Tuesday
Dec082020
Comment Party: What's a movie that's famous but you (still) think vastly undervalued?
Tuesday, December 8, 2020 at 4:33PM Just a question I've been thinking of today for no apparent reason. What's a movie you think is vastly underrated that also happens to be respected / famous? Usually respected and famous things aren't exactly "underappreciated", you know? I'll give you four examples off the top of my head that I would use to answer this question in that I think they're genuinely great movies, in addition to being whatever else they happen to be.
• Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (Paul Mazursky, 1969)
• Silkwood (Mike Nichols, 1983)
• Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola, 2006)
• Magic Mike (Steven Sodebergh, 2012)
What's your answer?
Reader Comments (73)
This post is brought to you by the letter M. I would say MOULIN ROUGE and MULAN (animated) for various reasons. For the first, yes, all us gays love it and it's quite popular, but still think it's highly underrated. As for MULAN, it came out at the tail-end of Disney's Renaissance so it always seems to be left out from the greats of Mermaid-Beauty-Aladdin-Lion.
An Unmarried Woman. Jill Clayburgh was forever robbed of the 1978 Best Actress Oscar.
I also wish Alan Bates had received more Oscar love in his time -- particularly for Women in Love.
Here are ten films from this last decade alone that are, in my opinion, some form of at least mini-masterpiece that won no Oscars and were also under-nominated, but I think fit your category?
ENOUGH SAID (Holofcener's best)
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (heartstopping, and Marion)
GONE GIRL (beautifully adapted, perfectly cast, mordantly funny)
STEVE JOBS (a director who knows how to make Sorkin's writing soar)
EX-MACHINA (so sublimely weird)
THE LOBSTER (completely unique commentary on human partnership and desire)
20th CENTURY WOMEN (somehow a brittle souffle of a film)
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (always offbeat without ever being precious)
MOTHER! (i stand by it being magnificent and just so daring and bonkers)
COLD WAR (great as both a love story and a dive into Eastern European history and culture)
And SHOOT THE MOON, DOGVILLE, RAISING VICTOR VARGAS, and PERSONAL BEST comes to mind for movies a few decades back.
This would be a fun topic for us to write about!
In This Our Life (1942) - John Huston directs Davis and de Havilland and tackles racism and privilege
3:10 to Yuma - both versions, 1957/2007
True Confessions (1981) - De Niro’s I Confess, with Duvall as his brother
Go (1999) - Doug Liman, post-Swingers, pre-Bourne
25th Hour (2002) - Spike Lee + 9/11
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) - Lumet shows Tarantino & co. how it’s done; his swan song
Brief Encounter (David Lean, 1945)
Se7en (David Fincher, 1995)
The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)
Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)
The term "underappreciated" is very open to interpretation, so I would've liked to have heard Nathaniel's arguments for the four movies he chose. But this is what I came up with through my interpretation.
Actually, looking at my favorites, most are either well respected or receive the kind of love they deserve here at TFE. A few I'd like to see mentioned more often - Zhang Yimou's Hero, the much maligned film adaptation of Evita, and Toni Erdmann, which many people seem to have forgotten already. (But let's be real, all of these still get love around here...)
McCabe and Mrs Miller
Match Point
Pickup on South Street
Ace in the Hole
Oooo I dig this topic.
EricB - Gone Girl is an excellent choice! That movie absolutely floored me. So much better than what I was expecting. It elevated the source material to another level/dimension
Five that come to mind for me -
- EX-MACHINA (Alex Garland, 2014)
- WHIPLASH (Damien Chazelle, 2014)
- THE NEW WORLD (Terence Malick, 2005)
- CHILDREN OF MEN (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006)
- THE STRAIGHT STORY (David Lynch [!], 1999)
oh and The Muppet Movie (James Frawley, 1979) should have won all the Oscars, especially Best Supporting Muppet
Curiously, two of mine star Patricia Neal (who, come to think of it, is herself the embodiment of "respected but underappreciated"):
A FACE IN THE CROWD
HUD
THE BIG COUNTRY
For more recent-ish films, off the top of my head I nominate FAR FROM HEAVEN and MASTER AND COMMANDER, although it depends on how you define "underappreciated." And I second MARIE ANTOINETTE!
My Best Friends Wedding (1997)
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Go (1999)
The Iron Giant (1999)
That Thing You Do (1996)
King Kong (2005)
Off the top of my head...
Married to the Mob
Quiz Show
Meet Me in St. Louis (this one is respected, but it should be on all-time best lists)
Punch-Drunk Love
The Meyerwitz Stories
The Awful Truth
I agree with the mentions for 25th Hour and Steve Jobs.
