# Is there any movie we ALL would agree is good (if not great)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [January 2, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271 "2026-01-02T14:18:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/1 "2026-01-02T14:18:31Z")
Inspired by this thread: > [@Why is the Princess Bride (movie) held to such high esteem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/33): > > Again, for me, good actors, good story, holds my interest - therefore = good movie, worth rewatching at least every few years. Makes me wonder - is there ANY movie that we ALL would agree is.- if not great, at least significantly worth watching/rewatching? I’ll start a thread… Folk have expressed their opinions that The Princess Bride and Shawshank are “bad” films. Made me wonder if there is ANY movie we can all agree is entertaining and worth watching/rewatching. I doubt there is. But I’ll offer **Casablanca**. Who hates that one? I’d appreciate if folk would not shoot down any suggestion just thinking they are being humorous. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/2 "2026-01-02T14:23:21Z")
Fellowship of the Ring? Or the Lord of the Rings as a whole? I’d also suggest that very few find Empire Strikes Back to not be a good movie. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/3 "2026-01-02T14:33:39Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’d also suggest that very few find Empire Strikes Back to not be a good movie. Very few these days, but I’d bet that back in 1980 the critics that seemingly criticize sequels just because they’re sequels were probably not difficult to find. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/4 "2026-01-02T14:47:58Z")
I used to run a retrospective film festival, and by far the most popular film I ever screened was Casablanca. While my audience tended toward older folks rather than younger, I never met anyone who said they didn’t like it or that it was overrated. It’s one thing to see it on TV, and quite another to watch it on the big screen with others, which most people alive today have never done before. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/5 "2026-01-02T14:48:52Z")
Sorry, I’m going to say no to all those suggestions. I’ve never been a Tolkien fan, and saw the trilogy (and _The Hobbit_ one, too) but didn’t care for them much. As for _The Empire Strikes Back_, my first and enduring reaction was that it was just an in-between film, holding a place between the first and third episodes. I loved _Star Wars_ (1977). I was in line to see it at the Uptown Theater in Washington DC on opening day. I was 21 years old. I still think it’s a fun romp, and would have been perfectly happy if it had been the only Star Wars film. I think _Casablanca_ is great, but ISTM that we’ve had people here who didn’t get it. We’ve had people who wouldn’t watch any B&W movies! ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/6 "2026-01-02T14:52:49Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I doubt there is. But I’ll offer **Casablanca**. Who hates that one? As the old joke goes: “It’s just a bunch of quotations strung together!” ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/7 "2026-01-02T14:57:40Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Sorry, I’m going to say no to all those suggestions. I’ve never been a Tolkien fan, and saw the trilogy (and _The Hobbit_ one, too) but didn’t care for them much. I agree - but for a different reason. I LOVED the books. Probably re-read them more than any other books. I think it is quite rare for someone to really appreciate a movie made of a book they love. I had recently considered rewatching the Fellowship films to see if time had mellowed my distaste when they came out. But the Hobbit - no need to watch that bloated crap again. > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > As the old joke goes: “It’s just a bunch of quotations strung together!” Not sure how this fits with my stated preference: > [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’d appreciate if folk would not shoot down any suggestion just thinking they are being humorous. Do you agree with that “old joke”? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/8 "2026-01-02T15:01:48Z")
Casablanca was my first thought when i saw the thread. My mom didn’t like the Tolkien movies. If i was going to suggest any star wars movie, it would have been the first. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/9 "2026-01-02T15:06:50Z")
It was within the last decade that my mom first saw The Empire Strikes Back, and she thought it was kind of silly. I think she couldn’t get past Grover as a wizened old sage. Then again, Mom isn’t really a movie-watcher of any sort. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/10 "2026-01-02T15:07:53Z")
