The bizarre mix of fantasy and broad comedy was critically reviled when it came out and if memory serves it's no particularly well-regarded by its own star -- but I like it, in spite of itself.
A lot about the movie doesn't work -- there are dull stretches with few laughs and the plot is ludicrous at best, culturally insensitive at worst. But it's still Eddie Murphy in his charming prime and he frequently makes something out of nothing.
I can't really defend it. I can't argue that it's this underrated gem that is ripe for rediscovery. It's clearly trash but I am such a huge fan of 80s-era Eddie (without excusing the misogyny and homophobia) that I am partial to it, even if it can't hold a candle to Beverly Hills Cop I & II, Trading Places, 48 Hrs. or Coming to America.
Watching it got me thinking about other movies I get a kick out fo that virtually no one else does. We all have movies like this I suspect. Films that just play differently for you than they did for the critics and most audiences. Of course, just like there is probably no such thing as a movie that everyone likes -- there is probably no film that everyone hates.
Here are 10 guilty pleasures that I really can't fully explain but I'll try...
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| This poster rules |
Convoy - It's widely considered to be one of director Sam Peckinpah's weaker efforts (although it was one of his bigger commercial successes). It's true that it plays more like self parody of his style but I am sucker for this era's sexy, virile version of Kris Kristofferson. The CB craze is one of the odder fads of the late '70s and this represents its zenith.
Firestarter - Drew Barrymore demonstrates her clear limits as a child actress and the movie plays like a Cliff Notes version of what I imagine the Stephen King book it's based on contains -- but I love the movie's aesthetic from its surreal atmosphere to its banging Tangerine Dream score. A lot of really wacky elements are there and its never boring.
Deal of the Century - This William Friedkin black comedy gets a bad wrap. It's a pretty solid takedown of the rise of militarism in the '80s. Chevy Chase gets a leading role that hints at what his career could have been had he not saddled himself with family comedies. I know he and Friedkin clashed (shocker) and the movie bombed, but while it's not laugh out loud funny, it is very effectively made.
Ocean's Twelve - While I'll concede that it's the weakest of the trilogy and a total victory lap -- I still find this first Ocean's sequel fun and diverting. I've never been bothered by the infamous Julia Roberts being mistaken for Julia Roberts scene and it's more visually audacious than the original even if its plotting is immensely less satisfying than the first and the third entry.
Superman III - For everything that is wrong with this movie -- there's a lot to enjoy. Christopher Reeve's performance is truly excellent --especially when his 'bad' Superman faces off against the good one. And although Richard Pryor is definitely slumming it here there's something kind of incredible about him hijacking a big budget superhero movie. It's a movie I loved as a child and so it'll always be a film I have a lot of affection for.
Family Business - Another movie that for some reason I saw a lot of as a kid. It's definitely not held in the same regard as most of Sidney Lumet's great gallery of crime films -- and the casting IS insane (Sean Connery as Dustin Hoffman's dad? They are seven years apart and of course, look nothing like each other). But I have always found this film absorbing if a bit on the nose. I like almost ANY heist movie and this one certainly has stakes.
The Score - Speaking of heist movies -- this film, which was a bigger hit than a lot of people remember -- has always been one I've enjoyed. I think the clash between the different generations of Method actors -- De Niro, Norton and Brando -- largely works, even if Brando is barely trying. I buy De Niro as a master thief and I appreciate this film's dedication to showing the process nuts and bolts of trying to pull off a job like this. I know it's considered a disappointment, but I've always thought it was just fine.
Predator 2 - Clearly the original is the better film, but there's a lot of cool world building in this one, some entertainingly gruesome action and two fun lead performances from Danny Glover and Gary Busey. It certainly slaps more than any of the reboots and sequels that followed it. Again, I acknowledge that it's trash but it's pulpy, exciting trash.
McQ - There's some about the incongruity of seeing a very aged in John Wayne in the unexpected milieu of the 1970s cop movie that I find irresistible. Clearly the Duke was feeling the heat from Clint Eastwood's ascent and so this is his spin on the Dirty Harry mythos. By the time he's machine gunning bad guys on the beach I'm fist pumping even if I can't justify why.
Only God Forgives - A lot of folks were understandably let down by thus moody, gory follow up to director Nicolas Winding Refn's breakout film Drive. It's true that Ryan Gosling has never been stripped more of his innate charm. It's a relentlessly grim movie that aggressively tries to alienate its audience, but I, for some reason, have always dug it.
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