# 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:** 3
**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, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/41 "2026-01-02T16:00:09Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Spirited Away I shot this one down. See above. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/42 "2026-01-02T16:05:27Z")
I have to shoot down _Mary Poppins_ for making light of the Suffragette movement, and Tolkein, because, OMG… the Unbearable Length of the Movie. If we’re going to pick The _Empire Strikes Back_, then we might as well pick the original _Star Wars._ Any love for the old screwball comedies? _The Awful Truth_ is one of my favorites, and it seems funny enough the most people could sit through it even if they weren’t fans of the actors, or found the plot too far-fetched. Then, there’s the so-quotable _Ninotchka._ “We will have fewer, but better Russians.” If those don’t fly, then what about the Ingrid Bergman _Gaslight,_ or a Hitchcock film? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/43 "2026-01-02T16:07:34Z")
If I mention The Godfather, will someone obligingly say that the sequel is even better? ---
**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, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/44 "2026-01-02T16:09:26Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > If I mention The Godfather, will someone obligingly say that the sequel is even better?. I do prefer the original. I know Family Guy did this, but I suppose someone could not like The Godfather. Toy Story 1, 2, or 3? ---
**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, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/45 "2026-01-02T16:15:42Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > You’re never going to get a consensus on a genre film. Every genre- Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Animation, all of them - have legions of haters. And every film is a genre film. And I think I’d avoid sequels, in general, in this thread. While you’ll sometimes hear people say that a sequel is even better than the original, I don’t think you’ll ever hear people say that the sequel was good while the original was actually bad. Wait, I sort of take that back: Star Trek: The Motion Picture was bad, but some of the sequels were good. But that’s only a partial counterexample, because there, the real original was the TV show. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/46 "2026-01-02T16:15:47Z")
Seconding What\_Exit, who shot down _Spirited Away_. Too dark. Too rambling. Unresolved conflicts. Too much unexplained. But may I offer _Galaxy Quest_ for consideration? Probably most people knew this, but I only learned yesterday evening that David Mamet said he had seen only four perfect movies, and he included _Galaxy Quest_ in the list. ---
**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 2, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/47 "2026-01-02T16:19:33Z")
From the suggested I would like to strike some out: Casablanca The Godfather Back to the Future ~~Mary Poppins~~ Groundhog Day ~~Sound of Music Toy Story~~ Ratatouille ~~Wall-E~~ Spirited Away (never saw it, I abstain) Apollo 13 (never saw it, I abstain) and would like to add **[To Be or Not To Be](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Be_or_Not_to_Be_(1942_film))** **[The Great Dictator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Dictator)** even if they are black&white. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/48 "2026-01-02T16:26:25Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Casablanca was my first thought when i saw the thread. That and _Treasure of The Sierra Madre._ ---
**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 2, 2026, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/49 "2026-01-02T16:26:35Z")
Some of the movies mentioned I can only offer a null response. _The Sound of Music_, _Miracle on 34th Street_, _Mary Poppins_, _The Wizard of Oz_? Never seen any of them. What I can say is that what I know of them from cultural osmisis doesn’t make them look like something I would care to bother with. ---
**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, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/50 "2026-01-02T16:29:32Z")
Back to the Future Groundhog Day Ratatoulle Apollo 13 Star Wars - A New Hope The Awful Truth The Godfather To Be and Not Be The Great Dictator Galaxy Quest I scratched: Ninotchka - saw long ago but found boring/excessively dated/stilted as I perceive many old films Gaslight - saw recently. Same as above This is intended to be somewhat lighthearted fun, but comments like these are not what I hoped for: > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > If I mention The Godfather, will someone obligingly say that the sequel is even better? Doesn’t matter if another film is better. The only standard is if we ALL agree film x is “a good film” (admittedly imperfect standard."). SO feel free to nominate either/both Godfather 1 and 2. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > You’re never going to get a consensus on a genre film. Again, feel free to express your personal disfavor for a film in any specific genre. I said that I tend not to LOVE most old films, but I offered Casablanca and Wizard. And I tend to dislike most animation, but Toy Story is IMO a good flick. I’m expressing no opinion WRT films I have not seen - even if I strongly suspect I would not like them. I really disliked City Lights, so I suspect I would dislike Great Dictator. But not having seen it… I’m not trying to be a jerk - just trying to keep this exercise manageable. 