Well, I’m sorry. I last saw Casablanca ten or twenty years ago, and I thought it was boring. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/11 "2026-01-02T15:12:22Z")
That’s fine, **Dung**. Every party needs a pooper! 😉 So, if we eliminate **Casablanca** , what are our next suggestions? (By my preferred rules for this thread, any sincere objection - as opposed to recitation of jokes, old or new - nixes a film.) With **Star Wars** , I could imagine at least some folk dismissing it simply saying that they “don’t like SciFi.” I was wondering about **Wizard of Oz**. Or perhaps seasonally, **Miracle of 34th Street**? But even with The Wizard of Oz and Casablanca, I’ve learned that no matter how much I like a movie, there is a limit as to how often I wish to rewatch them. Eventually I seem to hit a “lifetime maximum”, at which point I have to NOT watch it again - at least for several years. My wife is more willing than I to watch some of our/her favorites with more regularity. Given the challenges I perceive in finding TV or new movies I want to watch (food for a different thread), I’ve started seeing what our library has in terms of movies I remember having enjoyed in the past, but never rewatched. Things like the newer Oceans Eleven, Up in the Air, Catch Me if You Can. Just solid entertainment (IMO), but nothing that really wowed me and that I never rewatched - or at least not for some time. I put a bunch on hold, and will see how it goes. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/12 "2026-01-02T15:13:44Z")
How about The Sound Of Music? I watched that about 300 times when my kids were little, and it held up let well. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/13 "2026-01-02T15:16:04Z")
Solid nominee. Maybe not a masterpiece, maybe a tad too long, but I’ll agree that it is at the very least a good movie. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/14 "2026-01-02T15:17:27Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Not sure how this fits with my stated preference: > > > [@Dinsdale](#): > > > > I’d appreciate if folk would not shoot down any suggestion just thinking they are being humorous. > > Do you agree with that “old joke”? That’s what I get for incautious reading 🤦 No intentions here of shooting down **Casablanca** or its eminently quotable screenplay. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/15 "2026-01-02T15:18:33Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’d also suggest that very few find Empire Strikes Back to not be a good movie. I would put _Empire_ “worship” right up there with the linked _Princess Bride_. IMO, _Empire_ is a good movie, but nowhere as good as its reputation. I never get the whole “it’s the best Star Wars movie!”. No, _Star Wars_ is the best Star Wars movie, no question! It has some real stupidity, the early manifestations of Lucas being Lucas, such as the asteroid with air and gravity and a giant space slug. It also suffers from being the middle of a trilogy, so it doesn’t end, it just "to be continued"s out. > [@commasense](#): > > As for _The Empire Strikes Back_, my first and enduring reaction was that it was just an in-between film, holding a place between the first and third episodes It helps _Empire_’s reputation that _Jedi_ sucked, but in reply to the OP, I would not say _Empire_ is great. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/16 "2026-01-02T15:19:16Z")
There are plenty of us that don’t like The Sound Of Music. I know I’m not alone. Now I wonder about **Mary Poppins**? Is that universally liked? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/17 "2026-01-02T15:19:41Z")
Among more recent films, I’ve never seen much hate or even mild disdain for **Spirited Away**. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/18 "2026-01-02T15:22:32Z")
There’s probably some selection effect there, though. I suspect that there are plenty of folks who wouldn’t like it (don’t like animation, or don’t like foreign films, or don’t like environmental messaging), but those folks mostly would never watch it in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/19 "2026-01-02T15:24:18Z")
**Spirited Away** : Sorry, I didn’t like it. Very dark for me. I didn’t love the animation. And I watch a fair amount of anime at this point. Though not back in 2001. **Empire Strikes Back** is the only Star Wars movie I think is actually a good movie. Star Wars was solid, the rest were bad movies or worse. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/20 "2026-01-02T15:24:29Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I was wondering about **Wizard of Oz**. Nope for me. When I was a kid, I _hated_ all the things it changed from the book (not to mention how cheesily theatrical it is). I’ve mellowed on it a bit over the years, but I still can’t say I _like_ it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271.md?page=2)