r/movies • u/AromaticEssay2676 • Feb 04 '25
Question What movie have you watched that made you think "This is way better than it has any right to be"
So, last night I made a joke to my brother that I was gonna get high and watch some foreign lesbian love story. Then I did precisely that - 3 grams of edibles later and I rented "Portrait of a lady on Fire"
The movie had good reviews, and I'm still treating it like a joke at first. It's about 5-10 minutes into the film I realized every assumption I MAY have had about the movie was far, far off. and any notions of it being like a joke turned into a joke themselves.
The shots of the movie were so utterly beautiful it sometimes felt like I didn't even have the right to look at the screen. The characters were so utterly realistic it sometimes felt like I was genuinely invading their privacy simply by watching them. I related to them. I liked them. It is the only film I have seen where the cinematography was so good it provided a theater-like experience at home.
My point is, I went into a movie expected a joke, and instead got a masterpiece every film student in creation should analyze thoroughly.
By the end, I was left thinking "Jesus, that was so, so much better than it had any right to be."
What movie was this for you?
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u/WalkingTarget Feb 05 '25
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
Bonus points for characters in a time travel movie who actually use time travel to solve problems effectively.
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u/BadIdeaSociety Feb 05 '25
That movie was a genuine patch job from Orion. The original studio went bankrupt and the resulting film is missing a lot of elements that make the story make sense.
The original ending was Bill and Ted giving an ordinary presentation in class (which makes a ton more sense since it was supposed to be past the due date) and then asking the princesses to their prom, but they reshot the ending with the auditorium presentation.
I also read somewhere that the explanation for the "Don't forget to wind your watch" line in the movie was part of the B-Plot involving a cut character (That character is given Ted's watch and asked to do something but because he didn't wind the watch, he never shows up to do what he or she is supposed to.) "Time moves forward as you move through the circuits of time" is such a duct tape-quality fix for that plot point. They literally can keep moving through the circuits to fix their errors.
It is kind of amusing that Bill and Ted Face the Music also was sabotaged by production issues (mainly they couldn't shoot the scenes with the princesses they wanted and couldn't do the final musical performance). In spite of this, both movies are fantastic.
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u/Broad-Marionberry755 Feb 04 '25
Game Night, the cinematography was insane
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u/zeebious Feb 04 '25
“How is that profitable for the frito lay corporation?”
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u/DrownmeinIslay Feb 05 '25
Plemons made that movie for me. The End sequence was amazing
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u/STEELCITY1989 Feb 05 '25
Plemons doesn't miss. Just watched Varsity Blues and he's playing a shitty little brother and I totally wanted to punch him in the face. No low.
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u/Abject-Ad6831 Feb 04 '25
Funny that this is a popular comment, and the top comment is the DND movie!
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are the undisputed champs of “trying harder than you have to”.
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u/Blastspark01 Feb 05 '25
Game Night was the main reason I saw D&D. I’ve never played so I wasn’t planning on seeing it until I saw who was directing!
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u/pasta-disaster Feb 04 '25
There were some fantastic overhead shots of the cars during one of the chases and I’m still not sure how they did it!
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u/damniwishiwasurlover Feb 04 '25
Funniest mainstream comedy of the last decade as well, probably.
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u/westzeta Feb 04 '25
I love the shots sprinkled throughout that bring to mind board games or video games.
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u/TheAquamen Feb 04 '25
The Lego Movie
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u/sergei-rivers Feb 04 '25
Plus the Lego Batman movie.
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u/leslieknope09 Feb 04 '25
The Lego Batman movie is my favorite Batman movie, no joke
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u/spacecowboy1023 Feb 05 '25
The jokes are incredibly funny and never stop coming throughout the movie. Plus it has some heart, especially at the end.
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u/Hans09 Feb 04 '25
100%. First time I watched it I remember that I was actually thinking: "I can't believe how good this movie is"
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u/night_dude Feb 05 '25
Same. Me and my housemates had a similar experience to OP - let's get stoned and watch this silly movie!
And we were so gripped from the first minute that when our other housemate came home half an hour in, we were like "no you have to see this, we'll start from the beginning!"
Still one of my faves.
