Movies Critics Hate but Audiences Love

“With Honors,” which stars Joe Pesci and Brendan Fraser, is about a homeless man who finds a Harvard University student’s thesis and won’t return it until the student does favors for him. In the process, the student learns valuable life lessons. The movie received an audience score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics chided “With Honors” for political correctness and that it was predictable. Brian Mckay of eFilmCritic said, “Pesci and Fraser serve up unsympathetic and grating characters.”

Critics were unimpressed with the latest chapter in the Rambo franchise, accusing it of being shallow, overly violent, and even racist. Only 27% of professional reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a positive review. By comparison, 82% of audiences enjoyed the brutal conclusion to the John Rambo series.

The film is about an ad executive who suffers a tragedy, isolates himself from life, and seeks existential answers to life. Critics gave it a Freshness rating of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. They thought it aimed too high and lamented the waste of talent in this film, which stars Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, and Michael Peña. Audiences weren’t totally enthralled with “Collateral Beauty” either, though it did receive a score of 64% on Rotten Tomatoes.

This entry into the Big Momma franchise stars Martin Lawrence as an FBI agent going undercover as Big Momma to try and protect his teen stepson from harm after he witnesses a murder. Critics such as the Guardian’s Philip French were unsparing, saying “Can there really be a comparative and a superlative for ‘unfunny’?” Only 5% of critics gave the film a Freshness rating, and it managed a score of 58% among audiences.

A devout Christian student played by Shane Harper finds his faith challenged when a philosophy professor (Kevin Sorbo, who played Hercules in a television series) tells students to disavow their belief in God. Only 13% of critics gave it a Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Scott Foundas from Variety said, “The Almighty deserves better advocacy than he gets in this typically ham-fisted Christian campus melodrama.” Even so, 76% of audiences liked the film on Rotten Tomatoes.

Razzie-award nominee “The Benchwarmers” is the story about three guys who strike back against bullies by forming a three-man baseball team to take on youth teams. Described as a sophomoric, gross-out comedy starring David Spade, Rob Schneider (“Saturday Night Live”) and Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”), it grossed almost $58 million and only got an 11% Freshness rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences said the movie had its funny moments and gave it a score of 64%

Kate Hudson plays a woman who avoids relationship commitment until she gets a life-changing diagnosis from her doctor. Critics were especially brutal in their assessment of the film, with only 4% giving it a Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said, “In the long history of bad movies about bad illnesses, ‘A Little Bit of Heaven’ just might be the worst.” Even Whoopi Goldberg playing God couldn’t save the movie for critics, although more than half of audiences liked it on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Little Boy” is a story set during World War II about a boy who uses the power of faith to try and bring his father safely home from the front. Critics found the movie maudlin and preachy and gave it a Freshness rating of 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. Stephen Holden of The New York Times said the film had “the haranguing inspirational tone of a marathon Sunday-school lesson.” Audiences differed with critics, with 73% of viewers giving the film thumbs up on Rotten Tomatoes.

In the sequel to the warmly received “Sister Act,” Whoopi Goldberg reprises her role as the lounge singer masquerading as a nun. This time, she is asked to help improve the reputation of an inner-city school by shaping up its music program. Despite reuniting a stellar cast that included Kathy Najimy, Maggie Smith, and Mary Wickes, and the addition of singer Lauryn Hill, the Sister Act sequel was a dud with critics, with only 7% giving it a Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times dismissed the sequel as a “dreary retread.” Audiences, however, were still amused by the sequel, gave it 61% score.

This faith-based film about four police officers who face tragedy finds them grappling with their fears as well as the difficult work of law enforcement that challenges them to raise their children in a way that honors God. Critics found the film’s dogmatic agenda off-putting, giving it a 33% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though 86% of movie audiences liked it.

“Super Troopers” is a lowbrow comedy about dope-smoking Vermont state troopers trying to save their jobs by making a drug bust. It was written by the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, who also play the five state troopers. The film enjoys a 90% approval rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics did not share their enthusiasm, giving a Freshness rating of 35%. Chuck Wilson of L.A. Weekly said the movie featured “actors who aren’t actors so much as just a bunch of guys goofing off.”

In contrast to the series of original shorts from the 1930s, “Our Gang” and “Little Rascals” films, the 1994 offering was a full-length movie that was helmed by “Wayne’s World” director Penelope Spheeris. Based on what critics said, moviegoers are unlikely to forget the original. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a Freshness rating of 23%. “A dismal kids’ comedy in which all creativity stopped after casting lookalikes for the old rascals’ was completed,” wrote Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune. The film managed a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

This searing film is about an elite police squad formed to take on the gang-fueled violence overwhelming Rio de Janeiro. Film director José Padilha examines the cycle of violence and corruption of those entrusted to enforce the law. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a Freshness rating of 53%. Some thought the director was merely exploiting violence, with Manohla Dargis of The New York Times calling it a “relentlessly ugly, unpleasant often incoherent assault on the senses.” Audiences begged to differ, giving the film a score of 87%.

