We think these movies deserve better (Picture: Getty Images)
It’s time for the chokehold Rotten Tomatoes has on movie ratings to come to an end.
A third of moviegoers say they consult the site before heading to the cinema or streaming a film, meaning the ratings greatly affect how something performs.
A bad Rotten Tomatoes score can be fatal for a film, which is fine if the film actually deserves that low rating (we’re looking at you Megalopolis).
But sometimes, the review aggregator is just off base, and an excellent pick suffers from the consequences of not being certified fresh.
Some of our absolute favourites have gotten a score below 25%, essentially sentencing them to irrelevance in the eyes of anyone who runs across them when searching for something to watch.
While all art is subjective, here are a few movies that Metro‘s entertainment team is pretty sure Rotten Tomatoes is just flat-out wrong about.
Blow Dry (2001) – 19%
You only need to look at the sensational cast for this lesser-known British rom-com to know it’s a surefire hit.
The film about a hairdressing competition in the quaint Yorkshire town of Keighley (yes, it’s bizarre as it sounds) has an ensemble of stars to rival Love Actually (with a few crossovers): Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Josh Hartnett, Natasha Richardson, Rachel Griffiths, Rachel Leigh Cook, Heidi Klum, Stephen Graham, and even a cameo from Peter Kay.
It’s worth watching based on the horrendous Yorkshire accent by Hollywood heartthrob Josh alone. It’s truly, truly terrible – but so funny.
Also, Alan and Bill playing super camp rival hairdressing gods is one of the most underrated casting combos ever seen in 00s film culture. You must see this film.
Lucy Mapstone, Entertainment Editor
Made of Honour (2008) – 15%
Made of Honour is a perfect 2008 romantic-comedy movie that stars Patrick Dempsey as a playboy who realises he’s in love with his best friend (played by Michelle Monaghan) – just as she gets engaged to a hot Scottish guy.
As her maid of honour, he decides to try to win her heart by showing off how capable he is and spending as much time as possible with her before she marries the hot, rich Scot in a stunning castle wedding in the highlands.
The story ticks every rom-com box, with forbidden kisses, miscommunication, men in kilts, and men playing basketball while discussing their feelings for some reason?
The film is set in New York and Scotland and the soundtrack is filled with peak noughties bops including hits from Oasis and Sara Bareilles – what more could you want?
It’s truly baffling to me that critics have given it a 15% score, and I can only take comfort in the fact that the film has a 55% score from the audience who can see the value behind this stunning piece.
Laura Harman, Senior Entertainment Reporter
Just Go With It (2011) – 19%
This 2011 is Adam Sandler’s finest work. The film is a fake relationship story with Sandler playing a rich plastic surgeon who enlists the help of his assistant (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend to be his wife while on holiday with his new girlfriend after he doubled down on a bonkers lie.
Apart from the slapstick moments (including some actors with some ridiculously botched plastic surgery) and the flimsy premise, the story is genuinely heartwarming and really funny.
Sure it’s not going to win any awards, but there are some great laugh-out-loud moments and has one of Nicole Kidman’s best-ever performances as she plays possibly her most deranged character ever.
The film may have a 19% rating from critics but it’s got a special place in my heart – particularly as an easy hangover watch.
Laura Harman, Senior Entertainment Reporter
The Sweetest Thing (2002) – 25%
The Sweetest Thing is arguably one of the great chick flicks of the early 00s, so to see it get a paltry 25% on Rotten Tomatoes is beyond me. It is possibly Cameron Diaz’s finest work, and Christina Applegate is as fantastic as ever, as is Selma Blair.
Honestly, the cast alone should show you just how watchable this film really is, AND it includes a young pre-Ozark/pre-Arrested Development Jason Bateman, too.
It’s rude, it’s crude (in an American way), and hilarious, and features the iconic You’re Too Big To Fit In Here song (yes, about a colossal penis). It follows the story of Christina (Diaz) who finally falls for a man after years of avoiding them, and her ridiculous quest to go and find him… at his brother’s wedding, who she doesn’t know.
It’s a crazy caper worth everyone’s time.
Lucy Mapstone, Entertainment Editor
Flubber (1997) – 24%
If we’re all being honest with ourselves, if any one of us were to discover a sentient goo with endless practical and whimsical applications?
We would miss our weddings, too! So, honestly, who can blame Robin Williams for doing exactly that in this beloved family classic?
Thankfully, his new goo friend (deemed flubber) is a romantic and helps him win back his girl.
Really, what more can you ask for in a cinematic experience? Surely, Rotten Tomatoes critics have forgotten that sometimes a movie is allowed to be fun and gooey and nothing else.
Brooke Ivey Johnson, Assistant Entertainment Editor
Batman and Robin (1997) – 12%
Okay, so even Batman himself in this case – George Clooney – has been very self-deprecating about his legacy in the cowl after his one starring appearance.
Batman & Robin was the fourth and final film in Warner Bros’ initial Batman movie series from the late ‘90s, directed by Joel Schumacher and with Clooney replacing prior Batman Val Kilmer, who himself replaced Michael Keaton in the lead role.
