Top 14 Most Underrated Movies of All Time (#7 will take your breath away)

14. What a Way to Go

13. Remember the Titans

12. The Count of Monte Cristo

11. That Thing You Do

10. Tremors

9. Born Yesterday

8. Eight Men Out

7. Memphis Belle

6. Murder by Death

5. Return to Me

4. So I Married an Axe Murderer

3. Master & Commander

2. Apollo 13

1. The Great Muppet Caper

OK? You didn’t have to scroll. So why not have the decency to read the post and then maybe comment on my many insights and irrefutable logic.

Babette and I recently caught up with “Yesterday” (So now we’re only a day behind), the movie about a guy who can remember the entire Beatles catalogue but can’t foresee that self-important movie critics will take it as an opportunity to rail about the spirit of music and its importance to the survival of the species.

We found it to be a very enjoyable little movie. By “little movie”, I don’t mean to trivialize this little movie. Instead, I’m giving it exactly what it deserves. A delightful “well done” after two hours of escapism while light bounced off a screen into my eyes. It should not be described as “Important”, or a “Tour de Force” or, “Foreign Language”. It was fun and we enjoyed it and it will probably never be on any list as it did not attain the rank of cinema due to its lack of je ne sais quoi.

In any case, it got me to thinking. How many movies are never considered for acclaim and are all but flawless in their production. The answer is fourteen. 14 of the most underrated movies that everyone should enjoy and will…unless you’re one of those noir geeks. Shadows! Shadows are the thing.

Of course, there is a disclaimer for the methodology. These are movies that fall into, at least, one of five categories: Loved but not loved enough; Loved but forgotten; Pre-1990 and therefore dismissed as an oldie; Not so old that they’re in black & white thereby grandfathering in their greatness in the minds of cinephiles; Not rated R.

14. What a Way to Go (1964)

Listen to people talk about Shirley MacLaine movies and you’ll always here titles like, Terms of Endearment, Irma La Douce, The Apartment, Steel Magnolias, or Sweet Charity. They’re fine if you like good movies. But have you seen What a Way to Go? If you’re younger than 65 you might not have.

It’s a dark comedy/pseudo-musical/concept piece with a cast of big-name actors opposite MacLaine: Dean Martin, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, and Gene Kelly. With this movie you get quirky, satirical, and sweet all rolled into one. If you’re a woman and you don’t think it’s funny, you’ll still watch for Paul Newman. If you’re a man and you don’t like it, it’s probably because your lady won’t stop staring at Newman.

13. Remember the Titans (2000)

Remember Remember the Titans? Sure you do. It’s got a touching story that speaks to unity even among racial differences. It balances story with action scenes. It scratches that nostalgia itch. And it highlights Denzel’s walk. You know that walk.

12. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

The unabridged version of Alexandre Dumas’ book has 117 chapters and is 728 pages long. The 2002 motion picture is 2 hours and 11 minutes. This fact alone makes the movie a masterpiece.

Since the days of silent film, they’ve made a Count of Monte Cristo movie about every 3-5 years. There’s about 50 movie and TV versions. And this one is by far the best. Revenge, jail breaks, sword play, high-waisted dresses, Henry Cavil in puberty, and Guy Pearce without the tattoos. Watch it and tell your friends. This movie deserves more respect.

11. That Thing You Do (1996)

There is no happier movie than That Thing You Do. There’s no real bad guy. The stakes aren’t really that high for the protagonists (Marvel now owns the word ‘hero’). And it’s not even a story most can relate to. Yet it’s altogether compelling.

Tom Hanks was able to pull a happy ending out of an inevitably sad one. It’s a movie for all ages and yet there are no talking animal sidekicks and no parents had to die. And, what might be its greatest strength, it’s filled with catchy, snappy tunes. “None of that lovers lament crap”.

10. Tremors (1990)

Did you know that they’re working on a seventh Tremors movie? Did you know there was more than one? Did you know That Michael Gross used his own truck in the movie? Where do you see yourself in five years? What’s the fastest land animal?

Tremors didn’t become a hit until it came to home video. But I saw it about five times in the theater because you can’t find a more fun monster movie. And Kevin Bacon didn’t dance reflectively even once.

9. Born Yesterday (1950)

You have never heard of this movie or its star, Judy Holliday. If you think you have, you’re thinking of the 1993 remake with Melanie Griffith and Sonny Crocket. I wouldn’t recommend the ’93 version. Abu Ghraib was a resort spa until they screened that pile.

The 1950 version won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy) and Holliday won both the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress. Not that awards prove anything. (Sandra Oh got a Cable Ace Award and everyone knows it should have gone to Amanda Bynes)

We all know that the ‘50s were a horrible time (See Rock-n-Roll, Lucile Ball, discovery of the double helix, Brown v. Board of Education, Disneyland, West Side Story, NASA, The Guggenheim), but this movie stands the test of time with smart humor (Not Love Actually smart, but as smart as you can get without accents), and a strong female lead (Not Beyoncé strong, but keep in mind that they didn’t allow women in dojos in those days).

8. Eight Men Out (1988)

The problem with Eight Men Out and Tremors sharing a list like this one is that they’re essential the same movie.

Baseball makes for the best sports movies because so much of the game is about story. Just listen to a ballgame on the radio and, to supplement batting averages and injury talk, you’ll hear how the 1st baseman’s mother was recently released from prison and how the DH has had a life long struggle with bed wetting. The beauty of this story is that it’s very accurate to what actually happened in 1919. Back when Shirley MacLaine was “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. And who doesn’t want to watch a movie starring a guy named Studs?

7. Memphis Belle (1990)

Another movie based on real life is Memphis Belle. I’ve never done any research to see how accurate it is but I’m pretty sure the scene where Yoda lifts the plane out of a swamp can be attributed to poetic license.

On the other hand, if you’re an airplane junky; or a WWII enthusiast (Not unlike Heinrich Himmler), or a leg man, you’re sure to appreciate this movie. It’s filled with guys who dated Rachel Green and Harry Connick Jr. even sings.

6. Murder by Death (1976)

Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Maggie Smith, Peter Sellers, David Niven, James Coco, Eileen Brennan, James Cromwell, Nancy Walker (Rhoda’s mom), Truman Capote and written by Neil Simon. Why are you not watching this right now?

5. Return to Me (2000)

This really is a flawless movie. An interesting premise; Great casting; Brilliantly written; and some great performances by Carol O’Conner and Jim Belushi. That’s right. Jim Belushi steals every scene he’s in. And let’s not forget that it co-stars and was written and directed by the charming and adorable, Bonnie Hunt.

4. So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)

This is easily the funniest movie ever made and yet it is NEVER included on lists of great comedies. Unless it is. In which case we’re using the term “never” symbolically.

3. Master & Commander (2003)

A movie everyone has heard of but nobody has seen. One friend told me that he wasn’t interested because he didn’t care for Russell Crowe. But The Dirty Dozen was a box office smash and not even his mother cared for Telly Savalas. Besides, it’s much more of an ensemble than a vehicle for Crowe’s potent Australian virility. (Hey, a man can acknowledge another man’s rugged masculinity without his own manhood being questioned. But in this case, I’m very confused)

This movie is very reminiscent of old Hollywood high sea adventures before CGI did all the work instead of Italians. Much of the picture was shot at sea and the rest was, I’m pretty sure, shot somewhere else. There are multiple sub-plots and the setting and dialogue has been shown to be highly accurate for the time. If you’re a fan of Apollo 13 then you’d have to love Master & Commander. If your not a fan of Apollo 13, keep reading.

2. Apollo 13 (1995)

I know what you’re saying. “Apollo 13 is already universally accepted as a great movie. How could you put it at number two?” To which I say, “Shut u… (Then I clear my throat because I just had dairy) …shut up and watch this movie more”. This movie will always be underrated because we shouldn’t be able to get enough of it.

What makes this movie so amazing is that it is practically a documentary. When their spaceship blew up in outer space (Let me just repeat that to emphasize its truth. THEIR SPACESHIP BLEW UP IN OUTER SPACE), these guys actually survived. This is not Sci-Fi. It actually happened.

The dialogue is essentially a collection of proverbs: “Let’s not make things worse by guessing”; “There’s a thousand things that have to happen in order. We are on number eight. You’re talking about number 692”; “…we’re not gonna go bouncing off the walls for the next 10 minutes because we’re just gonna end up right back here with the same problems”.

And on top of all that, it’s a pretty great movie visually. From ground-breaking CGI to shooting weightless scenes in actual weightlessness. Sure, everybody loves Captain Kirk (Except for you Picard contrarians) but I’d rather have dinner with Gene Kranz.

1. The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

The inspiration for this list came from The Great Muppet Caper. This movie is rarely included in any Muppet discussion (Let alone a comedy list) but it is unequivocally the best thing Jim Henson ever did. With the exception of his raspberry cheesecake, of course.

This is NOT just a kid’s movie. In fact, most of the humor in The Great Muppet Caper will go over young people’s heads. It’s got every type of humor you could want: Slapstick; visuals, satire, plays on stereotypes, absurdity, and spoofs of classic Hollywood musicals with lavish dance numbers a la Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to Esther Williams synchronized swimming scenes.

In addition to Charles Grodin’s hilarious co-starring role there’s cameos, most notably, by John Cleese and Peter Falk which are some of the funniest bits they’ve ever done. And while Rainbow Connection was a sweet lullaby from the original Muppet Movie, this soundtrack Is filled with catchy and clever songs.

If you don’t laugh out loud at this movie, you may be dead. Ask your doctor if The Great Muppet Caper is right for you.

So, there you have it. If you think there are other movies that should have been on the list, keep it to yourself. Not only has this been the definitive lineup, but I lost interest around number four.