# 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:** 21
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/401 "2026-01-06T19:29:00Z")
> [@Gordon\_G](#): > > let me veto _Singin’ in the Rain._ There are at least a dozen better musicals. Wow, they must be amazing because ‘Singin’ in the rain’ is absolutely superb. Not being sarcy, genuinely not a musicals expert by any means so just wondering what films they are. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/402 "2026-01-06T19:30:02Z")
wife and I tried watching Godfather, maybe 20 years ago. Went on forever and ever with nothing seeming to happen…I don’t remember how far we got, but it wasn’t far enough apparently because we turned it off out of boredom. Now that was a long time ago, so my memory may be a bit hazy on the details, but both of us thought at the time that we already wasted enough time and no way it was going to get good enough later on for us to justify sitting through any more of it. So I haven’t really ‘seen’ the movie I guess, but only because it bored me enough to turn it off. same with Casablanca—we made it to the end, but were both quite underwhelmed as to what the big deal was supposed to be. ---
**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 6, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/403 "2026-01-06T20:15:17Z")
> [@Gordon\_G](#): > > I’d never heard of _Gaslight_ but watched it now and agree it’s a good movie (and now I know where that modern slang verb comes from). But _Gaslight_ will never be one of my favorite movies. I like cheerful movies! I can tolerate evil, horror and dread but want occasional relief, NOT over an hour of UNRELENTING and exasperating gloom. I feel the same way, which is why really depressing movies will never make it to the top of my list, but many comedies will. And then you have movies like one of my top favourites, _Jurassic Park_, which is basically an adventure/thriller but despite the peril that the characters are sometimes in, it’s basically a joyful movie with a sense of humour that is spectacular entertainment in the literal meaning of the term. It’s the sort of movie that makes you want to get the largest possible TV or, preferably, a 4K projector. One can just imagine that everyone involved probably had fun making it. ------------------------------------------ Speaking of fun, writer-director Rian Johnson and actor Daniel Craig have both said they had fun making the first three “Knives Out” movies and are hoping to make more, and it shows. Even though the last one IMHO wasn’t as good as the first two, all of them are marvellously entertaining. Those are the kinds of movies that tend to make it to the top of my list, and good critics recognize their worth, even if they’re obviously made for mass-market appeal. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/404 "2026-01-06T20:31:43Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > At this point I am completely convinced that the answer to the OP is “nope.” I would agree. ---
**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 6, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/405 "2026-01-06T20:32:36Z")
Please note that what I was talking about in my post was not my opinion. I was talking about the Coen’s opinions. Feel free to send that video to them. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/406 "2026-01-06T20:35:17Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > But taking the movie as a stand alone, no reading the book or post-film analyses, HAL is just another robot-gone-bad, that kills for no reason. We all know, we who have read the novel, why HAL did what it did, and _that_ reason is not unimaginative; in fact, it is far from unimaginative, and makes perfect, logical sense. > > But that’s not in the film! > > In the film, a killbot goes on a murder spree, just like countless robots of old films. Very unimaginative. Could not agree more (though my agreement with your analysis might lead me to say it’s not a good film). I could not figure out what was going on at the end. Now perhaps I’m just one of those lowbrow dummy heads who doesn’t get such highbrow greatness. But I do not see how I was supposed to understand what was going on _based on what was on the screen._ I did a deep dive after viewing. Oh, that was some star gate to some other dimension (or realm, or something). And that was some kind of human zoo, observed by some pure energy aliens, with an accelerated timeline. And the astronaut was ultimately transformed into some kind of advanced, evolved super-fetus, come back to Earth (somehow) to do something really beneficial or really destructive, not sure. The short story “The Sentinel,” the other explanations, reviews, etc., made it clearer. “Here’s what was going on.” Well, I stubbornly insist my movies put everything I need to understand them right there on the screen. Mind you, I enjoy complex plots, deliberate ambiguity, etc. But this was (for me!) a longish lead-in to a muddled mess of a resolution. Yes, the direction was stunning—extremely engaging and intriguing. But it was in the service of a stand-alone movie that was a little too enamored with its own technique and sophistication. One last thing: Master though he was, Kubrick never saw a 30-second bit in a script that wouldn’t benefit from being stretched into a 10-minute spectacle. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/407 "2026-01-06T20:42:49Z")
That’s my favorite line in the movie. It’s the one moment we see what Rick is really about. ---
**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 6, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/408 "2026-01-06T21:22:30Z")
Please note that I explicitly say in my post: “To **them** I would say:” Emphasis added. ---
**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 6, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/409 "2026-01-06T21:27:38Z")
One last try: _ **High Noon.** _ ---
**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 6, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/410 "2026-01-06T21:30:52Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > One last try: > > _ **High Noon.** _   Nix. Don’t like westerns! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/411 "2026-01-06T22:47:23Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > One last thing: Master though he was, Kubrick never saw a 30-second bit in a script that wouldn’t benefit from being stretched into a 10-minute spectacle. That was always my impression of the movie. It was a _Twilight Zone_ episode padded for time with long squences of filler. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/412 "2026-01-06T22:51:16Z")
Some of my all-time favorites have been mentioned here, but I notice one that hasn’t: _Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind_. I have no expectation whatsoever that it will be unchallenged. ---
**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 6, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/413 "2026-01-06T23:03:30Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > remember watching **The Lion King** with our kids, but in one of the earliest scenes, I had one thought that ruined the whole movie for me: Why are all these PREY animals gathering at Pride Rock to exalt a newborn apex predator who will one day be EATING them? For me it was the thought “this is just a rip off of Kimba The White Lion, fucking Disney!” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/414 "2026-01-06T23:12:30Z")
Okay, since most of my previous nominees have been lost in the vetoes of other movies, I’ll try with the ones that haven’t been criticized yet. **When Harry Met Sally** **Fantasia** or, if you disqualify it for the Black Pegasus maidens, **Fantasia 2** **The Last Picture Show** **Psycho** and one more I just thought of **Who Framed Roger Rabbit?** ---
**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 6, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/415 "2026-01-06T23:32:04Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > **Fantasia 2** That’s **Fantasia 2000. 🤓** ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/416 "2026-01-06T23:36:36Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > just a rip off of Kimba The White Lion ISTR the Japanese studio that owns the rights to Kimba said they were flattered by the homage, or some such. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/417 "2026-01-06T23:48:31Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Kimba The White Lion, fucking Disney Wasn’t that [a live-action movie](https://i.imgur.com/sv94LeP.jpeg)? ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Gordon\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_G)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/418 "2026-01-07T05:58:41Z")
One more nomination. _Green Book_. My adult children and I have completely different tastes in movies; it’s hard to find a movie any two of us will enjoy, let alone all three. I was surprised and pleased when they both chose _Green Book_. I’d already seen it but joined in the watching. _They BOTH thought it was excellent!_ (It’s not among my favorites, but I agree it is good. We also all gave a thumbs-up to _Oppenheimer_.) ETA: A sentimental love story I like, though my kids refuse to watch it, is _The Notebook_. Any vetoes? ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/419 "2026-01-07T07:38:44Z")
I’m not going to say I disliked **Green Book** , but I will say I didn’t like the “white savior” theme. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/420 "2026-01-07T07:49:39Z")
I wouldn’t exactly call **Green Book** a white savior story, but the theme of a white guy learning how not to be racist by spending time with an actual black person might have been enlightened in, say, 1950. I’m happy, though, that it brought Don Shirley some attention. He was a fine musician. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271.md?page=22)