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u/mcprogrammer Feb 04 '25
Yup, I went in expecting it to be terrible but watched it anyway because I've been a huge Lego fan my whole life. Turns out everything WAS awesome.
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u/verminbury Feb 04 '25
Galaxy Quest
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u/moistie Feb 05 '25
Can you form some sort of rudimentary lathe?
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u/alargepowderedwater Feb 05 '25
Let’s get out of here before one of those things eats Guy!
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u/kobayashimaru13 Feb 05 '25
It’s a rock, it doesn’t have any vulnerable spots!
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u/KingEuronIIIGreyjoy Feb 05 '25
What is this thing? I mean, it serves no useful purpose for there to be a bunch of chompy, crushy things in the middle of a hallway. No, I mean we shouldn't have to do this, it makes no logical sense, why is it here?
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u/Ladybeetus Feb 05 '25
"Just straight on through the chompers " I sometimes say that when it's going to be a shit show but I am trying to have a good attitude about it.
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u/indipit Feb 05 '25
When I saw the "malfunctioning vent" in Rogue One, I burst out laughing. All I could think of was this scene in Galaxy Quest. My husband also giggled, knowing exactly why I was laughing.
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u/Qurutin Feb 05 '25
My mom loves Galaxy Quest. She isn't into sci-fi, she doesn't really know nerd culture tropes, I don't think she has seen a single episode of Star Trek. I don't really understand why she likes it so much as she has pretty much zero contant with the stuff it's parodying but it's one of her favourite comedies.
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u/Tarellethiel18 Feb 04 '25
Just a genuinely funny and beautiful love letter to sci-fi and it’s fans
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u/tommytraddles Feb 05 '25 edited Feb 05 '25
The scene that kills me is when Justin Long and his friends are trying to help the ship land.
He stands directly in the path of the ship, so he can raise the communicator just a bit higher. He is helping on a real mission. He's willing to sacrifice his life if necessary.
That's the thing about shows like Star Trek. They can actively make you a better person.
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u/cafezinho Feb 05 '25
In Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary, they have a reunion of the cast of Galaxy Quest (unfortunately, without Alan Rickman). The movie had been an homage to Star Trek and its fandom, and it created fans of its own in the same way as Star Trek had done with its own fans.
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u/cacklegrackle Feb 05 '25
OP asked for movies, not historical documents.
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u/oobey Feb 05 '25
Surely you don't think Gilligan's Island actually happened, do you??
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u/ManifestDestinysChld Feb 04 '25
A Knight's Tale - this film was built from the ground up to be fluff, but it fires on all cylinders. It doesn't try to be anything it isn't, but it is the best at what it is.
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u/GTOniBaku Feb 04 '25
I cried like a bitch when he is reunited with his father
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u/ManifestDestinysChld Feb 04 '25
Right?! And you're sitting there like, "how the fuck is THIS movie making me cry?! Goddammit!"
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u/GTOniBaku Feb 04 '25 edited Feb 04 '25
James Purefoy. ? What about PureGold ? This guy has like 10 minutes of screentime and he is the best thing about it
And his name is actually Mark Anthony
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u/Useful-Perspective Feb 05 '25
"What a pair we make, huh? Both trying to hide who we are, both unable to do so. Your men love you. If I knew nothing else about you, that would be enough. But you also tilt when you should withdraw... and that is knightly, too."
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u/WhatamItodonowhuh Feb 04 '25
He was really good in Altered Carbon too. First season.
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u/Lloopy_Llammas Feb 05 '25
For me Alan Tudyk, Mark Addy, and Paul Battany made that movie.
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u/fooeyandnuts Feb 04 '25
A man can change his stars...
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u/DrownmeinIslay Feb 05 '25
Your men love you. If I knew nothing else, that would be enough; but you tilt when you should withdraw and that is knightly too.
Amazing film.
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u/IrateWolfe Feb 05 '25
A knight's tale is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and it's an absolute miracle to me. It's an absolutely wild concept, it's an incredibly goofy idea, and it all just works so well on every level
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u/animal1988 Feb 05 '25
Ahhh yes! That film where King Robert Baratheon and Vision from the Avengers help that peasent boy in England.
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u/ManifestDestinysChld Feb 05 '25
Yeah, with Wash from Firefly and the Joker from The Dark Kn - hang on, is someone writing this down? This could be something.
