20 Most Overrated Films of All Time

gundam470 · December 2006

So Premier Magazine is going to publish, in its upcoming issue, a list of what its writers think are the 20 most overrated films of all time. The link above will take you to the article which gives the movies and also the reasons (and rebuttals) for which they think these movies are overrated.

Notable inclusions are some classics like Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz as well as what some consider modern classics like American Beauty and Forrest Gump

So what do we think, D&D? Are these guys spot-on, or full of it? Or a mixture of both? Which movies do you think have no place on this list?

And which movies do you think should have definitely made it?

The complete list is:

1.American Beauty 2. Chicago 3. Clerks. 4. Fantasia 5. Field of Dreams 6. Chariots of Fire 7. Good Will Hunting 8. Forrest Gump 9. Jules and Jim 10. A Beautiful Mind 11. Monster's Ball 12. Moonstruck 13. Mystic River 14. Nashville 15. The Wizard of Oz 16. An American in Paris 17. Easy Rider 18. The Red Shoes 19. 2001: A Space Odyssey 20. Gone With the Wind

[Tycho?] · December 2006

I've only seen two of those movies. Beautiful mind was good, not great. Didn't know it was rated particulalrly well. 2001 is so, so boring. I mean, wow is it boring.

The Green Eyed Monster · December 2006

I basically support the whole list, minus 2001, although I'd bump Forrest Gump up to the top, and just leave Chicago in the top 10 (because seriously, who rates that movie besides the Academy that one year?).

Also, if these authors were below the age of 25, Donnie Darko would be a mortal lock for the top 5, and I say this as a fan of the film.

Gim · December 2006

Clerks. is overrated? Half the people I know don't like that film. It was propped up like crazy in the 90s, sure, but the Kevin Smith love has gone down to a reasonable level since then.

Field of Dreams? One of the most overrated of all time? They must not watch many movies.

And no Citizen Kane. Huh. They don't have the cajones to shit on that.

Otherwise, it's mostly them not liking the 90s/early 21st century and some classics. If G&T has taught me anything, it is to become numb to such declarations of "All Time" in any entertainment genre.

Aegis · December 2006

...This trifle's lame acting and anemic plot were celebrated for their street cred because the slackers among us could relate and the critics all wanted to seem cool...

Well that reviewer has some bias against Clerks for some reason. While unconventional and slightly crude, I don't see how it could rate so high on the list itself.

Incenjucar · December 2006

Monster's Ball?

Isn't the one where it was 90 minutes of Halle Barry's soft core porn?

That was just boooooring.

The Green Eyed Monster · December 2006

Gim wrote:

Clerks. is overrated? Half the people I know don't like that film. It was propped up like crazy in the 90s, sure, but the Kevin Smith love has gone down to a reasonable level since then.

Clerks is often overrated. It succeeds on many levels (dialogue and low-budget film-making), but once you're past that, it's just a funny story. No real deeper meaning or memorable techniques or aesthetics or anything, but at the time it was released it was seen as connecting strongly to the zeitgeist of the age, which, in hindsight, it was just a popular comedy, about as relevant as American Pie, except it succeeded on a shoe-string budget.

Gim wrote:

And no Citizen Kane. Huh. They don't have the cajones to shit on that.

Gim, I thought you knew something about film.

Mitten · December 2006

Clerks should be lower on the list, if at all. Forrest Gump should probably be higher. Fantasia I don't really get.

Edit: Donnie Darko.

The Green Eyed Monster · December 2006

Incenjucar wrote:

Monster's Ball?

Isn't the one where it was 90 minutes of Halle Barry's soft core porn?

That was just boooooring.

It was a horrible film and Halle Berry won Best Actress. Can you explain why she won Best Actress, without either admitting it was political shenanigans because she happened to be nominated during the year they were finally paying Denzel back for the multiple ones they've robbed him of, or because they wanted to fuck her? Because besides those two reasons I don't even know why she won, and besides the wanting to fuck her thing, I don't know why the movie was ever made.

Incenjucar · December 2006

She won because she was doing a porn film.

SithDrummer · December 2006

I got this far:

1. American Beauty

and had to repress a cheer. But then I read:

5. Field of Dreams

and I went all O_o and asked myself, "How can it be overrated if I'm the only person I know that likes it?"

JCM · December 2006

Hmm.. Matrix?

Yes it had great camera-work and SFX, but damn every scene, concept and fight was ripped from some anime.

Aldo · December 2006

Isn't this basically a list of movies a lot of people like? :?