Aside from the lauded “Wayne’s World” (1992) and its sequel, critics were generally not kind to the cinematic works of the late Chris Farley. Among the poorly received is “Black Sheep,” in which Steve Dodds (David Spade) is tasked with babysitting the clumsy Mike Donnelly (Chris Farley), the younger brother of a candidate for governor. Critic Susan Wloszczyna writing for USA Today described Chris Farley and David Spade as “the poor idiot’s Abbott and Costello” and called “Black Sheep” “bleatingly awful.” A solid 70% of audiences did enjoy the film, however.

Kirk Cameron stars in “Fireproof,” a faith-based film about a firefighter whose marriage is dissolving. His father tries to keep their marriage together through an experiment called “Love Dare” that ties into his father’s’ newly discovered faith. Critics didn’t pan the film, and gave it a 40% Freshness score on Rotten Tomatoes, but they did dismiss it as bland storytelling. The film is directed by Alex Kendrick, an ordained minister, who also directed the faith-based movie “Courageous.” Audiences were more uplifted by the film than critics, giving it a score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Diane Keaton stars as a meddling mother who tries to keep her youngest daughter from making the mistakes she made. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes pulled no punches, saying “Because I Said So” was “overly reliant on caricatures and lacking any human insight…an unfunny, cliche-ridden mess.” Richard Roeper of Ebert & Roeper thought it was “the worst performance of Diane Keaton’s career. Apparently, the performance was bad enough for Keaton to be nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie just a 4% Freshness rating. Audiences were more kind to Keaton and the film, giving it a score of 65%.

“Four Rooms” is an anthology of four stories unfolding in a decaying hotel on New Year’s Eve. The movie proved that the talents of directors Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino as well as the star power of Tim Roth, Valeria Golino, Antonio Banderas, and Bruce Willis don’t necessarily guarantee critical acclaim. Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes said “Four Rooms” was “dismayingly uninspired.” Variety’s Emanuel Levy called the film “tedious.” Little wonder that critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a Freshness score of 14%. Audiences liked the film more and found Roth’s quirky character appealing and gave “Four Rooms” a score of 69%.

Much like their follow-up effort “Black Sheep,” Chris Farley and David Spade’s 1995 comedy “Tommy Boy” was not well received by critics. Roger Ebert said, “The movie is an assembly of cliches and obligatory scenes from dozens of other movies, all its better.” Yet audiences loved it, giving it a rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared with the 42% of critics who enjoyed it.

“Law Abiding Citizen,” a movie about a district attorney (Jamie Foxx) battling a vengeful vigilante (Gerard Butler), was upbraided by critics on Rotten Tomatoes who gave it a Freshness rating of 26% as “unnecessarily violent and unflinchingly absurd.” The film was co-written by Frank Darabont, who also wrote the Oscar-winning “Saving Private Ryan” and directed “The Shawshank Redemption.” The vigilante flick appealed to audiences who found it exciting and adrenaline pumping, giving it a score of 75%.

“Empire Records” details a day in the lives of a group of bohemian record store employees as they attempt to save their store from being taken over by a corporate franchise. Critics wrote it off as “mostly a silly and predictable teen dramedy,” as summarized in Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus, and 29% gave it a positive review. More than 180,000 viewers rated it on the site as well, 84% of whom gave it a thumbs up.

The comedic talents of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, their third cinematic pairing, were not enough to save this film. Pryor plays a blind man, and Wilder is deaf, and both witness a murder. Wilder was one of five script writers for the film. Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader said “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” was “tasteless, formulaic, mainly unfunny.” Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a Freshness rating of 28%. Some viewers considered the film underrated and the appeal of Pryor and Wilder helped “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” post a score of 72%.

“Poetic Justice” stars Janet Jackson as a hairdresser in Los Angeles dealing with the tragedy of the death of her boyfriend and whether she can move on to another romantic relationship. The appeal of young stars Jackson — in her screen debut — and Tupac Shakur, buoyed the film among audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, who gave it a score of 84%. Critics gave it a 37% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes and chided director John Singleton for his lack of discipline. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly said Singleton “splatters his ambition all over the screen; he mixes up violence, romance, comedy, rage, and – yes – poetry.”

