Most Overrated Films of All Time?

[Six_of_One]

I'm responding only because no one has stepped in to defend this movie yet...

I think I was 23 or so when I saw it, and I have never laughed harder in a movie theater. Comedies depend so much on one's sense of humor, making the enjoyment of them a very subjective thing. I have friends, otherwise very intelligent people, who can watch Monty Python and just stare at the screen. I'll never understand that, but hey, to each his own.

[andyfox]

I loved Fargo.

While the filmmakers do have fun with the accents and the small-town concerns of most of the people, in the end, they celebrate the virtues of the good people. The heroine and her husband were the only happy people in the movie, because they appreciated the good things in their lives and dealt with the bad things.

The hardest I ever laughed in a theater was when Buscemi says, "You should see the other guy."

[TAFKAn]

Top five

#1. Citizen Kane
#2. Tie: Wall Street/Platoon
#3. Dogma
#4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
#5. Good Will Hunting

[Rick Nebiolo]

Andy,

Regarding "Mary", given I'm 49, it probably is an age thing. Unfortunately, I didn't have the good sense to limit myself to the first 45 minutes.

~ Rick

PS How can 2+2 have a movie thread without John Cole? Has he been barred?

[John Cole]

Rick,

No, I haven't been barred, but I feel I should be spending time in bars.

I'd say any movie nominated for an Oscar is overrated, but that might be going a bit too far.

For two good recent comedies, I'd recommend Rushmore and Election.

[John Cole]

Hey Rick,

I'm still 49, and I'm not crying about my lot, quite yet. At least until Monday.

John

[nicky g]

I saw About Schmidt the other day. Not sure if it qualifies as overrated, but everyone told me it was very good, and I found it depressing and dull. Coincidentally though, yesterday I signed up for a "sponsor-a-child" programme similar to the one he does in the film, so perhaps I can write to an Ndugu of my own telling him how much I hate my job and that my wife won't let me move to Vegas or Beirut so I have to sit in miserable London all year round. Maybe I'm just too grumpy myself to be amused by a grumpy old man.

[nicky g]

"I'm still 49, and I'm not crying about my lot"

heh, very good

[ripdog]

Speed, and almost anything else featuring Keanu. Blue Velvet was excrutiatingly bad. I found House of Games impossible to take seriously. Also, when I have to listen to George Lucas talk about his films, I want to choke the life out of him. What a pompous ass he is. I thought The Big Lebowski was very funny. Best in Show and Rat Race were on the same plane--entertaining, but not great.

[Oski]

Of recent vintage, I would put a vote in for Training Day. The movie was very silly. The acting was good, but was wasted because the story falls apart and morphs into a cartoon.