8 Beloved Films That Exceeded My Expectations

Since 2017, Steven and I have reviewed all of the new releases we’ve seen together, in order to compile lists of our favorite and least favorite films of each year. But considering that we avoided almost every single new release last year, we decided go about our movie watching in a different way. We watched dozens of beloved or culturally significant films from the 1920s to the 2010 and compiled 2 lists: beloved movies that didn’t live up to the hype, and beloved movies that were somehow better than we’d expected! This article is focused on the latter. Here are 8 movies we can confirm are more than deserving of their praise from the critics and/or public.

This Article is Spoiler-Free

Before we get into the list, here is a little bit about Steven and my taste in film and what will probably inform why we feel the way we do about the following films:

Steven's favorite films are the ones that move and influence the film industry. He loves Spielberg classics such as Jaws and Jurassic Park and the way they form what it means to be a blockbuster hit, and adores the complexity of The Shining and the excitement of the first two Godfather films. He's also a huge Star Wars buff (so you can imagine how painful this past few years has been for him) with an appreciation for fantasy and sci-fi.

My favorite films are the ones where you get to know the characters extremely well. I love films about relationships such as Titanic and Waitress, unforgettable musicals like The Sound of Music and West Side Story, and movies that give me hope like The Shawshank Redemption. Real people and real experiences interest me greatly, but I don't mind when a real life experience is embedded into fantasy and folklore…as long as it's fully fleshed out.

Goodfellas (1990)

Goodfellas is the true story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta,) who grew up in the mafia scene and helped to pull off one of the most famous heists in American history. On the surface he enjoys the privileges and luxuries of mob life, but his addiction to cocaine as well as some major setbacks along the way may prove to be his undoing.

And while Goodfellas may not ever have the cultural impact of The Godfather, one could argue it is a better mob movie. It’s important to note that The Godfather was released in the 1970s, at a time when the mob was at the peak of its power, and so many members of the mob elite had their hands in how The Godfather portrayed these gangsters and their lifestyles. And as a result, that film’s characters had dignity, honor, and a grand plan at all times. They may have been blowing bullets through people’s cars, but they were doing it for the good of their family. Cut to 1990, and the mob has much less influence on the entertainment industry. So at this point, director Martin Scorsese has free range to add a bit more gritty realism into his depiction of the mob. These characters are no Vito or Michael Corleone. They get in over their heads, they screw up big time, they do things for the wrong reasons…and whether or not that’s a more accurate depiction of the average mob affiliate, it’s just downright more relatable. When watching this film for the first time, you get the feeling that the characters know just as little about what is going to happen to them next as you do. And the fact that this is all based on a true story makes it less predictable, as you know it’s not necessarily going to be tied in a nice bow at the end. There are moments that I think will always keep me on the edge of my seat, and there are so many presented questions that I still spend time theorizing the answers to. This makes for a film that you can watch over and over again throughout your life, from which you’ll always be able to come away with something new. Now go home and get your f*ckin’ shinebox!

Kramer vs Kramer (1979)

To say that Kramer vs Kramer cleaned up at the 1980s Academy Awards would be an understatement. It was nominated for 9 awards, and took home 5 including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and the most coveted award of the evening: Best Picture. So I expected a lot from it. That said, it didn’t disappoint. Kramer Vs. Kramer is about a couple - Ted and Joanna Kramer (Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep,) whose marriage has imploded and left them with complicated divorce proceedings and the difficult decision as to who gets custody of their son Billy (Justin Henry.) And all I can say is that this is the movie that 2019’s Marriage Story was trying to be, but couldn’t manage.

Without spoiling either movie, I do think it’s important to compare the two. They were both centered around the complexity of divorce, they both were created with the intention of winning Oscars, and they both got positive attention. But in my opinion Marriage Story is not half as good as Kramer vs Kramer, because it was so worried about whether or not Kylo and ScarJo’s Jennifer Lawrence-style temper tantrums would earn them little golden statues, that it forgot to be thoughtful and relatable. I get that the people who vote for the Oscars are those in the entertainment industry, and that that makes films regarding show biz ripe for wins. But where Marriage Story tried to glamorize the divorce at hand with the couple jet-setting back and forth across the country and getting nominated for Macarthur Fellowship grants and Emmy awards, Kramer vs. Kramer focuses on issues that the average viewer can relate to: The difficulties of balancing your career with quality time with your family, how becoming a wife and mother can cause you to lose your identity, the list goes on.