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u/Admirable-Present510 Feb 04 '25
Starship Troopers. After watching it again as an independent adult.
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u/Roembowski Feb 04 '25
I’m doing my part!
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u/Hillthrin Feb 05 '25
It was all by design too. Matt Damon wanted the Rico part but Veerhoven wanted super pretty people like any good propaganda film should have.
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u/angrydeuce Feb 04 '25
It's also helpful for weeding out those people from your life that don't understand that it's an anti-war film lol
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u/PlatinumKanikas Feb 04 '25
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Randomly took my kids to watch it and I absolutely loved it. I’ve watched it several times since it started streaming
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u/fetusy Feb 05 '25
With probably the most intense villain design of any kids animated movie in memory. Dude drew blood with a sickle in slow-mo and was hauntingly relentless.
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u/schooner27 Feb 05 '25
I was so pleasantly surprised at how good the animation was. The villains were fantastic, and perrito is such a great little side kick throughout.
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u/lekkermuff Feb 04 '25
I was hoping to see this somewhere on here. This movie is truly great for all ages!
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u/lanceturley Feb 05 '25
Yeah, I thought the first movie was just pretty okay-ish and forgettable, and the Shrek franchise as a whole was basically dead at that point outside of ironic memes, so I was blown away by how good The Last Wish is.
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u/tanj_redshirt Feb 04 '25
Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves
(Especially compared to previous D&D-branded movies.)
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u/amaterastfu Feb 05 '25
When Holga is outside after meeting her ex, and Edgin starts playing his lute, I fully expected her to smash it in some kinda snarky comedy bit.
Nope, she starts singing along and you feel that bond between them, it's wonderful.
These kinda movies are always full of snark and one-liners, so to have this movie be so damn genuine was fantastic.
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u/mdavis360 Feb 04 '25
it bums me out that this wasn't the start of a massive franchise. It was perfect.
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u/GimmeSomeSugar Feb 05 '25
It didn't have a particularly easy time of it. In March/April 2023, John Wick 4 was out, Avatar was still running, Scream VI, Antman. Super Mario Bros came out just after.
But the thing that really killed it was Wizards of the Coast being greedy fucking idiots. In the 6-ish months leading up to the films release; They tried to introduce revisions to licensing which would have hurt 3rd party creators, causing large scale community backlash and walking back the proposal. Then they had the controversy involving the Hadozee in a Spelljammer release, generating community backlash. And then Wizards were caught out shovelling AI generated art without attribution as such, causing (you guessed it!) large community backlash.
So, the build up to the movie should have been about marketing the movie to a wider, mainstream audience. (And I absolutely maintain that if handled correctly, it could have found a much wider audience.) Instead, that time was spent alienating the built in audience in a way no less effective than if they'd done it deliberately.→ More replies (7)190
u/sheepishcanadian82 Feb 05 '25
Jaaarnathan!!!!
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u/MeniteTom Feb 05 '25
"But we approved your parole!"
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u/Mavakor Feb 05 '25
That line kills me every time I hear it. They could have avoided so much if they had just waited a couple of seconds.
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u/Sparrowsabre7 Feb 05 '25
"I find irony is a blade that cuts he who wields it most especially."
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u/theoxygenthief Feb 05 '25
My wife and I have watched this probably 10+ times now. It has become our comfort watch when we can’t find anything new that’s interesting. She has zero previous Dnd exposure, I have very slightly more than that.
The speak to the dead sequence is just one of the best things to happen to cinema in the last 20 years.
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u/RoboticElfJedi Feb 04 '25
Yes! I (geek) saw this with my wife (into music and sports like a normal person) and we both loved it. I got the D&D jokes, she just enjoyed the characters.
Bradley Cooper's cameo is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
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u/Lespaul42 Feb 05 '25
When the illusion spell fails is the hardest I laughed in a theater in a long time
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u/MartenBroadcloak19 Feb 05 '25
As a DND player, the fat dragon was the funniest thing I've ever seen.
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u/flash17k Feb 04 '25
Even without the whole Ugly Sonic thing, I figured the Sonic The Hedgehog movie was going to be stupid and dumb and stupid.
But man it turned out to be really fun and funny and great. All three of them have been better than I expected.
