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Here's a list from Entertainment Weekly of twenty overrated movie classics. It's not meant to be taken too seriously--this is just personal reactions from people writing in. Anyway, I thought I'd add my notes:
20. The Way We Were
I wasn't aware that people thought so highly of this film. It's a pretty tiresome romance with even more tiresome politics thrown in. (To be fair, screenwriter Arthur Laurents says they screwd up the political side of his script.)
19. Love Story
Another romance that, even in its day, was mocked for going overboard.
18. The Sound Of Music
A schmaltzy musical to begin with, even by Rodgers and Hammerstein standards, brought to the screen with its sappiness intact.
17. His Girl Friday
One of the great comedies. The film is in public domain, so perhaps the critic saw a bad copy at home. Watch it with an audience and see how it plays.
16. Lawrence Of Arabia
One of those vastly overrated films. Looks nice, but goes on twice as long as the story does.
15. An Affair To Remember
Once again, who considers this a classic? It's a Leo McCarey remake of his superior Love Affair, but even Love Affair wasn't that great.
14. The English Patient
I'm with Elaine Benes, this film just won't end.
13. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Didn't get great reviews in its day, but has since become a classic. I consider it an interesting failure. Has a mood, but really is mostly nonsense stretched beyond the breaking point.
12. Forrest Gump
Big hit, won Oscars, but there was a huge backlash. Such a huge backlash I'm almost inclined to defend it. It does break a lot of rules, and has some enjoyable scenes. But there's no depth and it runs out of steam around the time Forrest decides to run across the country.
11. Gone With The Wind
Biggest hit ever, but I agree, not that great. Beautiful in many ways, but, like so many two-part epics, the second half drags. Rhett and Scarlett--either get together or kill each other, just make up your minds. Also, I've never been convinced (like everyone else is) that Vivien Leigh was right for the part.
10. Citizen Kane
A great movie, to be sure, but yes, it's overrated. Overrated in that it's not the greatest movie ever. Probably not even top ten.
9. The Exorcist
I do find it pretty silly. If you're expected to take it seriously, it's no good, but as a high-toned horror film, it's not bad.
8. Doctor Zhivago
Even worse than Lawrence Of Arabia. (Still, did they need to use this list to beat up on David Lean? How about only one overrated film per director.)
7. The Wizard Of Oz
Considered a bit overdone in its day, it became a classic through TV showings, helped by "Over The Rainbow." It is pretty good. Amazing score, fun performances, fairly imaginative (especially for MGM).
6. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Even if this hadn't been a huge letdown after Star Wars, I don't think I'd have liked it. A misshapen mess with really no story--if the government and the aliens didn't waste everyone's time, the film would be a short.
5. Singin' In The Rain
I can't believe anyone could call this delightful film overrated. It was slightly underrated when it came out, not considered as significant at An American In Paris, but it's since taken its rightful place as Gene Kelly's best film, and probably the best musical of all.
4. Breakfast At Tiffany's
Once again, a non-classic classic. This is Blake Edwards, not Wilder or Sturges or Lubitsch. Some passable gags, some quiet moments, a nice look, but it's never added up to much. If it weren't for an iconic Audrey Hepburn, there'd be nothing here.
3. The Philadelphia Story
Some auteurists had trouble with it, but aside from them, who could resist one of the top sophisticated romantic comedies ever? Smooth direction from Cukor, and great acting from top to bottom. It saved Katharine Hepburn's career, but she's matched by Jimmy Stewart (who won an Oscar) while Cary Grant stands on the sidelines and steals the film.
2. To Kill A Mockingbird
I'm already on record as failing to understand while this overly earnest and badly dated film is held in such high regard.
1. Annie Hall
Probably Woody's best, and one of the greatest comedies ever made.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:03 AM
6 Comments:
Your post somehow gave rise to the following thought in my head: There are surprising similarities between Lawrence of Arabia and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Both films are awesome if you see them on a big screen, because they are such wonderful eye candy. I actually felt thirsty after the long desert scenes in LoA.
But you shouldn't watch them on a small screen, because then the dearth of plot becomes more evident. LoA could be cut to half its length and preserved the plot. And 2010 didn't have a comprehensible plot at all: you have to watch the sequel 2010 (a film you and I have argued about before) to understand the first movie.
I didn't think Close Encounters was overrated, because I thought everyone hated it. I think it's just a heap of .... well, a heap of mashed potatoes. But the alien music makes a great ring-tone.
Singing in the Rain is a great musical. But "the best musical of all"? Sorry, but to win that title you not only need great acting and a good plot, you also need at least, say, 75% of the songs to have truly memorable melodies.
And while SitR has three truly superb songs, it has too many "filler" tunes to qualify as the very best. Offhand, I can think of three or four musicals that reach the 75% bar: The Music Man, Oliver!, West Side Story, and maybe Camelot.
Actually, one of the few scenes I like from Close Encounters is the mashed potatoes scene, which I heard was cut from the Special Edition.
For Singing' In The Rain, Comden and Green had to write a script that was not only funny and told a good story, but also used the Nacio Herb Brown/Arthur Reed songbook. I'm not saying they're the best songwriters of their era--from from it--but many of those songs had been hits and most are pretty tuneful. I'd like to hear the 25%+ songs from that movie you don't think have truly memorable melodies.
As to the movies you list, some I like, some I don't, but--and some day I may need to do a long post on this because it keeps coming up--most of the best movie musicals are written specifically for the screen. Movie musicals that originate on the stage (including all those you list) tend to be either successful or unsuccessful adapations, but generally not great "movies" so much as reflections of what was superior in its original medium.
It's ironic that you don't think the movies you list have filler, since they pretty much use all the songs from their original shows, while the Freed unit could pick and choose, for the most part, which former hits they wanted to use.
Annie Hall while not bad is definitely after the "earlier funny" era. Again not bad (although it did lead to Manhattan) but the critical wet dreams over it justify putting it on this list.
I consider Annie Hall to be the last of the "earlier funny" films. It's also the only film on this list of 20 that makes my top ten of all time, so I'd hardly call it overrated.
Arthue C. Clarke's novel of 2001 explains everything perfectly. It's Kubrick's movie that intentionally refuses to give amswers.
I agree with LAG's take on the list except 2001 and Wizard of Oz. I can't think how Wizard fo Oz could have more perfectly accomplished its objective of presenting a wild fantasy, with song and dance and humor and fright. Especially considering when it was made.
As for 2001, ASO, I probably have a soft spot for it. I agree - much better on a big screen. I recently found this academic review of Kubrick movies, including 2001, which increased my appreciation for 2001: http://www.collativelearning.com/FILMS%20reviews%20BY%20ROB%20AGER.html
By the way, the film and book were completed simultaneously, and with some coordination between Kubrick and Clarke. There are differences between the two products, and I'm not sure which one should be considered an adaptation of the other.
The big name not on the list, imho, is "ET." I cannot undertsand why people love this movie. It is little more than a Sat. morning cartoon rendered in live action, with wooden, stereotyed characters, and frankly terrible special effects, even by the standards of its era. Close Encounters is much better ET, and I think ET is more highly aclaimed.
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