# Movies that were Better than You Thought They would be **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808 "2011-05-31T02:24:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/1 "2011-05-31T02:24:16Z")
Last night, I watched _American Beauty_ as part of my quest to watch every Oscar nominated movie. Yeah, I know it made Best Picture of 1999, and Best Actor and Best Director. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting much. Maybe I was thinking from the description of satire of suburban living an overblown sitcom type of thing. To my pleasant surprise, I enjoyed it very much. It was well-written dark humor. It reminded me a little of _Office Space_, although it’s a very different movie from _Office Space_. The only thing I didn’t like is making one of the characters a homophobe who’s a repressed homosexual himself. That was sort of cliche. Maybe it wasn’t cliche in 1999. But overall, one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. Any other movies that you’ve seen that you expected to suck, but didn’t? ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/2 "2011-05-31T02:36:43Z")
[The Talented Mr. Ripley](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0134119/) I don’t remember much about it now but I do remember thinking that it was way better than I expected. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/3 "2011-05-31T02:41:08Z")
Just a few days ago I watched Hot Tub Time Machine. I had no real idea what it was going to be about but noticed Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars so I figured it couldn’t be that bad. I went into it expecting Bill and Ted ended up with Back To The Future. I was expecting a magic Hot Tub that a bunch of guys used to travel back and forth a whole bunch of times throughout the movie and do a bunch of stupid stuff. Turns out they only use it twice in the movie and mainly just as a (slightly clumsy) plot device to transport them back. If you liked The Hangover, I’d highly recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/4 "2011-05-31T02:42:33Z")
I hadn’t heard much about the _Lord of the Rings_ movie before it was released, and sort of vaguely assumed that it would go heavy on the sword-and-sorcery stuff, pandering to fanboys. You know, like the _Dungeons & Dragons_ movie. But a bunch of friends were going, so I tagged along. Wow. Really not the D&D fanboy movie I was expecting. Really, really not. ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/5 "2011-05-31T03:30:40Z")
I have to say that I was presently surprised by how much I enjoyed [_Terminator Salvation_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438488/). In fact, I ended up enjoying this orders of magnitude more so than I did _Terminator 3_. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/6 "2011-05-31T04:09:28Z")
It’s usually the opposite. I think I’m going to like something and end up hating it. Two fairly recent ones are: The Departed. Great movie. I don’t like Matt Damon and Mark Walhberg. I don’t like most mafia movies. Walhberg really shocked me, though. He was jipped out of an oscar. The Fighter. Again it seemed really lame and I watched it because my mom wanted to. She love Marky Marky. (Yes, she calls him that still!) I thought great him and Bale (Who I usually hate). It was a fucking great movie and had so much raw emotion. It was well paced too. It’s one of those movies that goes fast without leaving you wanting more. Melissa Leo and Amy Adams (who I don’t always like) were great, too. Leo is a MILF. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/7 "2011-05-31T04:21:49Z")
I went into _Limitless_, starring Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro, with kinda low expectations, and it just blew me out of the water. A really, really good technothriller with a great cast, nifty plot, unexpected twists and turns, and an ambiguous moral. A helluva ride that kept me guessing. The 1987 sf thriller _The Hidden_, starring Michael Nouri and Kyle MacLachlan, was better than it had any right to be. Cops hunt an alien fugitive in L.A. and get more than they bargained for - wow! Really a great movie. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/8 "2011-05-31T04:40:29Z")
_The Ring_ and _Willard_ were two movies that I didn’t think would be my cup of tea; instead, I was hooked from the beginning to the end. I usually have something else on the go while a movie’s playing, like a book or the Net or whatever, but those two had my full attention. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/9 "2011-05-31T04:47:54Z")
