The 20 Most Overrated Movies of All Time?

Basq

Premiere magazine just released their list of the "Top 20 Most Overrated Movies of All Time" -- which do you think is the most overrated?

- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- A Beautiful Mind
- American Beauty
- An American in Paris
- Chariots of Fire
- Chicago
- Clerks
- Easy Rider
- Fantasia
- Field of Dreams
- Forrest Gump
- Gone with the Wind
- Good Will Hunting
- Jules & Jim
- Moonstruck
- Monster's Ball
- Mystic River
- Nashville
- The Red Shoes
- The Wizard of Oz

Personally.. there's a helluva lot of crap movies there. Most notably 'Chicago' and 'A Beautiful Mind'? 'Clerks' is far from overrated.. damn underrated and should be seen by more people!

Outta the ones i've seen... i gotta pick 'Mystic River' - an extremely average film with some strong performances.

TerrorFirmer

I LOVED Mystic River!

Outta that List, I'd say Good will Hunting and 2001 are the most insanely obvious to me personally. Course, its all down to taste.

Basq

MobileInfantry wrote:

Outta that List, I'd say Good will Hunting and 2001 are the most insanely obvious to me personally. Course, its all down to taste.

Very true.. but i gotta say i love 'Good Will Hunting' - just for the Elliott Smith music in it alone but also it's got a very laidback atmosphere to it. Doesn't need a flashy ending -

just the view from the back of the car as it continues driving down a highway makes me feel all warm and fuzzy every time!

But yes.. definantly a matter of taste. Except for the abombination that was 'Chicago'!

monkeyfudge

I agree with you on Mystic River.

It's highly over rated.

And I can understand why.

It starts out so strong... but it just doesn't really go anywhere interesting in the end.

2/3s brilliant.. 1/3... a bit disappointing.

I'm amazed Citzen Kane isn't on the list... great film.. but certainly not the greatest film ever made as it is so often refered to as.

TerrorFirmer

Except for the abombination that was 'Chicago'!

Lol....I have a pirate copy of the movie, and it always sticks in my mind....simply because of the subtitles.

Like alot of import pirate discs, its English, with Subtitles that were translated to Chinese then back to English.

So.

Things like "Hello" came up as "Do you Today?" and other random, unreadable nonsense.

stevejazzx

this is underrated if you ask me
not enough people have seen it
its is as all kubrick movies a beautiful work of art
a movie which rewards re watching
one of my all time favorites that it is in the 20 most overrated movies pole is a bit of a joke really

however is

chicago spot on
some others
man who wasnt there
dogma

actually wait ibetter stop this culd go on all night

Zaph

Out of that list, Forrest Gump. Pile of crap, if you ask me. However, if Oscar winning success is a measure of how good a film is supposed to be, Titanic wins the most overrated prize by a mile.

stevejazzx

MobileInfantry wrote:

I LOVED Mystic River!

Outta that List, I'd say Good will Hunting and 2001 are the most insanely obvious to me personally. Course, its all down to taste.

ok final word on this 2001 is a work of sublime genius
honestly anyone who thinks diff is prob mad or just dumb
matter of taste of course

Vikings

stevejazzx wrote:

honestly anyone who thinks diff is prob mad or just dumb

Yeah I agree you have to just hate those crazy dumb people with opinions, right?

stevejazzx

right on people with opinions oh how ihate th.....wait a minute

Retr0gamer

Can't believe Thin Red Line isn't on that list. A pile of pretentious **** if you ask me.

Rhyme

Firld of Dreams :eek: Kevin Costner, whyyyyy?

But yeh, Chicago

jor el

stevejazzx wrote:

ok final word on this 2001 is a work of sublime genius

But, but, it's just so boring.

Anyway, of the 20 listed in that magazine I've never even seen these ones :
- A Beautiful Mind
- An American in Paris
- Chariots of Fire
- Chicago
- Clerks
- Easy Rider
- Gone with the Wind
- Jules & Jim
- Moonstruck
- Monster's Ball
- Nashville
- The Red Shoes
and I've no intention of ever watching them either.

Of the one's I have seen I'd say Forrest Gump. It had everyone jumping up and down over how great and sad it was. I just thought it was just one crap story after another.

