# Movies that were a lot better than you expected (SPOILERS LIKELY) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559 "2011-11-11T02:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/41 "2011-11-14T14:19:25Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > **[Temple Grandin](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278469/)** > > Autism, Cows and Claire Danes magically _NOT_ looking sexy. > > Has all the ingredients to be a great movie for taking a nap. > > Turns out it was one of the best movies (and performances by Ms. Danes and supporting cast) about a remarkable woman that I’ve ever seen. Great call. Since it is not a real movie but an HBO production I had never heard of it. Loved it and have recommended it to everyone else I think will enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/42 "2011-11-14T14:32:24Z")
**Galaxy Quest** - I didn’t pay any attention to the movie when it first came out and assumed it was just another bad sci fi romp. In actuality, it is a hilarious movie that has found the perfect role for Tim Allen (basically playing William Shatner). **RV** - As a parent, you sometimes have to watch incredibly bad movies. I’m not a fan of Robin Williams and I was planning on the worst for this film. I’m not saying RV was good, I was just surprised that it did not suck as bad as I expected. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/43 "2011-11-14T14:44:40Z")
Chronos took one of my picks - "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: I don’t think anyone expected this to be anything other than a forgettable two-hour ad for Disneyworld, but of course, it turned out to be a great, fun, funny, sexy adventure romp. " - so true. I totally ignore the awful sequels & enjoy this movie so much. originally went just for Johnny Depp. but everything came together & it’s certainly one of favorite films ever now. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/44 "2011-11-14T21:25:52Z")
I’m going old-school on this one: _Gone With the Wind_ Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s a classic…but it was a classic I had no real interest in seeing. Scarlett O’Hara, Rhett Butler not giving a damn, and a dress made from the draperies. Fine, I guess I have to watch it just so I can scratch it off my list. I was floored. It was 4 hours of absolutely brilliant filmmaking. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/45 "2011-11-14T23:36:22Z")
**Wet Hot American Summer** Expected cheesy sex comedy of the general American Pie formula or awful parody-comedy ala Scary Movie. Was not expecting a witty, cynical, surrealist satire of teen ensemble comedies. Probably my favorite “pure comedy” of the last decade or so. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/46 "2011-11-14T23:37:23Z")
Also, also a cheat: **Casablanca**. I mean, I expected it to be GOOD, but I didn’t expect it to be Casablanca good. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/47 "2011-11-15T00:05:09Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I had less then zero interest whatsoever in watching that movie. None at all. For exactly the reason you stated. I was in college and some friends and I had ingested some, well, magic mushrooms and were wandering around the campus and at some point made it back over to my dorm/apartment were my roommates and a couple of other people were about 10 minutes into it. We hung out for a while in the common area and we went into his bedroom to say bye and my friends (I think it was me and two or three other people) all kind of did that ‘stand in the doorway with our coats on to see what everyone is watching’ thing for about 2 minutes and we slowly all sort of migrated over to the bed and couch. About a half hour later I think I melted into the couch and gave up trying to leave the apartment. > I’m glad I didn’t. It turned out to be a pretty great movie. It wasn’t even until I had been watching it for 20 minutes or so that I even asked what movie it was. If I had asked as soon as I walked in and was told it was Fight Club, we probably would have just said ‘bye’ and took off. I probably still wouldn’t have seen it. You think mushrooms are special? Try watching it four-nights sleep deprived An amazingly good film, but not one you want to watch whilst in an altered state of consiousness. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/48 "2011-11-15T00:12:50Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > An amazingly good film, but not one you want to watch whilst in an altered state of consiousness. It wasn’t on purpose. Like I said, I just sort of melted into the couch. If I was watching it on purpose, it also wouldn’t have been in a tiny bedroom with 6 people and half of them wearing jackets because we were actually just stopping in to tell them we were leaving. Luckily I either took a low enough dose or I was at the beginning or end of the trip and I didn’t have a hard time following the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/49 "2011-11-15T01:01:28Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > Also, also a cheat: **Casablanca**. > > I mean, I expected it to be GOOD, but I didn’t expect it to be Casablanca good. That’s where “Casablanca good” _came_ from! I was more impressed by _The Fifth Element_ and _The Long Kiss Goodnight_ than advanced knowledge would have suggested, and I use to deliberately seek out cheesy-looking movies at the video store, finding _Circuitry Man_ and _The Blood of Heroes_ to be unexpected gems. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/50 "2011-11-15T01:12:22Z")
I watched the new **Get Smart** movie last night. I’d expected a dorky, painfully humorless attempt at cashing in on an old franchise. What I got was a surprisingly funny and decent-hearted comedy action movie with some fantastic cameos. It was a very pleasant surprise especially given that **The Other Guys** , which I tried to watch a little while ago, has a similar plot (even Dwayne Johnson in a similar role) and was so repulsively unfunny that I couldn’t watch more than 20-30 minutes. Steve Carell is a vastly better comedic actor than Will Ferrell. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/51 "2011-11-15T01:38:14Z")