I wanted to add Pineapple Express. I don’t care for Seth Rogen and I don’t like stoner films. That film always makes me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/10 "2011-05-31T04:47:57Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Just a few days ago I watched Hot Tub Time Machine. I had no real idea what it was going to be about but noticed Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars so I figured it couldn’t be that bad. I went into it expecting Bill and Ted ended up with Back To The Future. > I was expecting a magic Hot Tub that a bunch of guys used to travel back and forth a whole bunch of times throughout the movie and do a bunch of stupid stuff. Turns out they only use it twice in the movie and mainly just as a (slightly clumsy) plot device to transport them back. > If you liked The Hangover, I’d highly recommend it. Seconded, as I heard someone say - “this movie is much better than a movie called _Hot Tub TIme Machine_ has any right to be”. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/11 "2011-05-31T04:53:37Z")
\*\*Role Models \*\*- Sean William Scott and Paul Rudd starred in the movie, and from start to finish it had me laughing. Scott is one of those guys that can make me laugh by just looking funny. Combine that with Rudd’s standard cynicism, and I couldn’t have been more surprised in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/12 "2011-05-31T04:59:53Z")
Buffy the Vampire Slayer ---
**Author:** ![Teufelblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@Teufelblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teufelblitz)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/13 "2011-05-31T05:01:03Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I hadn’t heard much about the _Lord of the Rings_ movie before it was released, and sort of vaguely assumed that it would go heavy on the sword-and-sorcery stuff, pandering to fanboys. You know, like the _Dungeons & Dragons_ movie. But a bunch of friends were going, so I tagged along. > > Wow. Really not the D&D fanboy movie I was expecting. Really, really not. I don’t speak for all D&D, LotR or fantasy fans in general, but this movie actually delivered what I want to see as a fan of those genres. Most fantasy movies get butchered horribly and actually upset fans. Lord of the Rings was as close to right as Hollywood has come as far as I am concerned. I actually went expecting to see something in the line of the fantasy garbage that had been cranked out in the past, but was pleasantly surprised that they did the story justice. I was also pleasantly surprised by Hot Tub Time Machine. Not exactly cinematic genius, but still surprisingly entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/14 "2011-05-31T05:11:10Z")
Years ago I was channel surfing and came across some movie on cable. Something about it just seemed to be an exact match to my sense of humor; eccentric but deadpan. And the romance worked for me, and was probably even more eccentric. This wasn’t a movie I expected to be bad; I’m not sure I was even aware of it before I saw it, now it’s one of my favorites. I had to look it up afterwards to find out what it was called. It was **L.A. Story**. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/15 "2011-05-31T05:12:12Z")
Three Amigos ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/16 "2011-05-31T05:16:27Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Buffy the Vampire Slayer The original movie, or the TV show? I ask because I saw the movie waaay back when, and thought is sucked. Still do. I had no desire to see the TV show, but I was bored one day and watched it. It was a hell of a lot better than I ever expected it to be, and though I’m not a Joss Whedon fanboy, I do like his work. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/17 "2011-05-31T05:22:24Z")
The movie. We are talking about movies after all, right? We could argue about whether it sucked or not, but whatever the case, it was still a lot better than I thought it would be. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/18 "2011-05-31T09:16:44Z")
Agreed on **Terminator Salvation**. I had low expectations but I was really blown away. Along the same lines, **I, Robot** was much more enjoyable than I was expecting. I haven’t actually read Asimov’s work but for some reason I took offense at the liberties taken with Asimov’s work. Turns out I was missing out on a great action flick. I saw it at a friend’s place from around where the giant demolition bot destroys the house Will Smith is investigating. From there I was hooked. **Alien vs. Predator**. What can I say? I don’t like gore. This movie didn’t have any. That giant queen chasing the characters at the end was awesome. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2011, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/19 "2011-05-31T11:08:09Z")
I wasn’t expecting much from RUSH HOUR, but it was surprisingly terrific. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808/20 "2011-05-31T11:18:23Z")
I was shocked that I liked **Thor** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-you-thought-they-would-be/583808.md?page=2)