Last Friday, I got talked into seeing Wild Hogs with my mother and her best friend, and… I laughed my heinie off. Now, considering I just giggled as I typed the word heinie (and then again when I went to dictionary.com to check its spelling), I recognize that my taste isn’t exactly infallible. But I do believe that this movie is legitimately funny. And that I should have had more faith in William H. Macy. And that maybe I shouldn’t have let 10 years pass between watching Martin Lawrence (pictured) movies.
Assuming you’re all still reading (Michael Slezak, you breathing?), here’s this week’s question: Which movie do you genuinely believe is underrated? We’re not talking guilty pleasures.* We already covered those in PopWatch Confessional (Vol. 
. (Special shout-out to my Troop Beverly Hills homies.) We’re talking about the sleepers that you think succeeded in their genre but haven’t gotten their critical or commercial due. As always, I offer a few to get you thinking:
- Nothing to Lose. Otherwise known as the last Martin Lawrence movie I saw in theaters. My friend and I had an unintentional private screening. Are we the only ones who think Lawrence and Tim Robbins made a great buddy pic?
- One Fine Day. As far as romantic comedies go, this Michelle Pfeiffer/George Clooney one is top notch. Right up there with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman’s While You Were Sleeping.
- Speed How did they make a bus thriller work? Almost as surprising? That intense opening mountain scene in Sylvester Stallone’s Cliffhanger.
Your turn.
* Yes, "guilty pleasure" is a relative term, but seeing what people don’t consider guilty should be half the fun. My friend Tamara pre-nominated Overboard (borderline but acceptable) and Grease 2. Come on, now. While I’d rather watch it than the original, Maxwell Caulfield wears a gold biker suit and sings from the presume dead while standing on the top of a junk pile. GUILTY. My friend Eva, however, went with Final Destination and Josie and the Pussycats (both sanctioned), but thought She’s the Man was guilty. NOT GUILTY!
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The Mummy. Great casting and very entertaining. I don’t know why more people don’t enjoy for the fun, action movie that it is.
One that’s pretty fresh in my mind is Art School Confidential. I almost gave it a pass since it got such bad reviews, but because I liked Zwigoff’s Ghost World so much, I tried it out and was pleasantly surprised. Also, the Strangers with Candy movie was hilarious, (but maybe it’s like the Kids in the Hall movie, it’s funnier if you’ve never seen the original show).
hmmm…..’Drop Dead Gogeous’ is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen
Cruel Intentions. Great writing and acting plus a cameo by Joshua Jackson. Highly underrated in my opinion.
Cruel Intentions. Great writing and acting plus a cameo by Joshua Jackson. Highly underrated in my opinion.
Mumford. Great cast, solid script, but is completely underappreciated.
Evita by Madonna!
She rocked in that role, too bad she didn’t market the whole musical thing.
Everytime Evita (Madge) goes out to the balcony, after she gets sick and tells the Argentine people she’s going to die, I sing right along with her.
“I want to tell the people, of Argentina…”
…and then again when Evita’s on her death bed and that porcelen tooth shines in the spot light and she sings…
“…the choice was mine and mine completeleee, I could have any prize, that I desired, oh would good would 60, 70eee beee, I saw the light and I was on my way…but how I lived…(cry) how I shown, but how soon the lights were gone…
OOH MY GOD, even as I type that I start to cry!
Viva Madge/Evita!
oh…and “A Life Less Ordinary” which i love
Undercover Brother…. extremely funny! It didn’t do well at the box office, but critics liked it. What a great film.
Fantastic Four. It was a commercial success, but the critics and fanboys bashed it. I think it was the best superhero movie for the complete family. My family is looking forward to the sequel more than they are Spider-man 3. The other comic book movies just get too violent and scary for kids (Hello Spider-Man, Superman Returns, and Batman Begins). Good clean fun.
Rock Star – great music, funny as hell, and completely underrated. I defy anyone to distinguish Steel Dragon songs from any other 80’s hair band hit.
‘Long Kiss Goodnight’-one of the best action movies ever, and it was shredded critically.
‘The Ref’-flopped, but it’s one of the funniest, nastiest comedies ever
‘Meet Joe Black’-plays better on TV-really romantic and sweet, and how gorgeous is Claire Forlani in it?!
EUROTRIP – Quite possibly one of the funniest movies in recent memory, yet no one’s seen it.
Death Becomes Her: Dark brilliance from every aspect!
