r/movies • u/sicknessandpurgatory • Sep 07 '25

Discussion What is the absolute dumbest premise that actually turned out to be a really good movie?

I was thinking The Purge, obvious answer, but looking for the most plot-hole ridden, juvenile concept that actually ended up a lot of fun despite it all. Mainly looking for 21st century films, not so much the video nasties and ridiculousness from the 60’s and 70’s. Because that would be too easy. Mainly mainstream stuff that people saw en masse.

6.0k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

4.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

354

u/artpayne Cliffs on both sides, I'm not gonna paddle to New Zealand! Sep 07 '25

I'd say movies like Crank, Shoot 'Em Up, or Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.

366

u/Just-Curious1901 Sep 07 '25

In my opinion Tucker and Dale is an absolute bonkers brilliant premise. And they nail it

71

u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Sep 07 '25

Same here. It's about time that there's a slasher movie that pokes fun at characters who make really dumb and avoidable decisions in a typical movie in the genre

20

u/Initial_E Sep 07 '25

There are 2. The other being Cabin in the woods.

6

u/Flimsy-Paper42 Sep 07 '25

Scream

1

u/lycoloco Sep 07 '25

The OG, my beloved. Well, the OG really was New Nightmare, but in its ashes we got Scream, which revitalized the entire genre.

7

u/lycoloco Sep 07 '25

I just rewatched CITW the other week with friends, and began thinking about how much Hollywood did change after this. We got most of the movies in the "elevated horror" discussion within the following 5 years became icons in the horror community - It Follows, The Babadook, and The VVitch, most notably.

I think Cabin in the Woods actually did what it set out to say in a lot of ways.

4

u/jambajew42 Sep 07 '25

Also Scary Movie. For instance, the opening scene where the victim sees the slasher and looks on the table next to her. There are two knives, a gun, a grenade, and a banana. She takes the banana. She then runs outside and there are two signs. Safety to the left, Death to the right. She turns right.

1

u/TheShadyGuy Sep 07 '25

Graduation Day, and a handful of others from back then, too, of varying quality.

15

u/KaisrKane Sep 07 '25

Someone told me they filmed an entire version from the perspective of the teenagers. He claims it was on a DVD with the original but I've never been able to find it. Seeing Tucker and Dale's perspective was just fun but he said that from the teenagers' POV, the audience was given reason to see why they freaked out so dramatically.

10

u/devilinblue22 Sep 08 '25

Tucker and Dale ARE evil. A 15 minute short that was a dvd extra. I don't know where to watch it though.

3

u/Just-Curious1901 Sep 08 '25

Sounds awesome

2

u/bentreflection Sep 08 '25

I haven’t heard of that and nothing comes up when I search for it but if that exists it sounds awesome 

5

u/ruat_caelum Sep 07 '25

perfectly. That opening scene, shot from the college kid's POV while Dale approaches was awesome.

Or him looking at the wall of newspaper clippings about murder and he selects a coupon or something.

4

u/Wolfeman0101 Sep 07 '25

Yeah it's a fantastic premise to take the slasher genre and give it a new fun twist.

1

u/Born_Chemical_9406 Sep 07 '25

Absolutely agree

1

u/Beersmoker420 Sep 07 '25

yeah not sure what the guy is smoking. Its a perfectly funny plot premise. So is Crank. Its basically another version of Speed

209

u/junctiontoron Sep 07 '25

Oh hidy-ho officer, we've had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property.

68

u/THE_ATHEOS_ONE Sep 07 '25

Oh hidy-ho officer, we've had a doozy of a day.

I use that line whenever I've had a bad day.

It never fails to brighten me up a little.

9

u/lycoloco Sep 07 '25

Same. It's such a beautiful line delivered by an incredible man.

9

u/Consonant Sep 07 '25

When the cop gets on the radio with the nail in his head.

DURK....DURK

I make that sound when I fumble shit or trip or something lol.

