Underrated and Under Watched

There are so many comedic movies out there that don’t get watched or talked about enough. Whether it’s because they came out at the wrong time or they were overshadowed by another film, many perfectly hilarious movies are underrated. Here is a list of 3 laugh-out-loud but underrated movies.

Galaxy Quest

 This film came out in 1999 and actually has a slew of big-name actors in its cast. It includes Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and even a small part by a very young Justin Long. The film tells the story of a group of actors who spent their careers in a Star Trek-esque show; really popular but kind of shitty. A sci-fi show everyone hates to love but has a huge cult following. At one of their conventions (autographs, costumes, and all) they are approached by people who they assume to be fans but are actual aliens. The aliens have watched the show and believe that the bad space actors are actual space warriors. Soon they are up to their necks in space ships, alien adversaries, and weapons called things like “the Omega 13.”

The movie is delightfully hilarious with its witty dialogue and great comedic timing. However it is a much underrated film for its time. It may be because a few years earlier hit sci-fi comedy Men In Black came out  and Galaxy Quest was covered; sort of like how Wizard of Oz was covered by Gone with the Wind when it first came out. It could also be because the film caters to those who watched the original Star Trek episodes. It makes fun of the show and its followers and only those who watched any cheesy sci-fi show would understand the hilarity behind many of the actors’ sarcastic jokes and corny lines. All in all, it is a wonderful film that deserves more credit for its comedy than it receives.

In & Out

This film also has a cast of some pretty big actors such as Kevin Kline, Joan Cusak, and Matt Dillon. The film begins with a quaint set up: young teacher named Howard Brackett who lives in a quiet little town and is engaged to his girlfriend of three years. All of his students love him, the whole town is coming to his wedding, and to top it off one of his former students, who went into acting, is nominated for an Academy Award! How exciting! But Howard’s life slowly begins to unravel when the former student receives his award and announces on national TV that his most influential teacher, Howard, is gay. The film does a wonderful job of shaking itself of its former picturesque tone and moving into a slap-stick comedy about masculinity and homosexuality.

The movie may be underrated because it comes off as a cutesy film about a young couple, but the film doesn’t get enough recognition for its comedy. Kevin Kline gives his best role, in my opinion, as a man coming to terms with his sexuality and the fact that his little town may not be as accepting as he thought. The film also does a great job of addressing society’s opinion of homosexuality. The town is ecstatic when the young actor is up for an Academy Award for a movie in which he plays a gay soldier, but when they find out that homosexuality is in their town people start getting antsy. It can be on the screen, but not in my backyard, so to speak. The film can also come off as a little corny sometimes, but that doesn’t get in the way of its ability to be a great, funny movie.

Home for the Holidays

This film has to be in my top favorite 20 but it doesn’t get enough recognition out in the movie fan world. It’s about a single mother, Claudia, who is sick with a cold, gets fired from her job, and finds out her daughter has decided to have sex. On top of that she is going to her obnoxious parents’ house for Thanksgiving. The movie is about all of the mishap and comedy that ensues at any neurotic family’s gathering. The cast includes Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Jr., and Claire Danes. The story takes too many twists and turn to sum up, but let’s just say there would be no Meet the Parents without this film.

The reason the movie is so good is because it does a great job of taking a boring concept, like going to your parents for Thanksgiving, and keeping the dialogue and plot original and fresh. The film also hosts one of the best performances by a young Robert Downey, Jr. who plays a ridiculous and foolish gay brother to Claudia. The dialogue that the two characters have between each other is very similar to the banter between a close brother and sister and keeps the movie sounding unique yet realistic. Director Jodi Foster does a wonderful job of keeping the story simple but overwhelming, kind of like a dysfunctional family.

The Formula to 35 Millimeter Hypnosis

As I stated in my first post about the film Pulp Fiction, there is a sort of recipe when it comes to making a great film. Quentin Tarantino knows it, as do other brilliant directors such as Woody Allen, Sam Mendes, and Martin Scorsese. The recipe can be different, depending on attempted audience or a director’s personal style. For example I may find the plot of a story to be important whereas director Baz Luhrmann would probably disagree, saying that a film should be more visually pleasing. There are three things I look for in a film that I consider to be necessary aspects. Without one of these things, you have a pretty decent film. But with all three, you have a film that will enchant audiences for generations.

