2012's Most Underrated Films

As the year closes, you can expect to see all different kinds of "lists" concerning this year's cinematic offerings. To kick off my year-end frenzy, I'll begin with 2012's most underrated releases. My main criteria for this list looked at the box office totals for my favorite films of the year. My list includes five of 2012's best movies that never even reached $5 million at the box office. Enjoy.

#5  Goon ($4.2 million box office)

We all remember Seann William Scott as American Pie's Stifler, but in 2012 he gave us another memorable character as Goon's Doug Glatt. Working as a bouncer at a bar and looking for his niche in life, Doug Glatt's best skill is his ability to give beat-downs. Therefore, when Glatt finds his way into the amateur hockey circuit as a goon and an enforcer, he finally finds his life's purpose. Hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt, Goon offers everything you could ask for in a satisfying sports comedy.

#4  Robot & Frank ($3.3 million box office)

The extensive career of Frank Langella pressed on in 2012 with his fine work in the semi-futuristic comedy Robot & Frank. Langella stars Frank, an aging ex-con with a knack for cracking safes. As his dementia continues to worsen, Frank's son surprises him with the latest in modern technology ... a robot servant. Rather than use the robot for its intended purposes, Frank teaches the machine the art of robbery. Building a special friendship in the process, Frank and his robot pull off a heist and attempt to thwart local law enforcement.


#3  Ruby Sparks ($2.5 million box office)

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris followed up their 2006 major motion picture debut, Little Miss Sunshine, with an even better sophomore effort. Ruby Sparks follows Calvin (played by Paul Dano), a young struggling novelist who keeps failing to reach the same masterful heights as his first literary work. When Calvin dreams up a new female character for his novel named Ruby Sparks (played by Zoe Kazan), he begins to fall in love with her. Things take an even stranger turn when Calvin awakes one morning to find Ruby living inside of him house ... in the flesh. A fantastic and imaginative comedy, Ruby Sparks is a thought-provoking and realistic examination of human relationships.


#2  Safety Not Guaranteed ($4 million box office)

Aubrey Plaza has officially placed herself on the map with her fantastic role in the sci-fi drama Safety Not Guaranteed. Plaza stars as a magazine intern named Darius who is asked to infiltrate the life of a supposed nut-case who placed an advertisement looking for a partner for time travel. The deeper Darius gets pulled into the story, the more she begins to think that he isn't so crazy. With glaring performances, a strong story and no shortage of laughs, Safety Not Guaranteed is clearly one of 2012's rare gems.


#1  Perfect Sense (less that $1 million box office)

My list of the year's most underrated films is topped by a small BBC indie film called Perfect Sense, starring Ewan McGregor and Eva Green. A chef (McGregor) and an Epidemiologist (Green) begin to fall in love as an unknown illness sweeps across the entire globe, affecting the rich and poor alike. Unable to escape it, the illness slowly destroys everyone's senses one at a time. An apocalyptic romance like no other, Perfect Sense is an eye-opening journey that serves as a much needed reminder that love is the greatest sense of all.