A few films comes to mind
the was this cool movie i saw in the 80s back in 1984 or 85, it was a flop but i always thought it was cool…Night of the Comet….another movie that is totally different is Frankie and Johnie with Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino…lastly Romie and Michelle’s High School Reunion always makes me laugh out loud
Death to Smoochie. I’ve actually watched it a couple of time (my boyfriend owns it). It’s insane, and so funny. I kid you not.
Oh, and I totally second The Mummy. One of the funnest movies ever, and totally underrated.
GALAXY QUEST — As a person who can barely tolerate Star Wars and Star Trek, Galaxy Quest had me laughing from beginning to end. The writing is awesome and all the actors (yes, even Tim Allen) do a great job at delivering their lines…
The Emperor’s New Groove. Not hated, but not given the respect (in my opinion) it deserves for being flat-out-gonzo-hilarious.
“Why do we even have that lever?”
This catagory has already been retired by Manhunter, the 1986 Michael Mann film featuring William Peterson from CSI as the detective (and total bada$$ in the movie) who finally caught Hannibal Lecter. Lecter is played by Brian Cox in a performance many think was better then Anthony Hopkins (it’s true, watch for yourself and see). No one knew about the movie when it was released, but it’s one of the all time great crime movies ever made…..ever. And please, spare me the remake (Red Dragon) with Ed Norton in his worst role ever, Hopkins camping it up as a totally un-scary Lecter, and Ralph Fiennes as….I’m not even really sure what hes attempting to do in that movie. Anyway, watch Manhunter and you’ll never hear “Inna Gadda Da Vida” the same ever again!!
Drive Me Crazy – as far as the teen rom coms go, it’s no 10 Things I Hate About You but it certainly holds up on repeated viewings far better than She’s All That or Get Over It. The screenplay is by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, Adrien Grenier is really charming and the soundtrack is a great mix of pop hits and more indie fare.
I also thought Dangerous Beauty was lovely and well acted (so nice to see Rufus Sewell as the romatic lead instead of the bad guy) and yet no one I know has ever heard of it.
I totally agree Drop Dead Gorgeous was a GREAT film!! And I actually hate Dunst and Richards so that should tell you something
Saved! One of my all time faves. The critics liked it but no one has seen this movie. I watch it all the time and laugh out loud no matter how many times I hear the jokes… but I confess I might appreciate the humor a bit more because of nine years at catholic school.
“xXx: State of the Union” is an underrated action movie. It doesn’t have all the completely outlandish crap of the first one, and the plot kinda makes sense for an action movie that features gratuitous “Pimp My Ride” shout-outs.
I love “Black Widow,” an underrated 1987 film noir directed by Bob Rafelson of “Five Easy Pieces” fame.
You almost never see crime stories in which the primary antagonists are women. In this case, federal agent Debra Winger is pitted against Theresa Russell as a woman who apparently kills her husbands for the money.
This movie always reminds me of how much I miss Winger and Russell, who were quite sensational back in the day!
Mixed Nuts-Nora Ephrons’-Steve Martin comedy about a suicide hotline facility on x-mas in Cali. Liev Schreiber is in drag! Adam Sandler before Happy Gilmore! A roller blading Jon Stewart and Parker Posey! So wrong in many ways, but a hoot none the less.
WAY OF THE GUN. Christopher McQuarie’s directoral debut and follow up to the usual suspects. It made like $2 in the theatres, but was a brilliantly twisty execercise in Noir with deliciously unlikeable charaters. Loved it.
WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER — Brilliant
DEVIL WITH A BLUE DRESS — Don Cheadle’s finiest performance. They should really consider revisiting the seriealized characters now that bothe Denzel and Cheadle are A-list stars.
KINGPIN — Simply doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Perhaps the Farrelly Bros. Best flick.
“Miss Congeniality” never stops being funny to me… Also think that “Dick” with Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams (and Will Ferrell, before he was huge) is such a brilliant comedy that has been swept under the rug.
newsies is a totally underrated movie. not only does it have a young christian bale and robert duvall, but the music in it is amazing. And i think troop beverly hills is also underrated, not bad! Shelley long is hysterical in the movie.
MIXED NUTS is a great pic. Love the ensamble comedies. Reminded me of more.
RAT RACE
NOISES OFF – Cast full of comic geniuses
BOWFINGER – Fake Purse Ninjas!
DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN – An Eddie Murphy Gem that gets no love
Armaggeddon was hated by the critics and trashed by most publications but made over 200 million dollars in the US alone and was really good. Waterworld is considered a huge flop but actually cleaned up overseas and was one of my favorite movies of all time.