Underrated/overrated

What are two movies that stand out for you as being underrated and overrated, and why?

Troll

While by no means a movie masterpiece, this neat little fantasy-horror has some cool fx for its time, decent acting, humor, and even some touching moments. If you mention the sequel I will hurt you.


The Godfather

Yes. The Godfather. Not a bad film at all, but way too hyped, slow-moving, pretentious in its ponderous gravitas and romanticizing of its subject. I would rather watch Goodfellas any day.

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#31 on SC's Top 100 Mofos list!!

There's plenty of overrated/underrated threads on the site, Deadite. Search for one of those or, maybe, one of the mods could merge the threads.

Doh!

So I'm not seeing where all the underrated/overrated discussion is going on...

Could a helpful mod merge this with a recently active thread of that type?

Well have lots of threads about each, but I'm not sure if we have one that specifically stipulates listing one of each. If you want to be that specific I guess we could let this thread stand. If not, I can point you to a few of each and you can decide if you want to post in each. What do you think?

This guy's kinda funny.

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

ps...if I have to mention a movie that I felt was overrated--way overrated--it would be Pulp Fiction. I never saw such a pointless glorification of violence. And even having watched it twice, I have to ask myself, what am I not getting. It's awful, but for some reason, it was touted by everyone as the movie of the century. Really? I don't get it.

Really? Who said that?

you need to pay attention Harry!

I would prefer that my precious thread not be assimilated by the collective but instead be allowed to stand or fall on its own merits.

This thread has made me realise that while I can think of a dozen "overrated" movies off the top of my head, I actually struggle to think of one that I consider underrated.

Two most overrated films I've seen in my life:

Gosford Park and The Town.

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"It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men." -- Samuel Adams (1722-1803)

Overrated: Juno.

I don't find it clever or heartwarming at all. I cannot stand this film at all.

Underrated: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

I find it to be a lot of fun.

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

Overrated: Singin' in The Rain

I don't dislike it but I feel that nostalgia and the classic dance sequences have clouded people's judgements a bit. The dance sequences are great (and I feel that Donald O'Connor deserved more recognition, because he was superb) but the film as a whole is flimsy. The characters are cardboard and the dialogue is not as witty as it could have been. The plot (star with horrible voice gets dubbed by an unknown, who has a lovely voice and is prettier than the star) has now become cliche (though there is a neat twist in that the film is about the advent of talkies). It's worth watching but if you took out the song and dance routines, you'd have a standard film. And I don't go in for the idea that a musical doesn't need a good plot.

Underrated: This Property is Condemned

It's not exactly a jolly film but Natalie Wood is just brilliant as Alma, who longs to escape her small-town life and reputation as simply being the town flirt, but only manages to escape in her world of fantasy. Robert Redford is similarly good as the man who calls her out on it. The Depression era has never been so depressing and tragic.

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You cannot have it both ways. A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love can never be a great dancer. Never. (The Red Shoes, 1948)

All the films "You" like are overrated.

All the films "I" like are underrated.

Nespa?

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Any film with Julia Louis-Dreyfus running around semi-naked can't be all that bad.



Featuring award winning actor Michael Moriarty, Congressman Sonny Bono, the mom from Lost in Space, June Lockhart, and Charlie's Angels, Shelley Hack.

...Troll 2 was better.

You can probably thank the Internet for that. Hidden gems don't stay easily hidden any more, and even cult classics have morphed into something else entirely.

Underrated: Ang Lee's Hulk

Overrated: Well where do I start? At this point in time i'm thinking Requiem For A Dream

Completely agree with this. I was putting together a list of "forgotten 90's gems" last year and, while putting the list together, realised that pretty much all of them could be agrued against, as the net's so wide and deep, there'd be plenty of talk about each of them. Wonderful for finding/seeing them, but the pleasure of just 'happening' upon something wonderful seems to be a thing of the past. For me, anyway. You can't have your cake and eat it.

As I'm in this thread, I'll throw a couple out.

Overrated: Gladiator (sorry Miss Vicky)

Underrated: Clueless