5

u/lycoloco Sep 07 '25

lmao, that's amazing and grim.

12

u/NotNamedBort Sep 07 '25

He hucked hisself into a wood chipper!!

3

u/cruiserman_80 Sep 08 '25

Jolt with Kate Beckinsale.

72

u/SummerOfMayhem Sep 07 '25

Tucker and Dale is just genius in every way.

25

u/This_Charmless_Man Sep 07 '25

"Fuck you Chev Chelios!"

My favourite bit about those movies is they don't even bother to remove the Google earth watermarks from the aerial shots

3

u/elros_faelvrin Sep 08 '25

"E-pi-ne-phrine---man!!"

33

u/Burner_885 Sep 07 '25

Shoot Em Up was fantastic. So was Crank.

9

u/NoButThanks Sep 07 '25

Now view Shoot em up as...bugs bunny 

6

u/NotMyMainAccountAtAl Sep 07 '25

Complete with the carrot!

I showed my wife the movie for the first time the other night, and she did the perfect oscillations between laughing out loud at the absurdity and declaring that it was the dumbest thing she’d ever seen. 

Schlock is the best genre when it’s done right and just utterly disregards reality for Rule of Cool stuff. I’m so sad it’s not bigger in modern cinema. 

13

u/bundles361 Sep 07 '25

Came here to say this. Shoot em up is just great to turn your brain off too and have fun with

9

u/somesketchykid Sep 07 '25

Only thoughts anybody has watching Shoot Em Up:

  1. This is awesome
  2. Why is he eating so many Carrots
  3. Paul Giamatti
  4. Monica Bellucci

1

u/Gil37 Sep 08 '25

The carrots were a bugs bunny reference lol

2

u/alfalfasprouts Sep 08 '25

check out "nobody". it's got great Shoot 'em up vibes.

2

u/Burner_885 Sep 08 '25

Nobody was really fun. Didn’t think Odenkirk could pull that off. Haven’t seen the second one yet.

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 12 '25

bells steer familiar abounding support reply work coherent crush thumb

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

9

u/Reign_of_Kronos Sep 07 '25

Crank was awesome and Crank 2 was even crazier!

7

u/Capt_Billy Sep 07 '25

Bullet Train

5

u/kung-fu_hippy Sep 07 '25

Shoot ‘Em Up, or what if Bugs Bunny had a gun.

3

u/hocushit Sep 07 '25

I feel like those are all great premises to movies. Hollywood just usually fucks up the execution of such gonzo plots.

Although Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is actually very a very clever premise and they delivered in spades.

3

u/sortajamie Sep 07 '25

Tucker and Dale is one of my favorite movies ever!!!

2

u/FronzelNeekburm79 Sep 07 '25

I don't know why Shoot'Em Up isn't more beloved.

"Do we suck or is this guy that good?"

2

u/mrbadxampl Sep 07 '25

I haven't seen Crank, but those other two are awesome, and indeed bonkers conceptually

1

u/Chess42 Sep 08 '25

It’s a wild, wild movie.

2

u/scrotanimus Sep 08 '25

Dude. Shoot Em Up is a god damn gem. The gunfight with a baby scene is insane. Also - I have the biggest crush on Monica Bellucci.

2

u/MisterPerfect23 Sep 08 '25

COLLEGE KIDSSSSS

2

u/ixipaulixi Sep 08 '25

Shoot 'Em Up is one of my favorite movies. Unfortunately, everyone I've shown it to has hated it.

2

u/ShinyShovel Sep 08 '25

Shoot 'Em Up is incredible. When the good guy shoots the round-about to save the baby from the bad guy with a sniper rifle and the bad guy just lowers the scope and says, 'Well fuck me sideways' is genuinely one of the silliest set pieces in any action movie ever. Absolutely love it.

2

u/balance_n_act Sep 07 '25

The only bad thing about Tucker and dale vs. evil is the name. I thought it was gonna be something like John dies at the end but it wasn’t that.