The Green Eyed Monster · December 2006

JCM wrote:

Hmm.. Matrix?

Yeah, The Matrix is sickly overrated. I'd put it in the top 5, probably, but maybe just because I read too many message boards full of sci-fi geeks.

Hoz · December 2006

They forgot the Godfather movies, The Shawshank Redemption, and the LOTR movies.

Dynagrip · December 2006

BOONDOCK SAINTS!!!!!

Lucky Number Sle7en...

So many shitty movies that people love. So many.

Mr. White XD · December 2006

Napolean Dynamite

Titanic

Scarface

Kusuguttai · December 2006

JCM wrote:

Hmm.. Matrix?

Yes it had great camera-work and SFX, but damn every scene, concept and fight was ripped from some anime.

Which one? Go on. Tell us. Which anime did it rip off? Or are you just pulling things out of your ass because you think it was ripping off an anime?

gundam470 · December 2006

Mr. White XD wrote:

Napolean Dynamite

Titanic

Scarface

I agree with your other choices, especially Napolean, but goddamn did I expect a lot out of Scarface and boy was it a HUGE letdown.

I fell asleep halfway through, woke up and didn't feel like finishing it.

Fencingsax · December 2006

I'm afraid that I don't agree with half the list.

The Green Eyed Monster · December 2006

Hoz wrote:

They forgot the Godfather movies, The Shawshank Redemption, and the LOTR movies.

Shawshank is loved by many, but not that highly rated among serious film critics. Minus Godfather III which is an aberration, most of the praise the Godfather films receive is their just due. The LOTR films did a big box office, and they were respected for what they accomplished as fantasy films, but they're hardly held up in the pantheons of film history as anything besides a novel approach to filmmaking and special effects.

Kazhiim · December 2006

whoa hey hey whoa now

Shawshank is justly rated

Kusuguttai · December 2006

that one movie with orson welles that I can not think of at the moment

oh Citizen Kane

Mr. White XD · December 2006

gundam470 wrote:

Mr. White XD wrote:

Napolean Dynamite

Titanic

Scarface

I agree with your other choices, especially Napolean, but goddamn did I expect a lot out of Scarface and boy was it a HUGE letdown.

I fell asleep halfway through, woke up and didn't feel like finishing it.

The game or movie? I felt the same about both -_-

I would throw up the Godfather as well, I saw it after I read the book, and the book was WAY Better

Cheezy · December 2006

Hoz wrote:

They forgot the Godfather movies, The Shawshank Redemption, and the LOTR movies.

Lord of the Rings I'll give you, but the Godfather and Shawshank Redemption are awesome movies and deserve every bit of praise they receive.

gundam470 · December 2006

Mr. White XD wrote:

gundam470 wrote:

Mr. White XD wrote:

Napolean Dynamite

Titanic

Scarface

I agree with your other choices, especially Napolean, but goddamn did I expect a lot out of Scarface and boy was it a HUGE letdown.

I fell asleep halfway through, woke up and didn't feel like finishing it.

The game or movie? I felt the same about both -_-

The movie, there's no way I'd go near the game.

august · December 2006

Hoz wrote:

They forgot the Godfather movies,

You broke my heart Fredo.

Gim · December 2006

celery77 wrote:

Gim wrote:

Clerks. is overrated? Half the people I know don't like that film. It was propped up like crazy in the 90s, sure, but the Kevin Smith love has gone down to a reasonable level since then.

Clerks is often overrated. It succeeds on many levels (dialogue and low-budget film-making), but once you're past that, it's just a funny story. No real deeper meaning or memorable techniques or aesthetics or anything, but at the time it was released it was seen as connecting strongly to the zeitgeist of the age, which, in hindsight, it was just a popular comedy, about as relevant as American Pie, except it succeeded on a shoe-string budget.

Clerks is overrated by its fans, yes, and the only credit it is given outside of them is for the dialogue. The story behind its production is still interesting. I'd hardly say that it is overrated anymore.

celery77 wrote:

Gim wrote:

And no Citizen Kane. Huh. They don't have the cajones to shit on that.

Gim, I thought you knew something about film.

I did not appreciate it when I watched it. It's lightyears ahead of Birth of a Nation, but does not offer a compelling story anymore. I should probably watch it again just to see if I still feel the same way, but for now I don't feel bad about dismissing it as a somewhat lesser film. I'd rather watch Night of the Hunter.

Ant000 · December 2006

Man I really liked Mystic River.

