2011's Most Overrated Films

I decided to attack my list of 2011's most overrated movies by splitting them into two different categories. I'll start by listing my 3 most overrated Oscar hopefuls, and then I will follow it up with my 3 most overrated blockbusters. I also want to preface these lists by explaining my criteria for the often misused term "overrated". The films listed here are no where near the worst ones I saw this year. I classify them as overrated because I felt they weren't as good as critics and moviegoers made them out to be. Let the controversy begin!

OVERRATED OSCAR HOPEFULS

Moneyball

In 2011, Bennett Miller's Moneyball managed to gross an astounding $75 million in box office revenue and conjure up a rotten tomatoes approval rating of 95%. With a strong possibility of Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brad Pitt), and Best Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill), Moneyball fell way short of my expectations. I graded the film out at a B- and 2.5 out of 4 stars, a far cry from its overwhelming critical praises. I felt that both Pitt and Hill gave strong performances, but certainly not top 5 in their respective categories. Even as a huge fan of baseball, I found Moneyball to be a rather dull look into the world of saber-metrics.

WAR HORSE

Since it's Christmas release, Steven Spielberg's epic tale War Horse has already topped the $40 million box office mark. It's critical acclaim and Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture help place the film in prime position for an Oscar nomination as well. Although I enjoyed the story of War Horse, the movie never lured me in and hooked me like it was intended. I thought the film was extremely drawn out and its ending never resonated. War Horse falls well short of my top ten films of the year (B- and 2.5 stars out of 4), and I hope the Academy agrees.

MELANCHOLIA

With the Academy's new voting process for its Best Picture category, many people fear the chance of more obscure titles topping each voter's list and creating an unexpected group of nominees. One film which could benefit from the new system is Lars von Trier's Melancholia. The world renowned director's latest feature dazzled audiences and critics all over Europe. However, I found Melancholia to be an endless journey with few redeeming qualities. The film's score is epic and its cinematography is wonderful, but that's about it. With a 78% rating on rotten tomatoes, my C- and 1.5 stars out of 4 seem far off from most other critics. Therefore, I find Melancholia to be overrated and unworthy of any Oscar praise.

Overrated Blockbusters

CONTAGION

While scouring through hundreds of people "Top Ten" lists of 2011, I was floored at the number of critics including Steven Soderbergh's Contagion. This run of the mill outbreak movie grossed north of $75 million at the box office and garnered an unfathomable 84% rating on rotten tomatoes. Contagion never manages to reach the terrifying and suspensgul peaks which were intended. It's massive number of subplots and storylines create a jumbled approach to an interesting subject matter. There were 15 to 20 minute stretches of Contagion where major storylines were ignored and, as a result, it became impossible to connect with central characters. I graded the film a C+ and 2 stars out of 4, pretty mediocre.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL

One of the most puzzling rotten tomatoes ratings of the year goes out to Tom Cruise's return in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. I was shocked upon seeing its rating of 93%, so I dashed to the theatre to see what I was missing. Truth be told, I wasn't missing much (C+, 2 stars out of 4). MI:4 has cleared $130 million in box office revenue all while remaining remarkably mediocre. Jeremy Renner's character was thrown into the story and the rationale to make him fit is too unconvincing. There's plenty of action and a surprise amount of laughs, but MI:4 is nothing spectacular. You'll be entertained (enough), but I was looking for more.

HORRIBLE BOSSES

I expect to be tarred and feathered for my inclusion of the comedy hit Horrible Bosses on this list. I caught this film at the tail end of its theatrical run, and perhaps that's the reason I didn't love it. Horrible Bosses raked in over $115 million at the box office last year and everyone was talking about the movie. When I watched the film I felt that Jamie Foxx's character was a hindrance and the moment Kevin Spacey's character pulled the trigger, the movie lost all sense of order. The film's third act was a major drop off and I find all 3 of its leads to be somewhat overrated themselves. I graded Horrible Bosses at a C+ and 2 stars out of 4, leaving it well below the expectations I had for it.

A few other honorable mentions to both lists are: Bradley Cooper's Limitless, the comedy Hall Pass, The family film Rango, and potential Oscar hopefuls Like Crazy and Shame.

What are your thoughts? Don't be shy and leave a comment!