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u/Scottyflamingo Feb 04 '25
Never been a Sonic guy but I respect the hell out of those movies for actually listening to feedback and making changes.
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u/mondaymoderate Feb 05 '25
Plus the people making the movies know the source material and actually like Sonic. I never understand why people make movies about a character they don’t know or do not like.
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u/Jasonpav Feb 04 '25
Both Jumpstreet movies. 21 looked like another unnecessary rehash of an 80s hit starring the guy from Superbad with the guy from a bunch of dance/romcom movies. Somehow, it ended up being one of the best comedies from the 2010s. Then 22 just looked like an unnecessary sequel, and then that was kind of the point, so it worked surprisingly well.
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u/spitroastpls Feb 05 '25
I think 22 was the last time I fucking ugly laughed in a theater. That movie is fucking hilarious.
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u/shaffe04gt Feb 05 '25
The part where channing Tatum finally figured out hill slept with the captains daughter had me almost falling out of my seat laughing so hard
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u/hey_mattey Feb 05 '25
I actually want the parody doctor sequel looks kinda fun premise or even the astronaut one lol
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u/CrimsonDinh91 Feb 04 '25
Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil. It’s hard to do satire I feel of the genre without it being cheesy but god damn do I love this movie.
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u/PiercedGeek Feb 05 '25
Living in the South, I generally avoid "redneck" movies like the plague, but finally watched it a few years ago. So many great lines, funny as hell.
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u/milesamsterdam Feb 05 '25
Alan Tudyk. Solid dude.
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u/SteakandTrach Feb 05 '25
If I see his name attached to something, I'm pretty much guaranteed to like it. It's like a stamp of quality.
My other one like that is I often buy books on Audible if Ray Porter is narrating.
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u/westyboi2323 Feb 04 '25
Nice guys. Watched it randomly on Netflix a few years ago. Couldn’t believe how much I loved it
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u/beerzbeer Feb 04 '25
Check out Kiss Kiss Bang Bang if you haven’t seen it, same director
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u/weevil_season Feb 05 '25
That movie is important to me for a really weird reason. I was going through an absolutely brutal couple of years in life but I had young kids and was coping by just marching forward. I had heard it was a good movie and watched it and didn’t even laugh once and thought afterwards I didn’t get what the fuss was about. Years later I rewatched it (only because my much older kids at that point wanted to) and absolutely loved it.
It’s so crazy how numb you can become to joy and life when you’re in crisis and depressed but still functioning.
Anyway great movie! I rewatch it now to remember how life can get better!
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u/Strongerthangrease Feb 04 '25
The Mitchells Vs The Machines. Expected a vaguely shitty netflix animated movie, got a very heartfelt story about parents trying to connect with their kids and their kid's understanding the sacrifices parents make for them
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u/MsBethLP Feb 05 '25
I watched this with my students at the end of the year in 2022 because none of us had seen it, and I couldn't believe how crazy-funny it was. It's become a tradition with me now, and the class of 2025 will end the year with a movie that still makes me laugh like a fool.
"DOG! PIG! BREAD!"
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u/xredgambitt Feb 05 '25
This was a very unexpected fantastic movie for me. I watched it just thinking it would be a generic movie and it was superb.
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u/AdDiligent7657 Feb 04 '25 edited Feb 05 '25
Pirates of the Caribbean
On paper, a movie based on a Disneyland ride sounds like an awful idea. But the acting, score, production design, and set pieces really make it into an incredibly entertaining watch and an iconic action movie.
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u/MrDeacle Feb 04 '25
I think a lot of people expected schlock and went into the movie with their brains turned a bit off, then got tired of the Pirates mania that took over pop culture.
But I owned it on DVD as a kid, re-watched it constantly, and each viewing made me appreciate it a bit more. The film is just so tightly packed with delicious little details, and no time wasted with simple little "they fight" blocks in the script. Every single moment in the film serves at least one important narrative purpose if not multiple, while staying tonally varied and entertaining enough to keep a child engaged the whole way though.