It’s a camp, overly dramatic and cheesy blockbuster that filled my young heart with glee thanks to its bombastic effects and extremely star-studded cast. The excitement never seemed more than a breath away with not, not two, but three villains for Batman to contend with: Uma Thurman’s femme fatale Poison Ivy, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gloriously ridiculous Mr Freeze and Robert Swenson as Bane before Tom Hardy made him big.
And let’s not forget that Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl was also shoe-horned in there and Chris O’Donnell, as the film title reminds you, was doing his darn best in the always-tricky role of Robin.
It may have underperformed at the box office, but Batman & Robin does not deserve to be done dirty with 12% like that on Rotten Tomatoes; no film does that has Schwarzenegger’s constant bombardment of truly terrible ice puns.
Tori Brazier, Senior Film & Entertainment Reporter
Drop Dead Fred (1991) – 11%
It takes more than a fire truck to stop Drop Dead Fred, and it’ll take more than a ridiculous Rotten Tomatoes rating to stop us from loving this film.
When Lizzie (Phoebe Cates) has the worst lunch break ever – losing her husband, car and job – the twenty-something begins to regress to a younger version of herself, and that’s when her former imaginary friend Fred (the late Rik Mayall) bursts back into the picture.
It’s only us as the viewers, and Lizzie who can see Fred as he causes absolute anarchy, which makes you feel like you’ve been let in on the most absurd secret.
Aside from the comical moments and excellent one-liners (‘You got married? You mean you’ve been doing it like the pigeons?’ is a personal favourite), there’s a deeper underlying message of never forgetting your inner child. Over 103 minutes, we learn that living in a way they’d be proud of is sometimes the only way to achieve true happiness.
You’ll laugh at Fred’s ridiculousness, and cry when Fred and Lizzie have to say goodbye forever. It’s a film that has it all.
Josie Copson, Senior TV Reporter
White Chicks (2004) – 15%
I still quote White Chicks to this day, so imagine my shock to learn that the parody was absolutely torn apart on Rotten Tomatoes – it was branded ‘banshee-howlingly awful’, less funny than Schindler’s List, and ‘as dead and tasteless as last week’s leftovers’ in scathing reviews at the time.
It featured Marlon and Shawn Wayans as two FBI agents who go undercover as two white socialites, not-so-subtly modelled on Paris and Nicky Hilton, to foil a kidnapping plot in a wealthy area of the Hamptons.
However, their efforts to go unnoticed get thrown off by a war with other socialites, an investigative journalist and an overzealous (read: horny) Terry Crews.
The classic gave us everything from dance offs and changing room antics to gender-flipped montages and a banging soundtrack comprised mainly of Vanessa Carlton’s banger, A Thousand Miles
In the years since its 2004 release, some have suggested it is inappropriate and problematic – criticisms that the Wayans brothers have batted away with ease, insisting that the movie would absolutely still get made today.
At the core, it’s a film that you may need to suspend all disbelief to watch, and just enjoy it for what it is – a ridiculous comedy – otherwise, you might find yourself having a BF.
Rishma Dosani, US Assistant Entertainment Editor
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) – 7%
I Know What You Did Last Summer caused a massive stir when it was released in 1997, so all eyes were understandably on the sequel – which somehow came with an even longer title the following year.
After surviving the first film, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr reprised their roles and took the drama to the Bahamas, where they found themselves being hunted once again by a hook-handed maniac.
Movie sequels always have a lot more scepticism to battle and unfortunately it wasn’t met with quite the same applause as its predecessor – it was branded ‘moronic’ and ‘irredeemably dire’ – but I think everyone should rewatch I Still Know… with fresh eyes and realise it was actually a low-key masterpiece.
Jack Black running around as stoned hotel worker Titus, actually scary thrills and turns you never saw coming, Brandy Norwood being an icon – truly what more do you need? I even did a rewatch in preparation for this feature and it still holds up.
I may be alone on this hill but I also genuinely never saw that twist coming! Bring on the upcoming sequel, I will be seated for it – even if I’m alone with nothing but popcorn kernels for company.
Rishma Dosani, US Assistant Entertainment Editor
The Da Vinci Code (2006) – 25%
Based on Dan Brown’s international bestseller, 2006 mystery thriller The Da Vinci Code stars Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen.
Despite the flack this movie has gotten for being a too-faithful and, at times, lacking adaptation – the numbers speak for themselves with The Da Vinci Code grossing a whopping $758million at the global box office (£587,000).
The religiously provocative plot starts with a murder in the Louvre which leads an investigative duo to follow a series of clues dotted in Da Vinci paintings that could uncover a 2000-year-old mystery.
The controversial film captures a certain era of the mid-200s, and a worldwide craze for Dan Brown’s novel that is an appeal itself so why not tune into the movie and make up your own mind about whether it is worth the watch.
