What’s the most overrated movie of 2011? (Updated)
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[Updated, Monday, Jan. 2, 8:35 a.m.: Anti-Twihards formed the largest, or at least the most vocal, group of film contrarians in 2011. In a survey of more than 1,000 readers, ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I’ was ranked the most overrated movie of the year. More than 41% of people responding chose that film for the dubious distinction.
Some, however, pointed out on Twitter that since the movie was polarizing and tepidly reviewed at the time of release, ‘Breaking Dawn’ should not be considered so much overrated as ‘bad but popular,’ like other Hollywood blockbusters.
Using that logic, the ‘most-overated’ title would then go to ‘Bridesmaids,’ the R-rated cultural phenomenon about female friendship, with nearly 23% of readers choosing the Kristen Wiig comedy for the dishonor. Smaller groups chose ‘The Help’ (15%) as well as ‘Midnight in Paris (10%) and ‘The Descendants’ (10%) as the most overrated move of 2011.]
Last year, a group of readers weighed in that ‘Inception’ was the most overrated movie of 2010 -- the Christopher Nolan dream thriller, they said, didn’t come close to earning the praise bestowed on it. What film deserves the ignoble title this year?
There’s no shortage of choices, as our informal poll of colleagues and contacts suggests.
For some, ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn’ should jump to the top of the list, with the Bill Condon-directed vampire story continuing the franchise’s pattern of buzz that outpaces quality.
For others, Kristen Wiig’s ‘Bridesmaids’ should take the crown -- it’s a film that, whatever its comic charms, didn’t merit the accolades and cultural significance heaped on it.
The summer’s biggest dramatic phenomenon, ‘The Help,’ has its own group of skeptics amid the hype. And It’s hard to avoid two awards hopefuls when posing the overrated question: ‘Midnight in Paris’ and ‘The Descendants’ elicit their share of naysayers.
Weigh in on your choice in the poll below, or suggest your own film on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll reveal the results before the calendar turns to ’12 -- when a new batch of movies is sure to inspire its own round-robin of hype and backlash.
RELATED:
Inception wins informal poll as most overrated movie of 2010 (Part 2)
What’s the most underappreciated movie of 2011? (Part 1)
-- Steven Zeitchik
http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT
