When it comes to film and film criticism, there’s usually an overall consensus on whether a movie is worth your time. Yes, themes are unpacked, performances are critiqued, and problematic elements are confronted, but in the end, a film is either branded “good” or “bad.”
But what about those films that exist in that beautiful gray area? What do we do with those movies that are so awful, that miss their mark so poorly, that they end up providing more enjoyment than disgust? The films that are so bad that they are actually good? They need a category all to themselves, where we can dissect them and identify how they can be so cringe-worthy, yet so good.
Because let’s face it: sometimes, watching a phenomenally acted, produced, and directed piece of cinema can be exhausting. There’s so much to take in, between the sights, sounds, colors, dialogue, setting, and cinematography; the experience is certainly not for the faint of heart. This draws us to those pieces of art that were created with less care, that don’t give a shit if we guess the ending or roast the actors the entire time.
Maybe the acting is so awful you can’t look away. Maybe the plot is held together by so many nonsensical strings that it turns into a two-hour comedy. Maybe you figured out the movie’s poorly hidden bombshell minutes in, and want to watch the underdeveloped main characters twist in the wind until the light bulb comes on in their heads. Whatever the reason, good-bad movies make up a wonderful corner of the film industry, and they should be celebrated rather than panned.
So, in the same spirit, here are the 55 best bad movies we could find, their terribleness now out in the open for all to enjoy.
Bright (2017)
Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
Director: Tom Green
Stars: Tom Green, Rip Torn, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Anthony Michael Hall, Harland Williams
A critic’s take: “In a sense, this is a horror film, worse than anything Andy Kaufman could dream up, in which Green tries to outgross himself. Well, he succeeds, if that's any kind of welcome news to you.” - Desson Howe (Washington Post)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
The Happening (2008)
The Snowman (2017)
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, J.K. Simmons, Val Kilmer, Charlotte Gainsbourg
A critic’s take: “Fassbender runs right out into the open during the big showdown, bellows ‘Come on, I'm ready,’ and promptly gets shot. By that point, it makes as much sense as anything else that's happened.” - Alison Willmore (Buzzfeed)