 Unique and Surprising Plot

It seems like many directors these days have taken up a sort of formula with their films. Boy meets girl, brave man must prove himself, young girl can’t find love… There’s usually a character that everyone loves who dies or a great injustice is done too. Make them laugh, make them cry. Few times these days do directors or writers create a film that makes its audience think.

Some say that the purpose of film is to entertain. This is true, of course. But there is another end to the spectrum. The purpose of film should also be to create a mirror for reality or society to see itself in. It should make a statement; elicit an emotion in its audience, along with being entertaining. A great example of this is the film The Shawshank Redemption.

The plot moves along at a steady pace and never ceases to entertain. At the same time the story shows its audience a number of things, such as “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things,” or that a person can continue to surprise you, even if you know them as a best friend. The film also did a wonderful job of showing society an aspect of itself that is not often portrayed: prison. Prison in the 1950s, no less. Credit must be given to Stephen King, who wrote the novella the film was based on. However the decision to create such a film and give it a plot unlike any other film is perhaps the reason it has remained so famous and stands as best film according to the International Movie Database (an acclaimed film website) ¹_. It refuses to adhere to standard film formulas and dares to venture off on its own. Not to mention the twist ending, a technique which some films fail to use correctly, but this film has mastered.

Witty and Memorable Dialogue

Have you ever been discussing a movie with a group of friends and then someone mentions a great classic that everyone loves? Everyone starts telling their favorite parts and, more often than not, declaring their favorite lines. “We’re on a mission from God,” or “There’s no crying in baseball,” or “Are you going to bark all day, little dog, or are you going to bite?” The thing that makes most films so memorable is their dialogue. Quick paced, elongated and engaging, or even monotonous dialogue, of done correctly, can make a film what it is. The director that I believe has not only conquered but even become an influence to film dialogue is Quentin Tarantino.

In all of his films his dialogue takes place between a few of his characters (usually two), most of the time in a restaurant; a relaxed place where many real people would sit and talk. His dialogue centers usually around various topics of pop culture, whether its 1950 famous faces, Madonna’s song “Like a Virgin,” or the psychological aspects of Superman.

Quentin Tarantino probably spends as much time on writing the script as he does on filming the whole movie. His pace is quick, with characters sometimes talking over each other. His characters never cease to amaze us with their eloquence and knowledge of pop culture. As a society that gets its pulse from pop culture, audiences are not only entertained, but acclaim his films for their wit. They make people think. He doesn’t need flashy violent scenes to hold his audiences’ attention, though he usually uses them anyway. But that’s what makes his film so great; action in addition to intellectually stimulating dialogue. Neither carries the film, both work together to make them unforgettable.

Deliberate and Perfected Style

This last section is the most difficult section to explain. How do you bring style to a film? To tell you the truth, I have no idea how. But I have seen it done. The only way I can explain style is by giving you an example of a director who has grasped and perfected the art of style: Sam Mendes. His directorial debut was American Beauty, a film that swept through the Oscars with five Academy Awards, including Best Picture². The plot was provocative, the characters and dialogue were phenomenal, and it did a wonderful job of putting a mirror up to society’s face. But that’s not what made the film the blockbusting cinematic phenomenon it was.

There was something else about the film that made it stand out. It was simply juicy with symbolism. Roses and the color red were very important to the film. They at first symbolized sex and lust, and later seem to symbolize innocence and beauty. There are picturesque scenes that seem to hold themselves. They are picture-perfect, in a way; like you are looking through a photo album. You can almost tell as you watch the film, how much time was put into editing the pieces together. They fit perfectly and flow with a kind of strange grace. This is also a part of Mendes’ style.

Another film by Sam Mendes called Road to Perdition does this as well. In this film most of the dominant colors are dark, symbolizing the violent mafia-driven subculture that the story takes place in. However when the son and father –who are attempting to escape and forget all of the darkness of their past –arrive at their destination in Perdition, everything is white, serene, and almost flawless. And like American Beauty, many of the scenes are picturesque, like they are famous works of art come to life. Mendes even almost tells the audience this when his character who is a photographer shows up in these many scenes and snap a photo.

Both of these films use their scenes and colors to give the film an extra kick. Make the audience notice these things and they will remember it. Give them something visually stimulating that all seems to flow together, like a flip book, and they become enchanted in the screen.

Bring all of these aspects together and you have when I call the 35 millimeter hypnosis.

I invite other film fans to comment about what they look for in a film.

Bibliography, for your pleasure:

(1) http://www.imdb.com/chart/top

(2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169547/awards