Our Favorite Good Bad Movies Streaming Now
This week it's all about movies that are good at being so, so bad
We spent much of December ranking the best movies of the decade and the best movies of 2019. This week you’re in luck if you were getting tired of hearing about great cinema, because it only felt right that we evened things out with our favorite Good Bad movies. What do I mean by this? A Good Bad movie is one that is soooo bad that it comes all the way back around to being -- well, not good, but at least watchable in a trainwreck kind of way. Simply put, it’s such a bad movie that it’s good at being so bad. If that makes any sense.
There’s a certain utility to watching and discussing bad movies. One, it can just be a lot of fun. Two, it helps us highlight what went wrong and why good movies do those things so well. Enjoy the following Good Bad movies, in all their ridiculous glory.
Drew recommends…
Serenity (streaming on Amazon Prime)
There’s no reason Serenity should’ve been as bad as it is. This movie stars two Oscar winners and two more Oscar nominees, and it was written and directed by well-respected filmmaker Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Eastern Promises). However, when Serenity’s distributor started test screening the movie to audiences, they quickly realized they were holding hot garbage. They decided to cut the advertising spend to essentially nothing. In January 2019, Serenity unsurprisingly bombed at the box office.
And yet, against all good reason, I really enjoyed watching this truly awful movie -- and honestly? I’d watch it again.
The neo-noir plot sounds pretty normal at first. Matthew McConaughey plays a fishing boat captain in a quiet island village, but then his ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) comes back into his life. Their son and her have been tormented by her new abusive husband and she wants McConaughey to take him out on a fishing trip and throw him overboard. After this setup, the story goes haywire due to an insane twist right in the middle of the movie. (I won’t spoil it for those of you that might watch it, but it’s a delightfully left-field turn.)
The big names on the poster are what drew me to Serenity initially (as well as the rumors that it was uniquely bad). Based on its intriguing premise and throwback genre appeal, you can at least see why McConaughey and Hathaway signed on for the project, but their performances are wild. The twist has something to do with this, but they are acting like they are making a melodramatic TV movie. (I love McConaughey, but the guy hasn’t been in a hit movie since Interstellar. That was over five years ago now!)
Actually, the movie would’ve been better if the script and actors had leaned more into the ridiculousness of it all. Instead what we get is a confusing head-scratcher of a mystery-thriller that thinks it’s a genius noir mind-bender. The one thing I will say in its favor, though, is that Serenity is far from another boring and predictable movie. It may be absurd, but at least it keeps you on your toes.
If I have convinced you to check out this laughably bad movie -- and I hope I have -- you absolutely need to listen to the How Did This Get Made? podcast afterwards. It’s a hysterical episode that breaks down Serenity. It made me enjoy the terribleness of this movie even more.
Wild Wild West (streaming on Netflix)
I didn’t insert a trailer for Wild Wild West above this, because you’re probably at least a little familiar with the 1999 Western action-comedy, and because the video I put in its place is more important to this discussion.
Did you know that Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix? He did, and to make matters worse he starred in Wild Wild West instead. It’s a legendary bad decision that Smith fully owns up to in the video. While Keanu as Neo turned out well (and something tells me Smith is doing okay still being one of the most famous humans on the planet), Wild Wild West definitely did not.
This is a movie I’ve seen several times on cable and I can’t help but be delighted by how straight up goofy it is every time. In a role we’ve seen him play countless times, Smith is the cocky and charming special agent James West. His character teams up with Kevin Kline’s gadget inventor to stop the evil Dr. Loveless (Kenneth Branagh) from assassinating President Ulysses S. Grant (really) with his gigantic walking mechanical spider. I’m not making this up.
The actors who agreed to appear in this disaster is another case of pretty good talent that couldn’t overcome a ludicrous story (this is usually what happens when there are six credited writers on one movie). Smith, Kline, Branagh, and Salma Hayek are all solid actors that found themselves in a stupid sci-fi Western. It’s unclear if they thought they were making the next big hit or if they knew during filming that this wasn’t going to go well. With a $170 million budget (the most expensive movie ever made at the time), the special effects were preposterous and over-the-top at the time and even more so now. Wild Wild West ended up winning five Razzie Awards that year, including Worst Picture.
This is my ultimate trainwreck movie. It boggles my mind how much money they poured into the bad special effects and the starry cast, while giving little thought to telling a coherent or worthwhile story. The “funny” parts fall totally flat and the “exciting” parts aren’t all that exciting. As you would guess, the critic reviews are beyond savage -- “a fiasco of cosmic proportions” and “a comedy dead zone” are my favorite lines. Through all of this, I still get a kick out of Wild Wild West whenever I see it pop up on TV. I think this is mostly because Will Smith is watchable in anything. His immeasurable charm carries this trainwreck farther than anyone else could take it. Now that’s star power.
Billy recommends…
Bad Boys II (streaming on Netflix)
It might be the current political stance that I have, but Martin Lawrence is speaking my language in this one. Definitely the straight man in a non-subtle Michael Bay movie. He is constantly pointing out how crazy Will Smith sounds. Pointing out how inappropriate everything around him is. Will Smith being the most memorable character from this movie at the same time. Say it with me, “Mike Loooooowery.” Roles off the tongue with some type of sensuality.
Now let’s get to Michael Bay. Everything outside of the action is utterly laughable. By no means is this movie funny, but the insane humor serves the action well. All this is there to serve the action, which is incredibly entertaining. The movie opens up with the most asinine and arguably irresponsible scene involving the KKK, but am I right to say “who cares?” These Bad Boys movies have no responsibility towards the social consciousness of society. Saying that allows me to enjoy this movie while also understanding that this movie should not improve Bay’s legacy.
Bad Boys II lends itself to being rewatchable because of the lens that Michael Bay brings to the action. It all enhances the humor and action skills of both Smith and Martin Lawrence, leading to an incredibly entertaining movie. Turn Bad Boys II on if you are getting high/drunk with your friends or turn it on because you need to understand the continuity before Bad Boys for Life comes out. Which I will for sure be seeing in theaters.
Olympus Has Fallen (streaming on Netflix)
A recent review of Olympus Has Fallen has shaken me to my core. Not because it showed me how good this movie was in spite of everyone saying it is bad, but rather the social responsibility this movie has, and American cinema in general (find the review here by Sally Jane Black). Ricky Gervais’ most recent Golden Globes monologue would have found commonality with the review, I think. While my position is that this movie doesn’t warrant this type of analysis, there is a need for this in the film community. Here I go into a way too deep analysis as to why Olympus Has Fallen is so bad that it is good, and also why there is room for critique.
While writing there is innate change to create a different review. There is no denying that Olympus Has Fallen makes me giddy for what action movies can be. Not because of the propaganda-type nature that is presented, but the set pieces that can elevate a movie when in the hands of a solid director like Antoine Fuqua. Fuqua has proven his style fits into the more dramatic sensibilities like Training Day and the less dramatic like Olympus Has Fallen. The commonality with all of his movies is that they can be endlessly watchable because of how sensational they are. My question here is: Is there room for sensationalism even if it comes from a perspective that deserves critique?
My goal here is not to go into the years and years of foreign policy, whether positive or negative, that the United States has been apart of. What is more interesting is where it leaves American cinema. What is the role it needs to play? Movies like Full Metal Jacket (my favorite war movie)have a heavy critique of the Vietnam War. Whereas Saving Private Ryan (my second favorite war movie) is a celebration and critique of America’s involvement in WWII. Watch Olympus Has Fallen because Fuqua has proven to be one of the most underrated American directors. He creates tense situationsand moments that even the most subpar actors (Gerard Butler) can seek his teeth into. While lending a perspective to filmgoers that can enhance the way we/I watch movies. Hopefully this perspective isn’t as annoying is I think it is coming across.
Recent Release Mini-Reviews
The Two Popes (streaming on Netflix)
Drew: Before seeing The Two Popes I was concerned this would be an inconsequential buddy comedy where two men of the cloth watch soccer while sharing a pizza and a laugh. There is certainly that, but this film has a subtlety and depth that impressed me. It’s a thoughtful story of a pope and a soon-to-be pope engaging in lively conversation about tradition and reform, about failure and purpose, about listening for God’s voice.
(I think it helps if you go in knowing most of the movie is a fabrication. The conversations between the two men are entirely imagined, and the movie drifts too closely to Pope Francis propaganda. If you take this for what it is, it can be a moving experience.)
The best parts of The Two Popes are the simple scenes of Anthony Hopkins (Pope Benedict) and Jonathan Pryce (Pope Francis) in dialogue. The film mostly struggles when it strays from its central performances. Hopkins can chew scenery with the best of them but here he is tortured and withdrawn. Pryce, who gets slightly more screen time, gives an outstanding performance as the compassionate “man of the people.” It’s ultimately his grounding work that carries this film beyond mediocrity. - 3.5 / 5 Apples
Uncut Gems (in theaters now)
Billy: The Safdie Brothers are directors I have been more impressed by than enjoyed. Good Time in particular showed their prowess as tension masters despite not loving the full experience of the movie. Uncut Gems improves on their masterful tension-building by creating brief moments of levity and necessary quieter scenes. Allowing each scene to feel more dangerous than the next. Adam Sandler is able to ground any movie when given the opportunity to sink his teeth into a role. That skill is so welcome here. Weirdly enough, I think most people, especially fans of Sandler, will enjoy this movie. Despite the constant cursing this movie is not as gratuitous as previous Safdie brother efforts and for that I enjoyed this experience immensely. Movies like this make going to the theater a timeless experience. - 4 out of 5 apples
Pain and Glory (in theaters now)
Billy: Tender and sweet movies are often my favorite and Pain and Glory is just that. Pedro Almodóvar is a director that was more abrasive in his past, but is forced to create a sweeter story partially because it may be his own. While not an autobiography, there are hints to his own career and relationships.
Many movies that are semi-autobiographical can be self-indulging smut that isolates audiences into a fine, but forgettable experience. Pain and Glory blows right past that through a career-best performance by Antonio Banderas, one of the world's greatest living actors who is finally getting his due after years of great performances. Banderas plays a sad character, but I had a smile throughout almost the whole movie. Even through the sadder moments.
Bong Joon Ho at the Golden Globes so wonderfully said, "Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." Pain and Glory gives the opportunity to prove Bong's theory correct because it is a human story that anyone can relate to. - 4.5 out of 5 apples
Jojo Rabbit (in theaters now)
Billy: Director Taika Waititi lets his humor get in his own way at times, leading to the satire not being as seamless as I would hope. That being said, the timeless message of examining the source of hate to create empathy works so well. Taika does not allow the seriousness of this time to not be overshadowed by the humor. Jojo Rabbit works best when he allows Jojo and Elsa to drive the emotion. Jojo played by Roman Griffin Davis and Elsa played by the wonderful Thomasin Mackenzie (here I am plugging Leave No Trace again). Both kid actors steal the show and without them this movie does not work as well - 3.5 out of 5 apples
See more reviews on our Letterboxd page
Links to get you hyped
Here are 68 movies to look forward to in 2020, including A Quiet Place Part II, Mulan, and the next Bond movie -- and that’s just in the first few months of the year!
The internet’s fave Timothee Chalamet will be playing young Bob Dylan in a film directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line, Ford v. Ferrari). I’m in!
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