Movies - Tell me watcha think

I got this idea from the Adam Carolla Show. I’m not the kind of person to call in to radio shows so I’ll share my opinions with you here. And I’d like to here what you think.

Name a movie you think is underrated.

And…

Name a movie you think is overrated.

I find it hard to narrow each of these down to just one, but I’ll force myself, starting with two comedies.

One underrated (or at least it has been limited to an underground following) movie is Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. If you like Old School or 40 Year Old Virgin, you’ll like this. Its silly and smart at the same time. But mostly, its just silly. You might argue that it is well liked. But it is the least successful one from these guys.

The mere mention of the highly overrated Meet the Parents just sets me off. First of all, it has to be the worst effort from Robert De Niro. Oh, wait. Its not quite as bad as his role in Analyze This. (I don’t even want to link to that one.) But worse than that, the entire movie is based on a stupid name. I can’t believe how many of my friends actually think the name “Focker” is funny. They could have named him “Asface” and pretended it was Italian…still not funny.

I know I’m pretty much alone in my disdain for Mr. Focker. But I’ll try to back this up with a couple of examples of names made funny by context.

1) Keeping Up Appearances: This was a British TV show that still airs on BBC America or KCET from time to time. The main character is a woman named Hyacinth Bucket. She and her husband live in a modest home in a small English town but she fancies herself living a lavish and dignified lifestyle. She continually puts up a front as such, hence the title. The humor in her name, Bucket, arises as people meet her for the first time and pronounce it as it is spelled. She swiftly corrects them, reciting her preferred pronunciation, “bouquet.” It continues to be funny as it is quick and only comes up occasionally in the show.

2) High Anxiety: In this 1977 comedy which spoofs several great Hitchcock films, the main character, Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (now that’s kind of funny on its own. The H stands for Harpo), runs into his old mentor, Professor Lilloman. Upon first seeing him, they excitedly react:

Professor: Richard!
Richard: Professor Little Old Man!
Professor: Lilloman. Lilloman. (mumbling; annoyed) Little old man.


Check out each of those if you can. Then let me know whether or not you agree. At the very least, you should see High Anxiety. Its brilliant.

So… Tell me what movies you think are under- or overrated.

SEEYa