Monsters Inc. (2001)
Many people will probably fight me on this, as
Monsters Inc. is a Disney/Pixar movie plenty of people probably still hold dear. That’s childhood nostalgia talking, friends. While
Billy Crystal and
John Goodman are still a team for the ages, this installment feels rooted in that earlier era of Pixar where they were fixated on “secret worlds.” Once
Finding Nemo came along to change everything, this formula just didn’t hold up.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Comedy is a hard genre to age gracefully, and a film like
Wedding Crashers is a prime example of why. Though it did provide one of
Will Ferrell’s most quotable moments, a lot of the humor in this
Vince Vaughn/
Owen Wilson vehicle might not work with present-day viewers. This ride is neither built for speed, nor comfort.
Scary Movie (2000)
Spoof movies are a sub-genre that’s one of the hardest to make into a hit that can stand the test of time. Though
Scary Movie certainly felt like a huge hit in its early days, the diminishing returns of sequels and the era-specific nature of the jokes doomed it in the long run. Also, the wave of infamous copycats like
Date Movie only sank this ship even further.
Meet The Parents (2000)
DreamWorks struck while the iron was hot when they made a trilogy around 2000’s
Meet the Parents. But even taken on its own, the Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro rom-com shows its age in a lot of ways. Most notably, the fact that what once felt fresh about this chain of romantic mishaps has become old hat.
Anger Management (2003)
Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson: together at last! That seemed to be the major selling point for 2003’s
Anger Management, and at the time it seemed to work. Jump ahead to our present day and more people might think you’re talking about the Charlie Sheen FX sitcom when you mention its name.
300 (2007)
Not everything Zack Snyder touches turns to gold. And while his adaptation of
300 was a big deal back in the day, it pales in comparison to his other films. That’s partially because of the legacy that author Frank Miller’s creation has accrued over time, and also due to Snyder topping himself with
Watchmen and
Zack Snyder’s Justice League. On the plus side,
Snyder’s original 300 sequel pitch,
Blood and Ashes, is sitting there, just waiting for its creator to make it happen.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Biopics are always a flashpoint of controversy, as adaptation efforts on a movie like director Ron Howard’s
A Beautiful Mind have inspired the phrase “historical drama” to be used in pictures of this ilk. The Russell Crowe starring picture that depicts mathematician John Nash’s struggles with schizophrenia was not only a box office hit, but also 2002’s Best Picture winner at the Oscars.
Juno (2007)
In its release window,
Juno was a lightning rod of both controversy and applause, as Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody’s collaboration was an almost instant pop culture hit. That fate is also what led to this picture’s downfall, as the Elliot Page/Michael Cera dramedy’s hipster dialogue is, honest to blog, severely dated.