Pigman II

heres a bunch of (imho) stinkers that were all nominated for the best picture oscar in the last 10years or so.

a few good men
braveheart
chocolate
cider house rules
el postino
erin brockovich
four weddings and a funeral
gladiator
jerry maguire
life is beautiful
lost in translation
master and commander
moulin rouge
shakespeare in love
shine
the aviator
the crying game
the english patient
traffic

Pigman II

Regarding that premiere list I think it's for the most part nonsense. They even stuck 'clerks' in there (high fidelity style) deliberately to make it not look like they're just going for obvious choices.

full forward

Lost in translation is THE most over rated movie of the last few years.

nadir

- 2001: A Space Odyssey /// No way its awesome
- A Beautiful Mind /// Is it highly rated ???
- American Beauty /// Maybe
- An American in Paris /// Never even ehard of it
- Chariots of Fire /// it's only famous cause of the music, I wouldnt have thought it was rated particurly highly
- Chicago /// havnt seen
- Clerks /// agreed , it sucked
- Easy Rider /// no way, it's a wuality movie
- Fantasia /// havn't seen
- Field of Dreams /// I liked it for some wierd reason, possibly overrated ok
- Forrest Gump /// It was pretty funny I thought.
- Gone with the Wind /// It was the first widly distributed colour film, main reason why it's famous, it's too long and boring imho.
- Good Will Hunting /// is it highly rated ?
- Jules & Jim /// never heard of
- Moonstruck /// never ehard of
- Monster's Ball /// havnt seen
- Mystic River /// never ehard of
- Nashville /// never ehard of
- The Red Shoes /// never ehard of
- The Wizard of Oz /// pretty naff ok, except with the pink floyd ost



Is it just me or are like half of those movies not highly rated at all to begin with

Franky Boy

Shawshank Redemption.

Goodshape

I agree with Franky Boy on Shawshank.. never saw the apeal.

Out of the list, 2001 and Easy Rider aren't overrated at all. Both works of art. I didn't know Clerks was ever rated that highly, but I enjoyed it for what it's worth.

Tomohawk

(Ride me) SIDEWAYS was the most overratted movie of the last 18 months. You'd swear the makers of this "movie" had never seen a Woody Allen film before? :rolleyes:

You'd also swear the Irish audiences of this "movie" had never seen a Woody Allen film ever?

Hank_Scorpio

Can't understand why Clerks is in there? Pure classic.

For me now Sideways was far far far over rated. It was a good movie. But at the end of the day it was just another roadtrip movie but instead of young guys it was two middle aged guy, one down on his luck with women and the other trying to get laid before his wedding!

It was completely average and never really went anywhere.

A better ending would of been when he goes up to the door and knocks on it. It should of been an old women opening it and saying something like:

"She died 20 years ago!" in a old creeky voice.

Would of made more sense.

impr0v

Another vote for Shawshank Redemption.

Hank_Scorpio

What's wrong with Shawshank Redemption?

I thought it was brilliantly written and the acting was top notch. The story was superb and the twist on how he got the governor caught and they way he escaped.

For me it symbolises the eternal struggle of freedom. Not just from prison, but from everday boring monotonous lifestyle that we are all subjected to each day. One man took a stand and freed himself. Very heroic.

Sleipnir

stevejazzx wrote:

ok final word on this 2001 is a work of sublime genius
honestly anyone who thinks diff is prob mad or just dumb
matter of taste of course

I agree with you 100%.
The "number 1" overrated movie of all time?
Really? No 1?

More likely they were looking for a typical "space movie" with a captain kirk type blowing up the galaxy and then they saw apes and said it must be crap.

The only movie I know which did the silence of space properly for a start.

Neo#

I thought Good Will Hunting was excellent. Great script with strong acting. Matt Damon and Robin Williams were incredible. Even Ben Affleck didnt suck.

impr0v

Hank_Scorpio wrote:

What's wrong with Shawshank Redemption?

I thought it was brilliantly written and the acting was top notch. The story was superb and the twist on how he got the governor caught and they way he escaped.

For me it symbolises the eternal struggle of freedom. Not just from prison, but from everday boring monotonous lifestyle that we are all subjected to each day. One man took a stand and freed himself. Very heroic.