If it were a standalone movie I think it'd be better appreciated, but things get a bit tangled with the franchise it's a part of. I genuinely do believe that Curse of the Black Pearl is a masterpiece
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u/CodenameBear Feb 05 '25
Just want to add that the score for this movie is just so perfect, it adds to the value of the movie tenfold
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u/aspiringmermaid Feb 04 '25
I remember laughing when I heard they were making a movie based on a Disney ride (though I have to admit it was one of my favorite rides as a kid). Just a few years later I would be lining up outside the theater with my friends for the sequel's midnight release. And then doing it again for the third movie.
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u/xcaughta Feb 04 '25
Prey. I rolled my eyes when I heard they were making a Predator prequel with an 18th century native American girl as a protagonist after we've seen what one did to a team of highly trained meathead commandos, and STRAIGHT TO HULU no less.
But goddamn, it's actually a well thought out narrative with great character arcs, excellent production quality, and a banging score to boot. If it weren't for the nostalgia factor and pure originality of the first one I might even put it up there with it, film wise.
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u/eventfarm Feb 04 '25
Yeah, I'd go with this one too, I love Alien(s) and Predator, but stopped watching when they mixed the universes, so I avoided Prey as well. I rented it one time I was sick and was riveted. Much better than I expected and I recommend it for those that aren't even into the franchise.
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u/Hovie1 Feb 05 '25
It's the best thing to come out in the franchise since the original.
Predators had the right idea but just kind of fell flat.
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u/Pointless_Lawndarts Feb 05 '25
Prey was awesome. Completely agree with this assessment.
Out of nowhere banger.
Stuck to the original premise, kept on kicking ass. A predator movie to get the BluRay of.
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u/FajenThygia Feb 04 '25
Time Trap.
Extremely low budget movie about some archaeology students exploring a cave. It goes to places I did not expect.
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u/OptionalGuacamole Feb 04 '25
Bubba Ho-Tep.
It's a no-budget horror-comedy about an elderly Elvis Presley who faked his own death and must defend his assisted living facility from a mummy attack. Not only is it an absurd premise, but the movie feels incomplete, like they ran out of money before finishing.
But what makes it awesome is Bruce Campbell playing Elvis. He f'ing IS Elvis in this movie. Also, the movie shows how people are neglected and dismissed when they get older, which I wasn't expecting, and adds more pathos and heart than some Oscar winners.
Highly recommend.
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u/CandaceBedard Feb 04 '25
Ahahahaha I'm so glad to find someone else who has watched and loved this movie. That opening monologue is what sold Bruce Campbell and me on that movie.
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u/xredgambitt Feb 05 '25
I love this movie. Not only is it an elderly elvis stuck in a nursing home, he makes friends with an old black man that is JFK and fights a mummy dressed up like a cowboy that sucks out souls through a person's asshole..
You made it sound almost normal in your description.
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u/Yangervis Feb 04 '25
Mad Max. A few guys who had never made a feature film before threw it together
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u/M3DIA_ASSASS1N Feb 04 '25
Mad Max Fury Road for me. The director rehashed a character that kick-started his career but hadn't been seen since 1985. Hadn't made any particular stand-out high budget action films since.
Then, out of nowhere, he gives us two hours of some of the greatest action ever seen. Two hours of mental stunts, metal music, subverted expectations, minimal dialogue, and lastly the main character being relegated to best supporting actor.
No wonder it was rated "Film of the Decade" by over 30 publications, won 6 Academy Wards and 4 Baftas.
Epic as fuck
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u/oninokamin Feb 04 '25
George Miller took $150m of studio money, fucked off to the middle of the Namibian desert, and sent back footage like the severed digits of a ransomed hostage.
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u/mbarrett_s20 Feb 05 '25
And his wife built the movie from editing a lot of unscripted action scenes together.
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u/Yangervis Feb 04 '25
He had been planning Fury Road for like 20 years though.
It's the Bruce Lee thing about not fearing a man who has practiced 1000 kicks, but fearing the man who has practiced one kick 1000 times.
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u/derfritz Feb 04 '25
Paddington. Expected a kids movie but it one of the most wholesome movies ever made
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u/GosmeisterGeneral Feb 04 '25
Paddington 2 even more so!
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u/ttbbaaggss Feb 05 '25
I thought that was just a silly joke in the Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent until I mentioned it to my brother and he replied, "No, dude, Paddington 2 REALLY is a fucking great movie! So is the first one." So then I told a friend about the joke in the movie and he basically gave me the exact same response as my brother. So now I have to watch the Paddington movies.