I am by no means insinuating that Kramer vs. Kramer is completely realistic and without its too-good-to-be-true elements, but it is much more compelling, better acted, and more grounded as a whole, which makes it very easy to relate to both characters and understand where they’re coming from. It is honest about how unequal the treatment of men and women can be in everyday married life, and how unequally the justice system treats men and women in divorce court, and doesn’t feel like it’s trying to prove that one side always gets the short end or that one side is the one we should always root for. This drives home how difficult, complex and heartbreaking divorce really is. And for that reason, I find that it is still relatable and relevant, 41 years later.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

For years now, Steven has been wanting to show me The Silence of the Lambs, and 2020 proved to be the right time to finally sit down and view it. And while this brand of action thriller is not normally my cup of tea, I whole-heartedly enjoyed this film! The Silence of The Lambs is about a plucky student in training with the FBI named Clarice (Jodie Foster,) who is on assignment to interview Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) - a disgraced psychiatrist serving a life sentence for murder and cannibalism - in an effort to solve the kidnapping and murder cases related to an individual nicknamed Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine.) And after decades of hearing that this movie was excellent, it ended up being exactly what I’d hoped it would be.

It’s exciting, intriguing, well-acted, well-paced, and - while I can’t say that there’s much care and consideration in depicting Buffalo Bill and his particular mental illness - Hannibal Lecter is definitely a more fleshed out (no pun intended) and nuanced character than I thought he’d be. I also really enjoyed Jodie Foster’s depiction of Clarice. I think movies today feel the need to make female leads perfect or total Mary Sues, because they think that will somehow read as feminist or complimentary of women, when in reality, what makes a strong or compelling female lead is the same not-so-secret sauce that makes a compelling male character: A complex combination of strength and weakness, bravery and fear, confidence and uncertainty…you know, the way people are in real life. And Foster is a very compelling leading lady, who grounds this at times campy and ridiculous movie. She’s the glue that keeps everything together, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else in the role.

I can see exactly why this movie has the following it does. Sure, there are a couple of cringeworthy moments during the high intensity scenes that make me wonder what the hell the writers were thinking. But that’s just how movies were in the ‘90s, so I’ll give it a pass. Once you look past some of the dated camp and cheese, you have a really interesting plot to enjoy.

Harold and Maude (1971)

Harold and Maude is about a disenchanted young man named Harold (Bud Cort) who is obsessed with the prospect of dying, and how meeting an eccentric octogenarian named Maude (Ruth Gordon) completely changes the way he looks at life. There has always been some controversy around this film, as it features a very unconventional May-December romance with a 60 year age difference, but it has also gained a cult following and become a darling of indie movie theaters. The first time I saw this film was at The Roxie theater in San Francisco. So I was excited to show Steven this film for the first time in 2020, and was pleased that he enjoyed it so much.

In fact, this was my third time watching this film, and I can confirm that it simply gets better and better with each viewing, as you always find something new to uncover. As you can tell by the uncomfortable subject matter in its plot, this film is not afraid to be edgy, absurd and even surreal at times. It has you constantly questioning what is diegetic, and what is just symbolic or taking place in a character’s mind. I also admire how well-crafted this film is. It’s ahead of its time comedy-wise, it puts an interesting spin on the Manic Pixie Dreamgirl - being that this one has been collecting social security for almost two decades - and it says so much by saying so little. Many scenes are just Bud Cort staring off into space with very little dialogue, or people sitting in drab or sparsely decorated rooms. But what a character is saying with their eyes, the position in which they’re seated, what angle the camera is positioned at and what objects are behind them really do drive the scenes forward in a unique way.