I thought it was an alright movie, perhaps even a good one, but for months before I finally got round to seeing it I had heard how it was the best thing since Sliced Pan the Movie, people said it symbolised the eternal struggle of freedom, not just from prision, but from everyday boring monotonus lifestyle that we are all subjected to each day, etc, etc. I didn't think it lived up to the hype, hence a vote for it being an overrated movie.

stevejazzx

lost in translation

disagree a real gem all about disenchantment of life from 2 compltely different perspectives

sideways was good perhaps a little overrated

sterculelum

Basquille, you and me have had our differences...

All the same...

- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- A Beautiful Mind
- American Beauty
- An American in Paris
- Chariots of Fire
- Chicago
- Clerks
- Easy Rider
- Fantasia
- Field of Dreams
- Forrest Gump
- Gone with the Wind
- Good Will Hunting
- Jules & Jim
- Moonstruck
- Monster's Ball
- Mystic River
- Nashville
- The Red Shoes
- The Wizard of Oz

Get 2001, American Beauty, Clerks, Easy Rider, Jules et Jim outta there.

What a crappy list. The bolded are brilliant, imo. 2001: it's Kubrick, what more can be said?, American Beauty: great stuff, Clerks: like Kevin Smith and this is prolly the best, Easy Rider: possibly the ultimate road movie, Jules et Jim: one of my fav foreign movies.

Jesus.

Tbh, I've never seen:
- An American in Paris
- Chariots of Fire
- Chicago
- Fantasia
- Field of Dreams
- Gone with the Wind
- Good Will Hunting
- Moonstruck
- Monster's Ball
- Nashville
- The Red Shoes

but Good Will is the only one I'd watch willingly.

Necronomicon

I agree completely on American Beauty.

Mussels

Jerry Maguire - utter toss, should be in the top 20.
It's a movie that doesn't even deserve serious consideration, let alone awards and critical acclaim.

sterculelum

Oooh Lord Of The Rings. Boring hokum.

The Lopper

Sleipnir wrote:

I agree with you 100%.
The "number 1" overrated movie of all time?
Really? No 1?

More likely they were looking for a typical "space movie" with a captain kirk type blowing up the galaxy and then they saw apes and said it must be crap.

The only movie I know which did the silence of space properly for a start.

I agree, the blockbuster generation just find the abscence of big bangs and noises annoying. Really this is an absolutely awesome film, but i can understand why some people might find it boring.

And also American Beauty i thought was a classic.

thejovialhost

American Beauty was great as was 2001, Lost In Translation was disappointing and WAAAAY overated-NOTHING HAPPENED ffs!scarlett johanson is smokin' though:eek: :eek:

is_that_so

Out of curiosity what is their list of the BEST films of all time?
It would put the overrated ones in perspective. It is noticeable that a good number of the films are short on action or have lots of music in them.
As always this is most likely a readers' poll and as has been posted already who decided these films were actually rated?

Anyone who puts Wizard of Oz on that list never had a childhood .

for me I'd include

Forrest Gump
Born on The Fourth of July
Platoon
Gone with the Wind ( never been able to watch it all)

Playboy

The people who compiled the list are obviosly idiots if they have 2001 at the top of the list. I wouldnt bother reading on after seeing it in there.

ShreddedHumans

Gone with the wind.

stevejazzx

Playboy wrote:

The people who compiled the list are obviosly idiots if they have 2001 at the top of the list. I wouldnt bother reading on after seeing it in there.

ditto

cashback

stevejazzx wrote:

lost in translation

disagree a real gem all about disenchantment of life from 2 compltely different perspectives

I fully agree. So what if 'nothing happens'. What do people want, explosions?

Basq

Agree.... i think 'Lost In Translation' is a fantastic movie.

It's got a quiet sentimentality to it. No real excitement.. just a real storyline about a very unique relationship between two very similar people coping differently to a slump in their lives.

Fantastic performances from the two leads and some fresh (and also funny) dialogue (especially Bill Murray's scenes doing ads - "i normally don't get that close to the glass until i'm on the floor!.... Lojah Moore? )

Pigman II wrote:

heres a bunch of (imho) stinkers that were all nominated for the best picture oscar in the last 10years or so.

a few good men
braveheart
chocolate
cider house rules
el postino
erin brockovich
four weddings and a funeral
gladiator
jerry maguire
life is beautiful
lost in translation
master and commander
moulin rouge
shakespeare in love
shine
the aviator
the crying game
the english patient
traffic

Gotta agree with a lot of them but i thought Traffic was a fantastic film and deserved the 4 Oscars won. Flawless performances (especially Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro but even from the smallest members of cast - even Topher Grace is excellent!), very stylishly shot (in some people's opinions, maybe too stylish but love the colour contrasts for different settings and storylines - blue's and orange's) and

LundiMardi

i think all the films that are hyped up beyond belief are always a let down, it's like xmas, the months leading up to it are great but when the day comes....meh.

