# 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:** 12
**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 3, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/221 "2026-01-03T15:26:07Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Thelma and Louise- who didn’t like T&L? I hate T&L. Aside from all the other poor decisions they make, killing yourself in the name of female empowerment is utterly stupid. > [@aceplace57](#): > > Goldfinger The worst of the Bond films. FRWL is a contender, and maybe add _Casino Royale_, but not Goldfinger! > [@MacDoc](#): > > **Blade Runner**. original directors cut. You had me until “director’s cut”. The original theatrical, please! (I chuckle that you distinguish “original director’s cut” from the seemingly endless stream of “better director’s cut” and “final director’s cut” and “we really mean it this time! final director’s cut! SRSLY”) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/222 "2026-01-03T15:39:47Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I consider professional critics’ ratings to give a better guage of a film’s worth. Ah, but there’s the rub. A film’s worth **to who**? I’m interested in a film’s worth **to me** , and I often disagree with professional critics. The only critic I pretty much consistently agreed with was the late great Roger Ebert. Then there are critics like Richard Brody, who writes for the _New Yorker_, and seems to have a powerful affinity for obscure art house dreck. Besides, so many movies on RT have ratings in the high 90s or even 100% that it ceases to be meaningful. It’s relatively rare for IMDb to rate a movie higher than about 7.9. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/223 "2026-01-03T15:59:51Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I hate T&L. Aside from all the other poor decisions they make, killing yourself in the name of female empowerment is utterly stupid. I don’t remember anyone cheering them on at the end, rather it was a choice between the canyon or death row back in Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/224 "2026-01-03T16:11:48Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > I saw a bluesky thread recently abo I t films which are much better than they need to be,… That’s how I would describe _Babe_. It only needed to be a run-of-the-mill kids’ film, but it’s much better than that. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/225 "2026-01-03T16:24:51Z")
I found it helpful to filter the IMDb search to 1 million ratings or more, then sort by highest rating. Figuring that the only movies that have a chance to be universally viewed positively are movies that a ton of people rated positively on IMDb. There is a pretty serious recency bias in such a list, but in fairness, I think there would be equivalent recency bias for any movie to qualify here. Getting younger generations to watch black and white movies is probably about as difficult as getting me to watch them. Getting older generations to watch and enjoy aa more modern movie is probably easier but still not easy. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/226 "2026-01-03T16:25:47Z")
I have two lesser-seen comedies that I can’t imagine anyone breathing a harsh word against: [Local Hero](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085859/) [Waking Ned Devine](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166396/?ref_=fn_t_1) mmm ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/227 "2026-01-03T16:41:48Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > To Kill a Mockingbird I loved it when I was a kid, but it does not age well. It’s one in a long line of white savior stories that exist for white people and by white people. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/228 "2026-01-03T16:58:02Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > I only saw Wizard of Oz a couple years ago, but was blown away how great it was. Easily one of the best movies of all time, and must’ve been unbelievable in 1939. I’m non-US-American, and haven’t read the book. Must have seen it at the wrong age then. I came out of the theatre depressed. May have been the Spanish voice over? Now I think that one single voice against a film is too high a bar, I take my nib back on WoO. The others remain. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/229 "2026-01-03T17:00:23Z")
People have mentioned _the Sound of Music,_ which is fine, I guess, but nobody’s suggested the greatest Hollywood musical of all time, **Singin’ in the Rain**? I’m sure someone will prove me wrong, but I don’t think it’s possible to dislike that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/230 "2026-01-03T17:12:42Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I don’t think it’s possible to dislike that movie There are both critics and viewers who have disliked it. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/231 "2026-01-03T17:19:10Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Thelma and Louise- who didn’t like T&L? > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I hate T&L. Aside from all the other poor decisions they make, killing yourself in the name of female empowerment is utterly stupid. > [@chela](#): > > I don’t remember anyone cheering them on at the end, rather it was a choice between the canyon or death row back in Arkansas. Right, due to all of the poor decisions they make throughout the film. I absolutely hated _Thelma & Louise_ from start to finish. There is no way it is in the universe of films that everyone agrees is good, IMHO. And they weren’t necessarily facing death row back in Arkansas. Instead of Louise cashing out her life savings and letting a drifter steal it, she could have paid for a good lawyer to either get her off on self-defense or at least a reduced charge. None of the the other crimes they committed were potential capital offenses. I still think _ **Apollo 13** _ should be a contender. One person upthread said he didn’t like it because he doesn’t like Tom Hanks, but c’mon, that like saying you don’t like puppies. 😉 And since it hasn’t been mentioned yet, I will add _ **The Martian** _ to the list, which is another one of my favorite films. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/232 "2026-01-03T17:34:37Z")
Does anybody else feel that both Julie Andrews and James Stewart have a relation to goodness that elicits a response like the **[uncanny valley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley)** hypothesizes for resemblance to humans? It comes close, which makes it even more distressing, but it is not the real thing. Ony you can’t really point to what is wrong. But it is. So there go _My Fair Lady, Sound of Music, Mary Poppins_, and all of Stewart’s X-Mas movies. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/233 "2026-01-03T17:57:08Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I found it helpful to filter the IMDb search to 1 million ratings or more Geez, that wouldn’t turn up very many movies, would it? Even _Apocalypse Now_ has just 750K ratings. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/234 "2026-01-03T19:12:07Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I still think _ **Apollo 13** _ should be a contender. One person upthread said he didn’t like it because he doesn’t like Tom Hanks, but c’mon, that like saying you don’t like puppies. 😉 I like _Apollo 13_, but for astronaut movies it runs a distant second to _The Right Stuff_. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/235 "2026-01-03T19:34:21Z")
Who’s going to hate on _Real Genius_? It’s delightful! ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/236 "2026-01-03T19:45:16Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Isn’t that the point? Yes, but it’s also why I disliked the movie. I’m not hating on Bill Murray’s acting, I’m hating on the character, and by extension, the movie. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/237 "2026-01-03T19:49:37Z")
I dislike **Singin’ in the Rain** for a really stupid reason: The movie is not about singing in the rain. The movie title comes from possibly the most iconic scene in movie history, but that’s not the focus of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/238 "2026-01-03T19:51:08Z")
I agree; that is a stupid reason to dislike the movie. ---
**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 3, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/239 "2026-01-03T19:52:49Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > **Singin’ in the Rain** I don’t hate SitR but I think _An American In Paris_ is better, overall. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/240 "2026-01-03T19:56:05Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I still think _ **Apollo 13** _ should be a contender. One person upthread said he didn’t like it because he doesn’t like Tom Hanks, but c’mon, that like saying you don’t like puppies. 😉 That was me and it’s more like I don’t like inane actors that pander to their audiences. Was Apollo 13 the one where Hanks played the quietly decent man trying to conquer his fear for the greater good, or was that every other movie he churns out at the pablum factory? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271.md?page=13)