# Movies that look so stupid, you won't even give them a chance **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 17, 2001, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811 "2001-08-17T21:30:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Netbrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71e660/32.png) [@Netbrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Netbrian)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/41 "2001-08-18T05:18:51Z")
I would have to say that many of the above movies (save Disney and “Oh Brother Where Art Thou”, I enjoy musicals a lot) go for me as well. Also, I’ve seen previews for Osmosis Jones, and it looks absolutly abysmal to me. The concept is great, but the execution looks pathetically choked into just a “bodily humor comedy”. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/42 "2001-08-18T12:10:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OpalCat \* > \*\* > > I’m so sorry to hear of your upcoming divorce, but the women of the SDMB should be swarming all over you any minute now 😉 \*\* It isn’t quite so bad. She tolerates me watching all sorts of programs she herself can’t stand. All my Japanese movies on DVDs just bore her to death. And I’m sure she isn’t going to mind when I purchase the new Black Adder collection on DVD! Marc ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/43 "2001-08-18T12:15:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dewey Cheatem Undhow \* > \*\*You’ve gotta be careful on pre-judging movies based on the preview, though – while you can usually tell if the movie will suck, sometimes you’re wrong. > > Case in point: _Galaxy Quest_. I saw the preview and thought “Dear God, this must be the lamest thing I’ve ever seen. It looks bad even before I consider the cast, and it’s got Tim Allen for the love of God! It must suck, suck, suck!” \*\* I’ve come to the conlcusion that previews don’t actually tell you what the movie is about. Fight Club appeared to be just a movie about people who like underground boxing, Bicentennial Man looked like a comedy, and I thought AI was going to have an violent android that the boy would stop. > [@](#): > > \*\* > Now I tell people to rent the documentary _Trekkies_ and watch it immediately before _Galaxy Quest_. No one’s been disappointed yet. \*\* It is no secret that I’ve got some problems with certain segments of the Sci-Fi community. But the movie Trekkies was completely unfair to Trek fans as they presented the most whacked out fans in the universe. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/44 "2001-08-18T13:15:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Philosophocles \* > \*\*Rat Race looks rather awful from the commercials, except for the fact that Rowan Atkinson (of Mr. Bean fame) is in the movie. \*\* We saw this in sneak preview 2 weeks ago. There was only one movie preview, then the feature, Titles come up, and I start thinking, “this is going to be bad.” It turned out to be the funniest movie I have seen in years. Everyone was laughing throughout the movie, not just chuckles, mind you, but long deep belly laughs. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/45 "2001-08-18T13:48:27Z")
Bubble Boy (ugh. Don’t get me started.) Murrikin Pie 2 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/46 "2001-08-18T14:09:11Z")
[Save the Last Dance](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0206275). What, did all the _other_ plot lines and characters in [Fame](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0080716) make it too confusing? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/47 "2001-08-18T14:21:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ThisYearsGirl \* > \*\*Have you seen the previews for it? It just looks so. . . dumb. I’m kinda a Kevin Smith (I liked Clerks, and enjoyed Mallrats a lot), but I’m not foaming at the mouth for him or anything. I just think the previews make it look stupid, and nowhere near as “grown-up” as the rest of his movies. \*\* This is because the previews do not actually show the true content of the movie, this has benn mentioned numerous times already in this thread. If you’ve seen any of the specials on it (like Comedy Central’s “Reel Comedy”) you get to see more of the movie. What I think is great, is that half of the stars who do cameo’s play themselves (Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Mark Hamill.) Actually, Matt Damon plays himself AND Will Hunting, and Ben Affleck also plays his character from “Chasing Amy.” Of course, this is all merely what my friend (about the biggest Kevin Smith fn on the planet) has told me, so it might not be true, but his sources tend to be pretty reliable. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/48 "2001-08-18T14:37:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elfkin477 \* > \*\*Babe: Pig in the city/ Air Bud etc, basically any heartwarming animal movie \*\* Therein lies the danger of judging films from the trailer . . . _Babe: Pig In The City_ is not exactly a “heartwarming animal movie.” At times, it’s quite dark, and NOT for children. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/49 "2001-08-18T14:49:52Z")
No offense, **bouv** , but it sounds as if what you’re saying is, “You have to already like it to like it.” Recommendation-wise, it’s a little useless, I’m sure you’ll agree. ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/50 "2001-08-18T14:54:11Z")
_Please_ don’t let the **Moulin Rouge** trailer scare you away! This turned out to be one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen (four times). Movies I will _never_ watch: **Gone in 60 Seconds** **Captain Correlli’s Mandolin** **The Family Guy** **The Rock** **The Wedding Planner** **Tomb Raider** **Hanging Up** Anything starring **Freddie Prinze Jr.** Anything starring **Drew Barrymore** Anything starring **Sandra Bullock** Enough… for now. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/51 "2001-08-18T15:10:11Z")
The **Jimmy Neutron** movie from Nickolodeon. I feel pity for any critic who has to go see that movie. ---
