What Are Your Favorite Under-the-Radar Movies?
This weekend, I caught a patented cold-and-cough combo from my kids. While recovering, I sucked on French lozenges and turned on a movie…
Have you seen Oh, Hi? Starring Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, the movie follows new couple Iris and Isaac as they spend a romantic weekend in the countryside. After swimming in a creek and cooking scallops for dinner, they find handcuffs at their Airbnb and decide to chain Isaac to the bed. Fun! Sexy! But once they sleep together, Iris realizes Isaac doesn’t actually think they’re exclusive. Spiraling, she decides to keep him chained to the bed in order to convince him that he’s actually in love with her, he just doesn’t know it.
The premise sounds nuts, I know, and maybe it was my Robitussin-induced stupor, but I laughed so many times. The first half has all the classic rom-com beats: singing along to the car radio, stopping to buy strawberries, dancing under trees draped in fairy lights; while the second half turns into a madcap black comedy thriller (think: SNL meets Misery), with Iris’s two friends driving over to help her figure out what to do next. Even though the situation was absurd, the friends’ dynamics and conversations felt SO real to me.
What about you? What movies do you think are underrated? Also on my list: cult classic So I Married an Axe Murderer.
P.S. An eight-minute film that will make you cry, and what are your top three movies of all time?
Comments
132 commentsEarth Girls Are Easy! The premise: three furry aliens (Jim Carrey, Jeff Goldblum and Damon Wayans) crash land their ship on Earth in a swimming pool. Valerie (Geena Davis) helps shave them, and it turns out they’re all hot dudes. It’s also a musical and has the most beautiful love scene I’ve ever seen. (I also think Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum were in love in real life at this time?) It’s absolutely bonkers and beautiful.
YES, Totally agree! I watched this movie over and over as a kid.
Ophelia (2018) starring Daisy Ridley and George MacKay. It’s a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from Ophelia’s point of view. The main characters have evident chemistry. Beautifully shot, beautiful soundtrack, I could say more. Not to say that it is a tour de force of cinema, but a very solid date night movie.
Oh gosh! SO Many! Two of my go-tos are In America (ugh!) and About Time Xx
Ha! These are the movies that I came to recommend!. It seems like no one else has ever seen them…buy you have Kelsey!
I love both of these movies! Although I haven’t thought about In America in a while, I’ve seen it so many times. Good reminder to watch it again soon :).
The Grand Seduction (2023) with Brendan Gleeson and Taylor Kitsch
And the original from Quebec: La grande séduction (2003). Both are hilarious! https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366532/
Rental Family! Omg the whole theater was crying when I went to see it, but in a good way. All the feels in 90 minutes with beautiful shots of Japan in the background. And probably an unpopular opinion, but Table 19! You think it’s going to be a romantic comedy where Anna Kendrick gets together with the mysterious guy she meets at a wedding. But instead it’s this crazy emotional journey. All the relationships are messy in a way that you empathize with. I could not believe how many feelings I felt during this weird movie that doesn’t fit into any genre.
Man Up with Lake Bell and Simon Pegg, so good!
Ruby in Paradise (1993) A young Ashley Judd, adrift in life, moves to a new town to start over. Quiet, spare, hopeful.
An older woman I knew loaned me some DVDs one summer. Suffice it to say, some of the movies were not gems. I worked through them though, feeling like I had to confirm I watched them (and could talk to her about them). The last one was a film called American Dreamer from 1984 (the year before I was born). Looking at it, I couldn’t imagine it was good. I convinced my boyfriend to smoke a joint with me and watch it. I thought we’d just pay attention enough so that I could say I watched it. We started it not paying much attention, but very shortly we were enthralled. The movie was so great, so funny, such a perfect rom-com caper we watched it several more times before I returned it. Years later, I bought a DVD of it for my mom and she reloaned it to me and I’ve had it for probalby 5 years and I don’t want to return it. It has JoBeth Williams and Tom Conti…truly actors I’d never heard of before though Tom Conti looked familiar. This is one of the great hilarious movie experiences of my life, and you don’t have to smoke a joint to enjoy it. I promise!
Tom Conti was in another gem – Shirley Valentine.
Taking note of all the amazing films mentioned here. Here are mine. Down with love: quirky, romantic, sassy. One Fine Day: I actually own a DVD copy of this film. When I saw it in the late 90s, I wanted to move to NYC, become a journalist, and have a chaotic apt like Michelle Pfeiffer’s. A Good Year: Provence. Eccentric characters. Russell Crowe and a then unknown to America Marion Cotillard shine in this movie. Mannequin: hilarious film from the 80s with Kim Cattrall. The Lobster: it makes you think ‘what would I do?’. See if you can guess what happens at the end. Home Fires: British/PBS Masterpiece series set during WWII in England. It was suddenly canceled after two seasons (boooo).
