9 Critically-Acclaimed Movies No Real Person Actually Likes

Picture the scene: a new movie arrives with a flurry of critical acclaim, sweeping awards, dominating festival circuits, and earning glowing write-ups from your favorite film critic. It’s hailed as a masterpiece, a cultural milestone, but when the dust settles and the buzz dies down, a quiet truth begins to emerge – you can’t think of a single person you know that actually liked it.

I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of it – paying the ticket price at the theater and sitting through an entire movie simply because you feel like you’re supposed to, not because you’re genuinely enjoying it, hoping that at some point it’s all going to fall into place and you’ll finally understand the hype – but it never does.

Here, we’re diving into those critically acclaimed films that live in a vacuum of high praise, with no real fans in sight.

9

‘Mother!’ (2017)

Director Darren Aronofsky has always been polarizing, but Mother! is the pinnacle of divisive. Using a “dream-logic narrative,” it follows Jennifer Lawrence as she stumbles her way through a series of surreal biblical allegories unfolding within the confines of a single, secluded house.

High Art or Pretentious Drivel?

Critics were impressed with its bold storytelling and fearless direction, which is all well and good if anyone actually had the slightest clue what was going on. Despite a shower of award nominations and critical acclaim, most of us were left bewildered as our senses were assaulted by the cryptic symbolism and escalating chaos, making it near impossible to decipher what on earth we’re supposed to be taking from the overwhelming experience.

8

‘Crash’ (2004)

Not to be confused with David Cronenberg’s boundary-pushing erotic thriller of the same name, Crash is a sprawling ensemble drama about racial tension in Los Angeles. Admittedly, the cast, which includes the likes of Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton, Michael Peña, and Ryan Phillippe, is fantastic, and the premise and interweaving non-linear narrative structure certainly had potential. Unfortunately, what we got was shallow commentary, questionable character arcs, and a disjointed narrative that relied on borderline offensive racial stereotypes.

Crash Won the Oscar for Best Picture

The world watched in a gasp as the cast and crew of Crash walked up to collect the coveted Best Picture Oscar at the 77th Academy Awards, beating far superior films including Capote, Munich, and the obvious choice – Brokeback Mountain. Despite being considered by many as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in Oscar history, legendary and highly respected movie critic Roger Ebert wrote multiple columns staunchly defending both the film and the Academy’s decision.

7

‘Sausage Party’ (2016)

When it was announced that Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, the duo behind The Watch, The Green Hornet, and The Interview, were working on an R-rated animated movie based on a story about anthropomorphic grocery items that they had thought up with Jonah Hill, I don’t think anyone was expecting high art. However, I don’t think anyone anticipated quite the depths of depravity it would sink to.

While Sausage Party initially amuses with its audacious vulgarity and over-the-top animated antics, the relentless barrage of cheap gags, crude puns, and double entendres quickly wears thin. Despite its attempts at satire, the film often feels like it’s being vulgar simply for the sake of it, losing any real wit along the way, and audiences weren’t impressed. Matters weren’t helped when multiple animators involved in the project spoke out about the poor working conditions and the unpaid overtime they were forced to work.

Can Hyper-Sexualized Hot Dogs and Juiced-Up Douches Make Important Social Commentary?

Despite all this, critics couldn’t get enough of the hyper-sexualized hot dogs, juiced-up douches, and racially stereotyped falafels and bagels. As a result, it currently holds an impressive 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, a full 32% higher than the “rotten” audience score. The main difference being that critics seemed more impressed by the film’s not-so-subtle attempt at a thought-provoking religious subtext, viewing its crude satire as bold social commentary rather than just juvenile humor.

6

‘Beau Is Afraid’ (2023)

Ari Aster is a fine director and had been building a reputation as one of cinema’s most exciting new talents thanks to his elevated horror movies Hereditary and Midsommar. With his next movie, however, he pivoted away from the horror genre and delivered a surrealist arthouse epic. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as a paranoid man who embarks on a surreal odyssey to get home to his mother, Beau Is Afraid is dark, daring, depraved, and utterly disorienting.

A Bold Change in Direction for Ari Aster or a Self-Indulgent Misstep?

Showered with award nominations and mentioned in multiple end-of-year “best of” movie lists, what critics labelled “ambitious” and even “remarkable” felt, for the everyday moviegoer, more like a tedious, meandering endurance test and an exercise in self-flagellation and self-indulgence. As a result, despite positive critical feedback, it bombed at the box office, making just $12 million against its $50 million gross costs.

