Our Favorite Movies with Terrible Cinemascores
When audiences just get it wrong
Two of the most anticipated movies of the year have been outright rejected by audiences in the last couple weeks. Joker: Folie a Deux and Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis have received a “D” and “D+” Cinemascore rating, respectively. If you’re not familiar with Cinemascore, they poll audience members at major movie releases on opening night and release an average grade. It’s not exactly a reliable quality metric, but it does give us an idea of how the average moviegoer is reacting to a new release.
For today’s newsletter, we’re recommending the best movies with a Cinemascore of D or worse to highlight a couple times we think audiences were way off. (If you’re interested, here’s a full list of those movies.) Thanks for reading and make sure you are checking in on the podcast!
Drew recommends…
In the Cut
Only 22 films have earned an “F” Cinemascore rating since the company began polling moviegoers in 1978. Of all the titles with that honor – such as the truly unwatchable The Wicker Man remake with Nicholas Cage (worst movie I’ve ever seen in a theater), the bleak neo-noir Killing Them Softly starring Brad Pitt, or Darren Aronofsky’s provocative, outrageous mother! – a little-seen 2003 Meg Ryan thriller is not one you would expect to see on a list of movies that were the most hated by audiences. In the Cut, co-written and directed by two-time Oscar winner Jane Campion (The Piano, The Power of the Dog), is many things, but it is certainly not worthy of an “F” grade. I think I have a few ideas why that happened.
On the surface, In the Cut has something of an identity crisis. The movie is about an English teacher in New York City (Ryan) that strikes up a relationship with a detective (Mark Ruffalo) investigating a series of murders, only she starts to suspect he may be the killer. Does it want to be a psychosexual thriller, a murder mystery, or a neo-noir romance? To further alienate viewers looking for a traditional story, the movie is very light on plot with muddled and occasionally preposterous storytelling. However, if you can roll with the “vibes over plot” construction, the movie takes on a mesmerizing quality, thanks to Campion’s dreamy atmosphere and elliptical style. There’s not one conventional shot in the entire thing.
It’s always fascinating when auteurs make a pure genre film, and even more so when they cast a star against type. Around the turn of the century, “America’s Sweetheart” Meg Ryan was pivoting her career to show off more range. In the Cut was originally supposed to star Nicole Kidman, but the actress had to drop out. Ryan signed on for the daring, atypical-for-her role, and she equipped herself decently enough, but it was undoubtedly difficult for audiences to buy Sally Albright and Kathleen Kelly in a sexy dark thriller. Admittedly, it is easy to wonder how this film would’ve been received had Kidman been the star. At times, it almost seems like Ryan is doing a Kidman impression.
Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Kevin Bacon are cast in supporting roles that fit their strengths better, but In the Cut is Campion’s film first and foremost. Despite the “F” from audiences, it has been reevaluated in recent years as a rare feminist erotic thriller. The aspects of the film that went against audience expectation back then has made it a fascinating and stylish genre exercise today.
Streaming on Paramount+
Billy recommends…
American Psycho
This is a re-post from October 2019
The more sadistic a psychological thriller, the more enjoyable they seem to be. American Psycho is sadistic in an incredibly fun way. Director Mary Harron rides the line of funny and terrifying throughout by letting her young but veteran actor, Christian Bale, command the screen. Close-up shots allow the descent into madness infect the audience with terror, while being funny at the same time.
Terror and humor are closely linked. Hard to source and a moment of terror can morph into humor quickly, and vice versa. Harron creates a character that is aware of his thoughts and he masters hiding the most evil of them. Bale plays Patrick Bateman and to everyone he is the classic white, powerful, arrogant, and successful businessman that masks it all. The audience is the only party that knows the madness that this character hides.
Bateman’s “crazy” stems from societal pressure. During the day resisting his psychotic urges, but at night, letting loose. This is an exaggerated look at the way many people live their lives. Sadly, I admit a similar struggle. I go to work and play the game. Win the game sometimes. Feel insecure about “losing” the game and go home to lash out. This “lash out” tends to let laziness take over, but that is kind of psychotic, isn’t it?
How is a movie about a person with murderous… tendencies(?) so relatable? The intention is not to get too deep about an outrageous psychological thriller. There's a message that goes past the entertainment. Watch this for the entertainment. There are amazing performances, masterful direction, and dark humor. Allow yourself to enjoy the entertainment while enduring the oddly relatable commentary.
Streaming on Netflix and Paramount+
From the DYLA Archive
DYLA Podcast
On the podcast this week, we tackled the polarizing natures of Joker: Folie a Deux and Megalopolis (no spoilers), including a larger conversation about creative freedom, if artists owe audiences anything, and our conflicting feelings on it all.
Apple Podcasts:
Spotify: