher than romantic comedies or dramas centred around a female character.

So proceed with caution, ladies, that lil’ round red or smashed green tomato might not be always telling you the whole truth.

Love movies and TV? Listen to the latest episode of The Binge.

To read more from Keryn Donnelly, follow her on Facebook.

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