# 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:** 22
**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 7, 2026, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/421 "2026-01-07T07:56:53Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > 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. That’s one of my favourite movies. I’ll still put _Jurassic Park_ just slightly ahead of it, though. Both benefited from Spielberg’s directorial genius. There were several slightly different versions of it, most notably the original theatrical version and then an extended cut with scenes inside the alien ship. Frankly I prefer the original – some things are better left to the imagination. But truly a great example of what cinema at its best is all about. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/422 "2026-01-07T08:13:19Z")
I like it, but there are people who just don’t like Bill Murray; and Bill Murray is very Bill Murray in **Groundhog Day**. ---
**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 7, 2026, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/423 "2026-01-07T08:21:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > there are people who just don’t like Bill Murray; and Bill Murray is very Bill Murray in **Groundhog Day**. I haven’t seen it, and that convinces me not to see it. I have no personal animosity against Bill Murray, I just don’t enjoy him as an actor. _Lost in Translation_ is another movie where Bill Murray is very Bill Murray. Critically acclaimed, but I can barely watch it. I’m aware he’s won quite a few awards, but it’s a mystery to me how he rose from _Saturday Night Live_ to somehow becoming a major movie star. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/424 "2026-01-07T08:30:08Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > _Lost in Translation_ is another movie where Bill Murray is very Bill Murray. Critically acclaimed, but I can barely watch it. My problem with that movie is more that _nothing really happens._ ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/425 "2026-01-07T09:58:17Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > 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. I can get behind this selection. **Green Book** is a fine film. The two men learn that they have to set aside their differences and prejudices to work together if they are going to get their jobs done. The characters are allowed to develop, and that they do—Tony Lip learns from Dr. Shirley, and Dr. Shirley learns from Tony Lip. I especially liked the final note before the end credits that said the two men remained great friends for the rest of their lives. And I agree about Don Shirley’s music. I’ve looked some of it up since seeing the film. Migosh, what a talent. Glad that the film introduced it to people who otherwise did not know it (like me). ETA: I think that if we are _all_ to agree on a good film, then this is the sort of film we should be looking at. Understated, a good story, engaging characters. There will always be those who don’t like certain genres like sci-fi or fantasy or action/adventure, and those who dislike a lot of CGI, and those who hate musicals or comedies. But then there’s this film, and it doesn’t fit into anything except the broad category of drama. It seems to work to fit the OP’s parameters, IMHO. ---
**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, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/426 "2026-01-07T10:48:12Z")
I’m not a Bill Murray fan either, but _Groundhog Day_ is good (not great). With vetoes coming fast and furious we must take what we can get! I was quite surprised my kids liked _Green Book_. They are Thai-American; one hasn’t yet visited USA. Perhaps the look – whether valid or not – at American culture intrigued them. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/427 "2026-01-07T10:48:40Z")
I’ll offer a different theory. It’s well established (and don’t you dare nitpick such a self-apparent point) that in the evolutionary long term, we’re all going to be crabs. Read the wiki article about [carcinisation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinisation) for details. Similarly, in the board long-term, every thread with any question about movies will end up being just a long list of movies that people love, or like, or that just pop into their heads. ---
**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 7, 2026, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/428 "2026-01-07T11:23:51Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > 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. I remember that some Black Americans didn’t like Green Book (perhaps because it beat Black Panther and BlacKkKlansman for the Best Picture award) but it did introduce me to the idea of the book itself; a travel guide for Black people in an age when travel could be dangerous. ---
**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 7, 2026, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/429 "2026-01-07T11:55:09Z")
> [@Is there any SONG that we ALL would agree id good (if not great)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-id-good-if-not-great/1026427): > > Continuing the discussion from [Is there any movie we ALL would agree is good (if not great)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271): As we can’t agree on a movie, perhaps we can agree on a song? Not a singer, a group, an album, but a simple single song? I’ll suggest for a start: [Suzanne](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_56ep729TE&list=RDn_56ep729TE&start_radio=1), by Leonard Cohen [Child in Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tBRQynVxTQ&list=RD8tBRQynVxTQ&start_radio=1), by Deep Purple [A Day in the Life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usNsCeOV4GM&list=RDusNsCeOV4GM&start_radio=1), by The Beatles ---
