c/bad-movie-defense

Hot take: I actually love Batman v Superman and here is why

I was at a diner in Trenton about 2 years ago and this guy at the counter saw my Batman shirt. He started going off about how Batman v Superman was the worst movie ever made. I told him I actually watch it like twice a year and he deadpan stared at me for 10 seconds. He said 'you must be trolling me' and I told him no, I just like the warehouse fight scene and how moody it all is. Has anyone else here ever defended a bad movie to a stranger who just couldn't get it?

Waterworld went from being the laughingstock of 1995 to something I actually rewatch every few years - what flipped the switch on that one for everyone else?

I saw it in theaters as a kid and thought it was a boring mess, but catching it on cable around 2008 made me appreciate the insane practical sets and Costner's weird underwater world-building, so did the passage of time just make us all softer on big budget flops or is there something genuinely cool in there that critics missed the first time?

Just realized I was defending Waterworld wrong this whole time

My buddy pointed out that I kept bringing up the budget when defending Waterworld, but he said the actual fun is in the stunt work and world building, so I rewatched it focusing just on the action sequences and now I finally get why people dig it - anyone else have a movie they defended for the wrong reasons and had to pivot?

Spent $12 on a rental copy of The Room and it was the best movie night my friends ever had

We laughed so hard at the awful green screen and Tommy Wiseau's acting that I forgot how much I paid for the late fee when I returned it two days late, anyone else use a 'so bad it's good' movie to break the ice with new people?

Appreciation post: The first time I watched Plan 9 from Outer Space with the right crowd

I spent years skipping Ed Wood movies because everyone said they were unwatchable garbage. Last month my buddy dragged me to a midnight showing at a tiny theater in Denver, and something clicked. The place was packed with people laughing at the cardboard gravestones and the wobbling sets, but not in a mean way. I finally got that these movies work because they're so sincere, like a kid showing you their crayon drawing and being proud of it. Has anyone else had a movie flip for them just by watching it with the right group?

Watched 'The Happening' again after 10 years and it's actually kinda fun

I was at my buddy's place last Saturday and he had it playing in the background. I walked in right when Mark Wahlberg is trying to talk to a plant, and I just sat down laughing. Everyone trashes this movie for the acting and the dumb plot, but that's exactly why I like it now. It's not trying to be some deep horror flick, it's just a wild ride with ridiculous moments. Has anyone else revisited a hated movie and found yourself enjoying it for different reasons than before?

Saw a post hating on The Room for bad acting but that movie is way more entertaining than half the polished stuff on Netflix right now

Everyone keeps saying Tommy Wiseau can't act but I watched that movie with my buddies last Friday and we were laughing harder than any comedy from this year, has anyone else actually enjoyed it unironically?

Finally changed my mind on 'The Room' after 10 years of hating it

Saw it at a midnight screening with a crowd that threw plastic spoons and yelled at the screen. I get it now - it's not a bad movie, it's a weird communal experience you can't replicate.

Can we talk about the deleted scenes in 'The Room' that actually explain things?

I found out from a forum deep dive that there's a whole cut subplot where Johnny's character has a past with Claudette that makes his anger over Lisa's betrayal way more understandable, has anyone else tracked down those missing 20 minutes?

My buddy Dave talked me into rewatching Son of the Mask

He said the CGI was actually ambitious for 2005 and to look past the jokes. I always hated that movie but watching it again, the visual effects team really went all out on those cartoon sequences. Has anyone else revisited a comedy flop and found something to respect in the technical work?

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is actually a solid movie

I used to skip this one when people talked about the series. Wrote it off because no Vin Diesel or Paul Walker. But my buddy forced me to watch it again last month. The car culture in that movie is way more grounded than the other sequels. They actually show real drifting techniques and the physics of it. The plot is simple but it works for me. Han's character arc is better here than in the later movies too. Has anyone else given this one a second chance and changed their mind?

The Notebook is actually a good movie and I'm tired of pretending it's not

Everyone trashes it for being sappy but I watched it last weekend with my girlfriend and the scene where he hangs off the ferris wheel got me choked up. The acting is solid, especially James Garner as the old version of the guy, and the story hits harder when you've been in a long relationship. Has anyone else found a so-called bad movie that actually works for them?

Waterworld's budget was $175 million but I just noticed a rope breaking in the background

I was rewatching Waterworld last night with some friends who hate it, and I spotted something hilarious. During the scene where the Deacon is giving his big speech on the oil rig, one of the ropes holding up a sail just snaps and flies off screen. Nobody notices, it's not in the movie's biggest flop moment, but that tiny mistake makes me love the whole thing more because it's so human. How can you call it the worst movie ever when it's got this kind of raw behind the scenes energy right on screen?

