You Know You're Watching a Stupid Movie When...

[Cato]

...it's based on a video game.



That is not the premise of the movie.

The information came from two reviews: perhaps not the main premise...?

[Karl Henning]

Karl, I think you would really enjoy The Truman Show, don't go into it thinking it's a Jim Carrey movie and you'll be fine. Carrey's casting is brilliant IMO, because of the scenario that the main character, Truman, is forced into.

Will find it at the BPL, thanks!

[Todd]

The information came from two reviews: perhaps not the main premise...?

Going into detail would be a spoiler.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

...when the leads are madly in love within hours    and start dancing around on a beach...and then imitate the kiss scene on the beach in From Here To Eternity!!!  The stupid movie in this example left me with PTSMD (Post-Traumatic Stupid Movie Syndrome).  At one point I was cringing and praying: "Please God, please don't let them kiss on the beach!!!"  But God failed me in the terribly stupid movie Message in a Bottle.  0:

I think there IS one movie that does it full justice...



https://www.youtube.com/v/6pUPPnoFKh4

[BasilValentine]

When Nicholas Cage is in it playing anything but an idiot (so, Raising Arizona and Adaptation excepted). He does idiots very well for some reason.

[Cato]

....a rock/country song suddenly punctures the soundtrack to underline what a character is feeling, because otherwise the director believes the audience is too stupid to understand what is happening! 

[Ken B]

"Cringe-worthy" would also work for "stupid," so feel free to offer suggestions on completing the sentence.   0:) 

I will offer a few for your consideration:

...when the characters start dancing around singing an old song, usually something from the cursed 1960's: e.g. a stupid movie called The Stepmother which also offers Susan Sarandon dying of cancer and passing the torch to new trophy wife Julia Roberts.  And which song do the characters jump around to and sing?  Ever hear something with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough..." ?   

...when the leads are madly in love within hours    and start dancing around on a beach...and then imitate the kiss scene on the beach in From Here To Eternity!!!  The stupid movie in this example left me with PTSMD (Post-Traumatic Stupid Movie Syndrome).  At one point I was cringing and praying: "Please God, please don't let them kiss on the beach!!!"  But God failed me in the terribly stupid movie Message in a Bottle.  0:)

...when you find yourself talking to the characters to show them how stupid they are!  e.g. People lost in a forest come across a stream: do they follow the stream out of the forest?  DO THEY FOLLOW THE STREAM???  The audience was yelling: "FOLLOW THE STREAM!"  Do the characters follow the stream?  No, of course not!  This time - I am not making this up! - I at least got paid to watch the stupid movie Blair Witch Project ! 

Your turn!   

Well I think you make an error here Cato. Kerr and Lancaster don't kiss on the beach. They screw on the beach. The kiss and the waves are just 1950s code for screwing.

[Cato]

Well I think you make an error here Cato. Kerr and Lancaster don't kiss on the beach... They screw on the beach. The kiss and the waves are just 1950s code for screwing.

That would be even more cringeworthy!        0:) 

My sister-in-law would add this to our definitions:  You Know You're Watching a Stupid Movie When..."old men start fighting."  This was in reaction to a Star Trek movie where "old men started fighting." 

Quote from her (sarcasm): "I always love to watch old men pretending to fight."

[drogulus]

When Nicholas Cage is in it playing anything but an idiot (so, Raising Arizona and Adaptation excepted). He does idiots very well for some reason.

     Vampires Kiss is on my trashterpiece list. Cage is at his freakout best.

[Cato]

     Vampires Kiss is on my trashterpiece list. Cage is at his freakout best.

Just checked IMDB: he has a string of 5/10 stars movies, and about 5 more in post-production waiting to attack the movie-going public!

[motoboy]

Or when strangers move in with the main characters under the misimpression that the house is a bed-and-breakfast: apparently that is the premise of the new horror movie mother! (Sic)

And according to the reviews, no, that does not work well either! 

This premise actually worked on an episode of Corner Gas....Hilarity ensued.

[Karl Henning]

When Nicholas Cage is in it playing anything but an idiot (so, Raising Arizona and Adaptation excepted). He does idiots very well for some reason.

I cannot help having a soft spot for Moonstruck.  To be sure, Cage is the least-integrated member of an ensemble cast, but even that tension works in this context.  You don't believe for an instant that he is Danny Aiello's brother, but . . . .

0:)

[nodogen]

Karl, I think you would really enjoy The Truman Show, don't go into it thinking it's a Jim Carrey movie and you'll be fine. Carrey's casting is brilliant IMO, because of the scenario that the main character, Truman, is forced into.

I heartily second this. Carrey seems to specialise in gurning idiots but the Truman film is excellent, and he plays it straight. I'd say it's like The Matrix is brilliant, even though Keanu Reeves is in it. 😉

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Karl, I think you would really enjoy The Truman Show, don't go into it thinking it's a Jim Carrey movie and you'll be fine. Carrey's casting is brilliant IMO, because of the scenario that the main character, Truman, is forced into.

Truman Show is IMO the greatest Jim Carrey movie and a masterpiece. Although the most memorable character to me in the film is Ed Harris as Christof.

[Karl Henning]

I heartily second this. Carrey seems to specialise in gurning idiots but the Truman film is excellent, and he plays it straight. I'd say it's like The Matrix is brilliant, even though Keanu Reeves is in it. 😉

I hear you, entirely 

[Cato]

Truman Show is IMO the greatest Jim Carrey movie and a masterpiece. Although the most memorable character to me in the film is Ed Harris as Christof.

Right, because Ed Harris is an excellent actor.   

[Cato]

I like when Jim Carrey completely looses his shit in 'Liar liar", you know the scene where he is beating himself up in the toilet room? and smashing his head with a toilet seat? hilarious, crazy comedy moment  ....though the rest of the film is frustrating 

As I recall, the outtakes have a scene where he is supposed to trade insults with Swoosie Kurtz, who off-script yells "Over-actor" at him, causing him to collapse into laughter and comment: "They're on to me!" 0:)

[Cato]

Courtesy of Mystery Science Theater 3000:

"...the movie starts showing you pieces of itself from earlier."