Sure, sometimes you want to sit down and watch an award-winning film that will move you to tears. The acting, the writing, and the cinematography will all be perfect. The room will be absolutely silence, no one daring to speak over the masterpiece before them.
But sometimes, that's boring.
If you're looking for a good time with a group of friends, but don't want to spend a lot of money or can't go out for Covid or non-Covid related reasons, watching a terrible movie is a surprisingly fun activity. It's simple, too. You choose a movie you know will be bad, or easy to make fun of, and you spend the whole film pointing out terrible lines, inconsistencies, and poorly timed jokes. It's a fun thing to do if you want to watch a movie, but also actually speak to the people you're with.
So where to start? Don't worry, I have some suggestions.
Tall Girl
Tall Girl is a great movie to start with. The movie was already set up after the trailer came out, and the line "You think your life is hard? I'm a High School junior wearing size 13 Nikes" became a meme.
This movie is about Jodie Kreyman, a high school junior, who is pretty tall for her age. She struggles with her confidence due to her height, and throughout the movie juggles love interests, bullies, and fights with her best friend. The entire movie is laughable in the best way possible--everything is overexaggerated, the characters' quirks are ridiculous, and it's just too easy to make fun of. Watching this with a group of friends is the best way to watch it, you'll be laughing for an hour straight.
Sierra Burgess Is A Loser
Sierra Burgess is yet another protagonist who is struggling to fit in at school. The premise is that Sierra is not as conventionally attractive as the "mean girl" who her crush wants to date. She catfishes this poor guy into thinking she's the mean girl, and the mean girl helps her do it as long as Sierra tutors her. This goes as far as them tricking him into thinking he's kissing a different girl.
The movie is ridiculous not just because of it's premise, but because of the effort it makes to paint Sierra in a sympathetic light when she is, in reality, a terrible person. She catfishes a guy, kisses him without consent, pretends to be deaf, betrays her only two friends, and then convinces herself the reason people don't like her is because she's "ugly". It's so frustrating to watch, it's hilarious.
The Kissing Booth 1 and 2
These have to be some of my favorite movies to make fun of. They are self aware--they know they aren't winning any awards. These movies are made just for the enjoyment of others. And I do very much enjoy laughing at how bad it is. The acting is actually surprisingly good, they have a talented main cast. Everything else is hilariously overdramatic, nonsensical, and unrealistic. It's a Wattpad story at heart.
This movie is about Elle and her best friend Lee. They have been best friends since they were kids, and have a list of strict rules to follow. These rules are supposed to keep their friendship intact, but they end up putting it in jeopardy more often than not. The rule Elle breaks in this movie is the rule that prohibits her from dating Lee's brother, Noah. Of course, he's the bad boy with anger issues and is over protective of Elle. Of course, they fall in love and date in secret. And of course, Lee finds out. There's just something so entertaining about watching rich kids and their drama.
The Kissing Booth 2 recently premiered on Netflix--it is just as ridiculous as the first, if not more. Even more exciting, a third movie is on the way! It's the gift that keeps on giving.
The Perfect Date
The Perfect Date, ironically, might be the perfect date if you're looking to flaunt your excellent sense of humor. Whether you're on a date yourself, or with friends, this movie offers some great opportunities for laughs. It also stirs some feelings of nostalgia if you remember the Disney Channel show Austin and Ally. Laura Marano and Noah Centineo star side by side in this film.
Noah plays a high school student who creates an app that offers fake dates to people who need them. He becomes the perfect, customizable date. This becomes a problem, however, when he falls for one of his clients. It's one of those ridiculous premises that you just know will be hilarious to watch. Like many of the movies on this list, it is often overdramatic and unrealistic.
Swiped
Continuing with the trend of Noah Centineo movies, Swipes is another excellent movie to watch if you're looking for something to hate. This movie might have actually made me more angry than it made me laugh, but it is still fun to watch with friends and pick it apart. This is a very similar genre to the aforementioned movies. A teen with a problem tries to solve the problem, does a bad job of it, fights with their friends, and somehow saves themselves in the end. Throw in a poorly written love interest, and that's most of the movies here.
Swiped is about a college kid who isn't so interested in academics, so he has his "nerd" friend develop an app for him and his friends to hook up with girls and earn profit. The movie is supposed to be a satire about dating and the digital world, but it ends up adding to the problem more than it does solving it. It misses the mark completely, and is more angering than it is comedic.
After
If I told you that a Harry Styles fanfiction was turned into a real book, then a movie, what would you imagine? You're probably right. This coming of age romance movie follows the overwhelmingly relatable Tessa, who is starting her freshman year of college. Tessa falls into the "good girl" category perfectly. Shockingly, she ends up falling for the "bad boy" Hardin, also known as an alternate universe version of Harry Styles. The catch is, he only started dating her for a bet. But oh! He actually starts to care. A classic love story.
We know so little about the background characters, yet they are somehow more likable than the main characters. Tessa and especially Hardin are nearly intolerable. Their relationship is a train-wreck, and we can't look away. Which makes it the perfect kind of movie to hate-watch with your friends.
Work It
Finally, one of the more recent gems Netflix has put out, Work It. I knew as soon as I saw the trailer this movie would be one of those that doesn't take itself seriously, one I could laugh at. The acting and dancing is actually very good--Sabrina Carpenter and Jordan Fisher have great chemistry. However, the story and the characterizations are so poorly done it's comical. The main character, for example, is just objectively a bad person. The antagonist, on the other hand, is painted as a mean person but he never actually does anything wrong.
This movie is about Quinn Ackerman, a straight A student who's lifelong dream is to go to Duke University. During her interview with an admissions counselor, she lies about being on a dance team, despite not being able to dance. When she isn't admitted to the dance team (because she's terrible) Quinn puts together her own team, even dragging her best friend, who's dream it is to be a dancer, off of the good team to be in hers. They also get former dance legend, Jake Taylor, to coach them for free. And end up getting him fired. How he wasn't evicted? The movie never enlightens us on that matter.
Overall, the movie is cute but painfully easy to make fun of.
These movies are harmless, and I'm grateful for their existence. If every movie made was a masterpiece, what fun would that be? These films are intentionally cheesy, and that's what makes them so fun to laugh at. So next time you and your friends are out of ideas of what to do, or you're even just bored by yourself, turn on one of these movies and let yourself laugh a little.
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