I plan to do a more in-depth analysis on the ending of this film in a future article, but for now I will leave you with this: Harold and Maude is one of those movies you couldn’t forget - even if you wanted to. Whether you find it bizarre and disturbing or funny and touching, it’s bound to have an effect on you. And that’s a major part of what makes it more than deserving of being a cult classic.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

When I think of a decade of memorable media about teens and high school life, I always think of the 1980s. I’ve studied the impact of the original Degrassi Junior High series and I’ve watched the long list of John Hughes classics, so of course I had to round out my knowledge set with a viewing of 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And what is most interesting about this film is that it’s a time capsule of nostalgia for the ‘80s, similar to how Grease was a time capsule of nostalgia for the ‘50s; However, while Grease is a retrospective on the ‘50s - knowing that it will be watched for the purposes of nostalgia - Fast Times at Ridgemont High is introspective, now being regarded as a nostalgic view of the actual decade it was made in.

Being that this film is commonly put in the same category as The Breakfast Club, it’s very tempting to try to compare the two films; However, while both films talk about similar topics such as peer pressure, sex and drug use - not to mention Mike Damone is like a John Bender prototype - I think comparing them is like comparing apples to oranges. The Breakfast Club takes itself much more seriously, makes more social commentary, and is a more cleaned up version of the real world, like most John Hughs movies. Whereas Fast Times at Ridgemont High is more casual, slightly grittier, and isn’t really trying to make much social commentary (Similar to Grease.) The characters just kind of do their thing and are really only all linked together by the fact that they all attend the same school.

Yet although a lot of arcs and plots don’t go anywhere, they’re still very relatable, making you want to follow these characters and hope for the best for them. I also feel like The Breakfast Club is trying to give a voice to the nerds, the basketcases and the criminals, whereas I could see Fast Times at Ridgemont High appealing moreso to the jocks and the princesses. But no matter what lunch table you sat at in high school, I think everyone can get something out of this - as Roger Ebert so eloquently put it - ‘scuz-pit' of a movie’.

One word of caution: If like me you expected Sean Penn as Spicoli to be the main character - being that he’s the posterchild for the movie, - you may be disappointed that he has just about as much screen time as the many other characters.

Psycho (1960)

Being that Steven had never seen Psycho, and that I had only watched it back in high school while I was half awake - making it impossible for me to appreciate its depth - we decided to give it a watch this past year. We were a bit worried this was going to be one of those classic films that are more iconic than good (I think that assumption is a side effect of watching too many movies in a single year.) If we stripped this movie of the imagery that made it a cultural phenomenon, would there still be a great script and story lying underneath? This film answered us with a resounding yes.

Psycho is an Alfred Hitchcock classic that follows a woman named Marion Crane (Janet Leigh,) who stays at the Bates Motel while on the run after committing grand larceny. There, she meets the proprietor, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins,) a lonely intellectual with a fascination for taxidermy, and a tormented relationship with his elderly mother. As Norman’s behavior towards Marion becomes stranger and stranger, the details of his family’s dark past start to become more apparent. This film is Hitchcock at his finest. He really understood that when it comes to depictions of violence and gore, what you don’t choose to show to the audience can be just as important as what you do. And his decision to release the film in black and white when the technology to produce a film in color was already available was a choice that ultimately makes the film more dramatic and suspenseful. It’s hardly the scariest film ever made, but it’s impossible to miss how its stylistic choices, performances and screenplay has influenced the last 60 years of horror films and thrillers.

I know that spoilers regarding the shower scene and the twist at the end of the movie are always being brought up in pop culture. But even though I already knew what was going to happen throughout the film, I was still on the edge of my seat wondering when and why events would take place. Even if you were to read the entire synopsis online before viewing it, you could still be intrigued by the characters, the setting, the camera angles, and the sheer vividness of the trip Hitchcock takes you on. And that’s why it was, is and always will be an absolute must-see.

American Psycho (2000)

In my experience, when it comes to Gen X and Millennial American men, they all seem to agree on the same three films: Fight Club, Donnie Darko and American Psycho. I’ve given both Fight Club and Donnie Darko more than one fair chance to impress, and have come to realize that they’re just simply not for me. So this past year, I finally rounded out the bros night holy trinity with this cult classic from 2000…and now American Psycho is officially one of my favorite films of all time.