5

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ (2017)

The Star Wars fandom has always been difficult to please, and since the universally praised original trilogy, audience opinions have always varied. However, no movie in the franchise has seen such a disparity in opinion between critics and audiences as 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The movie has a near-perfect score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it an “earnest adventure full of passionate heroes and villains” and one of the best entries in the franchise. Audience opinion, however, tells a very different story.

Malicious Review Bombing or Genuine Disappointment?

Its audience score sits at a “rotten” 41% on Rotten Tomatoes. While there have been claims of coordinated vote brigading from internet groups and bots which contributed to the low scores, many have been vocal about their displeasure with certain aspects of the movie, including its humor, plot, and character arcs. Fans of the franchise felt betrayed that it ignored fan theory, particularly in its revelation that Rey’s parents are insignificant despite many expecting her to be Luke’s daughter or to share a lineage with another character from the original trilogy.

4

‘Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles’ (1975)

According to a critics’ poll published by the British Film Institute’s magazine Sight and Sound in 2022, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is the greatest movie of all time. Elsewhere, critics have labelled it as a feminist masterpiece and an exemplar of the slow cinema genre.

Who Has 3 and a Half Hours to Spare to Watch a Woman Doing Housework?

Coming in at nearly 3.5 hours, most of it is spent watching a woman do repetitive domestic chores like peeling potatoes, washing dishes, and folding laundry – in real time. With very little dialogue, plot, or emotion on display, this movie certainly isn’t for everybody – or anybody really – except the critics who are willing to see past the surface tedium, accept that the movie isn’t about entertainment, and appreciate it for the political and artistic statement it is.

3

‘The Green Knight’ (2021)

Based on the 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Green Knight is an epic medieval fantasy adventure starring Dev Patel as Gawain, who sets out on a journey to test his courage and face the Green Knight. The film received acclaim from critics for its cinematography, music, acting (particularly Patel’s), production values, originality, direction, and writing.

Not What Audiences Expected

Conversely, audiences weren’t so impressed, giving the movie an average grade of “C+” when polled by CinemaScore – vastly different from RogerEbert.com’s 4 out of 4-star rating, which described it as “one of the most memorable films of the year,” and Empire’s perfect 5 out of 5 score. Matters weren’t helped by a deliberately misleading marketing campaign that positioned it as a dark fantasy action flick in the vein of Game of Thrones or The Witcher, as opposed to the slow-burning existential drama it is, leaving most who’ve seen the film feeling disappointed and underwhelmed.

2

‘Antz’ (1998)

Antz was released mere weeks before media behemoth Disney released Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, and because both films were computer-animated movies about bugs and shared a number of other similar themes, it was hard not to make comparisons. The movies scored well with critics, with both currently holding an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, but only A Bug’s Life went on to become a box office mega hit, whereas Antz barely made back its total costs. Audience feedback was also far more positive for A Bug’s Life, resulting in it scoring 21% higher than Antz on Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score.

Antz Was Crushed by the Competition

Critics were impressed with Antz’s mature themes, sharp satire, and witty dialogue. In contrast, general audiences—especially families—favored A Bug’s Life for its more accessible, lighthearted story, colorful animation, and broader family-friendly appeal.

1

‘Ad Astra’ (2019)

Starring Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland, Ad Astra follows an astronaut who ventures into space in search of his lost father, whose obsessive quest to discover intelligent alien life threatens the entire Solar System and all life on Earth.

The movie received widespread critical acclaim. RogerEbert.com gave the film four out of four stars, writing that “This is rare, nuanced storytelling, anchored by one of Brad Pitt’s career-best performances and remarkable technical elements on every level.”

Is This Really the Best We’ve Seen from Pitt?

Despite this high praise, it seems near-impossible to find any real person who shares this sentiment. The movie bombed at the box office, and audience scores have been middling at best, with the general consensus being that it’s, frankly, just plain dull.

This disconnect could largely be down to marketing. Trailers positioned the film as more of a sci-fi action thriller, which led to most of us expecting explosions and space chases, but instead we got a quiet monologue about abandonment issues.

Brad Pitt’s performance has also been the source of some contention; while critics praise it as a masterclass in subtlety and nuance, most people felt it was emotionless and flat – as if he was sleepwalking through the role. To top it off, the movie also upset a number of the more scientifically minded viewers who had a few quarrels regarding the validity of certain scientific aspects of the movie.