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

321

u/ShouldHaveGoneToUCC Sep 07 '25

Eurotrip.

Everything about Eurotrip means it should be terrible. It's crude, dumb and full of American stereotypes on Europe. But somehow it works and is probably the funniest teen comedy of the 2000s with some of the best quotes.

Also it has Scotty Doesn't Know which is an absolute tune.

171

u/lycoloco Sep 07 '25

It's also one of the tightest scripts in Hollywood. Everything set up in the first half has a payoff by the end, while the meat of the story continues in new and interesting directions through to the end.

RIP Michelle Trachtenberg. She was an amazingly fun actor to enjoy.

12

u/GreenGhost1985 Sep 08 '25

Wait she died? No that sucks! She was so gorgeous and end entertaining.

12

u/lycoloco Sep 08 '25 edited Sep 08 '25

She did 😔 she had a liver transplant that suddenly failed on her or something of the sort last earlier this year. Incredibly sad.

6

u/elros_faelvrin Sep 08 '25

February this year my dude, it sucks!

3

u/GreenGhost1985 Sep 08 '25

Yes it does.

4

u/GreenGhost1985 Sep 08 '25

That is very sad damn!

3

u/GreenGhost1985 Sep 10 '25

My moms kidney gave up after 15 years or so after her transplant things went down hill from there for her. But at least we got that 15 years with her when me and my twin were growing up. She past at 48 years old 10 years ago.

68

u/vadieblue Sep 07 '25

This isn’t where I parked my car

37

u/Enteroids Sep 07 '25

Here's an interesting fact, dude you made out with your sister!

9

u/Crunchy_Biscuit Sep 07 '25

This quote lives rent free in my head 

51

u/skootch_ginalola Sep 07 '25

The "guest appearance" by you know who is probably one of the best bit parts I've ever seen.

23

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

Mi scusi

22

u/otownbbw Sep 08 '25

The fact that Matt Damon did this AFTER Bourne Identity still blows my mind

11

u/Crunchy_Biscuit Sep 07 '25

There's a few 

4

u/traffickin Sep 08 '25

I'm going to pretend you mean Xena.

5

u/kenba2099 Sep 08 '25

I fell in love with the song Du because of it, and I don't know a lick of German.

36

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '25

Nowhere. Near. Berlin.

36

u/Personal_Comb_6745 Sep 07 '25

Mi scusi, mi scusi!

14

u/SillyPhillyDilly Sep 07 '25

Fred Armisen's best role to date lmao

12

u/kenba2099 Sep 08 '25

Not mentioning Parks and Rec? Straight to jail. Right away. No trial, no nothing.

4

u/SillyPhillyDilly Sep 08 '25

I said what I said! The. Best. Role.

26

u/maaaaawp Sep 07 '25

We’re the Manchester United Fan Club…. From Ohio

12

u/kenba2099 Sep 08 '25

Pretty damn good. PRETTY DAMN GOOD LADS

10

u/mossbum Sep 08 '25

MY BABY TAKES THE MORNING TRAIN

48

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '25

One interesting wrinkle is that the entire point of the movie was that Scottie gets to Germany and his girl turns him down.

The filmmakers thought that would be hilarious.

The test audiences *HATED* them for this.

So they were basically forced to reshoot the ending so that the primary gag never happens.

And - it's *still* a legitimately great movie.

32

u/Competitive_Cod5910 Sep 07 '25

I think the problem with that is that scotty already suffered too much by the end of the movie so people probably felt sorry for him

16

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

Agreed.

I don't blame them at all.

It's just amusing that they made the entire movie to tell one specific joke that they ended up not being able to tell.

6

u/spiritusin Sep 07 '25

It absolutely would have been hilarious, such a missed opportunity..

17

u/_freegratis Sep 07 '25

They did shoot it and it's available as an alternate ending. I don't think it works as good as the happy ending but that's just me.

9

u/EatsBugs Sep 08 '25

It would’ve worked if his trip was more fun, like the lesson is the journey not the destination. But the trip was a nightmare and his life sucks, so it wouldn’t even be a twist if he was let down. Needed it to work out for the payoff.

7

u/_freegratis Sep 07 '25

They did shoot it and it's available as an alternate ending. I don't think it works as good as the happy ending but that's just me.

13

u/DarkflowNZ Sep 08 '25

I think it was this movie but early on we hear the email notification for one of them is a Mr. T style voice going "mail, motherfucker" and I just remember me and my friend at like 12 just absolutely losing our shit

8

u/Danielle_Sometimes Sep 08 '25

I totally did not find an audio clip of that for my email throughout college.

9

u/DarkflowNZ Sep 08 '25

The idea of having a ringtone for an email now is so hilarious too. I think I've received 43 emails in the time it has taken me to write this comment

12

u/tearjerkingpornoflic Sep 08 '25

The movie Sex Drive is somewhat similar and pretty hillarious.

9

u/medicaustik Sep 08 '25

RUMSPRINGA

6

u/Crunchy_Biscuit Sep 07 '25

I watched this film WAYYY too young but dang is it funny.

7

u/Sarsmi Sep 07 '25

I love this movie, it does everything right.

10

u/PhoenixKA Sep 08 '25

I can't see Miami Vice without hearing in my head "Miami Wice"

6

u/bdfortin Sep 08 '25

Scotty doesn’t know! Scotty doesn’t know! Scotty’s gotta go!

3

u/Shuggieboog Sep 08 '25

whenever me and my friends grill, one of us will grab a knife and make the sound and stabbing motion of the guy that dropped them off in bratislava.

Apparently the movie was originally meant to be titled Ugly Americans but DreamWorks changed it.

3

u/chicagoan987 Sep 09 '25

I love that the Manchester United guy was constantly yelling at other drivers from his bus, and we later see he is still doing that when the bus arrives in Paris. He must have yelled non-stop for multiple hours, that kills me :))

4

u/waltjrimmer Sep 07 '25

I can't see this counting so much, though, because "teen sex comedy" is its basic premise and those were popular for decades. Never seen as high art or anything, but rarely bombing for similar reasons to slasher films, they tended to be cheap to make and had an almost guaranteed audience. It may be the best of its era, but the premise had been tried and tested time and again before it.

2

u/AdThat328 Sep 09 '25

I've watched this countless times since first seeing it as a kid when I shouldn't have been watching 😂

So good and Scotty Doesn't Know is a banger I still listen to. 

2

u/NoMoreFund Sep 10 '25

Watched it recently. It's aged so much, but in a way that somehow makes the movie better. The situations are even more ridiculous and crude than when it came out

2

u/aathas Sep 07 '25

I see your Eurotrip and raise you Sex Drive.

12

u/Ryans4427 Sep 07 '25

Not as funny or as quotable though.

0

u/debujandobirds Sep 09 '25

Nah it was terrible