16 Movies Everyone Talks About — But Are They Actually Good?

16 Movies Everyone Talks About — But Are They Actually Good?

We’ve all heard friends rave about certain movies that left us scratching our heads. Some films gain cult status despite terrible reviews, while others become pop culture references despite being objectively bad. These movies spark heated debates at parties and fill comment sections with passionate defenders and harsh critics. Let’s take a closer look at 16 famous films that everyone talks about and decide if they actually deserve their reputation.

1. The Room

Tommy Wiseau’s bizarre vanity project has become the ultimate ‘so-bad-it’s-good’ movie. Released in 2003, this romantic drama about a love triangle was made with a $6 million budget that somehow produced amateurish acting, nonsensical plot threads, and dialogue that sounds like it was written by aliens.

Fans throw spoons at the screen during midnight showings and recite famous lines like “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!” The film’s strange charm comes from Wiseau’s complete sincerity and lack of self-awareness.

While objectively terrible as a serious drama, The Room succeeds spectacularly as an accidental comedy, earning its place as perhaps the most entertainingly bad movie ever made.

2. Troll 2

Famous for having absolutely no trolls despite its title, this 1990 horror flick follows a family terrorized by vegetarian goblins who turn people into plants before eating them. The acting reaches new heights of awful, with the legendary “Oh my Goooooood” scene becoming a viral sensation years later.

Shot in Utah with an Italian director who barely spoke English and cast with local non-actors, the production was doomed from the start. Yet somehow, this mess of a movie found its audience.

The documentary “Best Worst Movie” chronicles its journey from embarrassing failure to beloved cult classic, proving that sometimes artistic disaster can be more memorable than success.

3. Birdemic: Shock and Terror

Created on a shoestring budget of $10,000, this 2010 environmental horror film features possibly the worst special effects in modern cinema. Director James Nguyen’s tale of killer birds attacking a small town uses clip-art style birds that hover motionlessly in the frame without ever interacting with their environment.

The first half plays like a boring romance film before suddenly shifting to bird attacks with no warning. Characters fight the deadly birds with coat hangers and exploding solar panels.

Despite (or because of) its technical incompetence, Birdemic gained a massive following, with sold-out ironic screenings nationwide and even a sequel that tried too hard to recapture the accidental magic.

4. Battlefield Earth

John Travolta’s passion project based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s novel became one of Hollywood’s most expensive disasters. Released in 2000, this sci-fi mess features Travolta as Terl, an alien with dreadlocks and a nose piece, who speaks in growls while teaching captive humans to fly thousand-year-old jets.

The bizarre filming style includes constant Dutch angles (tilted camera shots) that make viewers feel seasick. Critics demolished the film, calling it “the Showgirls of sci-fi” and “plan 9 from outer space for a new generation.”

Despite its $73 million budget and A-list star, Battlefield Earth won multiple Razzie Awards and became shorthand for spectacular Hollywood failure.

5. Cats

The 2019 film version of Cats, directed by Tom Hooper, shocked audiences with its bizarre visuals—turning actors like Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, and Taylor Swift into creepy half-human, half-cat characters using uncanny CGI.

The film was rushed to theaters with unfinished visual effects, leading to moments where actors’ human hands were clearly visible. Universal Pictures took the unprecedented step of sending theaters an updated version with “improved visual effects” days after release.

Despite costing $95 million and featuring Oscar winners, Cats bombed at the box office and became an internet meme factory rather than the prestige musical adaptation the studio had hoped for.

6. Jack and Jill

Adam Sandler plays both title roles in this 2011 comedy about an advertising executive and his annoying twin sister. Critics called it one of the worst films ever made, and it made history by sweeping all ten categories at the Golden Raspberry Awards.

The film relies on tired stereotypes and bathroom humor, with Sandler in unconvincing drag screaming most of his lines as Jill. Even Al Pacino couldn’t save this disaster, appearing as himself romantically pursuing Jill in scenes that feel like hostage videos.

Despite universal critical hatred, Jack and Jill made $150 million worldwide, proving that Sandler’s star power could overcome even the most painful premise.

7. Gigli

The infamous 2003 romantic comedy starring then-couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez became synonymous with Hollywood failure. Following a low-level mobster forced to kidnap a prosecutor’s brother, the film’s confused tone shifts between violent crime drama and awkward romance.

Director Martin Brest’s career never recovered from this bizarre mess featuring a mentally challenged character who loves to rap “Baby Got Back” and Lopez delivering the immortal line about the superiority of the female anatomy. Critics demolished the film, calling it painful to watch.

Originally planned as a dark comedy before being reshot as a romantic vehicle for “Bennifer,” Gigli earned just $7 million against its $54 million budget and won six Razzie Awards.

8. Birds of Prey

Following the backlash of Suicide Squad, 2020’s Birds of Prey offered a colorful, chaotic look at Harley Quinn post-breakup. The film divided audiences with its feminist tone and stylized violence as Harley joins forces with other women to fight a twisted crime boss.

Critics praised the film’s energy and action sequences while audiences delivered a mixed verdict. The movie’s awkward full title (“Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”) was even changed mid-release to “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey” to boost ticket sales.

Despite Robbie’s committed performance and some stylish direction from Cathy Yan, the film underperformed at the box office and received backlash from some comic fans.