This energetic nostalgic musical is about newspaper boys banding together to protest wage cuts from a newspaper magnate in the 19th century. The performance of Christian Bale and the songs from renowned Disney songwriter Alan Menken appealed to audiences, who gave the movie an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics gave it a Freshness rating of 39% and were less impressed, including Stephen Hunter of the Baltimore Sun, who called the film “Snoozies.”

Hilary Duff was a major star among pre-teen girls in the early part of this century. In “Raise Your Voice,” Duff plays a teen singer with ambitions to make a name for herself. Duff’s legion of fans helped boost audience score on Rotten Tomatoes to 71%. Critics, however, were not charmed by the movie, dismissing it as a bland version of the film “Fame” (1980), and giving it a Freshness rating of 15%.

David Spade-vehicle “Joe Dirt” received scathing reviews from critics, with only 11% giving it a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes. While audiences weren’t over the moon about the film, they rated it a respectable 5.9 out of 10 on IMDb, and 63% gave it a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes. There was enough interest in the movie to warrant a 2015 sequel: “Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser.”

“How High” tells the story of buddies Silas and Jamal — played by rappers Method Man and Redman — who magically do extremely well on their college entrance exams and get into Harvard University. The stoner flick only impressed about one in every four critics on Rotten Tomatoes compared with slightly over three in every four users. The site’s critics consensus describes the film as “sloppily constructed” and “filled with lame, vulgar jokes.”

A mere 4% of critics gave the 2006 supernatural horror-thriller flick “The Covenant” a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s Critics Consensus notes the film’s ” wooden acting, laughable dialogue, and little suspense.” While audiences aren’t completely infatuated with the film either, they gave it a much more respectable 62% rating.

This faith-based movie directed by Alex Kendrick, an ordained minister who also directed the faith-based motion picture “Fireproof,” is about a family that seems to have everything, except the marriage is in trouble. Then an older woman enters their lives and tries to help them through the power of prayer. Audiences on Rotten Tomatoes appreciated the positive message and gave the film a score of 87%. Critics gave it a 33% Freshness score. Calum Marsh of the National Post said “War Room” is “no mere entertainment. It’s an instructional video.”

This early film in Channing Tatum’s career about a troublemaker given an opportunity to pursue dance in a serious manner is a hit with fans, receiving an average 83% positive reviews among the more than 615,000 viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. Only 20% of critics enjoyed it, by contrast, though even its detractors often had positive things to say about the movie’s dancing.

Whereas 78% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked the original “Friday” (1995), only 22% approved of the sequel “Next Friday” (2002). The site’s Critics Consensus declares that the “messy and plotless” film “lacks the fun of the original.” Audiences’ opinions differed, with 76% liking “Next Friday.”

Sean Penn received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of a mentally challenged man fighting for legal custody of his 7-year-old daughter, who in the process also teaches different people, including his lawyer, the importance of love and family. Critics and some viewers thought the film was contrived and sentimental, and gave it 35% Freshness rating, though audiences on Rotten Tomatoes liked the film better than critics, giving it a score of 87%.

Although 65% of critics gave the original “Death Wish” (1974) a positive review, affinity for the vengeful Paul Kersey appears to have dried up by the series’ third installment. Only 6% of professionals gave it a positive review. By contrast, 55% of audience members liked it, according to Rotten Tomatoes, down from 69% for the first movie.

Audiences who remembered “National Lampoon’s Animal House” about college fraternity hijinks responded positively to the similarly themed “Van Wilder” from National Lampoon, giving the movie a score of 73%. The movie’s brew of gross-out humor, drug references, and strong sexual content might have resonated with some viewers, but critics like the Denver Rocky Mountain News’ Robert Denerstein found it “an uneven mix of National Lampoon-style high jinks (yes, it feels slightly dated).” Just 19% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a positive rating.

Before rocketing to comedy superstardom, Dave Chappelle co-wrote and starred in this stoner comedy about a group of friends tasked with getting their friend out of jail. Critics found it under-produced and unfunny, with only 29% of those rating it on Rotten Tomatoes giving it a positive review. Audiences, on the other hand, delivered an 81% positive rating.

Based on the life of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, this biographical film is loved by audiences online, who gifted it a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an exceptional 8 out of 10 on IMDb. The critics were less enthusiastic, with only 55% reporting positive reviews. Roger Ebert, who praised some of the performances in the film, suggested that it was missing “a clear idea of why the movie was made.”

“Stomp the Yard” is the story of a street dancer who, after his brother is murdered, moves to Georgia, enrolls in college, and joins a step-dancing team. Critics gave thumbs down to “Stomp the Yard” — just 25% gave it a Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes — noting its “soap opera-style subplots,” while conceding the film contained impressive dance scenes. Audiences gave the movie a score of 82%.