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u/topangacanyon Feb 04 '25
I watched In Bruges because I love Bruges and thought there would be some fun action set against nice scenery. I wasn’t prepared for what I now consider one of the greatest movies of all time.
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u/brownhues Feb 05 '25 edited Feb 05 '25
You're an inanimate fuckin object!
Ralph Feinnes is amazing.
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u/my7bizzos Feb 05 '25
I just watched it on YouTube last night. That movie is chock full of excellent characters, most you're not supposed to like.
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u/JjaJJang Feb 04 '25
Stardust. It's just so much fun and checks every box for a light-hearted adventure movie. De Niro the sky pirate is absolutely unforgettable.
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u/Dihydromorphine Feb 05 '25
I literally just rewatched this last night. Took me back to when I was younger and first saw it. Fantastic movie!
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u/Madra_Uisce Feb 04 '25
Hunt for the wilderpeople, casual new Zealand movie with no weak characters. Child actors are fantastic
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u/wasabinokikai Feb 04 '25
Arrival.
Why the hell was a sci-fi movie with a linguist as the protagonist so fucking good?
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u/MozeeToby Feb 04 '25
Because it treats the audience like they are intelligent. Not to say it assumes they know things, but it assumes that given a good explanation they will understand it.
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u/ChimesFreddy Feb 05 '25
It’s based on a short story by an author (Ted Chiang) who treats the reader like they are intelligent
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u/Nintenzo_64 Feb 04 '25
Arrival actually has a decent pay off quite quickly into the movie unlike most other si fi films that are all build up but then seem to cba about giving the audience a worthwhile conclusion
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u/Doinkmckenzie Feb 05 '25
Edge of Tomorrow, It was way better than I had anticipated and had become one of my yearly must watch movies.
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u/akrob Feb 05 '25
One of my top favorite movies of all time. Went into it thinking it was gonna be a generic action film and left amazed.
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u/NefariusMarius Feb 04 '25
Eurovision. I went in with negative expectations, thinking it was going to be another slapstick Will Ferrell movie. While it had some of his humor, it was waaay better than it had any right to be for sure. The music was great, the acting was great, and Dan Stevens was hilarious
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u/Zombie_John_Strachan Feb 04 '25
Part of is the production team actually likes Eurovision. So while they are taking the piss they are being fun rather than mean.
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u/european_dimes Feb 04 '25
When she starts singing in Icelandic or whatever - fucking hell that was good
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u/doicher Feb 05 '25
“The elves have gone too far” is probably one of my favorite comedic lines in any movie I’ve seen.
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u/fantasyfae Feb 05 '25
This movie instantly turned into a comfort film for me. I've rewatched it often and made at least half a dozen friends sit through it with me. They all enjoyed it.
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u/The_Void_Reaver Feb 05 '25 edited Feb 05 '25
This isn't trying to be negative but I find it hilarious that 99% of the replies are "I thought this generic action/adventure flick was going to be mediocre but it turned out great," and OP's is a period peice about living as a woman in an entrenched patriarchal society and how that affects them.
I just don't get how you see Portrait of a Lady on Fire and think it's going to be a goofy lesbian romp to watch while high. I applaud OP for watching it, engaging with It, and enjoying it; I'm still confused as all get out.
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u/OpeningDealer1413 Feb 05 '25
Yeah the OP cracked me up too.. it’s very arguably the most highly regarded film of the 2010’s and the director has made another masterpiece since then haha
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u/Suspicious_Key Feb 05 '25
It's like going into Dead Poet's Society expecting it to be an action-thriller about a secret cabal of assassins who leave poems as their calling card.
... come to think of it...
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u/JazzHilgraw Feb 04 '25
Bullet Train for me. Expected some average action film but was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. Aaron Taylor-Johnson in particular was amazing in it!
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u/Hndlbrrrrr Feb 04 '25
The Descent. Friend and I were literally thinking a bunch of chicks spelunking as a horror film would be a riot. I didn’t sleep for days and I’m pretty sure my power bill put me in the red that month because ALL of my lights were on.
