# What movies were pretty much regarded as stinkers, but you secretly enjoy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075 "2012-07-13T02:04:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/101 "2012-07-13T22:39:41Z")
Ooooh, did someone mention _Deuce Bigalow_? I LOVED the first one – I refuse to see the sequel on ethical grounds, but the first movie is adorable. Although the premise is so ridiculous (Rob Schneider is… a male gigolo!) it has a sweetness to it and there’s some brilliant surreal humor. Such as when his dad reminisces about [meeting his mom](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRN7nh7-eZI). “So we picked up all her one-dollar bills off the stage, said goodbye to that donkey, and two days later, we were man and wife.” Or Deuce soaking in the hot tub with his [pimp, Eddie Griffin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifR2rtZnn-E). “Deucie, you the best he-bitch in my man-stable!” ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/102 "2012-07-13T22:43:31Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > _Masters of the Universe_ > The live action movie from 1987. What can I say, it’s got a kind of charm about it. And I love it for the villains, especially the unusually competent minions. oh thank god, there’s someone else. love that movie! ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/103 "2012-07-14T00:33:37Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > **Mystery Men** and **Almost Famous** died at the box office, but I can watch them both many, many times. There are lots of much better movies I don’t say that about (How many times can you binge-watch **Gandhi** or **Schindler’s List**?). > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I realize that these threads are somewhat subjective, but in what universe are these considered stinkers? Fast Times is at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Almost Famous is at 88%. (This is one of my favorite films, and as I remember Roger Ebert’s review, he was positively giddy he loved the film so much. I think he identified with the teenage journalist character.) And L.A. Story is at _94%_. Almost Famous won a screenwriting Oscar. Got a couple other nominations. Hard to find a less stinky movie. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/104 "2012-07-14T00:59:07Z")
I love Starship Troopers. I’ll watch it, or parts of it, any time it’s on. I don’t know or care anything about the book. I watch it just to look at Caspar Van Dien, he is so good looking he’s like a member of a whole other species. And to laugh at Mrs. Charlie Sheen as a spaceship pilot, hilarious! And space marines shooting and blasting giant insects - what could be better? ---
**Author:** ![Tad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tad)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/105 "2012-07-14T01:16:40Z")
**Last Action Hero** was genius. I love funny, self-aware films. Someone mentioned **Blair Witch Project** … does that count? I don’t think a lot of people disliked it. Anyway, it’s really a perfect horror movie. Fear of the unknown and never seeing the antagonist … all “good guys” dying without us finding out really why or how… lots mystery in the ending … frightening use of legend and children … frightening use of reality vs. fiction … madness, desperation, loss of control, loss of meaning in the surroundings … amazing movie. **Big Trouble** and **They Live** shouldn’t be mentioned here. Those movies are masterpieces. I really, really liked **Dune**. A lot more than other David Lynch stuff–almost all of it, in fact, except for the first season of Twin Peaks. David Cronenberg’s **Naked Lunch** is very underrated and a great movie–some people say a poor adaptation of the book, but I don’t think the book lends itself to any meaningful adaptation anyway. Orson Welles’ **The Trial** is a perfect movie that very few people seem to like. People hated the new **Speed Racer** but I thought it was very clever and visually stunning. Lots more. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/106 "2012-07-14T03:10:04Z")
> [@Tad](#): > > Someone mentioned **Blair Witch Project** … does that count? I don’t think a lot of people disliked it. Anyway, it’s really a perfect horror movie. Fear of the unknown and never seeing the antagonist … all “good guys” dying without us finding out really why or how… lots mystery in the ending … frightening use of legend and children … frightening use of reality vs. fiction … madness, desperation, loss of control, loss of meaning in the surroundings … amazing movie. . Behold an action figure created for the Blair Witch based on descriptions in the shooting script: [![](http://thegalleryofmonstertoys.com/90swing/mcfarlaneblairwitch.jpg) ](http://thegalleryofmonstertoys.com/90swing/mcfarlaneblairwitch.jpg) Also most of the mysterious and creepy elements in the movie were explained by the script or the expanded universe media like Myspace accounts around the time of release. For one the house the protags found near the end was burned down in the 1940s, hell you wouldn’t even know that wasn’t supposed to exist anymore unless you researched the extra crap.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/107 "2012-07-14T03:31:51Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > _Mars Attacks!_ Oh yeah! I saw it on a nerd-date, which doubtless colored my perceptions, but I thought it was a hoot. Also Wild Wild West. Total stupid fun in the Mars Attacks! model. It contains patented Will Smith Words to Live By: “Never drum on a white lady’s boobies at a big redneck dance.” ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/108 "2012-07-14T03:34:18Z")
