You know you have them. Those movies that, for whatever reason, be it sentimental, or just that they strike you the right way, or whatever, you just love, even though you know they're not that great of movies. Or that they're honestly really terrible movies.
(And we're not talking about MST3K adaptations or "so bad they're good" type movies. Otherwise Manos: The Hands of Fate would top everyone's lists. No, these are movies that you love despite all their flaws. Think Sonnet 141 (and then keep it in mind for later).)
Well, I've got mine, too, and today, for your reading pleasure, I'm going to talk about three of them.
1) Mallrats
The infamous Kevin Smith Viewaskewniverse movie that was so bad that he actually apologized for it once (note that by limiting this to the Viewaskewniverse, I get to ignore Jersey Girl. I think that's really best for everyone). Honestly, though, I don't think it was really necessary (and neither did he, apparently, since he later recanted the apology).
(If you haven't heard the term 'Viewaskewniverse' before, it's the five movies with Jay and Silent Bob in them. Or is it six? I know there was a Clerks 2, but I haven't seen it, so I don't know if they're in it or not. Anyways, if you still don't know what I'm talking about, then you might as well skip on down to movie #2. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.)
As with most people who enjoy Kevin Smith's movies, I enjoy the snappy dialogue and nerdy yet eclectic content. Who can forget the Man of Steel coital debate in the food court? (Or the ensuing debate about what constitutes the food court?) There are some jokes with a decent amount of buildup throughout the movie, too, before the payoff (like the escalator).
Plus, I love me some Jason Lee. It's possible that I've watched movies just because Jason Lee was in them. (My Name is Earl, not so much.) What can I say? I love the dope. He's funny, yet Everyman.
So what's wrong with it? Well, the plot's not that great, even for Kevin Smith. The Jay and Silent Bob antics with the stage are just stupid; slapstick is not their thing. And the underage and "uncomfortable place" sex jokes, while hilarious when I was in high school, are a bit less so now.
And the cast (aside from Jason Lee, obviously, who can do no wrong)... meh. Jeremy London overacts everything, Claire Forlani is, well, Claire Forlani, and young Ben Affleck is, well, young Ben Affleck. (Did you remember that Ben Affleck is in this movie? Of course you did, since he's actually in every Viewaskewniverse movie from here on out. (Again, except for maybe Clerks 2, I don't know. Haven't seen it. I still don't know if it even counts, either. I'll let you look it up. Homework!)) Shannon Doherty isn't bad, and I love her voice, but still, meh.
But ultimately, this movie reminds me of high school. Which it should, since that's when it came out, and when I watched it. So that's not surprising. But it brings back good memories, and a strange desire to carry around small Dixie cups.
2) Boys and Girls
I'm going to be up front with you on this one. This is a crappy movie. When your friend that is notorious for liking bad movies thinks that this is a bad movie, you know you're in trouble.
The plot is choppy as all heck, what with all of the time jumps (though those do serve a purpose). Claire Forlani is absolutely a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (warning: that link goes to TVTropes. Enter at your own risk). Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Jason Biggs are who they always are. The movie fails the Bechdel test miserably.
The movie also borrows heavily from She's All That, what with Freddie Prinze, Jr., having characters walk into flashbacks (which is actually kind of a cool effect and transition, but having two movies use it basically back to back wasn't great), and a random choreographed mass dance scene for no real reason. As this is not a musical, this is not okay. It just feels like going through the motions.
Plus, the movie puts WSU in Seattle. I don't think anyone on either side of that is going to find that acceptable. Oregon folks might, but we all know what THEY'RE like. (Sorry to the (at least) two friends who went to U of O and might read this. You know I still love you guys.) It's a very small part of the movie, but still. It burns us. Gollum! Gollum!
So why do I like it so much? Sentimentality, primarily, I guess. This movie came out the summer before I started college, and as it's about the main character starting and going through college, it resonated with me quite a bit. It was also a couple solid parallels with things that happened to me later in college.