Went to a midnight showing of The Room and finally got why people love it

Watched The Room for the first time and now I get the hype

I spent years thinking people were just being ironic about this movie, but I finally sat down with it last Saturday. The way every single scene feels like it was directed by someone who has never seen a human interact with another human is actually kind of brilliant in its own weird way. Has anyone else here genuinely laughed more at a "bad" movie than most comedies?

Took me 3 days to reset a simple breaker panel at a rental house

I was helping a buddy swap out an old electrical panel in his duplex over by the river. We turned off the main, labeled every wire, everything looked fine. Then we fired it back up and half the outlets in one unit just stayed dead. Two full days of me chasing wires with a multimeter, thinking we somehow fried something. Turned out we just forgot to flip one tiny sub-panel breaker hidden behind a box of Christmas lights. Has anyone else had a stupid simple fix eat up hours of your life?

I used to hate Waterworld until I watched it on a hungover Saturday

I avoided this movie for years because everyone trashes it. Caught it on cable last weekend during a rough morning with a bad headache and nothing else on. Honestly? The world building is solid and Costner fully commits to the weirdness. Yes it's goofy but it moves fast. Am I way off base here or does this one deserve a second look from people?

Finally hit 50 bad movies logged on my Letterboxd list and it changed how I watch stuff

I started a list last January of movies folks say are terrible but I secretly enjoy. After 50 entries, I noticed a pattern: most of them are from 1986 to 1994, which got me thinking about childhood nostalgia. Like, The Lawnmower Man got a 12% on Rotten Tomatoes but the cheesy VR scenes still make me grin every time. Has anyone else noticed their bad movie picks tend to cluster around a certain decade or milestone number?

I dropped $15 on a used copy of 'The Love Guru' and it was worth every penny

I found this movie at a garage sale for 15 bucks and bought it as a joke for movie night with my buddies. We watched it and honestly it cracked me up way more than I expected, Mike Myers being over the top just works for me. Anyone else find a universally hated movie that actually made you laugh?

Pro tip: I picked 'The Room' for my class movie day and the kids roasted me for a week

I showed The Room to my 8th graders last semester as a joke, thinking they'd get a kick out of how bad it is. Instead, they spent the next five days quoting "You're tearing me apart, Lisa!" at me in the hallways, and one kid even wrote a report on how Tommy Wiseau's green screen work is worse than a PowerPoint. It made me appreciate how a movie this broken can still bring people together, even if it's just to laugh at it. Has anyone else had a bad movie totally take over a group of people you didn't expect?

Found out Battlefield Earth actually won some awards... at the Golden Raspberrys

My neighbor hated Waterworld so much I had to defend it

Last month at a backyard BBQ, my buddy Mark said Waterworld was a total waste of film stock and that nobody should watch it. I told him the world-building underwater was actually creative and the practical stunts were insane for 1995. Has anyone else here had to argue for this movie just because you liked one specific thing about it?

That scene in Judge Dredd (1995) with the ABC Warrior robot is actually brilliant

Everyone trashes the Stallone Judge Dredd movie, but I still watch it every couple years. One thing I noticed that critics keep getting wrong is the ABC Warrior robot fight scene. People call it cheesy, but the practical effects on that robot are seriously impressive for 1995. It took a team of 12 puppeteers to operate it on set, which is way more effort than most CGI gets today. The way it moves and clanks around gives it a real weight that modern CGI robots just don't have. Has anyone else noticed how much craft went into those practical effects compared to the usual complaints?

The time I tried to defend 'Battlefield Earth' to my film club and got roasted for 2 hours straight

I brought up Battlefield Earth at my local film club meetup in Austin last month and man, did I get shredded. Everyone there hates it for the weird dutch angles and cheesy acting, but I actually think it has this weird charm if you watch it like a B-movie. It took me about 45 minutes to explain why the over-the-top performance from John Travolta kind of works if you see it as a satire of corporate greed. People kept cutting me off saying the pacing was awful, and I'll admit the first act drags hard, but the third act has some fun action scenes that make up for it a little. Has anyone else found a bad movie that just clicks for you in a way nobody gets? I'm curious if I'm totally alone on this one.

The day a stranger at Blockbuster tried to save me from watching 'The Room'

Back in 2005 at a Blockbuster in Portland, this guy in a wrinkled shirt grabbed my arm before I could rent The Room. He said 'You're not ready for this, man, it'll break your brain.' I told him I'd heard it was so bad it was good, and he just sighed. He was right in a way, but I still loved every insane second of that movie. Anyone else ever have a stranger try to talk you out of a cult classic?