Asyia Iftikhar, Entertainment Reporter
A Cinderella Story (2004) – 11%
I’m going to say it; this is the perfect romantic comedy. Nobody has nailed a Cinderella adaptation since Hilary Duff’s 00s-drenched film — not even Disney.
The Lizzie Maguire legend and One Tree Hill’s Chad Michael Murray had no right to have that much chemistry when using 200s text speak on a flip phone.
Jennifer Coolidge is phenomenal in everything she does but there’s something utterly irresistible about her playing an evil step-mother with a penchant for cosmetic surgery.
To top it all off, the film is set to one of the best soundtracks in any rom-com, it even went to number nine on the US Billboard 200 with an instrumental version of I’ll Be that will fill that Bridgerton gap.
Somehow, A Cinderella Story only has an 11% Tomatometer score, while the audience score sits at a more respectable 53%; sorely overlooked.
Danni Scott, Entertainment Reporter
Movie 43 (2013) – 5%
Okay, Movie 43 is bad. It’s just not a good film in the sense of the word. I’m not sure it should be considered a cohesive film, instead, it is a string of baffling comedy sketches loosely strung together.
It has a (deserved) 5% on the Tomatometer and a measly 24% audience score.
However, it has one of the most impressive ensemble casts ever assembled with a surprising eye for future stars like Jeremy Allen White, Emma Stone, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
Some of these scenes in this 2013 film still haunt me — Hugh Jackman you know what you did — but it has a hold over me like no film before it.
It’s hard to even begin to explain the absolute chaos of scenes from an out-of-control truth or dare game to a young man terrified of periods to the satirical ‘iBabe’, it’s like SNL gone wild.
All scenes are unhinged and most are ageing like milk but to see some of the finest actors in the world in these downright bizarre scenarios, it deserves to be watched at least once. Fair warning, don’t watch it with your family.
Danni Scott, Entertainment Reporter
The Covenant (2006) – 4%
Before there was Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023), there was this critically panned 2006 supernatural horror.
Four boys, known as the Sons of Ipswich, are descended from a magical bloodline, growing stronger as they approach their 18th birthday — only for a student to be murdered and generations of betrayal start to unravel.
Leaning into inspiration from cult classics like The Craft and The Faculty, this overlooked Halloween horror stars future acting icons like Chace Crawford, Taylor Kitsch, and Sebastian Stan.
The Marvel favourite described The Covenant as ‘really classic’ and has also credited it with getting him into fitness and solidifying his career as an actor.
Despite its (undeserved) Rotten Tomatoes score of 4%, audiences have been far kinder to the magical thriller giving it 62% on the Popcornmeter.
Danni Scott, Entertainment Reporter
Catwoman – 8%
I don’t care if Catwoman is technically awful, and that it earned Halle Berry a dreaded Razzie. It is without a doubt one of the most iconic superhero movies of the noughties, and it fully deserves the legacy that it’s built for itself over the last two decades.
Just four years after she made her debut as Storm in X-Men – a film that marked a huge turning point for the genre in cinema – Halle delivered another unforgettable performance in Catwoman, purring and miaowing her way into our hearts in a bizarre yet brilliant way.
From randomly showing off her basketball skills to strutting along a roof in her leather strap get-up, Halle’s feline femme fatale has gradually gained greater appreciation from fans as time has passed – and rightfully so.
Catwoman might not be regarded as being in the same league as films like Avengers: Infinity War or Endgame but do you know what – it’s in a league of its own. And that’s ok.
Sabrina Barr, Deputy TV Editor
The Wedding Planner – 17%
Back in the 2000s, Jennifer Lopez was one of the undisputed queens of rom-coms, winning the hearts of swoonworthy suitors in films including The Wedding Planner and Maid in Manhattan.
The former, which came out in 2001, saw her character Mary Fiore set about organising the wedding of Steve Edison – played by a pre-Oscar era Matthew McConaughey – all the while inevitably falling in love with him herself.
It has all the hallmarks of a golden romantic comedy – a forbidden spark, sizzling on-screen chemistry, clichéd but sweet dialogue and a heartwarming ending where love conquers all.
So why on earth does it only have a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes?!
Sure, the film might have been formulaic and Jennifer might have earned a Razzie nomination for her performance. But do you know what? We still love it to this day.
Sabrina Barr, Deputy TV Editor
Sister Act 2 – 19%
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit is frequently regarded as one of the best movie sequels ever, with some fans claiming that it’s even better than the original.
So the fact that it only has a 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes is well and truly baffling.
The second movie in the franchise, which sees Whoopi Goldberg return as Sister Mary Clarence (aka Deloris Wilson-Van Cartier) might not boast the same life-threatening stakes as the first – when she was hiding in a convent to avoid being murdered by mobsters – but it has just as much heart.
Watching Deloris inspire the schoolkids under her charge to let their talent flourish and to take part in a choir competition – while joined by fan-favourite nuns Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena and the late great Dame Maggie Smith – is true movie magic.
Sister Act 2 might not have received the adulation it deserved when it was first released, but thankfully in the years since the love for this movie has been above and beyond.
Sabrina Barr, Deputy TV Editor
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