Critics Gone Loony! 24 Beloved Movies That People Secretly Hate

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Buzzfeed
“Most Expensive Pile Of Boring Garbage Ever Made” – 24 Beloved Movies That People Secretly Hate
by Hanifah Rahman
August 21, 2024

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Some movies are so universally loved that it’s quite controversial to dislike them, no matter how valid your criticisms may be.

So when Reddit user u/777Twix asked people, “what’s a movie that you hate that everyone seems to love,” we couldn’t help but share some of the best responses.

1. Love, Actually
   
   Emma Thompson appears emotional in a scene, wearing a patterned shirt and a red cardigan, set in an indoor space
   
   “Everyone but Emma Thompson is a terrible person in it but it doesn’t seem to be intended that way.”

2. Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy dressed in a vintage suit and hat, staring ahead with a serious expression, in a scene from a TV show or movie

“It had some great moments but also some really bad moments. The character writing just felt so stale and immature to me but it had some good spectacle and the soundtrack was great, pretty typical for Nolan honestly.”

3. The Notebook

Rachel McAdams is lifted by Ryan Gosling while wearing a patterned swimsuit on a beach scene from “The Notebook.”

“Both of the main characters are intolerable. I didn’t root for them at all.”

“Seriously dislike the characters, especially the woman. Can’t make up her mind at all. I didn’t find it even an ounce romantic.”

4. Titanic

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet clinging to debris in the water in a scene from Titanic

“Far too long and uninteresting for a movie you know the end of before the beginning. With a few exceptions, like Kathy Bates’ character, the acting was boring and subpar.”

“Cartoonishly underwritten characters, a disrespectful emphasis on spectacle and excitement, and historical distortions so offensive that the vice-president of 20th Century Fox himself would later apologise, in person, to descendants of the ship’s crew.”

5. The Godfather

Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in a formal suit, with another person whispering in his ear, in a scene from “The Godfather.”

“Everyone raves about it, but I’ve never once managed to stay awake for more than 15 minutes.”

6. Everything Everywhere All at Once

Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh, and Ke Huy Quan appear tense and apprehensive in a scene from “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

“I went to the movies to see it. Had to get up and vomit at one point. All the fast movements made me disoriented. I couldn’t wait for it to end.”

7. Bridesmaids

Rebel Wilson, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, and another woman walk together in a scene from a film, dressed in varied casual outfits

“Dumb and unfunny.”

8. Napoleon Dynamite

Napoleon Dynamite wears a “Vote for Pedro” t-shirt, and Pedro Sanchez wears a western-style shirt, standing in a school hallway with lockers in the background

“It’s just such an inept film. It has so many pointless scenes (the Time Machine, that stuff with the farmers), plot developments that happen because the plot requires them to (Hailey Duff’s mom telling her that she has to go to the dance with Napoleon, the audience cheering for Napoleon’s horrible dance), and the few jokes that it has completely fall flat (the only good joke in that movie is when Pedro’s cousins threaten the bully; one particularly horrible joke that I can’t seem to forget was the farmer who didn’t know what chicken talons were).

I respect that it was an independent comedy that envisioned a particular quirky world and wanted to live in it. I respect that the film itself looked competently made (good production value, cinematography was perfectly respectable). The actors all did a pretty good job of playing their one-dimensional characters (Jon Heder especially went all-in on playing Napoleon). My issues with this film were really just with the writing, which was so… so… bad.”

9. Barbie

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie, dressed in 1960s-style outfits, drive a pink car through a desert with a colorful “Barbie” sign and rainbow in the background

“It was awful. As a woman, I was embarrassed watching it.”

“It couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be satire or sincerely emotional and the result of that mismatch came off mean-spirited and cruel.

It started strong with the fun effects & references to obscure actual dolls but I felt like I was lured in by this & forced to listen to an angry rant/essay instead of a movie.”

10. Grease

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John walk with cast members at a fairground in a scene from the movie Grease

“Truth, it is unwatchable.”

11. The Big Lebowski

Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, and John Goodman are seated in a bowling alley scene from a movie

“Probably the top comedy that I actually hate! A guy I worked with thought it was the best movie ever made! So he gave me the DVD, yes it was like 20 years ago but….. I actually watched the whole thing to be able to give a full opinion to him. I walked into work and handed him the DVD and said, “don’t ever suggest another movie, you suck.” He laughed, but I was serious.”

