calhoun07

We all have those guilty pleasure titles we are embarrassed to admit we own. I’ve seen a few threads in the past on that topic, but I am wondering what movie you would be embarrassed to admit you own that you would actually RECOMMEND to other people?

My pick is Josie and the Pussycats. Not cinema gold, certainly. I didn’t brag to my friends when I bought it…I bought it online and quietly added it to my collection. But the movie is actually quite funny and underrated. I enjoyed it for the satirical look at the recording industry and it’s a light, fun comedy to boot. But it was the satirical jabs it took to the recording industry that really made the movie better to me than what it probably would have been otherwise. It seemed to take it a bit above the level of other bad cartoon to live action movies from the same time. I think I would actually recommend this movie to other people if they were looking for a descent comedy that flew under their radar!

So what's yours?

Jay G.

Something like the recent movie Outlander might fit into this category, except I actually did recommend it to people.

Regarding Josie and the Pussycats, I watched it due to a recommendation I heard from TV writer Dan Vebber, who compared it to the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in that the title scares off almost the exact audience that would enjoy it.

There's a few films I've enjoyed watching where I'd have to give an incredibly qualified recommendation for if I ever did. For example, the Korean film Resurrection of the Little Match Girl is a glorious mess of a movie, and interesting for what it tries to attempt, even though it largely fails.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lUVAo60KrM8&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lUVAo60KrM8&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUVAo60KrM8

Spottedfeather

The Care Bears Movie. A classic 80s kids movie. Certainly one of my favorites.

pseudo

Going with Calhoun's embarrassing movies pick, I'll go with Sugar and Spice (2001).

Undeadcow

Not a bad movie but my nostalgic enthusiasm for it is probably over the top...




"Ignore the bird, follow the river"... Willow.

By the way, the Nintendo game adaptation wasn't bad either.

Travis McClain

Ah, the Guilty Pleasure. Now, I'm of the mind that I enjoy what I enjoy and don't really care who likes it and who doesn't. That said, every now and again I find something far outside my normal taste or comfort zone that resonates enough with me on one level or another enough that I enjoy it without being able to necessarily say why it's an exception. Generally, I enjoy at least something about every movie I see; it's in my nature. I don't understand how people can dismiss an entire film as "crap." It's just impossible in my mind not to find something to appreciate or enjoy.

The one area where I am, however, prone to feeling some shame for liking something that fails to meet my normal standards is comedy. I don't generally go for low-brow humor. I've got Crohn's disease so I've learned a sense of humor about gastrointestinal issues, but I'm generally unimpressed with the juvenile nature of such humor in films. And I don't care for shock humor; I appreciated the satire of Borat, but I didn't really find it very funny.

All that said, here are a few examples of things I wish I hadn't enjoyed as much as I did. There's absolutely no reason I should have enjoyed the 1996 remake of The Nutty Professor; its humor is really not my style at all. But I couldn't stop laughing. Of course, that movie made a ton of money and was pretty popular, so it's a pretty "safe" choice; most people wouldn't even consider it a Guilty Pleasure.

I love Grandma's Boy, though it seems to be achieving some cult status these days. In fact, I even wrote a blog for Flickchart's User Showcase about guilty pleasures and it was one of my examples. Another one that I wish I could say I disliked is Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. I don't even like auto racing. I generally like Will Ferrell, but I'm hardly a committed fan of his. It's inane from start to finish, and yet I can't help it. He walks out to discover a cougar in his car, and I bust up every time! The absurdity of his phone conversation with Cal, trying to reassure him the house isn't haunted cracks me up. And as much as I cringe at the behavior of the kids in the movie, "I'm gonna come at you like a spider-monkey" is just one of those lines that I can't help but admire.

Pizza

First, I'm never embarrassed to recommend a title. I suppose, it depends on the other person. For example, some people hate horror so they would probably be mortified if I recommended a film like Audition. I guess i can toss in my guilty pleasure, Xanadu, since it is notorious for being a stinker and stars my favorite bubblegum queen, Olivia Newton John. I always enjoy watching it and I like it more than Grease, the all-time movie musical. I even think the music in Xanadu is better, though I admit, the plot is not.

smurr05

The Dentist - It was reccomended to me BUT

GoldenWheels

I loved both...and still watch Willow probably once a year. Though like you, my nostalgia probably has a lot to do with that.

DVD I am embarrassed to recommend....Ali G in Da House. I can't stand Bruno or Borat. I dont' really like Sascha Cohen. And Ali G is probably the stupidest thing put to celluloid in years, hell it's not even original.

But damned if I haven't FORCIBLY lent this movie to people in an effort to convince them of it's hilariousness.

rfduncan

Mine would be The Incredible Shrinking Woman... oh wait, it's not ON DVD.

toddly6666

I never saw this new Bollywood film version of Robin Williams' JACK. It looks embarrassing and I don't recommend it to anyone.

gryffinmaster

My conversations whenever I try and convince less-active or conservative movie enthusiasts to see Mulholland Drive are, normally, a bit embarrassing. I ramble on about how it's a mesmerizing puzzle film created by a brilliant dark director ... that just so happens to have a few titillating lesbian scenes near the end.

But, staying more on-topic, I'd say the remake of Bedazzled.

Trevor

Title/OP is somewhat confusing, but I guess Chasing Amy fits for me.

It's one of my all-time favorite films. While crude and a bit off-the-norm, I find the relationship talk and conflict to be extremely well done and quite moving. I love the performances, and as a life-long comic book geek all that context is a huge bonus.

But many of my friends and family are VERY conservative and religious, so the subject matter and most of the film offends them. They find it quite strange that I can list it with my favorites right next to stuff like Ordet and Ben Hur.

Kedrix

I'd say Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Awesome movie, and if I hadn't gotten stuck with reviewing it a long time ago...I never would have known. But honestly, I never really get too embarrassed to recommend anything, except maybe to my parents. Even then, I usually don't hesitate.

jgido759

JOE29

The first season of .... Maude.

camwar

I could care less what other people think of any movie I enjoy, but I can think of some that others would consider embarrasing. Aquanoids, Beast of Bray Road, all 3 of the Carnosaur movies. None of those movies are even close to being good, but I enjoy them for being terrible. I would recommend them to all that enjoy bad movies!

mike07

I'm not embarrassed about liking these, but I'm sure there are some that don't enjoy them:
Good Burger (Kenan & Kel)
Grandma's Boy
The Paper (M. Keaton)
The Dream Team (M. Keaton)

adrenaline78

I recommended Grandma's Boy the other day to someone!


As for the topic at hand, if I like a movie, I will tell people I like it.. and then it's their call to weather they watch it or not. I don't get embarrassed over liking movies.

Travis McClain

I love The Dream Team!

Nesbit

Yeah the Dream Team is a really good film. Mine would be the Lindsay Lohan classic Mean Girls. I enjoy offering to lend it to people. Usually they laugh and think it's a joke but any one of them who has taken me up on the offer has come back with a positive review.

JohnnyDaBull

IDK why so many people make fun of this movie. It's not a masterpiece by any means, but it kicks ass.

calhoun07

It's available...

http://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Shr.../dp/B0033PSH72

Yeah, it's burn on demand but that's probably the only way you're going to see this on DVD. The transfer is fantastic and it's anamorphic widescreen. No bonus features, of course.

Chicken Warrior

A. Anything from Asylum or an even lower-budget horror house.
B. Any direct-to-video animated movie (usually a sequel, usually for kids, usually awful...but still somehow enjoyable).

JoeyOhhhh

Worth recommending for Keaton's outburst on the phone alone.