Let's put the most self-deprecating spin possible on this: I have a undoubtably juvenile preference for movies with likeable characters prevailing under difficult circumnstances. I'm probably less patient than I should be in watching lengthy scenes that don't fill a clear purpose, plot advancement, character development, or just show-off cinematography. And, while I don't have major problems with following disjointed timelines and tenuous relationships between far-flung settings and characters, I'd prefer that the movie have some discernable reason for doing that sort of thing.
So, mea culpa, I didn't like Babel all that much. It's Oscar-nominated. The current top user comment on IMDB deems it "Thoughtful, edgy, engaging and ambiguous." So I'm a Philistine: I own Shrek on DVD, and I spent just about every one of the 142 minutes watching Babel wishing I were watching Shrek instead.