Fans Are Posting Their Favorite Movie That’s Under 20% On Rotten Tomatoes, And There Are Some Bangers Here

It’s often a fine line between a truly *bad* movie and one that’s simply enjoyable, and the internet seems to get this better than anyone. Recently, a popular online discussion started when someone asked movie lovers to share their favorite films that critics completely panned. The responses were surprisingly enthusiastic and funny, with people defending movies that aren’t necessarily *good* in a traditional sense, but are still incredibly fun despite being dismissed by reviewers years ago. In fact, some of the movies people mentioned are actually really great!

The conversation started on Reddit’s r/movies forum when a user named u/disablednerd asked people to share movies with low Rotten Tomatoes scores (under 20%) that they surprisingly enjoyed. They began by defending Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (which has an 18% rating), calling it surprisingly good and highlighting Nicolas Cage’s wild performance. Their point was that sometimes you don’t need a good story – you just want to see Ghost Rider breathe fire!

I disagree with that opinion. We actually gave the sequel a very low rating – just 1.5 out of 5 – in our review of *Spirit of Vengeance*. But it’s clear these fans are really passionate about it! And looking at the comments, it seems like a lot of movie lovers have their own favorite films they’ll strongly defend.

Fans Are Defending Their Favorite Movie Flops

There’s a lot of excellent movie suggestions in this discussion. Here are some of the films people have shared:

  • The One (2001)
    • “The soundtrack is great, the fighting sequences are awesome. 13% on RT, but I rewatch this pretty often.” — u/BonkingOff
    • “So much thought was put into the martial arts in this film. The villain is direct and aggressive, so utilizes a martial art called Xing Yi, which moves only in straight lines. The protagonist, by contrast, uses a form called Ba Gua, which moves only in circles. So, even when two Jet Lis are fighting each other, it’s very easy to visually distinguish between them based on their movements.” — u/Galahadenough
  • Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)
    • “Wow I didn’t realize kung pow was considered dog shit. That was a formative movie for the kids in my neighborhood growing up.” — u/Classic_Knowledge_30
    • “To take two unrelated kung fu movies, green screen yourself into them, and make a new story? That’s peak comedy.” — u/LucyBowels
  • Joe Dirt (2001)
    • “9% is a goddamn atrocity. Say what you want, but this is still a solid watch.” — u/Unlikely-Answer
    • “You guys got somethin’ to say about Joe Dirt? Why don’t you say it in the microphone. I got a backup Mike right here. Check one two, testing, testing. Yup, they both workin’ and guess what? They don’t like no feedback, what’s up?” — u/DuaneDibbley
  • Out Cold (2001)
    • “Out Cold isnt a perfect film but its one of my fav comedies from that era, still rewatch it regularly and introduced me to Zach Galiafanakis. Deserves way better than 8%” — u/billyrivers311
    • “God when they spin the car and he wakes up and freaks out is such a great bit of slapstick comedy.” — u/againsterik
  • Jumper (2008)
    • “Hayden Christensen[‘s] Jumper. Love that movie. 15% Critic and 44% Audience lol” — u/MrConnor212
    • “Oh, I loved this movie. I wish they could have made sequels because the premise was so good.” — u/PotatoeRash
  • Jingle All the Way (1996)
    • “Not a good movie at all, but pure guilty pleasure.” — u/spaceraingame
    • “PUT THAT COOKIE DOWN…NOW!” — u/ThalliumSassafras
  • Dirty Work (1998)
    • “Dirty Work with Norm MacDonald is top 10 ’90s comedy, and I will not hear otherwise.” — u/liulide
    • “I’ve never seen so many dead hookers in my life.” — u/twstdbydsn

The online discussion quickly became a fun appreciation of those wonderfully awful movies – the ones critics hated but fans secretly adore, quote endlessly, and enjoy rewatching. And I’m definitely here for it! But where do *I* fall on this topic? I have some pretty firm opinions.

My Take On These Film Picks

I definitely relate to a lot of these! *Jingle All the Way* is a classic Christmas movie that my family watches every year. And while *Dirty Work* might not be one of my all-time favorite comedies, I still find myself quoting it all the time, and that line from *Joe Dirt* is just stuck in my head!

I was really surprised to see *The One* on the list. I remember people enjoying it when it was released, so it was shocking to learn it’s not highly regarded as a martial arts film – it only has a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, people commenting online did acknowledge its impressive martial arts choreography, and I can understand why.

This discussion really shows how movie fans are rediscovering the fun of enjoying films, regardless of what critics say. A perfect example is The Thing – critics initially hated it and it didn’t do well in theaters, but now it’s considered one of the best horror movies ever made. It just goes to show that what one person dislikes, another might absolutely love. I’m going to go rewatch it on Peacock before it’s no longer available!

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2025-10-20 15:41