Additionally, there's a reason that the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (henceforth known as MPDG, because that's just tedious to spell out) is considered wish fulfillment. I do wish to stop here and clearly state, emphatically and for the record, so that there will be no confusion, outrage or serious discussions later, that Emily is not an MPDG, and that I do not wish her to be. The MPDG is not wish fulfillment now, but it was back then, I admit.
Plus, I apparently had a thing for Claire Forlani. As one does. (That is a thing one does, isn't it? Surely there's someone out there who'll back me up on this?) So there's that.
3) 10 Things I Hate About You
I debated whether or not to include this one here, because it's actually a pretty good movie. Actually, don't believe the IMDB rating; this movie is great. They're just missing what's there. It's only on here because I love this movie to death, which is probably a bit more than it deserves. (It's possible that I can practically recite this movie by heart, and that I've driven Emily crazy with the frequency with which I quote it in responses to things she says. I can't help it! They're just something I have, you know, lying around my brain.)
I mean, what's not to like about this movie? The dialogue is great, and even includes some Shakespeare. The cast is fantastic. The dad is so completely unbalanced in a hilariously, yet perfectly reasonable way. (For whatever value of "perfectly reasonable" you want to assign given "completely unbalanced". But come on, he's up to his elbows in placenta all day long, including teen pregnancies. That's got to do something to a single dad with two teen daughters and who is constantly being called back to work.)
The humor is a nice blend of slapstick and dialogue, by which I mean there's a dash of slapstick. (You will not be finding Jackass on any of my lists of movies that involve me liking them.) How can you not find Allison Janney's guidance counselor funny? (And this movie had Allison freakin' Janney in it! As a small supporting character!) And the soundtrack and score are both done very well.
Yes, this movie definitely fails the Bechdel test, too, but I think that's forgivable. This is high school, after all. Just about every real-life high school conversation fails the Bechdel test. (And the same for whatever the version of the Bechdel test would be for guys.) Add the fact that this is a rom-com, and there you have it.
Plus, it's set in Seattle! Was most of the filming done in Seattle? Well, okay, no, not actually, but Stadium High School is still a pretty awesome setting, and they do a good job of including at least a few significant Seattle locations.
A few of you have already heard this story, but seeing this movie is actually what convinced me to go to UW, be a Husky. (Grrrr-rrrr. Rrrrrrr!) (For the record, that's not something we actually do.) I'd been trying to decide between UW and ASU, and this movie reminded me just how pretty and green Seattle is, and how gorgeous it is when the weather's nice. ASU has nice Spanish architecture, but "pretty", "green" and "gorgeous" it is not. So that was the tipping point in my decision. (Good work, AJ.) Yes, a non-trivial amount of my college decision process was influenced by a movie. (Sorry, Mom and Dad!) (Actually, I think you guys liked that I was a 3 1/2 hour drive away instead of a several hour flight away, so no complaints.) Worked out, though!
You may have noticed that I haven't really said anything bad about this movie. That would be because there's really nothing bad to say about it. It's just that, were I to have to be completely, totally, gun-to-my-head honest, I would not rank this movie among the all-time cinematic masterpieces. (Although a lot of those are overrated, too!) It's no Bikini Kill or the Raincoats. But if you don't watch this movie, or if you choose to say anything bad about it, I do want you to understand the full weight of your decision.
So that's it. I could probably come up with more movies that I love more than they deserve, but three is a good number. Instead, anyone want to share some of their own picks? Leave a note in the comments, or on Facebook!
(Also, there are three quotes in here that don't belong to the movies named. (The LotR one doesn't count.) The first should be glaringly obvious, but bonus points to whoever can identify the second (it's actually from TV), and double extra bonus points to anyone who finds the third, since you either have to follow the inner workings of my twisted brain through a couple free-associative leaps, or just know that particular movie fairly well. We'll keep score just like Whose Line Is It, Anyway?)
(And I regret nothing about all of the 10 Things quotes. That movie is brilliant.)
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