For many, Rotten Tomatoes is the go-to place for deciding which movie to spend their hard-earned money on. It’s gotten to the point where studios proudly slap Tomatometer scores into trailers and promo spots as if it’s the definitive seal of quality.
Last year, I reported on how studios are now using Rotten Tomatoes to decide whether or not to hire a filmmaker for a project. Yes, that’s where we are now — a career might hinge on a critic aggregate. RT is inescapable. But let’s be honest: it’s not always right. While a “fresh” score can help a good movie find an audience, it can also tank one unfairly.
Just imagine a studio exec passing on Jonathan Glazer because 2004’s “Birth” — a visually stunning and deeply unsettling film — holds a 39% on RT. Maybe that’s why Glazer didn’t make another film for nearly a decade. And “Birth” is just one of many.
I went down a little rabbit hole and searched for films I consider good, in some cases great, that still carry that dreaded “rotten” label. Obviously, this is subjective, and no, I didn’t find every single one of them. There are probably hundreds more. But here are 24:
Birth – 39%
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – 51%
Basic Instinct – 54%
Summer of Sam – 51%
Antichrist – 49%
Mars Attacks – 56%
Babylon – 56%
Blonde – 42%
Funny Games – 52%
The Passion of the Christ – 49%
Con Air – 58%
The ’Burbs – 53%
Jennifer’s Body – 45%
Kids – 46%
MacGruber – 47%
Under the Silver Lake – 58%
Vanilla Sky – 42%
Marie Antoinette – 57%
Kingdom of Heaven – 39%
Gummo – 37%
Enemy at the Gates – 54%
Bamboozled – 53%
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer – 59%
I’m Still Here – 53%
These 24 titles clearly have their share of detractors — that’s why they’re “rotten” — and I expect some people to question a few of these picks. That’s fine. But I believe every single one is a strong film, worth reevaluating.
Some have already been reappraised (“Birth” being the most obvious example), others are due for rediscovery, and a few will always live on with their bad reputations — misunderstood, misread, or just too weird for the crowd.
What are some of your favorite “rotten” flicks?