Director Alan Parker (“Mississippi Burning,” “Midnight Express”) helmed this film starring Kevin Spacey as an ardent opponent of capital punishment who winds up on death row. A strong cast of Spacey, Kate Winslet, and Laura Linney helped lift its audience score to 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the Critics Consensus found the anti-death penalty film an “implausible, convoluted thriller that pounds the viewer over the head with its message,” and only 19% of critics gave it a Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Kung Pow: Enter the Fist” — a martial arts spoof that was written by, directed by, and stars Steve Oedekerk — grossed nearly $17 million worldwide after being made for $10 million. Any box office success was garnered despite the reviews of critics, only 13% of whom cared for the goofy comedy. Edward Guthmann in the San Francisco Chronicle called the movie “critic-proof, simply because it aims so low.”

Based on a “Saturday Night Live” sketch, “A Night at the Roxbury” stars Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell as head-bobbing, dim-witted brothers in love with the night life. Unfortunately, the critics weren’t in love with the movie, thanks to its “one-note characters and plots unreasonably stretched to feature length runtime,” as stated in the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus. Only 11% of the critics on the site liked the movie, compared with 69% of audience members.

Eddie Murphy was box office gold for movie makers in the 1980s with films such as “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Coming to America.” “Harlem Nights” didn’t do as well as some of Murphy’s other films, but it had plenty of star power with Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, and Della Reese. Murphy plays the owner of New York City gambling house in the 1930s who tries to fend off white mobsters muscling in on his territory. Critics thought the talent was wasted in the film and chided it for “clunky” dialogue, with just 21% of them giving the film a Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave the film a rating of 80%.

Despite having Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron in leading roles, only 15% of critics liked the romance “Sweet November” on Rotten Tomatoes. The largest complaints were the movie being hard to believe and overly sentimental. Fans on the site delivered it a much higher rating of 76%.

Both Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey have starred in critically acclaimed films, yet “Beaches” — in which the two appear as lifelong friends — only won over 39% of professional reviewers cataloged on Rotten Tomatoes. The majority of non-professional users on the site — 88% — enjoyed it, however, with one reviewer admitting the movie always makes them cry.

One of the final films to star Chris Farley, “Almost Heroes” received only 8% positive reviews from critics. David Kronke, writing for the Los Angeles Times, takes issue with the movie’s “lame script and dithering direction.” Audiences were less disappointed, with 64% of those rating it on Rotten Tomatoes enjoying it.

This faith-based film from ordained minister Alex Kendrick about God and football was off-putting to critics who dismissed it as “banal” and “insipid” who gave it just a 13% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Jeff Strickler of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said the “proselytizing in this football movie is about as subtle as a blindside hit by a 300-pound defensive end.” Audiences gave it an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with one viewer likening it to a Christian version of “Remember the Titans.”

Filmmaker Tyler Perry has starred in numerous critically acclaimed movies, including “Star Trek” (2009) and “Gone Girl” (2014). He has had a more difficult time receiving good reviews for his comedies — such as the Madea movies — many of which he has written himself. “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” for which 16% of the critics reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, is one example. Rotten Tomatoes users, however, blessed the film with a score of 87%.

This “juvenile, ugly movie that represents the worst tendencies of directors channeling Tarantino” (according to the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus) was enjoyed by 91% of users on the site and given a rating of 7.8 out of 10 on IMDb. Only 22% of critics gave it a positive review, with most finding it idiotic and immoral.

“Drop Dead Fred” follows young adult Elizabeth Cronin (Phoebe Cates) as she reconnects with her imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall). The movie received positive reviews from merely 9% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with Gene Siskel calling it “easily one of the worst films [he’d] ever seen.” A much higher 77% of nearly 200,000 users gave it a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes, and IMDb users rated it 5.9 out of 10.

Adam Sandler-produced “Grandma’s Boy” — about a pot-smoking video-game tester who moves in with his grandma — has something of a cult following among those whom critic Nathan Rabin refers to as “slackers and stoners.” Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus describes the movie as “a gross-out comedy that’s more gross than comedic” and as being “lazy and unrewarding.”

The makers of “Grind” — about four skateboarders seeking success on a summer tour — may not have had critical success in mind as they crafted the film. However, the disapproval of tastemakers, only 8% of critics liked the movie on Rotten Tomatoes, may have affected its performance at the box office, where it failed to earn back its $6 million budget. Audience reviews were relatively positive, however.

This PG-13 comedy about a group of snowboarders tasked with preventing their beloved mountain from transforming into a yuppie-infested ski resort was absolutely hated by critics, only 8% of whom gave it a positive review, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences had fun with the lowbrow flick’s “gross-out humor and sophomoric plot,” however, with 84% of viewers giving it a positive review on the same site.