American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale,) a typical 1980s Manhattanite yuppie who is lost in a sea of suits, chichi restaurant hors d'oeuvres and designer drugs. Considering his goals of climbing the corporate ladder, maintaining a perfectly manicured appearance and scoring a reservation at the hippest restaurant in town, you’d think that his surroundings fit him like a glove. But behind closed doors lies a whole other side of Patrick that his vapid friends and self-absorbed acquaintances could never have anticipated. Being that I lived in San Francisco throughout the entirety of the 2010s, I witnessed the yuppie culture that developed from the tech boom. Not to mention I’ve met and even dated my fair share of Patrick Bateman-types. So seeing this persona depicted as the main character of a film was quite surreal. It may be about a subculture from before I was born, but that doesn’t make it any less relevant to the culture of today. And I think that at the end of the day, that’s what makes it not just a good film, but a great one. It knows exactly what it wants to say about society. And in a very precise and unpretentious fashion. It’s layered and deep, while still maintaining high energy and a great sense of wit.

Yes it may tick all of the boxes of your typical male crowd-pleasing film (sex, violence, existential crisis) but this film is so well-crafted, that it can strike a chord with many different kinds of people. Even if it is a period piece about the 1980s filmed in a very early-2000s way, it boasts so much finesse and such a memorable performance by Christian Bale, that I think it has the potential to garner fans from many future generations. While I can’t diagnose whether or not Patrick’s behavior is an accurate representation of psychopathy, he very believably depicts how vapidness and nihilism of a superficial existence could bring someone to the brink of insanity.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Remember how every baby boomer gay man told you that you had to watch this movie? Well, listen to every baby boomer gay man, because this movie did not disappoint. Sunset Boulevard is a Billy Wilder film noir about a struggling screenwriter named Joe Gillis (William Holden) who stumbles upon the home of an eccentric has-been classic actress named Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson.) Norma takes a liking to Joe and he agrees to spend time with her, as he believes it will lead to future success in the film industry. But the more time he spends with her, the more he unravels the tragic truth beneath her Hollywood-veneered existence.

Gloria Swanson’s portrayal of Norma Desmond is camp at its finest, and the story at hand has many bizarre layers to enjoyably peel back. In my mind, I compare the universe in Sunset Boulevard to the universe in a film like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. That the world surrounding the characters feels quite typical, but once you step into Wonka’s factory or Norma Desmond’s home, it feels like anything is possible, and the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur. This film may start out like any film noir, but it definitely ends on a note that’s like nothing I’d ever seen before.

If you aren’t the sort of person who is used to watching Old Hollywood films, I recognize that there are going to be scenes in the beginning that feel long or not as exciting as modern cinema. But I highly recommend sticking with it, because the payoff is well worth it. This is one of those movies that sticks with you. One of those absolute gems that you will reference for the rest of your life. Much of what makes this film timeless, is the fact that its message is timeless. It thoroughly comments on the pitfalls of pop culture and celebrity, and what can happen to anyone - famous or not - when ego takes over.

What did I Learn From This List of Films?

Much of what I noticed when reviewing these films was how much they have stood the test of time. The newest film on this list was from over 20 years ago, and yet all of these films felt relevant to me. I may not relate directly to the characters in that I’m not be going through a divorce, planning some sort of mob heist or having a violent manic episode; However, what makes these films relatable is how they take extreme actions of the characters at hand, and boil them down to motives that we’re all familiar with: Trying to resolve the damage of a relationship, a hunger for fortune and success, uncertainty about what you want out of life. And regardless of whether a film is shot in black and white or colorful high-def, regardless of whether a film had a budget of $5 million or $50 million, and regardless of whether it’s about true life or pure fantasy, if effort is putting into crafting a solid film, it has the potential to be impactful for many decades to come.

If you haven’t yet seen some of the films on this list, I hope you’ll now consider them for a future movie night. Lord knows we have plenty of time for those. And be sure to check out my other end of year film retrospectives. Until we meet again!