1 vote is enough to scotch a film. So if someone already nixed a movie, you don’t need to chime in and say whether you like or dislike the film. I acknowledge that we will have the issue of folk not reading the entire thread. I’m limited in how much effort I’m going to exert to oversee this. Feel free to chime in and update the list of valid candidates. What **Pardel-Lux** offered is perfect IMO. I decided I’m not going to exert the effort to maintain a list of nixed nominations. If anyone wishes to do so, feel free. I also welcome others who are enjoying this exercise to inform subsequent posters if their nomination had been rejected before. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/51 "2026-01-02T16:31:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 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 The problem is getting “everyone” to like a movie. No matter the genre, there will always be some subset of people who just don’t like it. No matter how well-made a fantasy or science fiction movie may be, some people just don’t like them. I’m sure most people have at least one type of movie they just aren’t into. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/52 "2026-01-02T16:34:07Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I used to run a retrospective film festival, and by far the most popular film I ever screened was Casablanca. Of course, there’s a huge selection bias here, in that you were surveying people who went out of their way to attend a “retrospective film festival”. I’d lay good odds their opinions are significantly different from the average of the general population. ---
**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, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/53 "2026-01-02T16:37:28Z")
I’ve also shown Jaws, Back to the Future, and The Wizard of OZ, but Casablanca outsold them all by 3 to 1. If there is a bias here, I don’t see it. ---
**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, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/54 "2026-01-02T16:39:00Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > > [@Dinsdale](#): > > > > So, if we eliminate **Casablanca** , what are our next suggestions? > > Sorry but I thought **Casablanca** was an ok movie but not as great as some take it to be. An opinion apparently shared with Ingrid Bergman People thinking it’s just “okay” meets the criteria of the title, i think. ---
**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, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/55 "2026-01-02T16:40:49Z")
[Here’s a list of movies with a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_with_a_100%25_rating_on_Rotten_Tomatoes), though I think the audience score would be more relevant here, and I’m not easily finding that list. Also of note is that a lot of them don’t have very many reviews, which could be a sign that the sort of people who just don’t like that kind of movie (whatever it is) might not have bothered to see it. The largest number of reviews on the list is Leave No Trace, from 2018, with 248 reviews. But it’s only 78% on the Popcorn-Meter, which I think is what they’re calling the audience reviews, nowadays. ---
**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 2, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/56 "2026-01-02T16:41:36Z")
_Jaws_ looks good too, and I firmly oppose the _Wizzard of Oz_. I think it is weird for non US-Americans. I saw it as a child and was badly repelled. ---
**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, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/57 "2026-01-02T16:45:11Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > ou’re never going to get a consensus on a genre film. Every genre- Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Animation, all of them - have legions of haters. On the one hand, the question wasn’t which movie is universally _liked_; it was which movie is universally considered _good_. It’s possible to hold the opinion, “That’s an objectively good movie of that genre, but I don’t personally like it because I don’t like that genre.” On the other hand, at least some of those haters would probably say that it’s impossible for a movie to be a good movie if it’s a genre movie in their hated genre. ---
**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 2, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/58 "2026-01-02T16:45:40Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > > > Well, I’m sorry. I last saw Casablanca ten or twenty years ago, and I thought it was boring. > > Yeah, I couldn’t get through it at all. My suggestion is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. You could put that in theaters today and it would be as big a hit as it was when it came out. Include me among the fanatics who think Casablanca is obviously and by far the greatest movie ever! May I ask how old you two are, and what movies from the 1930’s or '40’s you do like? I don’t particularly like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; I find it boring, especially as a re-watch. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/59 "2026-01-02T16:47:22Z")
> [@Gordon\_G](#): > > May I ask how old you two are, and what movies from the 1930’s or '40’s you do like? Can’t think of a single one. In fact I believe the aforementioned Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the oldest movie I like. ETA: I’m 47. ---
**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, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271/60 "2026-01-02T16:50:55Z")
I’ve never heard of most of those, and some of them clearly have a niche audience (Woodstock, for instance. I liked it, but I’m sure lots of people have zero interest.) But toy story is on the list. And fewer than 4% of all its ratings on IMDb are less than “6”. That may be about as good as it gets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-movie-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026271.md?page=4)