**So I Married an Axe Murderer**. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/109 "2012-07-14T03:42:17Z")
_Josie and the Pussycats_ - it did terrible box office (barely made back a third of its budget), never had significant home viewing sales, got 53% from the critics and 44% from general viewers at Rotten Tomatoes. So I think it qualifies as a movie generally regarded as a stinker. But I say it’s an overlooked classic - a surprisingly intelligent comedy. Nemo Bob says check it out. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/110 "2012-07-14T15:36:34Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Josie and the Pussycats_ - it did terrible box office (barely made back a third of its budget), never had significant home viewing sales, got 53% from the critics and 44% from general viewers at Rotten Tomatoes. So I think it qualifies as a movie generally regarded as a stinker. > > But I say it’s an overlooked classic - a surprisingly intelligent comedy. Nemo Bob says check it out. I remember my friend and I taking our girls to see that. I was a bit surprised, it wasn’t half as stupid as I feared it would be. I am ALL ALONE in the universe in love love loving “Pennies From Heaven”, the original on PBS of course, but I mean the Steve Martin/Bernadette Peters remake. I think it’s a work of art. I have the soundtrack album, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/111 "2012-07-14T16:11:30Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > **So I Married an Axe Murderer**. Wait, is that considered a stinker? Because I thought it was funny. And I liked the San Francisco setting. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/112 "2012-07-14T16:28:04Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > [Oh Yeah (Yello song) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Yeah_(Yello_song)) > > Oh Yeah by Yello. I think there was some kind of unwritten rule in Hollywood in the 80s that all teen comedies must feature that song. Also known as [Day Bow Bow](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyBVSAU7SPw). For me, though, nothing beats [The Adventures of Ford Fairlane](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098987/). ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/113 "2012-07-14T16:39:49Z")
I’d only consider a movie a “stinker” if it got overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics. A lot of these just seem to be movies that did poorly at the box office, or received mixed reviews (_The Edge_ in the OP, for example). > [@Morbo](#): > > But my all-time terrible movie that I loved was the Chevy Chase vehicle Modern Problems. I think my brothers and I are the only people who even remember this movie, let alone quote it. Coincidentally, some channel on Dish Network has been running _Modern Problems_ recently, so I watched it for the first time in ages. I remember liking it back in the early days of pay cable, when it was one of the movies that I saw over and over. But yeah, now I see that it was pretty awful. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/114 "2012-07-14T18:26:09Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Wait, is that considered a stinker? Because I thought it was funny. And I liked the San Francisco setting. I thought it was pretty funny too. The budget was $20,000,000 and made $11,585,483 at the box office. It got very mixed reviews and has 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/115 "2012-07-14T18:35:38Z")
I can understand that mixed reviews and a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes might qualify a movie as a stinker. But it doesn’t make any sense for the moviegoing public to pay attention to the box office numbers, and whether a movie was profitable. I mean, unless one is investing in movie productions, why should one care (except if it’s the first movie based on a book series, in which case the box office numbers determine whether they continue with the franchise)? I think either The Soup or The Daily Show used to report the box office results for the top five films, but in Italian lira, just to emphasize that point. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/116 "2012-07-14T20:44:59Z")
Flash (AAAAAAAAAA) Gordon! ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/117 "2012-07-14T21:43:08Z")
Dunno about ratings, but I like Streets Of Fire. Mostly for the music. I have the DVD and the soundtrack. Songs by Jim Steinman (Meatloaf’s songwriter), Ry Cooder and The Blasters among others. Big Trouble In Little China is a hell of a lot of fun. The commentary track is great, too. John Carpenter and Kurt Russell completely yukking it up. They are so much fun to listen to. How about Evolution? David Duchovny discovers aliens on a meteorite. My whole family likes that one. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/118 "2012-07-14T21:58:28Z")
Three pages and still no **Red Dawn**? I am sucker for it every time I happen to notice it’s on. I once wanted company to watch it so told my wife, “Hey, come watch - it’s a documentary about what happens when the commies come” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/119 "2012-07-14T22:24:27Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I am ALL ALONE in the universe in love love loving “Pennies From Heaven”, the original on PBS of course, but I mean the Steve Martin/Bernadette Peters remake. I think it’s a work of art. Not all alone, I love it too. It’s beautiful to look at, and Ms Peters is extremely sexy! That elevator scene - Wow! ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075/120 "2012-07-14T23:02:33Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Three pages and still no **Red Dawn**? > > I am sucker for it every time I happen to notice it’s on. I once wanted company to watch it so told my wife, “Hey, come watch - it’s a documentary about what happens when the commies come” 😃 Well, **Red Dawn** was a huge box office success. Budget of $4.2 million and made $40 million at the box office. Reviews were mixed (53% on Rotten Tomatoes) but it was obviously very popular with viewers. I was in high school when it came out and I haven’t seen it in a long time, but I thought it was pretty good back then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-were-pretty-much-regarded-as-stinkers-but-you-secretly-enjoy/628075.md?page=7)