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u/fmal Feb 05 '25
Sorry, OP, you watched a critically acclaimed film by an award winning director and you're surprised it was good?
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u/InsertScreenNameHere Feb 04 '25 edited Feb 05 '25
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Every song on the soundtrack is a banger and is a perfect parody of music bio movies.
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u/SteubenvilleBorn Feb 04 '25 edited Feb 05 '25
Superbad. I was basically forced to watch the film when someone demanded I go with them and paid for the ticket. I had little to no idea or affinity for any of the actors or even knew what the movie was about. Maybe the funniest movie I've ever seen in a theater. The audience was hard laughing for parts of it. I'm not sure if I've ever been to a movie since where people were howling with laughter for so much of it. Everyone was feeding off that energy in the theater. It was a surprisingly special and memorable night.
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u/amoc20 Feb 04 '25
From the outside it doesn't look like it had any right to be as good, but it absolutely had. The fact that Rogen and Goldberg started writing the script when they were teenagers and therefore based it on their own experiences makes it so authentic. Despite laughing all the way through, the scene toward the end when they go to sleep hits too close to home and makes me tear up every time.
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u/murphymc Feb 05 '25
That movie and Borat were both hilarious movies that go to an entirely different level with a whole theater having a great time.
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u/mondaymoderate Feb 05 '25
I’ve never seen a theater laugh as hard at a movie. Borat had my theater dying. When they started fighting naked people were on the floor laughing their guts out.
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u/delcielo2002 Feb 04 '25
JoJo Rabbit - the premise seems campy and foolish, and likely in poor taste, but it has so much more heart and depth than I ever would have guessed.
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u/cutandcover Feb 04 '25
Crank. I was just looking for mindless nothing, and I was floored and thrilled the whole way through. Crank 2 is even more insanity, I still want more.
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u/calvinwho Feb 04 '25
Hot Tub Time Machine. Second time I got to recommend this absurd gem
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u/cgtdream Feb 04 '25
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Went in 99% blind, as i saw a reddit thread praising it and before readings the comments, put on my pirate hat and started watching it (as a bit of a joke as the first one WAS a joke) 30mins later.
First 5 minutes had me questioning my expectations, as it had me hooked all the way through.
No scene is wasted, every shot is gorgeous, plot is over 9000, and the characters are extremely fleshed out.
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u/Odd-Disaster7393 Feb 04 '25
The newest Dungeons and Dragons.
it had the right amount of camp and heart to be both entertaining and not so ridiculous
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u/fu7ur3pr00f Feb 04 '25
Repo! The Genetic Opera
First time I or my friends saw it, thought it was terrible. Watched it again, and fell more in love with the songs (I hate musicals), the kitsch, performances, and an emotional ending.
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u/benjamintyfresh Feb 05 '25
Kung Fu Hustle. I tuned in for the king fu fights and Looney Toons style humor, but I was surprised to see it also has a lot of heart. It has a bit of everything: comedy, action, romance, suspense… it even has a small horror segment. There’s a few scenes that make me lose my breath laughing (the knife throwing scene in particular). I think it’s a perfect movie. When it came out on DVD I made all my friends watch it.
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u/gotnoplanet Feb 04 '25
Lisa Frankenstein. It wasn't advertised much and I wasn't sure exactly what to expect going into it, but I genuinely enjoyed how campy it was and laughed out loud throughout the whole thing. It was a fun love letter to 80s flicks.
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u/_Football_Cream_ Feb 04 '25
First John Wick movie.
I know Keanu is beloved but at the time the guy was not really known for making bangers. John Wick just looked like a generic, below average action movie. And while I think the premise is pretty generic in that it's just pretty simple, the movie just goes hard. I don't think anyone was expecting it to be just as fun and thrilling as it is.
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u/WestVin Feb 04 '25
Punch Drunk Love - I was initially weary because I thought Adam Sandler would joke around, but it’s now one of my favorite movies!
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u/ResponsibilityFew147 Feb 04 '25
Punch drunk love is one of my favorites too, it’s so anxiety inducing, but in a good way
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u/oscarx-ray Feb 04 '25
Goon.
It is genuinely in my top ten. It's about a hockey enforcer who's dumb, but it's wholesome, hilarious, entertaining, and surprisingly emotional at times. I love it so much.