Everyone has that one movie they swear is a masterpiece… and another person who absolutely cannot understand the hype.
Movie arguments are basically a sport at this point, and this list of the most overrated movies of all time will undoubtedly create chaos.
Taking the number one spot is “Joker” from 2019. Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar, the movie made over a billion dollars, and yet plenty of people walked out feeling like it was trying way too hard to be deep. For every fan who calls it a gritty character study, there is someone else who says it is just two hours of misery dressed up as brilliance.
Right behind it is “The Shawshank Redemption”, which might be the most shocking inclusion for a lot of people. It’s constantly ranked as one of the greatest films ever made, especially online, but critics of the hype argue that its reputation has grown far beyond what the movie actually delivers.
“Up” from Pixar lands at number three, and this one hurts. The reasoning, though, makes sense. The opening 20 minutes are widely considered one of the most emotional sequences in film history. The argument is that the rest of the movie never quite reaches those same heights.
Other modern favorites also made the cut, including “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, “The Revenant”, “Gravity”, and “American Hustle”.
Each of these movies was praised heavily at release, won awards or dominated pop culture, and then slowly picked up backlash from viewers who felt the hype machine went into overdrive.
Classic films were not spared either. “Gone with the Wind”, “The Birds”, “Miracle on 34th Street”, and “Once Upon a Time in America” all show up, proving that even movies considered untouchable can still be called overrated by newer audiences.
Romance fans will notice “The Notebook” on the list, while nostalgia lovers might not be thrilled to see “Grease”, “The Breakfast Club”, “Top Gun”, and “Elf” all labeled as overpraised. Even “Fight Club” and “Good Will Hunting” did not escape criticism, which feels like a direct challenge to film bros everywhere.
The full list also includes “Friday the 13th”, “Gladiator”, “Amélie”, “Prisoners”, “Desperately Seeking Susan”, and “Private Benjamin”. In other words, no genre is safe.
At the end of the day, calling a movie overrated does not mean it’s bad. It just means expectations got so high that some viewers walked away unimpressed. And honestly, without lists like this, what would we even argue about online?