Hmm… Super 8 was a big summer blockbuster, i don’t think it was underrated at all.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil
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Tucker & Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are attacked by a group of preppy college kids.
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Oh yeah, it’s so underrated/under-recognized I’d even forgot it’s one of my all-time favorites!
You all will probably tell me that this one isn’t “under the radar”, but I had never heard of it until I stumbled on it a few years ago: “Paycheck”, starring Ben Affleck. Really cool movie with lots of twists and a very satisfying ending.
Another vote for Tucker and Dale. Being from Georgia I could relate to the premise. Pretty cute and worth a look. Also, stars Katrina Bowden. Can’t think of a lot but one I do recall recently is The Woman in Black with Daniel Radcliffe/Harry Potter. Actually pretty good ole spook flick.
Not long ago I saw Spirits of the Dead (1968) on TCM! Haven’t seen that in, well, decades…does this one count as underrated? Because nobody has ever seen it besides me, AFAIK! Bridgette Bardot, Jane Fonda, Terrrence Stamp - when I mention it I get “?”
It was? Damn, where have I been. I never heard of it until a little bit ago when at a friends house and we watched it on Netflix.
I’ll second this too. I’m not sure how big it was at the time because the first time I saw it I rented it from Blockbuster. I thought it was smart as well as fun.
It’s been mentioned here before, but it’s worth repeating – Lars and the Real Girl, an unexpectedly sweet and funny movie about a shy man whose girlfriend is an inflatable. I suspect some folks might pass on it, thinking it’s pervy. It’s not.
Also, I vote for not commenting on whether a recommended film is “underrated”. There’s nothing wrong with a thread about good movies that may have slipped under some people’s radar.
I loved that movie. Clooney was great, Don Cheadle was scary as hell, and Steve Zahn was wonderful as the hapless Glenn. I love the scene where Jennifer Lopez casually busts the arm of the guy who wants to “tussle” with her (If I’m remembering the scene right).
Wiki says it was produced for the princely sum of $7,000. I think I liked that movie, but it went way the hell over my head.
I don’t know if I have anything much to add to the thread. My movie tastes are boringly mainstream (when I have the time to watch movies these days). So, uh… how about Dinner Rush? Not underrated, as it ranks pretty high on Rotten Tomatoes. But maybe under-seen. I don’t recall it getting much attention back in 2000, and Wiki says Leonard Maltin included it in his book 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen. It’s a good movie that takes place almost entirely inside a restaurant. Danny Aiello and John Corbett are both great, but then they always are. Kitchen chaos, snobbish customers, powerful critics, bookmakers, hit men, and a guy who pulls a muscle in his leg trying to have stand-up-sex with his girfriend. Good movie.
I liked Paycheck, too. After A Scanner Darkly, it’s probably the most faithful adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story out there (read his original short story), although inevitably padded.
Well, it was directed by JJ Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, hard to fly under the radar with those names attached :).
I lurve Melissa George, so I’ll name another movie with her–one I learned about in another thread here at SDMB: Triangle. Melissa is the lead, and its a kind of suspense/thriller/psychological/horror movie. It’s very cool–and I would recommend not reading any spoilers about it before watching.
Millions
Directed by Danny Boyle after 28 Days Later and before Sunshine. Charming story about two young brothers who find a large bag of money from a robbery. I didn’t know about it until at least a couple of years after it came out. I get the impression that not a lot of people saw it and apparently it didn’t have a wide release. I bought a copy of it for $1.50 when the local Blockbuster went out of business.
And it inspired a really good TV series, Karen Sisco. Which unfortunately only lasted a single season and has never been legally released on dvd.
Finally got home to have a look at my netflix history. I’m going to leave out classics that are probably ultimately well known (Bringing Up Baby) but somewhat lost due to their age.
On the other hand, cult classics like Delicatessen should get a nod. The first of the Jeunet/Caro films, it isn’t as visually stunning as say, City of Lost Children, but the plot actually hangs together. It has that brilliant mix of darkness and whimsy that’s these guys’ calling card. (Later, when they split up, Jeunet continued to really bring the whimsy with Amelie and Micmacs, but the darkness got dialed back significantly.)
The Foot Fist Way: Hilarious indie comedy about a rather stereotypical martial-arts instructor.
The Frisco Kid: Western comedy features Gene Wilder as a young rabbi alongside Harrison Ford. Need I say more? Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford, in case you missed it the first time. 
In the Mouth of Madness: One of the best Lovecraft-inspired films ever. Not tied directly to any story, but very much in the Lovecraft spirit. Best of all, it mostly doesn’t try to show you the eldritch horrors–it leaves that up to you, just like HPL did.
Quills: Geoffrey Rush as a heroic(!) Marquis de Sade.
Stardust: I think this one sort of slipped under the radar. An excellent fun fantasy–a friend sold it to me as being “sorta like The Princess Bride”, and it is. Not exactly, but it rhymes, if you know what I mean.
Anyway… I think that’s enough.
Kung Fu Hustle - hilarious martial arts movie that’s like Looney Toons meets Kung Fu.
I really liked this movie. And as for my own recommendations, I liked The Prophecy, about a war between angels; basically eschatology (with Christopher Walken in a really fun role). Kate Beckinsale starred in a 1995 film version of Cold Comfort Farm that I enjoyed and she was also in a small caper comedy called Shooting Fish that was fun. I really liked Across the Universe, a musical film set to Beatles songs by the director of the stage version of the Lion King. And Flipped was a small film by Rob Reiner about a romance between two teenagers. Finally, I.Q. was a romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins and Walter Matthau.
As It Is in Heaven – a 2005 Oscar nominee for best foreign film, a very low key story of a famous music conductor (played by Michael Nyquist of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy) retiring for health reasons and returning to his small home town. Available on Netflix Streaming.
Spring Forward – another small film where almost nothing happens but intelligent conversation between stars Ned Beatty and Liev Schreiber. Also available on Netflix Streaming.
Let’s Kill Uncle – a young (12 years old) heir realizes his uncle is trying to kill him for his fortune, and decides to kill uncle first.
Passport to Pimlico – a small London neighborhood secedes from England.
I can heartily second The Frisco Kid and Quick Change.
My nominations would be:
Gattaca
Frailty
Mystery Men