Horror, documentary, drama, and comedy encapsulate many films, but not the bad-good movie genre. While I’m sure plenty of movies fall into these categories, there is an unbeknownst hero among these genres which constantly fails to be recognized: the bad-good movie (or, perhaps, good-bad movie). We’ve all seen these movies, the movies we love to hate; these are the movies whose endings we already know before even finishing reading the Netflix description. They’re the ones you kind of ironically watch under your covers and kind of ironically cry to.
These films exist outside the realm of normal movie-making. In fact, I’m not sure I’d even call them films as much as prolonged, semi-well put together videos that you would expect to find on YouTube and have somehow become Netflix Originals. They’re kind of in their own universe, and I pray they do not get corrupted by the quality of a real director.
In any case, here are the top five bad-good movies you can find on Netflix.
- The Kissing Booth
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Ah yes, The Kissing Booth: simultaneously the most loved and hated movie of all time.
For a TV-14 movie, there’s a lot of inappropriate stuff in here. Take, for example, the amount of outdoor sex between the main character and the love interest (who is, shockingly, her best friend’s brother).
An absolute nail-biter, this movie combines the classic love triangle with a nerdy-turned-hot-girl cliche, pumping out a modern twist on your usual sappy, half-assed love story. In any case I wouldn’t call this movie good, but Netflix really seems to disagree, proclaiming it to be a 97% match for my taste.
- A Christmas Prince
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Have you ever really seen a Christmas movie that was good besides Frosty the Snowman (honestly though; so, so good)? A Christmas Prince follows an incredibly convenient plotline of a journalist trying to uncover a prince’s (unknown, even to the audience) secret. She fakes being a tutor (which is, ya know, identity theft) just to get to the bottom of the story. BUT, big shocker… get ready… she FALLS IN LOVE! With the prince!
In any season, this movie is an absolute train wreck. Put it on during Thanksgiving break, and I guarantee you’ll hate the plot so much you have to watch it — twice.
- Set It Up
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Yet another Netflix Original, this movie appeals to lots of college and post-graduate students who are just desperately trying to find a job in their department. Two assistants with nothing but student debt and an inability to stand up for themselves try to push their bosses into romance to save time for themselves.
Don’t worry, there’s no way these two assistants could end up together… one of them has a girlfriend.
Just kidding. They totally end up together. Who needs a girlfriend when you’ve got a massive love triangle and student loans??
For any student just trying to figure out what the hell they’re doing with their life after college, this movie does a piss-poor job of depicting your struggle. But hey, at least it’s got Lucy Liu in it to make up for its flaws.
- Starstruck
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(Sadly, this movie was taken off Netflix but is easily found through Amazon Prime.)
This movie is exactly what you think it is: famous boy is liked by everyone except for quirky girl who might fall in love with him. Hahaha jk… unless?
You know how there are just actors in some movies who you can’t remember the names of? In this movie I’m always confused between the main character’s name and the actor’s name. The main character’s name is Christopher Wilde. The actor’s name? Sterling Knight.
I’m not kidding. You can’t make this up! He was born to play this role — his name is just as fake as his character’s!
This movie has the most cookie-cutter, simple plot that somehow is just perfect enough to make me unable to stop watching it. Seriously, someone stop me.
- Full Out
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It wouldn’t be a bad-good movie if there wasn’t one girl who really wanted to dance but for some reason her parents want her to be a lawyer/doctor/economist.
It’s almost a gurantee that the main girl will cry, “But Mom, I love to dance,” as her mother throws away her dance shoes.
This movie is supposed to be a sappy, semi-based-on-a-true-story film about an ex-gymnast who discovers hip hop after an injury. Of course, her parents want her to focus on her studies now that she’s out of gymnastics. Blah blah blah, her parents realize she can do what she wants because “women can do anything!” … Roll credits.
This movie is, honest-to-God a masterpiece because you know exactly what’s going to happen every step of the way. More importantly, the soundtrack absolutely rocks. You’d think it’s Kidz Bop, but it’s actual bands singing that badly. I recommend wholeheartedly.
The next time you’re looking for a movie to watch while you half-ass your math homework, look for one of these five movies. You will not be disappointed and, if you are, they’re only supposed to be half-good anyways.