I’ll have to second Gladiator. The dialogue wouldn’t have worked for a Patrick Swayze movie, much less for a historical adventure.
so many of these I agree with as overrated - Avatar, 2001, ET !!!
only disagree strongly with LOTR. despite flaws, do not think they were overrated.
My choice has to be “Star Wars” and all its offspring. I really think you had to see it as a child to get into it. I saw it (on the big screen) as a grad student. was not blown away, and I’ve always liked sci-fi. When sequel came out, I thought - it doesn’t need a sequel, they’re only doing this for the $. still feel that way. Star Wars-the industry annoys the heck out of me.
Strangely, I never liked it as a kid, but it grew on me, and I quite enjoy it as a 38-year-old.
I have many picks for most overrated. Many have been mentioned. I’ll add Vertigo. I saw it well after I had seen most other Hitchcock movies, and was sorely, sorely disappointed. It did nothing for me.
Joe
wheresgeorge04 - oh my gosh, I thought I was the only person in the world who wasn’t in love with “Vertigo”! yay - there are two of us!
I also live in San Francisco, where I might as well say I hate kittens and candy. Vertigo is revered here.
Joe
A movie should not be considered overrated just because you don’t like it. You’re probably wrong. I would consider a movie overrated if it
-
Won the Best Picture Oscar and/or
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Made over $200 million dollars, and is not on the list of top 100 films according to either
a. The American Film Institute
b. The British Film Institute, or
c. IMDB
*Eyes Wide Shut. * What a stupid movie, and some really bad acting. And yet, there was quite a buzz at the time.
Oh, I don’t think that was overrated. I recall very bad reviews, which I agreed with. No major Oscars that I can recall…
Joe
I’d agree that “Eyes Wide Shut” isn’t overrated by usual standards. It reminds me of “Showgirls” and some other favorites of individual board members, in that is was defended mightily here when it first came out & most people thought it was crap.
- Anything with Jack Nicholson in it.
- Anything with Robin Williams in it.
- Anything that has Tim Burton involved in it in any way.
Yes, except* Beetlejuice. *
What does this mean?
I haven’t seen The Deer Hunter nominated yet, so I’ll throw it out there. When I saw it, I kept waiting… and waiting… and waiting… for that damned wedding scene to end. I just found it to be intolerably slow.
I disagree with the nomination of Apocalypse Now. I do think Coppola’s original cut was the right one, the Redux version was just too much. The surfboard theft was silly, the French house just killed the direction of the story, and the sex scene with the bunnies just a little too surreal.
I fully support the disgust for Citizen Kane. Yeah yeah, new camera techniques, blah blah blah. If you paired all of Wells’ innovation with a memorable story, you might have something.
Isn’t that the one where an effete emperor actually thinks (for some reason) that he has a chance to win against the professional in a fight in the Colosseum? Or am I misremembering?
Inglorious Basterds was insultingly dumb. None of it made any sense. I can not fathom how that got nominated for anything except a Razzy.
While I enjoyed Michael Clayton, I was surprised by the award love it got.
Inception was the first movie I thought of befroe clicking on the thread. Probably helps because it is recent.
Them, sir, are fighting words.
The Princess Bride - tried to watch it twice, fell asleep twice. People look at me like I have two heads when I admit to finding it boring as hell.
Ditto A Christmas Story. I think the spouse and I are the only two people on earth who don’t like that movie. I mentioned last night to a friend that I didn’t and he joked, “You don’t actually have a soul, do you?” 
Add me to the list for The Dark Knight. Boring, too dark, too long, too grim. And I didn’t think Heath Ledger was anything special as the Joker. I found him more than a bit over the top, honestly. I’ll probably go to the new one this summer but I don’t expect to like it half as much as The Avengers.
On the other hand, I loved Titanic.
Did I miss someone posting Napoleon Dynamite? What a letdown that movie was…