When people often discuss films online they either discuss the great masterpieces of cinema or the greatest disasters ever put to film. This is typically because both extremes give you something to discuss or examine as to what made them good or bad. People never talk about the films that are "passable", "decent", "alright", "mediocre", or "so-so" in terms of quality. This is because they aren't really interesting or unique enough to be good and are also not incompetently made or offensive enough to be bad. They are films that most feel will come and go without leaving much of an impact, but I say that these "alright" films can still serve a purpose in the world.
While this may come across as a backhanded compliment, these films are typically bland and inoffensive enough to watch as a sort of antidepressant. The term "turn off your brain" is often used as an insult when describing bad films, but if I'm being perfectly honest I need a "turn off your brain" movie every once in a while. They're the films you can sit down and relax while watching. Films where you don't have to pay attention to the plot or feel stressed while watch it. It's perfect for glazed eyes on a lazy Saturday when you just need to unwind.
These films are also perfect examples of what I like to call, "background noise". When I'm doing something around the house, such as typing this article, I typically have a movie or show playing on a television nearby just to add noise to an overly quite house. It makes the house seem a bit livelier. These are the films that you can pass in and out of attention with while you do other things around the house.
While many others tend to ignore examining these films because they aren't interesting enough, I like doing it so I can see what about these films worked enough to keep them from being complete disasters and what holds them back from being genuinely good. For example, "Down Periscope" is a screwball Navy comedy film from 1996 staring Kelsey Grammer, Rob Schneider, Rip Torn, and many more. The film has an energetic cast, some alright jokes, and decent sets and effects work. However, the plot is every screwball comedy cliche ever written (lovable rouges get into wacky shenanigans to stick it to an uptight authority figure), the jokes never really got more than chuckles out of me, and the film could stand to flesh out a couple more characters.
These are just a few examples of "disposable" films still finding meaning in our day to day lives. They often go unnoticed and unappreciated, but they can serve a purpose none the less. I wrote this to show a small bit of respect toward the films that weren't good or bad enough to be memorable and will most likely disappear into obscurity. In a way, I wanted to show the world that they can still matter to us in many ways.
