# "Am I the only one who liked this movie?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291 "2003-05-29T15:59:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/1 "2003-05-29T15:59:01Z")
Are there any movies you saw and enjoyed that the critics absolutely ripped to shreds? Movies that friends and family told you “please, for the love of all that is holy, do NOT see this movie,” that you saw anyway and can’t understand why everybody hated them? For me, the list includes _Hudson Hawk_ (starring Bruce Willis) and _Johnny Mnemonic_ (with Keanu Reeves). I have never seen as much vitriol spewed at a movie by so many people as these two films, and yet I have enjoyed watching each of them numerous times. The humor in _Hudson Hawk_ was just so incredibly goofy and full of complete non-sequitors that I repeatedly fall off my chair laughing every time I watch it. Maybe it helps that I am a major fan of Monty python, but I just don’t understand why this film is always pointed at as “Bruce Willis’ Big Mistake” (heck – it was soooo much better than _Blind Date_ and _North_). As for _Johnny Mnemonic_, although I agree that Keanu was at his wooden best, I actually thought his acting “style” was perfect for the character he played. I was never a Keanu Reeves fan before seeing this film, but I was afterwards. And it really got me psyched when I found out he was starring in the similarly themed _The Matrix_. I’ve read everything that William Gibson has written and, while the movie really went far astray from the short story on which it was based, I thought it did an excellent job of capturing the essential concepts and overal feel of the universe that Gibson has created throughout his stories. I suspect that I would probably enjoy _Ballistic: Ecks vs. Severs_, if I ever get the courage to see it (last I checked, it still had a perfect 0% rating over at [www.rottentomatoes.com](http://www.rottentomatoes.com)). On the other hand, I’m willing to give the critics the benefit of the doubt when it comes to _Master of Disguise_ with Dana Carvey. So… Anybody else have a favorite movie or two that everybody else in the known universe (or so it seems) inexplicately hates? Regards, Barry ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/2 "2003-05-29T16:04:04Z")
Ishtar. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/3 "2003-05-29T16:04:06Z")
Sure. _Jeepers Creepers_. A lot of people thought it pretty much stunk, but I liked it - especially the final 30 mins or so. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/4 "2003-05-29T16:06:21Z")
I have a LOT of those movies, but my main two are _Showgirls_ and _Ishtar_. Mind you, I can certainly understand why some people would dislike them, but it’s become abundantly clear to me over time, and repeated viewings, that those movies were shot down by a kind of critical bandwagon: once the consensus had been dictated, no one was brave enough to put forth a more balanced view. There are beginning to be heard quiet rumblings (with a French accent, natch) of a reconsideration of _Showgirls,_ but _Ishtar_ has yet to find its champion. Though the rental box DOES sport a blurb by the Chicago Reader’s own Jonathan Rosenbaum. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/5 "2003-05-29T16:08:08Z")
Hey I liked Jeepers Creepers! I plan on seeing Jeepers Creepers 2 later this summer. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/6 "2003-05-29T16:12:45Z")
I actually liked _Swashbuckler_, with Robert Shaw, Geniveve Bujold, Peter Boyle, and James Earl Jones. It was almost universally savaged by the critics, and probably rightly so, but I kinda liked it. Mind you, I was young at the time… ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/7 "2003-05-29T16:16:18Z")
Sorry, should have included this in my post above: Rosenbaum on [_Ishtar_](http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/capsules/4658_ISHTAR): “. . . a very funny work by one of this country’s greatest comic talents.” –and on [_Showgirls_](http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/capsules/13008_SHOWGIRLS) (he’s actually updated his capsule review to reflect his reconsideration of it): ". . . it must be admitted that, as with Basic Instinct and Starship Troopers, which I also underrated initially, this movie has only improved with age–or maybe it’s just that viewers like me are only now catching up with the ideological ramifications of the cartoonlike characters. In this case, the degree to which Las Vegas (and by implication Hollywood) is viewed as the ultimate capitalist machine is an essential part of the poisonous package. " ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/8 "2003-05-29T16:17:20Z")
One of my favorite movies is **Dirty Work** starring Norm McDonald. It’s just plain ol’ stupid fun, and great when you just need something on. I’m also a big fan of **Hudson Hawk** , I thought it was a great movie. The problem with most critics is they don’t recognize when a movie’s made simply to be fun, and not to say anything serious. **Mars Attacks** is a great example. I absolutely LOVE that film. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/9 "2003-05-29T16:21:35Z")
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead [short pause to check spelling]. It was panned in every review I saw, but I really like Tom Stoppard’s writing, so I saw it anyway. I thought it was great! The interweaving of Hamlet and other plotlines (much like Shakespeare in Love but not so sappy), the whole existential/predestination thing–it was fun and meaningful, and you don’t get that in a film very often. Anyway, I liked it, but apparently no one who writes reviews did. Ebert gave it zero stars. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 5.6 out of 10, so I guess somebody liked it–but I never saw a positive review. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/10 "2003-05-29T16:24:29Z")
I liked _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead_, and several of my friends are fans as well. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/11 "2003-05-29T16:27:33Z")
Thanks to this board, I found out that other people actually like **Joe Vs. The Volcano**. I thought it was just me and my SO. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/12 "2003-05-29T16:51:40Z")
I thought Sylvester Stallone’s “Oscar” was hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/13 "2003-05-29T19:04:33Z")
Branagh’s _Frankenstein_. It’s not meant to be a horror film, it’s a gothic romance. OK, it’s a chick flick. ---
**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/14 "2003-05-29T19:04:45Z")
“oscar” and “rocky” are the only stallone movies that are any good. I love both of them. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/15 "2003-05-29T19:24:53Z")
**Cabin Boy**. What can I say? I like Chris Elliot. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/16 "2003-05-29T19:36:27Z")
**Transformers: The Movie,**'cuz I’m a fanboy. 😉 And I’m not sure if the critics ravaged them or not, but the two **Bill & Ted** movies as well. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/17 "2003-05-29T20:19:57Z")
Ditto on **Hudson Hawk**. I think this one was really just sold wrong. It’s interesting that I now find many people who have caught that on cable or something and really liked it. I like **Brown Bunny**. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/18 "2003-05-29T20:43:45Z")
Costner’s **Postman**. I like it in a wacky, mst type of way. But most of the people I know didnt see the humor in it. Alien:Resurrection. I think it was a very deep movie questioning identity and what it means to be human. (At least, ya gotta admit it was better than Alien3! :p) ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/19 "2003-05-29T20:54:11Z")
Oh yeah – I forgot to mention _Alien 3_. I loved the way it returned to the themes that made the first movie so great – a band of unarmed prisoners (whether on a ship or on a penal colony, there’s no way off), facing a monster that can go anywhere and kill anytime, forced to rely on their wits to survive. _Alien: Resurrection_, while certainly stylish, just had too many implausibilities, anachronisms, and downright silliness (breath activated doors?) for my tastes. Not a bad film, and still enjoyable, but can’t hold a candle to _Alien 3_. 😉 Barry ---
**Author:** ![dil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f04885/32.png) [@dil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dil)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291/20 "2003-05-29T20:58:13Z")
Return of the Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie. I liked Back to the Future 2 better than the original. Beavis and Butthead Do America is great. I liked The Others a whole lot more than most people. I Spy (with Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson) was great! Hey, I liked Alien3. Much better than Resurrection, but not as good as Aliens. It’s actually a whole lot easier for me to think of movies that everybody else thinks are great, but I hated: Clerks Austin Powers 2 & 3 American Pie 2 The English Patient Blackhawk Down (hated might be a little extreme, more like bored with) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-liked-this-movie/178291.md?page=2)