# Movies you thought were good, but Critics didn't give a good review. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388 "2003-03-10T20:11:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/21 "2003-03-11T07:39:05Z")
**Mallrats** - It wasn’t that bad, really. It’s got Jason Lee, for crying out loud! **UHF** - No critics got this one, I’ve decided. **Office Space** - This one got mixed reviews, but it’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/22 "2003-03-11T14:34:54Z")
**Ishtar** got terrible reviews, but most critics at the time reviewed the price tag and not the film. There has been a critical reevaluation since it came out and it’s gaining respect as an generally amusing film with some really fine moments in it. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/23 "2003-03-11T17:39:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tblue \* > \*\*I really enjoyed “Toys”. > Kinda weird little story - lovely imagery, good movie score. > Nearly put off by the cutesy singing at the start, but enjoyed the rest. > It was advertised as a kiddies movie and a kind of Robin Williams comedy vehicle, over here. It was not that kind of movie at all, and disappeared without trace, at least over here it did. \*\* I’m with you on this one, **Tblue**. _Toys_ is another movie I really liked that many critics didn’t. A neat role for Robin Williams and Joan Cusack was fun in it as well. And the music was great! Tori Amos, Wendy and Lisa, and Hans Zimmer… how could that be wrong? It’s pretty rare to find it over here as well, though it is available through [Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NKT5/qid=1047404465/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-7934363-0056648). ---
**Author:** ![Sardaukar3925](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Sardaukar3925](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sardaukar3925)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/24 "2003-03-11T18:09:54Z")
The way of the gun. One of my favorite action movies, no one else seems to like it… ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/25 "2003-03-11T18:20:26Z")
**Swordfish** ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/26 "2003-03-11T18:36:02Z")
I swear I’m not a big Kevin Costner fan, but I liked both **Waterworld** and **The Postman** , even though they were both panned. I too liked **Little Nicky** and **Vanilla Sky**. I think a big reason why Vanilla Sky bothered people is because most of the movie was a mystery/thriller, but in the end it turned out to be sci-fi. That genre switch messed with peoples’ heads. But I like to have my head messed with now and then. ---
**Author:** ![Parrothead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/59ef9b/32.png) [@Parrothead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parrothead)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/27 "2003-03-11T18:45:25Z")
Wow. What timing. I entered this thread intending to bring up **The Postman**. I liked it. Oh, well. Thought it was an improvement on Brin’s book, as a matter of fact. I like the story better without all the cyborg crap at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/28 "2003-03-11T19:00:43Z")
I thought the Tom Petty scenes were downright inspired, and Giovani Ribisi was perfect as the mentally challenged recruit. ---
**Author:** ![AchimbaProphet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@AchimbaProphet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AchimbaProphet)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/29 "2003-03-11T20:43:46Z")
Dune and The Fifth Element are two sci-fi movies that I REALLY liked but did not/do not get the credit they deserve. ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/30 "2003-03-11T23:31:03Z")
**Starship Troopers** Critics and the public alike seemed to really pan this movie, calling it ultra-violent. I thought it was great; funny, amusing, exciting in parts, good special effects. And since most of the violence consisting of CGI bugs getting blasted apart, I’ve always been totally puzzled by all the hateful cries as to how violent the movie was. Especially from the same people that ladled praise on the super-ultra-violent – and very realistically so – Saving Private Ryan. ---
**Author:** ![Nichol\_storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nichol\_storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nichol_storm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/31 "2003-03-12T00:58:35Z")
**Strange Days** , one of my favorite movies of all time, has been pretty universally pounded by critics, most of whom simply didn’t get the point. Some decried the violence, ignoring the fact that the film is violent for a reason, not just for cheap titilation. Others blasted the rather upbeat ending, saying it didn’t fit in with the rest of an otherwise dark movie (I suspect these critics would only have been satisfied had all the characters committed bloody suicide and the world exploded as the credits rolled). I love **Strange Days** , from the first frame to the last, and consider it one of the best films I’ve ever seen. I also enjoyed **Happy Gilmore** and thought **Little Nicky** was cute. .:Nichol:. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/32 "2003-03-12T07:00:58Z")
**Raising Arizona** is one of my favs but it seemed to whoosh right passed Ebert. **Blue Velvet** didn’t whoosh him (according to him in his second review of it) but he decided to review it twice to give it a proper bashing (each time giving it only a single star). I don’t particularly love the movie, except in context as an early stage in Lynch’s evolution, but one friggin’ star??!! Heck IIRC he gave Glitter more than that. ---
**Author:** ![saintnobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@saintnobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saintnobody)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/33 "2003-03-12T07:44:12Z")
Formula 51/The 51st State Every review I read, I will admit it was only 5 or 6 said it was horrible. I dont read reviews because I am me and judge for myself. But anyway it had everything I could want in a movie Hot girl killing people, soccer, england,drugs, techno music and Samuel L Jackson not to mention a real mini cooper, which I think are the coolest little cars ---
**Author:** ![T\_w\_i\_z\_t\_i\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed655f/32.png) [@T\_w\_i\_z\_t\_i\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_w_i_z_t_i_D)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/34 "2003-03-12T11:45:01Z")
Minority Report - don’t know if the reviews were BAD, but I heard nothing about it til a friend popped it in Rounders - Best movie ever. There is no arguing this point. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/35 "2003-03-12T15:18:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by T w i z t i D \* > \*\*Minority Report - don’t know if the reviews were BAD, but I heard nothing about it til a friend popped it in > > \*\* Ebert gave it 4 stars and called it a “masterpiece”. ---
**Author:** ![skaterboarder87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/36 "2003-03-12T19:50:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Moe \* > \*\*Ebert gave it 4 stars and called it a “masterpiece”. \*\* He also gave it his “Movie of the Year” award. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/37 "2003-03-12T20:01:14Z")
My votes go to **Mystery Men** and **Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai**. Neither of those were roundly hated, but the reviews were decidedly mixed, and most were negative (at least, the ones I read at the time the movies came out were). Mr. Furious just slayed me. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/38 "2003-03-12T20:30:21Z")
As for Fat Ass Ebert’s reviews, he panned one of my fave movies, “Death to Smoochy.” Even named it as his worst movie of the entire year. Damn you, Ebert, you don’t apprec- No wait. That was Roeper. But since Roeper’s wedged so far up Ebert’s ass, I guess it’s pretty obvious where that “opinion” came from. Damn you Roeper and your horribly mispelled and pretentious name!!! Seriously, “Death to Smoochy” had a lot to offer. Great movie, really good dark humor- I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Beaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Grim\_Beaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Beaker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388/39 "2003-03-12T20:50:13Z")
I really enjoyed **Evolution** when I saw it on DVD. Liked it so much I bought my own copy. Generally poor reviews as per [www.rottentomatoes.com](http://www.rottentomatoes.com) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-thought-were-good-but-critics-didnt-give-a-good-review/160388.md?page=1)