Good/Great Movies That Don't Deserve Their “Rotten" Scores

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 they’re the definitive seal of quality.

I had previously 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 unfairly tank one.

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 over 30 titles:

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%

NOT A FAN (WITH CULT FOLLOWINGS)

Miami Vice — 47%
Wet Hot American Summer — 39%
Speed Racer — 42%
The Counselor — 34%
Southland Tales — 41%

These 31 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. However, I believe most are strong films 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 simply too weird for the crowd.

What are some of your favorite “rotten” flicks?