Day 16: Top 5 Underrated Movies

Today, I laughed at: the fiance referencing "The Big Lebowski" while rug shopping at Ikea today.
L. was looking at rugs with us when she decided to climb on one. The fiance looked at the rug and said, "That rug really ties the room together."

"The Big Lebowski" is probably the fiance's favorite movie and, I have to agree, while I didn't laugh out loud when I saw it, I do appreciate its humor and I will still say it's a funny movie.
Most movies I consider funny aren't actually "laugh out loud movies," now that I think about them. But few of them had me holding my stomach the first time I saw them.
And that brings me to the topic of the post I originally wrote yesterday but, ugh, got deleted. (I won't even link to yesterday's sad excuse for a post).


 With no delay and awkward opening paragraph, I will now list my personal top five underrated movies, order alphabetically. And, in no way am I an expert. These are just personal preferences.

Better Off Dead 
It's an '80s movie with John Cusack. If that weren't enough, it had me rolling with laughter the first time I watched it. I caught even more jokes in subsequent viewings. It's not intelligent humor all the time. It's just wacky characters and the viewing is most likely wondering "WTF" along with David Ogden Stiers' character.
Speaking of DOS, most people would associate him with "MASH" or even as Cogsworth from "Beauty and the Beast," but I associate him with this movie.
One of the great things about the '80s was Hollywood's ability to somehow find a way to make light of a teenager constantly trying to commit suicide repeatedly. I wouldn't think it was funny now, for sure. But when I originally saw it in the '90s, it didn't faze me at all that this wasn't a good topic for a movie.
Nonetheless, this movie cracked me up then and it continues to crack me up. And maybe because I know he's not actually going to succeed in committing suicide.
In the book, "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs," Chuck Klosterman blames '80s John Cusack for women's unrealistic expectations of men. Between this movie and "Say Anything," all men who are not John Cusack circa 1986 basically don't stand a chance.

Bridget Jones's Diary

Despite the British style of the S-apostrophe S, which bothers my copy editor self, I adore this movie. it used to be my go-to after every breakup. Even though I was in my early 20s when I fell in love with it, I felt I could relate to everything about Bridget. And, it was great to see a protagonist who was not perfect looking or always graceful. In fact, the plump Jones was pretty much what I assumed I would turn into. And that wouldn't be a bad thing at all.
I make it a point to watch this movie every New Year's Day. Usually, though, if I reread the book (I think I've read it four or five times now), I end up writing everything in the voice of Bridget Jones, which is not always goof when it comes to writing emails. But, it does get me around to writing, in general.


Clue

What a great movie. It's not, actually. But, at the same time, it is! I can't describe why it's so great. Maybe it's the predictable jokes and punchlines. Maybe it's the thrill of finding out what happens next. Either way, this oft overlooked movie is a classic, and full of amazing actors who make the movie far more interesting than the board game, itself.
Whenever someone starts quoting it, I instantly have more respect for that person.
"I ... hated her! There were flames. Flames! On the sides of my face ... heaving .. breathing ... !"
Classic.

Mean Girls

If you think it's not another high school comedy, you would be wrong. Tina Fey wrote a damn good movie for both teenagers and adults. The book, "Queen Bees and Wannabes," was actually on my go-to for a few weeks when I was breastfeeding L. (This was before I had an iPhone and I did a lot more reading while feeding her every three hours.)
The movie, although funny, really does shed good light on how the social hierarchy in high school really worked. Even the exaggeration presented in the movie accurately portrays exactly how teenagers think at the time. I can honestly say I don't know how my parents dealt with my mood swings and over-dramatization of everything. I wish I knew to get my hormones in check because they were probably most of the cause for any extreme emotion I was feeling.

Steel Magnolias

I got sick of this movie. In fact, I still am sick of this movie. I won't watch it, even if it's on TV. I know the plot all too well and (mini-spoiler alert) who dies. And I don't care anymore. My ex-husband loved this movie. I think he must have watched it once a month, if not more. He was the type to fall asleep to movies and I can't even count how many times I would try to block out Sally Field forcing Julia Roberts to get some orange juice down her throat.
So why is the movie on here? Two words: Shirley MacLaine.
Her portrayal of Ouiser was probably the only reason that DVD didn't "accidentally" end up in the garbage or scratched. And, honestly, the first few times I saw it, I did love the movie, mostly because of Ouiser's character. It's a good movie. Just don't oversee it. I'd like to compare it to Cadbury Creme Eggs in that if they were available all year, everyone would be sick of them. But they are really good. Just not all the time.
Also, I keep meaning to look for a reason to use one of my quotes, as said by Dolly Parton's character: "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." That's what the fiance gives me all the time when I'm upset.

Next: Day 17