'Entire movie seems like it was written by a 14-year-old trying to be edgy for his friends': 20+ Hot takes on critically acclaimed movies that are only mediocre at best

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Isabella Penn
Sep 14, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Every year, the Oscars roll around, and suddenly everyone's talking about the "must-see" movies that have somehow swept every category. You get excited, you grab your popcorn, and twenty minutes in, you're already scrolling your phone, wondering how this won a Best Picture. Honestly, how do these movies get chosen? Who decided that a slow, overly dramatic historical biopic or a deeply tragic indie film was the pinnacle of cinema for the year?

Some of the usual suspects come to mind, movies that critics adore, but the general audience struggles to stay awake through. You know the ones... the films with endless dialogue-heavy scenes, pretentious cinematography, and enough tearful monologues to fill a season of daytime TV. 

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  • This thread is a collection of hot takes from moviegoers who’ve been there, suffered through the hype, and lived to tell the tale. They’re calling out critically acclaimed films that are, honestly, just pretty mediocre. From “the Best Picture everyone raved about” to the overhyped actor’s showcase, people aren’t holding back. 

    We’ve combed through the comment section, so you don’t have to waste your time sitting through these overrated flicks. Consider this your guide to skipping the snoozefest and saving your movie nights for something actually entertaining.

  • Which critically acclaimed movie did you finally watch only to find out it's mediocre at best?
    via MikrokosmicUnicorn
  • amelia where can i watch it? 2024-12-26 Reply 24 ya_kri don't. 2024-12-29 Reply 214 Ф
    via amelia
  • Similar_Anywhere5034 Harrison Ford was not as Frantic as I was led to believe
    via Similar_Anywhere5034
  • robbiethedarling American Hustle. It's got to be one of the most nothing films I've ever seen.
    via robbiethedarling
  • JGF24 How has Crash not been mentioned yet?
    via JGF24
  • OddResearcher959 The Revenant. Two hours of Leo crawling
    via OddResearcher959
  • PinguinusImperialis The Brutalist
    via PinguinusImperialis
  • Me convincing my friend to watch an absolutely disturbing movie that ruined my mental health because I want someone to discuss it with
    via 9gag
  • liv_vibess La La Land. Felt like I was just watching two people sing their way through a breakup PowerPoint
    via liv_vibess
  • Dr_Clout The Irishman. It was terrible and not even remotely accurate to true events. Shouldn't have even been made in theory but, money
    via Dr_Clout
  • Carnage678 Annie Hall. Never found Woody Allen funny.
    via Carnage678
  • Le_6_CD_Changer Joker, entire movie seems like it was written by a 14 year old trying to be edgy for his friends.
    via Le_6_CD_Changer
  • that's right My subtitles. I can't hear without my subtitles...
    via hoest
  • maddenmadman I mean, The Blindside for obvious reasons, but that's been picked apart in recent times anyway.
    via maddenmadman
  • piplimoon The English Patient. Will you just di already???
    via piplimoon
  • prefix_code_16309 I might get flamed for this one, but despite being somewhat of a WW2 history buff, I was pretty disappointed in Oppenheimer.
    via prefix_code_16309
  • treemall Avatar (the first one). Effect was good, but plot was just a scifi version of dance with wolves.
    via treemall
  • linchenlynn For me it was La La Land everyone raved about it and when I watched it, finally it was more mehhh than wooow. Maybe I just had too high expectations☺
    via linchenlynn
  • annswertwin I absolutely hated The Notebook.
    via annswertwin
  • YetAnotherLollipop I don't know if this has already been said because I've only scrolled through a few of the answers, but The Greatest Showman. It was ok, I liked the songs but no more than that.
    via YetAnotherLollipop
  • Accomplished-Exit686 Maybe not in the category of critically acclaimed, but given. it's a Christopher Nolan film,I think it broadly fits the bill - Tenet - I have absolutely no idea what was happening in that movie.
    via Accomplished-Exit686
  • Empty_Nestor Lost in Translation. Halfway through it, I said to my wife, "A bus could come along right now and run over these two and I wouldn't care."
    via Empty_Nestor
  • schoh99 I don't get the hype about Wes Anderson films. They're okay, I guess. But if you've seen one you've seen them all.
    via schoh99
  • Hazelwyn Gravity with Sandra Bullock was intolerable.
    via Hazelwyn
  • Electronic-Stay-2369 Don't know if was critically acclaimed, but the hype for Blair Witch Project was ridiculous and it was
    via Electronic-Stay-2369

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