7 “Just Fine” Movies Everyone Pretends to Love

There are bad movies — and then there are fine movies. The ones that aren’t awful enough to roast, but not good enough to remember. They win awards, trend on Film Twitter, and get defended by people who swear you “just didn’t get it.

”Newsflash: I got it. It just wasn’t that deep.

Here are nine movies that the world collectively agreed to overpraise — not because they’re great, but because admitting otherwise might ruin the vibe.

1. Don’t Look Up (2021)

This movie thinks it’s Dr. Strangelove. It’s actually Twitter with a budget. Adam McKay takes two hours to remind us that people are dumb and the world’s ending — as if we weren’t aware. Every performance is a wink, every metaphor a hammer. The problem isn’t the message. It’s that the movie loves the smell of its own importance.

2. Tenet (2020)

Nolan’s time-inverting puzzle box looks great and sounds like a washing machine eating itself. The action is thrilling, the concept brilliant, but the story? Colder than an IMAX lobby in January. Half the dialogue exists to explain the other half, and even then, no one’s sure who’s saving what. It’s a technical miracle and an emotional desert.

3. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Three hours of digital ocean tourism. Yes, it’s gorgeous. Yes, James Cameron can out-direct anyone alive. But beauty isn’t the same as depth. Every frame looks expensive, every line sounds recycled. It’s Dances with Smurfs: Aqua Edition. I’d buy the screensaver. I just don’t want to sit through it again.

4. Joker (2019)

Joaquin Phoenix? Phenomenal. The film around him? A freshman philosophy essay in clown makeup. Joker confuses nihilism for nuance — like Taxi Driver remade by Hot Topic. It wants to critique society but also desperately wants society’s approval. Bold? Sure. Profound? Please.

5. Marriage Story (2019)

A fine film, but let’s be honest — it’s “divorce drama for theater kids.” The performances are raw, but the script is a little too self-aware of its own brilliance. Every argument sounds like it’s auditioning for awards season. Watching it feels like eavesdropping on actors rehearsing emotional pain, not living it.

6. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Freddie Mercury deserves a monument, not a Wikipedia montage. Rami Malek nails the performance, but the film edits like it’s allergic to rhythm — ironic, given the subject. It’s a crowd-pleaser built by committee: sanitized, simplified, and safe. The Live Aid sequence? Fantastic. Everything before it? A greatest hits playlist of missed opportunities.

7. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Now hold on, I like this movie. But I also know when something crosses from groundbreaking to gospel. The Daniels made a wild, heartfelt spectacle — but by the fourth bagel monologue, the self-awareness starts eating its own tail. It’s brilliant, yes. But it’s not the cure for loneliness, folks. It’s a movie. A great one. Just… not every one.

I’m not saying these films are bad. They’re fine. Competent, crafted, even occasionally brilliant — but not the transcendental experiences we pretend they are. Sometimes a movie’s just okay, and that’s okay too.

We don’t need to worship mediocrity just because it looks good in a Criterion case. Love your movies honestly — even when the world insists they’re perfect.

Stay kind, stay curious, and don’t spill the butter on your way out.— Pappy Hull, The Popcorn Philosopher