Big Night
Topsy-Turvy
An Angel at My Table
Tender Mercies
Defending Your Life
Rififi
Lust, Caution (Ang Lee)
"Magic Mike" is actually much more than just a movie about male strippers.
Ordinary People (1980) - Does not deserve the backlash it has received.
Return to Oz (1985)
A Patch of Blue (1965)
A New Leaf (1971)
Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
Hot Millions (1968)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Mr. Holmes (2015)
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
"Babe"--"Braveheart" took home the Oscar, but this is the film that holds up.
"God's Own Country"--it catapulted Josh O'Connor to rightful stardom, but it stands with the best of gay cinema.
"The Wings of a Dove"--Helena Bonham Carter deserved all of the awards for this beautiful movie.
"The Opposite of Sex"--Christina Ricci is a force of nature in this underrated comedy.
"Pillow Book"--Peter Greenaway will go down in history as one of the most underrated auteurs. One of Ewan McGregor's most unsung performances.
The BFG
Loving
Performance
Lord Love a Duck
Ryan's Daughter
Offside
Starlet
Lust, Caution
Sauvage
Killer Joe
Mike.Johnson: Good shout with The Wings of the Dove - such a sharp and emotional adaptation of a long, brilliant novel.
Travis: I echo your shout out to Match Point - one of Woody Allen's best-directed films and so exciting and powerful.
I could mention several others but I'll just add:
The Godfather Part III (glad to.see it's getting some revisionist love through the new Coda re-edit)
Quantum of Solace (a severely underrated movie)
The Name of the Rose (which I also mentioned in the Sean Connery post)
Thr Taking of Pelham One Two Three (super-fun and super-thrilling)
I really was remiss not mentioning The Boyfriend, an atypical Ken Russell extravaganza.
Instead of a movie, an actress came to mind. (Surprise, I’m an actressexual).
Keira Knightley suffers from being “underrated because she’s overrated”.
Atleast sixty percent of Kirsten Dunst’s filmography
"Little Children" (Todd Field, 2006): Nominated for three above the line Oscars, 80% on Rotten Tomatoes (which is lower than it should be), probably Winslet’s greatest performance. No one talks about it. There’s no Blu-ray. The director hasn’t been able to get a film off the ground since….
"Sweeney Todd" (Tim Burton, 2007): A masterful adaptation of a top musical. HBC can’t really sing, but other than that… What’s wrong with people. It’s a new classic.
"Broadway Danny Rose" (Woody Allen, 1983): Allen was nominated for Director and Screenplay. It's basically flawless (and it has Allen's best performance as an actor). Why is it forgotten when lesser films like "Midnight in Paris," "Blue Jasmine," and "Bullets over Broadway" continue to elicit discussion?
"Shame" (Ingmar Bergman, 1968): Some say it’s Bergman’s best film. So why is it always ignored as people go back, again and again, to "Wild Strawberries," "Fanny and Alexander," and "The Seventh Seal" (I’m sorry, this last one, his signature film is NOT as good. Fight me.)
The Hours
The Ghost Writer
Dan Humphrey: Yes to Broadway Danny Rose - one of Woody's best. Razor-sharp, funny and so touching.
Absolutely A Face in the Crowd if for nothing else its prescience but it's a superb picture along with that.
Also A Letter to Three Wives.
The Ghost Writer! Good pick Joseph. Also on board for Broadway Danny Rose.
+1 Bushwick
I always find myself defending Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. It’s not as sexist as the title might suggest. Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell have wonderful chemistry. I love how protective they are of each other. Dorothy teases Lorelei but she won’t stand up for any one else doing it. Plus the sets! The colours! The costumes! The silly but catchy songs! The hairy beefcake! It’s a blast. The movie is very famous, somewhat a classic, but never really on anyone’s ‘best of’ lists. I suggestion everyone take another look.
Dolores Claiborne?
Babe and Scott Pilgrim v. The World.
Hustlers!
The Game, Elephant, Run Lola Run and Cold Mountain.
If we are choosing from a classic I'd pick The Snake Pit. This is Olivia de Haviland's best work and a remarkably accurate look at living with mental illness and no one talks about it.
For a more recent pick- Life of Pi. No one talks about it as one of Ang Lee's best works and somehow it got lost in the shuffle of Argo and Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty as films best remembered of its year.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
James Cagney's One, Two, Three. So fast and fun.
Bring it On: smarter than it gets credit for. It’s crazy to watch it in 2020 and see just how much it gets right in its assessment of race, privilege, and appropriation.
