Completely Different Movies With the Same Names

Directed by Oscar winning director Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”), “Mother” follows a poor mother of a mentally disabled son who is arrested for murder. She starts searching for the real killer in an attempt to clear her son’s name. The movie is generally very well received by both critics and fans. “Mother” has Certified Fresh status on Rotten Tomatoes and a Tomatometer score of 96%.

The 1996 film “Mother” is much different than the drama with the same name released in 2009. Co-written, directed by, and starring in the titular role Albert Brooks, the 1996 “Mother” is a comedy about a writer who moves back with his mother. He believes that will make him better understand women and eventually improve his dating life. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of critics and 75% of fans gave the comedy a positive rating.

“Bliss” follows a young painter who goes to great lengths to get over a creative block that is preventing her from finishing her masterpiece. The movie “may be too narratively and visually intense for less adventurous viewers, but should trigger the titular state in those with a taste for hard-hitting horror,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus. About 87% of movie critics liked the film, compared to 60% of audiences.

The newest production of a movie titled “Bliss” is a sci-fi drama. The film follows a recently-divorced man who meets a woman convinced that everything around them is a computer simulation. Neither critics nor fans were impressed. “When it comes to building an entertaining sci-fi drama around some cool ideas, this Bliss is largely ignorant,” according to the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The Island” tells the story of a journalist who is on his way to Bermuda to investigate the mystery of boats disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle. He and his teenage son are kidnapped by pirates and taken to a mysterious island. Only about half of moviegoers who reviewed the adventure movie on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a positive review, and 40% of critics liked it.

The 2005 film “The Island” takes place in the future. The movie follows a man living in a carefully controlled facility who finds out everything about his life is a lie. Starring A-listers Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor and directed by Michael Bay (“Armageddon”), the sci-fi flick did not impress critics. According to the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, in the movie, “explosions and chases matter more than characters, dialogue, or plot.”

“Alone” follows a young woman who moves away to escape the guilt she feels for surviving the surgery that separated her and her conjoined twin sister. But the spirit of her deceased sister starts to haunt her. The horror thriller has an IMDb rating of 6.5 out of 10.

The 2020 movie “Alone” is much better known. Also a thriller, the film follows a recently widowed woman who is kidnapped by a murderer. She manages to escape in the wilderness, only to be hunted by him again. Though just 55% of audience reviewers liked the movie, critics were more impressed with 92% giving it a positive review. The 2020 “Alone” is even Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The 1983 “Breathless” is a remake of the 1960 version of “Breathless,” starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. The drama is about a small-time hustler (Richard Gere) who is hiding from the police in his ex-girlfriend’s apartment in Los Angeles after killing a cop in Las Vegas. About 57% of movie critics gave the film a positive review, compared to just 48% of fans.

The 2012 “Breathless” is also about a murder, but in a different genre. The comedy follows two women who try to dispose of a body after one of them kills her criminal husband. “Far more gruesome, and definitely packing more surprise punches than your average, everyday thriller,” wrote Staci Layne Wilson of Horror.com.

The “Cargo” released in 2019 follows two astronauts aboard a spaceship who interact with mysterious cargo — the souls of deceased people. About 64% of both critics and audiences gave the fantasy movie a positive review. “The arrival of a truly unique filmmaking voice,” wrote Poulomi Das of Arré.

The 2006 “Cargo” takes place on Earth. A young German backpacker gets in trouble while in Africa and tries to make it to Europe by traveling on a cargo ship. “Cargo gets scuppered by its serpentine story, which is more confusing than compelling,” according to Amber Wilkinson of Eye for Film. Just 19% of audiences liked the film.

The “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” from 2005 may be better known as the movie during which once Holywood power couple — Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie — met. The two play assassins working for different agencies who, unknown to them, have been assigned to kill each other. About 60% of critics gave the action-romance a positive review, compared to 58% of moviegoers.

The Mr. and Mrs. Smith in the 1941 movie are Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard. The couple, who have been married for only three years and are already bored with their relationship, find out they are legally not married. Critics were slightly more impressed with the 1941 “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” than the one from 2005, but the opposite is true for moviegoers.

The 2014 film “Neighbors” is a comedy about new parents living in the suburbs who try hard to get along with the constantly-partying college students living next door. “With plenty of bawdy humor evenly spread between its well-matched stars, Neighbors earns its R rating — and filmgoers’ laughs,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus. The comedy is Certified Fresh, with 73% of critics and 63% of audiences giving it a positive rating.

The 1981 “Neighbors” film is also a comedy but with a completely different plot. This time, a married couple’s quiet lifestyle is threatened when an obnoxious couple moves next door. The couple takes drastic measures to get rid of their neighbors. Both critics and moviegoers were less impressed with this “Neighbors” movie, with 57% and 49% of them liking it, respectively.

The 2003 “Wonderland” film is based on a true story. The movie tells the story of a drug-addicted former porn star who gets caught up in the middle of a crime and becomes the center of a police investigation. Only 34% of critics liked the drama. “Very sordid and unexpectedly dull; adults only,” wrote Nell Minow of Common Sense Media. Moviegoers were more forgiving, with 65% of them giving the film a positive review.

The 1999 “Wonderland” film is much better received, both by critics and moviegoers. The drama tells the story of three generations of one family whose lives intertwine during a wild weekend in London. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus, the movie tackles everyday life and succeeds beautifully. About 63% of critics and 85% of moviegoers gave “Wonderland” a positive review.

“Where the Heart Is” tells the story of a pregnant teen who is abandoned by her boyfriend in an Oklahoma Wal-Mart. After giving birth in the store, she becomes a media sensation and forms a close bond with her nurse. Despite a star-studded cast featuring Natalie Portman, Joan Cuask, and Ashley Judd, the film received a 30/100 score from the movie reviewers aggregated by Metacritic. Audiences liked the film much better, giving it a score of 6.8/10.

The 1990 film “Where the Heart Is” centers on a dysfunctional family. The father is a stern businessman who kicks his three children out of his house when they disapprove of his plan to demolish a Brooklyn tenement building. With nowhere to go, the kids end up in the very building they seek to save. The film is broadly disliked, with just 10% of critics giving it a positive review.

In the 2010 film “Unstoppable” an engineer (Denzel Washington) and a conductor (Chris Pine) must try to stop a runaway train packed with toxic chemicals, which could result in an environmental catastrophe if it crashes. The pulse-pounding blockbuster received very positive feedback on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and moviegoers.

In the earlier “Unstoppable,” Wesley Snipes plays an ex-special forces member recovering from the traumatic events of his service. Mistaken for a rogue agent, he is forced to take a hallucinogenic drug and spends the film trying to find the antidote. Less than one-quarter of the more than 2,500 viewers who reviewed “Unstoppable” on Rotten Tomatoes said it was any good.

In the 2000 “Tully” film, Anson Mount plays the titular character of Tully — a notorious womanizer. But things change when he falls in love with his brother’s best friend, and several family secrets resurface. More than three-quarters of critics and moviegoers gave “Tully” a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes.

The 2018 film “Tully” stars Charlize Theron as Marlo, a suburban mother who is struggling to meet the demands of parenthood after giving birth to her third child. When the family takes on a nanny named Tully, Marlo is initially hesitant to accept her help, but the two soon form a close bond. Critics and audience members alike gave “Tully” positive reviews, with the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus praising the film’s “admirably deft blend of humor and raw honesty.”