**Author:** ![ThisYearsGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThisYearsGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisYearsGirl)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/52 "2001-08-18T15:53:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bouv \*\*\* > If you’ve seen any of the specials on it (like Comedy Central’s “Reel Comedy”) you get to see more of the movie. > \*\* I actually saw about 20 minutes of the Reel Comedy special, and I gotta be up front with you–I still wasn’t impressed. ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/53 "2001-08-18T16:59:02Z")
I regard any movie preview with suspicion and general contempt until I hear from Roger Ebert 🙂 And even then, I’m careful about what I’ll willingly see. I have to second or third other people’s motions with regard to “Moulin Rouge” and “O Brother Where Art Thou”. I was dragged to both, and thoroughly enjoyed them. In fact, I think I had more fun with them than my fiancee. (hi honey!) Both movies were risky to make, and the leading actors took career risks of their own with. They made me really respect Kidman, McGregor, and Clooney. These films come from anything but the standard Hollywood cookie-cutter. You may not like them, but give them a shot. You’ll at least appreciate the effort that went into producing unique and interesting films - something the producers of “Dude, Where’s My Car”? weren’t thinking about. I saw “Legally Blonde” a few weeks ago. (I’m building up stock with my fiancee for the 10 times I’ll likely see “The Fellowship of the Ring” this winter. :)) I found it charming and cute, but dont expect too much. Other movie trailers and previews that haven’t been mentioned (not that I’d want to see them anyway): Knight’s Tale Rush Hour 2 Princess Diaries Original Sin (Is it just me, or is Angeline Jolie homely?) America’s Sweethearts Autumn in New York (blech) Almost Famous Pootie Tang (let’s stipulate any movie starring an SNL cast member) First Knight (Richard Gere, Sean Connery) The Animal Also avoid: Any movie that takes place “In da hood” Any movie whose trailer begins with “In a world …” “Cop buddy movies” Any movie starring today’s hottest young teenage stars In the future, any Star Wars movie Any piece of garbage starring a singer - ESPECIALLY Barbara Streisand or Madonna ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/54 "2001-08-18T18:49:51Z")
**Osmosis Jones** (Bill Murray, are you that hard up for money?) **Bubble Boy** (NO NO NO NO NO) **American Pie** (see above) any “kids” movie (treacly crap) anything with Julia Roberts, Helen Hunt, or Meg Ryan And to expand this list into past movies, anything Woody Allen has had a hand in. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2001, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/55 "2001-08-18T19:16:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eutychus55 \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by elfkin477 \* > > **O Brother Where Art Thou (I find people randomly breaking into song disconcerting)** > > Huh? I’ve seen the movie quite a few times and I don’t recall a single instance of anyone “randomly” breaking into song. In fact, the Coen Brothers have said that the music in the film is pretty much all circumstantial to the story. \*\* Does it help if I tell you I hate musicals? All of them.(well, except Grease, Little Shop of Horrors and The Rocky Horror Picture show, which were ok. Not great, but ok) I even fast-forward through the singing parts of Disney movies. The only musical I’ve ever found even marginally enjoyable was UNH’s presentation of Fiddler on the Roof, and I wouldn’t have even gone to that one: a.If I wasn’t required to go for a theater class b. If I didn’t know 1/4 of the cast. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/56 "2001-08-19T00:35:23Z")
**Oh brother where art thou** is not a musical. There are just songs in it. BTW…the sound track was #1 on the country music charts. ---
**Author:** ![kiffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@kiffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiffa)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/57 "2001-08-19T02:28:29Z")
My daughter was hitting on everyone in the family to see this movie. Mind you, I hadn’t even given the film much thought one way or the other. So, in the spirit of doing ‘the family thing’, we went to see this movie. This is one sillllly movie, but really keeps you laughing. Make sure that you see the movie in a full theater because everyone in the audience laughs…I mean really hearty gawfahs [sp?]. I would say that this is the second to best laugh out loud movie I’ve ever seen [Tom Jones from the 60s is the best because it is about sex of course]. ---
**Author:** ![Sasquatch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@Sasquatch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sasquatch)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/58 "2001-08-19T02:39:14Z")
If anyone catches me heading into a theater playing “Osmosis Jones”, “Bubble Boy”, or “Rat Race”, please kill me. If you don’t, I’ll probably do the deed myself halfway through the movie. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/59 "2001-08-19T02:50:49Z")
There are three responses I make to trailers and buzz: 1. If it sounds like I’d really want to see it, I go see it. Usually I like it. 2. If I’m not sure if I want to see it or not, then sometimes I’ll see it. And if other folk recommend it, then usually I’ll like it. 3. If I don’t want to see it I WILL NOT SEE IT. Because every time when someone recommends a film in this category and I capitulate, I have _regretted it for the rest of my life!!_ This has thus far been an unfailing truth. Such category 3 movies include: American Beauty English Patient Stigmata Chasing Amy The Big Lebowski All this leads me to the point that there have been about two or three movie trailers this year that have excited me. (_Lord of the Rings_ and _Harry Potter_, and next year’s _Spider-Man_) The rest paint a year full of shitty stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Darqangelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@Darqangelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darqangelle)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811/60 "2001-08-19T11:01:45Z")
I’m just going to say 99% of them…it’ll save space. With the price of movie tickets nowadays, and the bad selection all around, It’s usually the exception rather than the rule that’ll get me into a dark theatre with some of these scripting ideas. Renting, OTOH, is a whole other matter. I can laugh out laod at the stupidity, stop, fast forward, or even just eject the thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-look-so-stupid-you-wont-even-give-them-a-chance/76811.md?page=4)