Roman Holiday: finally saw it for the first time, Hepburn’s final moments floored me. I think it deserves to be remembered as more than just Audrey’s breakthrough/a fashion film.
Saturday Night Fever: so many people think it’s just a cheesy disco movie and I remember being so surprised by its grit/serious tone.
The Silence of the Lambs: obviously a beloved film, but I never hear much appreciation for the filmmaking. This movie is a master class in visual story-telling.
X-Men 2: not just the best of its franchise, but one of the best superhero movies ever made.
I also want to mention Rebel Without a Cause, Carrie, Working Girl, The Devil Wear's Prada, Soul Food, Daughters of the Dust, and Eve's Bayou. Those last two are maybe stretching the definition of "famous".
Next Stop Greenwich Village
The Boyfriend
Coming Home
Cinderella Man
The best movies of 2018
Isle of Dogs
Suspiria
If Beale Street Could Talk
I think "The Purple Rose of Cairo" - respected, but it's my favourite Woody Allen. It's not talked about enough and now with his status in pop culture, it seems mostly ignored?
I also feel "La La Land" is falling into this. Yes, it won a ton of Golden Globes and Oscars, but it feels like it's now a joke/punching bag symbol of white mediocrity and Hollywood worship. The comparisons with Moonlight did neither film favors and I think it's a way more complex film than its reputation.
you are all giving me life tonight which i needed. such great thoughtful answers. I'm loving so many of these titles but especially PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (keeps moving up my rankings of Woody pictures), BRING IT ON (i agree it's aged beautifullly), GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (a masterpiece of a musical comedy, totally), MEET ME IN ST LOUIS (yes, jules, an "all-timer" that should be up there with the other musicals that make those lists like singin' in the rain and wizard of oz)
@chasm301: LA LA LAND! That's a great answer for this.
Speaking of, I know @Bushwick mentioned Keira Knightley, but I propose another actor who'd make a good answer for this... Ryan Gosling. Super popular, highly respected... and yet so, so underrated.
Enthusiastic agreement with the readers who cited "The Boy Friend" and "Saturday Night Fever". Both pearls of great price. I'd add another musical to the list "Pennies from Heaven". I love "Godspell" as well but I've never sensed much critical support for that one, so I guess it doesn't really belong on this list.
As for other titles I'd file under the heading "Respected but under-celebrated"
Stan & Ollie
A Serious Man
JCVD
Seven Men from Now
Lovely and Amazing
Stargate
The Mummy(1999)
My Favorite Year
Good Bye Lenin!
Yoyo
Manon(1949)
Les Maudits(1947)
Othello (Orson Welles)
Fellini Satyricon
Alfred Hitchcock certainly isn't under-celebrated. But the general coolness toward his 1947 film "The Paradine Case" has always surprised me. I find it it so much more fascinating and affecting than some of his big 50's hits like "Dial M for Murder" and "To Catch a Thief".
The Fabulous Baker Boys.This should have been Pfeiffer's Oscar and both Bridges brothers should have been in the conversation.
2046 - Wong Kar Wai (2004)
Why no Criterion remaster?
My list of guilty pleasures
The Station Agent (2003) A wonderful ensemble reminds us of the joy of friendship.
Dirty Dancing (1987) An entertaining popcorn flick that doesn’t try to convince us that every earth shaking sexual experience must be love. Sometimes passion is enough.
Imitation of Life (1959) A GOAT performance from Juanita Moore in the most addictive of glamorous soap operas.
Strangers on a Train (1951) A Hitchcock thriller that is always engrossing, every damn time.
the ice storm
Ken -- I totally agree. I far prefer The Paradine Case to either of those titles you cited.
Gian -- yes. one of the best films of the 1980s.
Adding more votes for:
Go (1999)
The Ice Storm (1997)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
@Mike.Johnson I came here just to write The Opposite of Sex!! Ricci and Kudrow are so great in it!! Also I loved Ricci in Prozac Nation also.
Some of My Favorite Choices Already Mentioned:
The Purple Rose of Cairo (this film renders "Midnight in Paris" superfluous)
Ordinary People (extraordinary)
My Best Friend's Wedding (fun)
Meet Me in St. Louis (the best film of 1944?)
My Favorite Year (remarkably sharply comic directorial debut)
Strangers on a Train (silky and snappy Hitchcock)
And These:
Woman in the Dunes
The Owl and the Pussycat
Flirting with Disaster
Gigi
The Landlord
The Pumpkin Eater
Margaret
Charade
Darling
Goldfinger
High Tide