And Fantasia, how is that overrated? Its great for what it is.

The Wizard of Oz for its time is also pretty awesome from what I can tell.

august · December 2006

I can't stand Kevin Smith movies because everyone sound like they're reading off a cue card all the time.

Hoz · December 2006

I guess I'm the only person in the world who didn't like any of the Godfather movies.

august · December 2006

Hoz wrote:

I guess I'm the only person in the world who didn't like any of the Godfather movies.

Yeah, pretty much.

Kusuguttai · December 2006

Shakespeare in Love

HOW THE HELL DID IT WIN BEST PICTURE

Hoz · December 2006

I think all the "top" Clint Eastwood directed movies that I've seen are overrated: Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby.

Aldo · December 2006

Kusuguttai wrote:

Shakespeare in Love

HOW THE HELL DID IT WIN BEST PICTURE

Man, it was Shakespeare!
And he was IN LOVE!

Kusuguttai · December 2006

SHAKESPEARE WAS THE GAYEST TART TO EVER PUT QUILL TO PAPER

The Green Eyed Monster · December 2006

Gim wrote:

celery77 wrote:

Gim wrote:

And no Citizen Kane. Huh. They don't have the cajones to shit on that.

Gim, I thought you knew something about film.

I did not appreciate it when I watched it. It's lightyears ahead of Birth of a Nation, but does not offer a compelling story anymore. I should probably watch it again just to see if I still feel the same way, but for now I don't feel bad about dismissing it as a somewhat lesser film. I'd rather watch Night of the Hunter.

Appreciating Citizen Kane isn't necessarily about how much you're entertained. It's about the pioneering film aesthetic used by Orson Welles to make a mainstream success. It features rather radical editing for its time, which has since gone into everyday usage by the film world, so it might not strike you as the giant departure that it really was for the time that it was created. The camera angles and meanings spoken through use of artistic aesthetics, without being painfully heavy-handed in its use like many art films before it had been, was also incredibly relevant. To top it off, the subject matter was a veiled critique of society, not just a story about a sad rich man. It's an incredible film which trailblazed many techniques which have since become commonplace, which might be why some uninformed viewers might simply view it as a boring, unremarkable film, but put in its context, it's just as amazing and revelatory as everyone says it is. Easily one of the greatest films ever made.

VishNub · December 2006

I just don't think I should have ot put effort into appreciating a movie. That said, I appreciate CK, I just think it's boring.

Also, Mystic River was good. As was Million Dollar Baby. You shut the hell up.

Donnie Darko and Napoleon Dynamite, on the other hand, were mediocre at best.

Kusuguttai · December 2006

Fight Club is probably over-rated but I still love it

The Green Eyed Monster · December 2006

VishNub wrote:

I just don't think I should have ot put effort into appreciating a movie.

It's about context. These types of discussion are often about context, and if you want to understand why something has such a sterling reputation ~70 years after the fact, yes, you'll have to put some effort into understanding the context.

Gim · December 2006

celery77 wrote:

Gim wrote:

celery77 wrote:

Gim wrote:

And no Citizen Kane. Huh. They don't have the cajones to shit on that.

Gim, I thought you knew something about film.

I did not appreciate it when I watched it. It's lightyears ahead of Birth of a Nation, but does not offer a compelling story anymore. I should probably watch it again just to see if I still feel the same way, but for now I don't feel bad about dismissing it as a somewhat lesser film. I'd rather watch Night of the Hunter.

Appreciating Citizen Kane isn't necessarily about how much you're entertained. It's about the pioneering film aesthetic used by Orson Welles to make a mainstream success. It features rather radical editing for its time, which has since gone into everyday usage by the film world, so it might not strike you as the giant departure that it really was for the time that it was created. The camera angles and meanings spoken through use of artistic aesthetics, without being painfully heavy-handed in its use like many art films before it had been, was also incredibly relevant. To top it off, the subject matter was a veiled critique of society, not just a story about a sad rich man. It's an incredible film which trailblazed many techniques which have since become commonplace, which might be why some uninformed viewers might simply view it as a boring, unremarkable film, but put in its context, it's just as amazing and revelatory as everyone says it is. Easily one of the greatest films ever made.

I enjoy reading about it. I enjoy looking at examples of its cinematography. And some of the cuts/transitions used are divine and inspired. Technically, it is sublime. I appreciate it, but I do not enjoy it, and I daresay that is the case with most people who have seen it.

Penny Arcade

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