Movies That Got a Bad Rap (and Were Not That Awful!)
Movie Critics and audiences love to trash a big Hollywood turkey. It’s fun to join the mob kicking the hell out of movie stars and directors for blowing a big budget. Sometimes after the rocks have been thrown and the mob has wandered off it’s interesting to see which films were not nearly as bad as the reviews. Here are some that may be worth giving a second chance.
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1. Ishtar
One of– if not THE most maligned films of all time. Is it a good film? Well, no. Yet the early early part of Ishtar is a great comedy. The early scenes of Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as two talentless but ambitious song writers is flat out Spinal Tap funny. Does the film fall apart after they get to Ishtar and the movie becomes a CIA romp? Sure but not nearly as awful as the critics would have you believe.
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2. Hudson Hawk
Hudson Hawk is closer to Bugs Bunny than it is to Die Hard. Willis had just come off Bonfire of the Vanities and this was considered the star’s “vanity project” so of course the critics had their knives sharpened. If you come into the film thinking James Coburn in “In like Flynt” or Dean Martin as Matt Helm you just may have a good time. Willis and Danny Aiello have real chemistry and Richard E Grant and Sandra Bernhard are hilarious one percenters hell bent on world domination.
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3. Mars Attacks
Some movies that annoy you at the theater can make you laugh at home. Tim Burton takes loving shots at 1950s
Sci Fi movies in this big budget 1990s Sci Fi Movie. Yes, watching Jack Black getting killed while his parents watch on TV is cruel if you take the film seriously; so don’t take it that way. Having Slim Whitman music save the day is dumb but so was having bacteria win “War of the Worlds”.
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4. Cloud Atlas
Based on the best selling book of the same name that people believed to be unfilmable. The Wachowski’s took up the challenge and created a film spanning thousands of years with multiple intertwining storylines that is much better than critics would have you believe. Maybe it was just filed under confusing because people didn’t want to put any effort into understanding the film and its message. Much better than the reviews bashing it, Cloud Atlas is unlike other films.
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5. Wild Things
Wild Things was salacious, raunchy, and above all fun. But it’s always been lumped in with run-of-the-mill shlock skinemax movies, no thanks to the two unwatchable direct-to-DVD sequels. The original has its merits, though. A sleazy, white trash noir film set in Florida dealing with threesomes, scumbagery and double cross after double cross, “Wild Things” is so much better than you’ve heard. Any movie with Bill Murray playing a ambulance chasing lawyer can’t be all bad.
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6. Encino Man
Sean Astin, Paulie Shore and a then-unknown Brandon Frasier starred in what could only be labeled a teen-caveman comedy. Plenty of people hate all three of these guys and write this movie off as plain stupid and obviously unbelievable. But give it a chance, it actually does have a heart underneath its ridiculous premise.
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7. Hook
Steven Spielberg got trashed for “Hook”. It was given bad reviews by everyone from Roger Ebert to Peter Travers. It was called a “day-glo mess” and “weirdly creepy”. What “Hook” should have been called was the next Willy Wonka. “Hook” had a great team with Robin Williams perfectly cast as a boy who never grows up, plus Maggie Smith, Arthur Malet, Bob Hoskins and one of the best children’s villains of all time, Dustin Hoffman who nailed it as Captain Hook. Amazing and beautiful sets and special effects too. “Hook” was sweet and joyful and should have become a children’s tradition that is watched every year.
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8. The Man Who Knew Too Little
“The Man Who Knew Too Little” never gets mentioned when talking about Bill Murray’s film resume. This film should be at the top of the list of the spy comedy genre. Murray, as Wallace Ritchie the naive American mistaken for an international spy, takes this movie well beyond just slapstick gags that most spy comedies depend on. “The Man Who Knew Too Little” just proves that Bill Murray can make us laugh doing anything, even if it’s a crazy Russian dance. As good as he is playing sarcastic know-it-all characters, he’s equally genius in the this movie, playing the sweet, childlike, hysterical rube.
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9. The Cable Guy
“The Cable Guy” came out to rough reviews, that it seemed like Jim Carrey and director Ben Stiller wouldn’t have been allowed to work again. After coming off doing “The Mask” and the Ace Ventura movies, Carrey went hysterically dark for “The Cable Guy”. Plus, “The Cable Guy” gave us an early look at Jack Black and also at Owen Wilson whose character didn’t even have a name. “The Cable Guy” was a great psychotic comedy and one of Jim Carrey’s best.
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10. Hot Rod
A comedy that should have joined the ranks of Superbad Knocked Up, and Anchorman, but unfortunately never made the cut. Brett Michel of the Boston Phoenix wrote, “The results are barely worth an illegal download.” Yikes. But, the star-studded cast, hilarious Jackass-style wipeouts, and killer soundtrack make this movie worth at least a rental on iTunes. Hot Rod is said to be overly silly and juvenile. Too bad, because Hot Rod’s ridiculousness is exactly what makes it so great. Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, and Will Arnett star in the movie, bringing the quote-worthy script to life with good timing, stunts, and witty improv.
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11. Taking Woodstock
The most widely criticized aspect of Taking Woodstock is that it apparently lacks the excitement and energy of the original concert. Upon further investigation, this point seems invalid because the movie is not actually the original concert, but is instead a behind-the-scenes perspective on how the event took place. Taking Woodstock illustrates an interesting true story behind the most famous concert of all time, and it’s impossible not to love Demetri Martin’s character as he finds himself through the planning and execution ofWoodstock. It’s worth seeing if only for the reason that it features stunningly accurate recreations of the scenes, people, and costume of the time. The attention to detail in the movie is amazing, and makes the viewer nostalgic for a time he or she may have never experienced. Taking Woodstock is light and fun, and would be appreciated by anyone with an even slight interest in the monumental concert in 1969.
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