Tremors. I always figured it was a schlock monster movie. When I eventually saw it (friends showed it for me one night) I was blown away. I wasn’t expecting an intelligently stupid horror/sci-fi comedy. One of my favorite movies. \*“Consider it stepped on.” \* . ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/52 "2011-11-15T02:34:01Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Tremors. > > I always figured it was a schlock monster movie. When I eventually saw it (friends showed it for me one night) I was blown away. I wasn’t expecting an intelligently stupid horror/sci-fi comedy. One of my favorite movies. > > \*“Consider it stepped on.” \* > > . I’ll second this. I was very pleasantly surprised by _Tremors_, as i had been with _Terminator_ and _RoboCop_, and (as someone mentioned above _The Hidden_. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2011, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/53 "2011-11-15T06:47:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Bryan Ekers** : > I was more impressed by The Fifth Element and The Long Kiss Goodnight than advanced knowledge would have suggested, and I use to deliberately seek out cheesy-looking movies at the video store, finding Circuitry Man and The Blood of Heroes to be unexpected gems. Well, to be fair, _The Fifth Element_ was a genuinely bad movie. It just also happened to be an incredibly fun movie. ---
**Author:** ![Sealemon2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sealemon2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sealemon2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/54 "2011-11-15T07:17:46Z")
I went to see **Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?** figuring I’d probably like it ok…I really liked \*\*Fargo]/b] and **Raising Arizona** after all. I didn’t expect it to become one of my all time favorite movies. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2011, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/55 "2011-11-15T11:02:18Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Steve Carell is a vastly better comedic actor than Will Ferrell. Quoted for truthiness. Without Steve Carell, _Anchorman_ would have been dire. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/56 "2011-11-15T11:38:02Z")
**Strictly Ballroom** Expected: cheesy fucking romcom about fucking ballroom dancing that my gf and I argued about getting in the video store and eventually she won. What I got: the ur-pastiche of all ‘overcome a challenge’ movies. It didn’t matter what the subject was - it could have been about crochet or big game hunting - it was absolutely gripping, and funny, and yes it was cheesy and romantic, but in a very knowing ironic way that didn’t insult the audience, visually arresting and ultimately uplifting and moving. A masterpiece of archetype. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/57 "2011-11-16T02:17:54Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > **Strictly Ballroom** Seconded! This one caught me off-guard. Charming and thoroughly entertaining. I’d also like to add: The Big Lebowski, _the second time_. The first time around it was just what I expected: a good stoner comedy with great characters and some darn good Coen brothers visuals and music cues. It wasn’t until I rewatched it a couple years later that I realized how brilliantly intricate it is, how pitch-perfect every performance is, and how amazingly perfect and polished every single line of dialogue is. Oh, and then I watched it again after finally seeing _The Big Sleep_, and that’s a whole 'nother mind blown. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/58 "2011-11-17T01:54:42Z")
**Rocky Balboa** What I thought: Milk it, baby, milk it! 50-year-old vs 20-year-old boxer. Adrian reportedly refused to be part of it. What’s next, Rocky 20? What I got: Thoughtful shout-out to the Oscar-winning original, where the actual boxing match was secondary to the story. And they somehow made the fight plausible. Very well done! **Rambo IV** , the opposite happened. What I thought: Like Rocky Balboa above, they’d make it a thoughtful and reflective story of Rambo. Maybe at the end, he’d go into the futility of war and we see him more human. I was skeptical, but they made it work with Rocky Balboa. What I got: A few scenes at the beginning about how much Rambo has learned about the futility of war… then they dropped it to give us the Rambo we’ve known and loved. Probably one of the most lovingly violent movies ever!! ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/59 "2011-11-17T02:09:08Z")
Just saw this last weekend: [_He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291579/) Picked it up off of Netflix because I have a schoolboy crush\* on [Audrey Tautou](http://img2.timeinc.net/instyle/images/2010/transformation/2005-Audrey-Tautou-4-400.jpg), who is just magical if you’re into thin, brunette French women and because Netflix recommended it. I didn’t pay any attention to what it was supposed to be about; just assumed that it was a light-hearted romantic romp like her film _Priceless_. Let’s just say it’s not and it’s really an amazing movie. Watch it, but don’t read anything about it beforehand. \*A very old schoolboy ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/60 "2011-11-21T23:52:09Z")
Angelheart which I thought was going to be romance related, but turned out to be an excellent movie. Point R, a Korean ghost story. And a movie that was a parody of a Disney cartoon heroine, (Actually made by Disney I think) who appears in the real world, but can’t remember the name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559.md?page=4)