In honor of Groundhog Day’s negative monotony, here are our favorite 10 movies that sound boring, but are actually completely brilliant watches.
Ah, the daily routine of life that can often be extremely boring. It’s why we love the movies so much, providing us with a chance to switch off from monotony and be glued to an adventure we’ll never be able to personally have.
But what happens when that monotony is what’s on the screen? When a film has an incredibly boring write-up, will we actually go and see the movie – and what happens if it’s actually brilliant?
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If you’ve ever been left wondering whether you’d given a movie a harsh dressing down before seeing it, fear not. Here are our favorite 10 movies that sound boring, but are actually brilliant to watch.
Perfect Days (2023)
From the man who gave us epic movies such as Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire comes Perfect Days – which is essentially a film about a man who cleans toilets for a living. Every day, his drive to work contains another cassette to revisit listening to, another lunch break sitting in the park staring at trees, and another chance to be mildly annoyed at his younger and irritating colleague. Hardly fuel for a blockbuster hit, but don’t be fooled by the subject matter – Perfect Days pulls on the heartstrings while delving into an emotionally nuanced and meaningful personal journey. Why can’t we get joy from the little things?
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Where to watch: In cinemas
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
Damn, that John Cassavetes is talented! Long after his acting days in films like Rosemary’s Baby, John stepped behind the camera to give audiences A Woman Under the Influence, with the leading role taken on by his real-life partner Gena Rowlands. Essentially, the story focuses on a woman slowly but surely having a mental breakdown in her own home, with the 155-minute runtime rarely leaving the confines of their abode. The blue-collar family struggles to make sense of what is going on, leading to a devastating slow burn that manifests itself out of thin air.
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Where to watch: Max
Tokyo Story (1953)
The archetype for modern family dynamics was arguably first presented in 1953’s Tokyo Story, which is now considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made. At the same time, its premise is incredibly basic, revolving around two elderly parents who go to visit their children on the other side of Japan. However, a lot of thoughtful conversation is able to stem from this, including the meaning of life, generational guilt, and how old is too old to live a full life.
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Where to watch: Max
Beau Is Afraid (2023)
Yes, we hear you – not everyone is going to agree that 2023’s Beau Is Afraid is brilliant, but objectively the movie ticks all the boxes. As elaborate and confusing as it is to watch on screen, the storyline can be boiled down to one simple yet mundane sentence: a man returns home to find his mother. Little does the man know that Patti LuPone is waiting to verbally belt him and a giant dick-looking monster is lurking in the attic, but that’s by the by.
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Where to watch: FuboTV
After Love (2020)
Often in movies, the subtle can often be mistaken for boring. Such is the case with the 2020 post-pandemic hit After Love, which centers on a grieving woman learning to cope after her husband’s death. The U.K. coastal landscape is barren and a lot of Mary’s (Joanna Scanlan) time is spent on her own, but that doesn’t stop an emotionally dramatic narrative from exploding under the surface. All performances are knockout here, with its pithy runtime only adding to the gut-punch experience.
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Where to watch: rent on Apple TV+
Paper Moon (1973)
“Man meets girl who is potentially his daughter” is an apt way to sum up Paper Moon, which was released in 1973 despite looking a lot older. Not only is the onscreen story gripping and endearing, but the behind-the-scenes stories between real-life father-daughter duo Ryan and Tatum O’Neal are for the history books. Tatum went on to become the youngest recipient to ever win an Academy Award at 10 years old, with her dad apparently so miffed that he wasn’t nominated himself that he didn’t turn up.
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Where to watch: Max
The Worst Person in the World (2021)
Ah, who doesn’t love a movie about a young woman trying to figure out who she is? Unlike other movies that have an ongoing romance plot or ingrained family trauma, The Worst Person in the World purely runs with the bare bones of this concept. Understated in its beauty, lead character Julie (Renate Reinsve) really takes her time to bed into who she wants to become, taking viewers on a quietly chaotic journey in the process. Special shoutout goes to the film’s well-considered soundtrack, including the likes of 2005 one-hit wonder 1 Thing.
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Where to watch: Hulu
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Julie Roberts? Check. Sally Field? Check. Dolly Parton? Also check. Separately or together, these women could read from a Yellow Pages and most would be happy, so watching the pootle around town and the hair salon is a veritable treat. What stems from sleepy small-town life is an unexpected gut-punch of an emotional twist – leading to one of the most iconic displays of grief of all time.
Where to watch: AMC+
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Dazed and Confused (1993)
As adults, it’s not exactly a barrel of laughs to watch a gaggle of teens bum around and do nothing – but Richard Linklater turned the idea into something much more culturally significant with Dazed and Confused. Starring a young Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck the actual plotline doesn’t do much further than burned-out parties, playing pool, and chasing off freshmen – but it doesn’t need to.
Where to watch: rent on Apple TV+
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Aftersun (2022)
Father and daughter go on holiday in Aftersun, leaving viewers to quite literally watch holiday footage from years gone by. However, the movie is known for being one of the most devastating flicks of 2022, drenched in ongoing trauma and just enough of a cliffhanger to make you burst into tears. A debut from Charlotte Wells, Aftersun swept the awards circuit with its hard-hitting depth defying expectations. It’s not one to be missed – but also not one to be watched on a whim.
Where to watch: FuboTV
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