FSU Student Life Cinema

Five Underrated Films of 2009 (A Personal Opinion)

As an avid moviewatcher, I’ve seen my share of great films, good films, and clunkers, but there’s always those rare gems that seemed to be either completely overlooked by the general public or receiving a more mixed or negative response than what I feel the film deserves. So, for me, I am going to list, in no particular order, five of the most underrated films of 2009, in my personal opinion. This is no way reflects the thoughts of others, nor does it reflect a final list of films by any means. This is just up through November 2009 and what films I feel are completely underrated.

My Life in Ruins

-Despite atrocious reviews for this film, I am a big fan of Nia Vardalos and her first outing, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Now, seeing that My Big Fat Greek Wedding is currently my favorite film of all-time, and that is probably helped by the fact that I’m actually Greek myself, I was expecting a lot out of My Life in Ruins, and I was not disappointed in the least. Though the film can be sappy at times, Vardalos’ comedic timing is spot on, and among the stereotypical characters (and their views and traits) and breathtaking shots of Greece lies witty humor and quirky dialogue that makes for a fun, creative, original time at the movies. Sure, it has its cliche moments, but all in all, the film is mindless fun (with a much deeper meaning if one really looks into it) and, in my personal opinion, another hit for Vardalos.

Where the Wild Things Are

-When I first saw this film, I was expecting it to follow the original nine lines of the story; granted, it didn’t, but that’s beside the point. The film takes a good few minutes getting used to, but after a few moments, I was intrigued and fascinated. Despite my concerns with some of the sub-plots and farfetched elements, the film produces a sort of magic and makes me remember my childhood. I do agree that this film is not for younger kids, but I do think children around the ages of seven or eight will be fine. That’s also where I think the problem lies in this film; it seemed to be marketed toward a much younger audience than what the film actually portrays, and the fact that the marketing was misleading turned a few people away and caused more people to dislike the film because they were expecting something different. What the film portrays is a much more serious and focused film that, despite a few moments that could be edited, produces moments of awe.

Adventureland

-I am a big fan of theme parks; I love movies that are set in theme parks as well as films that mention the words theme park. Maybe I’m biased, but the fact that this film is called Adventureland and takes place at an amusement park made we want to see the film even more, and when I did, I was nowhere near disappointed. It’s a fantastic film with some great acting, some witty dialogue, some serious, emotionally expressive dialogue, and chalk full of fun. Most people who have seen this film that I know have enjoyed it, but that’s quite a minority of my friends, which is why I’m including it in this list.

Saw VI

-Call me crazy, but I am a huge fan of the Saw series, and while I do think that making a seventh, eighth, or ninth film is a bit excessive, I still continue to go to these films because I find them to be well-made, very suspenseful, and emotionally disturbing. And while everyone may think I’m crazy for saying this film is underrated, it truly is. A lot of people immediately write this film off as “another Saw film,” and while it is, I really enjoy the series, as I mentioned before, so I have no reason to find that statement upsetting in the least. For me, Saw VI positively surprised me because I had no idea the film would be better than the both the fourth and fifth films, which were both, admittedly, missing a certain level, or essence, of the series as a whole, and I feel that the sixth installment reinstates that essence and makes me want to know what happens next.

Whatever Works

-Despite terrible reviews from critics, it seems to be a big audience pleaser, from the general consensus that I gather. Regardless, it’s another Woody Allen film, and I love Woody Allen humor, so it seems pretty obvious that I would like this movie, and I did. I could not stop laughing throughout the entire film. However, compared to the other films in this list, I can see why others did not care for it, and that’s mostly because Allen’s oft-putting, sometimes overtly offensive humor is not for everyone, so I guess I can see why the reviews were so terrible; however, the film is hilarious, and I know that not too many people saw this when it came out, which is a shame, because Larry David is fantastic in this film, and so is the supporting cast; they all have fantastic comedic timing, and they are all hilarious in their own way. Despite the sometimes incoherent, incosistent storyline, the film succeeds through dialogue, acting, and directing.

So, in short, the five films I’ve listed above, from personal observances and conversations, seem to be pretty overlooked and/or underrated, and in my personal opinion, all five of these films are great in their own way, whether through humor, story, acting, or, in most cases, all of the above. Therefore, I include them in my list of five underrated films of 2009. Even though I only listed five, there are many more that I could mention, but I’ll leave it at this…for now.

Sincerely,

Spencer