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. 8). (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!
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