**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 7, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/430 "2026-01-07T14:05:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I remember that some Black Americans didn’t like Green Book (perhaps because it beat Black Panther and BlacKkKlansman for the Best Picture award) but it did introduce me to the idea of the book itself; a travel guide for Black people in an age when travel could be dangerous. It wasn’t just Black people. Here’s an article from (gasp) a white lady who didn’t like it. > **["Green Book" Was Made to Make White People Feel Good About Themselves](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/green-book-best-picture-oscars-2019-made-white-people-feel-good-about-themselves)** > > The Best Picture winner is yet another critically acclaimed white savior story. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/431 "2026-01-07T14:23:24Z")
> [@Gordon\_G](#): > > ETA: A sentimental love story I like, though my kids refuse to watch it, is _The Notebook_. Any vetoes? Well, I haven’t seen it, so I have no standing to veto it. But any movie whose first adjective is “sentimental” starts out with 2.9 strikes in my book. I _very_ rarely see sentimental (as a primary characteristic of a story) done in a way I consider good. It’s too, too, too easy to overdo it or wallow into cringe territory or end up with something that feels terribly contrived. But again, I haven’t seen this one, so I can’t in good conscience officially veto it. ---
**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 7, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/432 "2026-01-07T14:29:04Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > My problem with [Lost In Translation] is more that _nothing really happens._ Let me quote myself from ten years ago: > [@2001 Space Odyssey is the 2nd-most boring movie ever made](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2001-space-odyssey-is-the-2nd-most-boring-movie-ever-made/728133/36): > > 2001 is like an abstract painting. There isn’t anything obvious there, but with careful viewing, you can “see” what the artist intended. I’ve often wondered if a movie can be made that is the equivalent of an abstract painting that is about the emotion created by looking at it, rather than what is on the canvas. I think _2001_ is that film, as is, oddly enough, _Lost In Translation_. Neither film is about the story, they are about the feelings. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/433 "2026-01-07T15:06:21Z")
> [@2001 Space Odyssey is the 2nd-most boring movie ever made](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2001-space-odyssey-is-the-2nd-most-boring-movie-ever-made/728133/36): > > I’ve often wondered if a movie can be made that is the equivalent of an abstract painting that is about the emotion created by looking at it, rather than what is on the canvas. You should watch Don Hertzfeldt’s recent film _Me_. There’s no coherent dialogue at all; it’s all visual plus excerpts of classical music (the use of Joan Sutherland singing “I Dreamt I Dwelled In Marbled Halls” is sublime). Not only is it difficult to describe what the film is about (other than, in a very abstract way, Hertzfeldt himself), I think it has achieved “If you could explain it you wouldn’t have to watch it” status). But then I’m a big DH fan - YMMV. I’m pretty sure _Me_ wouldn’t come close to being on this list, although his _It’s Such A Beautiful Day_ film from 2012 has a perfect 100% score on RT from 33 reviews. ---
**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 7, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/434 "2026-01-07T15:24:29Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > You should watch Don Hertzfeldt’s recent film _Me_. I may have to. It sounds…interesting. > **[Short Films in Focus: Don Hertzfeldt's "ME" | Features | Roger Ebert](https://www.rogerebert.com/features/short-films-in-focus-don-hertzfeldts-me)** > > Our short film series gets to the great Don Hertzfeldt and his latest, "ME." ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/435 "2026-01-07T15:47:04Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > another movie where Bill Murray is very Bill Murray He Bill Murrays another character nearly to death in _What About Bob?_ ---
**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 7, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/436 "2026-01-07T15:52:06Z")
Whereas he turns in a surprisingly un-Murrayish performance as a possibly wife-beaten husband in _Moonrise Kingdom_. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/437 "2026-01-07T19:27:05Z")
> [@Gordon\_G](#): > > but let me veto _Singin’ in the Rain._ There are at least a dozen better musicals. 12 better musicals produced in … how many years? That tells me that Singin’ in the Rain is pretty damned good! Let’s not let “perfect” get in the way of “good”! > [@batsto](#): > > wife and I tried watching Godfather, maybe 20 years ago. Went on forever and ever with nothing seeming to happen. > > … > > same with Casablanca—we made it to the end, but were both quite underwhelmed as to what the big deal was supposed to be. I wonder if part of it is “connection”. If you are connected to the story, the anticipation of what will happen next keeps you riveted to your seat; if you don’t care, then there is no anticipation. I think of it like watching baseball. If you care about the team, then each pitch is possible triumph or disaster; if you don’t, then it’s a long 45 seconds before the next thing actually may (and probably won’t) happen. ---
**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 7, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/438 "2026-01-07T21:16:15Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I haven’t seen it, and that convinces me not to see it. I have no personal animosity against Bill Murray, I just don’t enjoy him as an actor. You’re missing out, honestly. _Groundhog Day_ is brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/439 "2026-01-07T21:30:21Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > I wonder if part of it is “connection”. If you are connected to the story, the anticipation of what will happen next keeps you riveted to your seat; if you don’t care, then there is no anticipation. I think of it like watching baseball. If you care about the team, then each pitch is possible triumph or disaster; if you don’t, then it’s a long 45 seconds before the next thing actually may (and probably won’t) happen. but in the baseball game, I already cared about the team before the game started. That’s why I’m watching. I feel like a good movie would make me feel connected; I”m certainly not feeling that before the movie has started. ---
**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 7, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/440 "2026-01-07T22:14:34Z")
Maybe we need a companion thread “Is there any movie we all would agree is bad (if not terrible)”? I think the answer is no, I mean, even Plan 9 has a 3.9 IMDB rating! Somebody likes it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271.md?page=23)