9. Suicide Squad

David Ayer’s 2016 supervillain team-up film became notorious for its troubled production and jarring tonal shifts. Warner Bros. reportedly hired the company that cut the well-received trailers to re-edit the entire film, resulting in a disjointed narrative full of random music cues and introduced characters who immediately disappear.

Jared Leto’s controversial take on the Joker, complete with tattoos reading “Damaged” and “HAHAHA,” received minimal screen time despite dominating marketing. Will Smith and Margot Robbie tried their best with the material, but couldn’t save the choppy storytelling.

Though commercially successful with $746 million worldwide, the film’s poor reception led to a complete reboot by James Gunn just five years later.

10. Batman & Robin

With its flashy visuals, campy tone, and oddly sculpted Batsuits, Batman & Robin (1997) is often cited as a low point in the franchise. George Clooney, who starred as the gadget-loving Batman, still jokes about the Bat-Credit Card and mid-air surfing scene.

Arnold Schwarzenegger received $25 million to deliver 27 ice puns as Mr. Freeze, while Uma Thurman channeled a drag queen version of Poison Ivy. The film’s toyetic approach included gratuitous vehicle scenes designed specifically to sell merchandise.

The critical and fan backlash was so severe that it killed the Batman franchise for eight years until Christopher Nolan’s complete tonal reset with Batman Begins.

11. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

In his 2009 sequel, Michael Bay leaned further into the aspects that divided audiences. The story, involving ancient robots on Earth and Shia LaBeouf’s character uncovering Cybertronian markings, doesn’t quite add up.

Most controversial were the “Twins” – Autobot characters with gold teeth, inability to read, and stereotypical speech patterns that many viewers found racially offensive. The film was written during the 2007-2008 Writers Guild strike, which might explain dialogue like “I am directly below enemy scrotum.”

Despite being critically panned and winning multiple Razzie awards, the sequel grossed $836 million worldwide, proving that giant robots smashing each other remains commercially viable regardless of quality.

12. Sharknado

Syfy Channel’s 2013 disaster film about sharks in tornadoes became a social media phenomenon despite (or because of) its ridiculous premise and low-budget effects. The film follows a surfer-turned-bar owner fighting flying sharks with a chainsaw after a freak hurricane floods Los Angeles.

Originally planned as a straight-to-TV movie, Sharknado exploded on Twitter during its premiere, with celebrities and viewers alike mocking its absurd death scenes and improbable physics. The sharks look like PlayStation 2 graphics and characters make decisions no human would ever make.

Five increasingly outlandish sequels followed, featuring shark-filled tornadoes in space, time travel, and even a cameo from the then-future president Donald Trump.

13. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

This 2010 adaptation of Rick Riordan’s beloved young adult novel series changed so much from its source material that the author has publicly disowned it. Aging up the 12-year-old protagonist to 17 eliminated the coming-of-age journey central to the books and altered fundamental plot elements.

Key characters and storylines were completely removed or changed beyond recognition. The film tried to capitalize on Harry Potter’s success but missed the mythology and heart that made the books popular.

A commercial disappointment that alienated its built-in audience, the film received one poorly-received sequel before the franchise was abandoned. Disney+ is now creating a new series with Riordan’s direct involvement, hoping to properly adapt the material.

14. Jupiter Ascending

With a $176 million budget, the Wachowskis’ 2015 sci-fi adventure about Mila Kunis playing a janitor turned galactic princess was a major flop for Warner Bros. Eddie Redmayne’s unusual villain performance and Channing Tatum’s gravity-defying half-wolf character stood out, but not always in a good way.

The visually stunning film includes bees that recognize royalty, dinosaur-human hybrid soldiers, and bureaucratic aliens straight out of Brazil. Critics praised the imaginative visuals but found the story incomprehensible.

Though a commercial disaster, Jupiter Ascending has developed a small cult following who appreciate its unrestrained imagination and gonzo sensibilities in an era of safe, franchise-focused filmmaking.

15. Speed Racer

The Wachowskis transformed the classic anime into this candy-colored 2008 spectacle that looks like what would happen if someone vomited Skittles onto a movie screen. The film uses revolutionary digital backgrounds and transitions to create a world that exists somewhere between live-action and animation.

Critics were baffled by the assault of primary colors and the family-friendly storyline that sits awkwardly alongside complex discussions of corporate corruption. The racing sequences bend reality with cars that flip, spin, and jump like they’re from a cartoon.

A massive box office disappointment on release, Speed Racer has been reassessed by some critics as ahead of its time, influencing the visual language of films like Into the Spider-Verse years later.

16. Zoolander 2

Ben Stiller’s 2016 sequel arrived 15 years too late, trying to recapture the magic of the original fashion industry satire. The film brings back Derek Zoolander and Hansel (Owen Wilson) in a convoluted plot involving the assassination of pop stars, a mysterious organization, and Derek’s attempt to reconnect with his son.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s role as an androgynous model named All created controversy for its portrayal of non-binary people. The sequel relies heavily on celebrity cameos (Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande) rather than the sharp industry satire that made the original work.

Critics and audiences rejected the film, which earned just $56 million against its $55 million budget, proving that some comedy concepts have a limited shelf life.