Personally, i think braveheart and Shawshank Redemption are two of the greatest movies ever made, EVER! I had never even heard about shawshank before watching and i thought Braveheart looked ****, which is why i didn't see it in the cinema.

My list of overrated:

Clockwork Orange (i'm just not a Kubrick fan)
Sin City
lost in translation

Tristram

Glad to see a few people agree that Shawshank is overrated.

I love Space Odyssey, surprised to see it on the list.

Scarinae

Playboy wrote:

The people who compiled the list are obviosly idiots if they have 2001 at the top of the list. I wouldnt bother reading on after seeing it in there.

Who said it was top of the list? Did nobody else notice that it was in alphabetical order?
I absolutely love Fantasia, but everyone else either hasn't heard of it or thinks it's really dull. So I've never heard any hype or over-rating about it

Tusky

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Playboy

Fishie wrote:

Who said it was top of the list? Did nobody else notice that it was in alphabetical order?
I absolutely love Fantasia, but everyone else either hasn't heard of it or thinks it's really dull. So I've never heard any hype or over-rating about it

I meant that it was first title that I read not that it was the most overrated.

Shellie13

Gone with the wind is definately over-rated! Dragged on way too long and seemed to be nothing but a pathetic attempt to demonstrate how ****ty life can possibly get-story unbeliveable- although Viven Leigh and Clark Gable were extremlly well cast and the acting was great-this movie simply didn't do it for me!

CarolLorraine

Franky Boy wrote:

Shawshank Redemption.

That's my favourite film. The byline says it all - "Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free."

CarolLorraine

full forward wrote:

Lost in translation is THE most over rated movie of the last few years.

Totally agree. Where else would a film-maker have gotten away with using them whispering to each other at the end? What a cop-out.

Cactus Col

can't see why The Shining was left off ... big pile of piss it is.

TCamen

From the list, imo the overrated films are:

Forrest Gump
A Beautiful Mind
Monster's Ball

Haven't seen most of the rest and/or don't think they're particularly overrated.

Outside the list I loathe The Shawshank Redemption too -- add me to that list! Also LOTR trilogy is ridiculously overrated.

ixoy

If the editors of 'Premiere' magazine are actually here, can you identify yourselves? I just want to ban you for even letting '2001' be considered as a possibility by your readership (given I put the movie as my choice for movies you must see).

I will agree on 'A Beautiful Mind' - one of the few movies of the last number of years that immediately gets me fuming. Trash.

'Monster's Ball' is merely OK - I never got the impression that it was all that rated in the first place though...

Jimi-Spandex

Cactus Col wrote:

can't see why The Shining was left off ... big pile of piss it is.

:eek: I can't believe you actually said that. That is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read, even on boards. You have officially taken the biscuit. I know people are entitled to their opinions but I think yours should be rescinded.

- 2001: A Space Odyssey - An absolute masterpiece. Under rated if anything
- A Beautiful Mind - Meh. Okay, I guess, didn't think anyone really rated it that high
- American Beauty - I like it, in fact I don't know anyone who doesn't
- An American in Paris - I hate musicals
- Chariots of Fire - Good.
- Chicago - I hate musicals, especially this one
- Clerks - Quality
- Easy Rider - Classic
- Fantasia - Classic, needs to be aproached with the right frame of mind though
- Field of Dreams - Tripe
- Forrest Gump - Good but probably over rated.
- Gone with the Wind - Yes. Over rated
- Good Will Hunting - It's a good movie, no classic, but good. Bit weird that it's in here.
- Jules & Jim - Not seen
- Moonstruck - Didn't think this was rated highly enough to be considered overrated.
- Monster's Ball - meh. Didn't think it was that highly rated.
- Mystic River - Over rated, but not horribly so.
- Nashville - Not seen
- The Red Shoes - Not seen
- The Wizard of Oz - An essential part of childhood

It's a pretty weird list. It's definitely not a public vote, the kind of plebs who think 2001 is over rated are unlikely to have even seen movies like Jules et Jim or an American in Paris. The editors of this mag are clearly clowns.