“A comedy with no jokes, just people being mean to each other.”

12. Pretty Woman

Julia Roberts in an elegant off-the-shoulder gown and Richard Gere in a tuxedo share a moment in a scene from “Pretty Woman.”

“Prostitute meets ‘the right guy’ and he turns her into a princess.

Nothing charming about romanticising prostitution.”

13. The Princess Bride

Cary Elwes, in black medieval attire, holds hands with Robin Wright, in a red medieval gown, as they walk through a scenic outdoor setting from “The Princess Bride.”

“Yeah, I said it.”

“Such bad acting. It’s like they winged it. The book is incredible though.”

14. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Henry Thomas in a scene from the movie “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”

“I hate his dumb weird face and the kids, the soldiers, and the parents. I absolutely despise everything about it.”

15. Pulp Fiction

John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson are wearing black suits and pointing guns in a scene from the movie “Pulp Fiction.”

“To me it seems like everyone pretends they like the movie because it’s cool to like it.”

16 Fight Club

Brad Pitt, shirtless, stands in the center of a fight club with other shirtless and clothed men looking on in the background

“It’s not really that innovative. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Its twist wasn’t great and the ending destroyed the actual point of the original book. Also, every idiot that watched it missed the point, and started doing their own little idiot fight clubs.”

17. Star Wars

C-3PO, R2-D2, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia from Star Wars stand in a spaceship looking out at a galaxy and spaceship through a large window

“This is the biggest one for me. I was all hyped to finally go on a binge to watch all episodes. It’s sooo long and boring.”

“It took me years to mention out loud how much I disliked that movie and the series that followed. I thought something was wrong with me. I am a little envious of how excited people get about it, but years ago, I came to the conclusion that I do not like sci-fi.”

18. Deadpool

Deadpool lounges by a fireplace wearing his iconic red and black suit with utility belts and weapons, striking a humorous and relaxed pose

“I haven’t seen 3 yet, but 1 and 2. To me after seeing the movie Waiting. It’s just Ryan Reynolds. It doesn’t feel like Deadpool to me, it just feels like Ryan Reynolds, as this is kinda his character he plays in 80% of his films.”

19. La La Land

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone walk on a bridge at sunset in a scene from “La La Land.” He wears a white shirt and tie, and she is in a pink dress

“Watched it twice and fell asleep not even halfway through both times. Its now my go-to ‘puts me to sleep’ movie!”

20. Inception

Leonardo DiCaprio and Cillian Murphy in suits, seated at a table, engaged in conversation

“I mean the idea is cool and everything but the plot just doesn’t interest me at all. And the worst thing about me not liking it is that people don’t get how I dislike it and so they give me the classic ‘you just don’t understand it.'”

21. Avatar

Jake Sully and Neytiri from “Avatar” aiming a bow in a lush, forested setting

“I don’t care about the plight of the blue people. I couldn’t get invested in the characters. It’s all CG and it damn well looks it. Most expensive pile of boring garbage ever made.”

22. Hocus Pocus

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker dressed as their characters from the film “Hocus Pocus,” in elaborate, theatrical witch costumes

“I have never got the hype. Even as a child, i thought it was a weird movie that did nothing for me except make me uncomfortable. I don’t think any of the acting is great and Bette Midler just creeps me out.”

23. The Lord of the Rings

Actors dressed as hobbits in ‘The Lord of the Rings’: Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin stand together in a mountainous landscape

“The acting and directing is so painfully cringe, the writing is boring and predictable, the battle scenes just feel like actors with costumes rather than actual people fighting for their lives, it never felt like there were any stakes at all, and it didn’t feel like a real world with real people either.”

24. Parasite

Choi Woo-shik and Park So-dam look at smartphones together in a scene from the movie “Parasite.” They appear focused and are sitting close to each other

“Yeah , I know the purpose was, yada yada, but most the rich people did in the movie was:

a. Care about their child.

b. Be dumb.

The poor family were more villianish in the movie in my opinion. And the ending was just brainless bloodshed I didn’t ride with. I wasn’t a fan of the performances, too.”