I had the DVD of One Fine Day & it was my comfort watch at university. I haven’t seen it in years but I still think about the lines ‘Daddy I’m hungry’ ‘Want a tic tac?’ regularly & it makes me laugh.
-Murder By Death (1976) -Your Sister’s Sister (2011) -Charade (1963) -Raise the Red Lantern (1991) -Much Ado About Nothing (1993) -Ingrid Goes West (2017)
My favorite band (Murder by Death) was named after the film, but I’ve never seen it!
– Ghost World, with young Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi – The Lives of Others, German film about the East Berlin secret police – It’s Kind of a Funny Story, with Zach Galifianakis – The Painted Veil, with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton – Frozen River, with Melissa Leo, about immigrant smugglers – Valley Girl, with a young Nick Cage! – The Baxter, with Michelle Williams – Old Henry, a suspenseful Western
Nicolas Cage was so cute in Valley Girl, love that movie. he was also the spitting image of my High School boyfriend!
I love these lists so much. They remind me of being a teenager wandering around the video store or library looking for movies I’d never heard of but that looked or sounded intriguing. So many gems watched over summer break while eating saltines and drinking sun tea.
Some random ones we’ve recently really liked: The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025) Beauty and the Beast (Italian-made 2014 miniseries) Cinderella (Italian-made 2011 miniseries) Chalk it Up (2016) – my teen loved this one! Leap Year (2010) A Chance Encounter (2022) The High Note (2020) Begin Again (2013) Yesterday (2019) The Most Reluctant Convert (2021) Finding You (2021) Sun Moon (2023) David Copperfield (1999 miniseries) – haven’t finished it yet, but Maggie Smith makes such a great Betsey Trotwood!
Local Hero Strictly Ballroom (Australian version) Crossing Delancey
Oooo my favorite movies are underrated! Some faves: Set it Up (on Netflix) soooo good!!! Stranger than Fiction The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Mudbound (on Netflix)
Off the Map–Joan Allen and Sam Elliott, a family living off-grid in northern New Mexico I Have Loved You So Lonng–French film with Kristen Scott Thomas Never Let Me Go–Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan Maudie–Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke
never let me go sob! I read the book first. he’s such an amazing writer, but his books are sad and painful.
Both my parents have passed away now but your comment reminded me of when I called and told my mom how much I loved that French movie, I Have Loved You So Long and she wrote the title on a post-it note. She called me a few days later, saying she saw my dad had written, “Me too” below it.💛
My top one is So I Married an Axe Murderer – my husband and I bonded over it while we were dating, he was the only person I knew who also loved (and could quote) it. I Heart Huckabees is another random fav of mine. Absurd and hilarious and perfect. Kissing Jessica Stein – I’ve rewatched it so many times. Sweet romcom about a woman discovering her sexuality but darkly funny too. It’s so, so good.
Joanna, you have the best recs! Just finished Sorrow & Bliss a few days ago and loved it and watched Oh, Hi last night. Laughed, cried, and sadly saw myself in Iris.
“Keanu” was such an underrated delight and I come back to it a lot. With Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key. Just the right amount of silly. Cracks me up every time. Just rewatched “Wine Country” on Netflix and it was so comforting to see those ladies having fun together and just hit all the right notes.
Hi Jo and Team, quick question – I can’t seem to load comments (“load more comments”) for any of the posts where there are many, many comments. I’m not sure if it is a “me” thing or a “site” thing. I have tried different devices and different browsers, with no luck. Would you mind checking please? Thank you!
Yes! Thank you xoxo
Thank you!! Problem is solved!
I forgot one – Copenhagen.
And … Girls Will Be Girls.
The Lunchbox Puzzle
There are SO MANY good suggestions in the comments! Local Hero! The Hundred-Foot Journey! Truly, Madly, Deeply! The Commitments! Danny Deckchair! Hunt for the Wilderpeople! Sing Street! And, BLOCKBUSTER! My suggestions: Kate and Leopold Sunshine on Leith Oddball Paper Planes Captain Fantastic The Sweet Hereafter Lantana Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Mississippi Masala Paperback Hero Sergio The Year My Voice Broke Flirting Chalet Girl The Angel’s Share What We Did on Our Holiday Whalerider Once Were Warriors
Driving Lessons—-Sir Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson. Also, Cairo Time with Patricia Clarkson. I love her. Oh! She’s in Pieces of April and The Station Agent, also!
Sisters with Tina Fey/Amy Poehler is so fun, such a feel good watch
I Know Where I’m Going! The Enchanted Cottage Year of the Comet Lili (a romance for people who like puppets and Leslie Caron) Tremors Tremors II* (The asterisk indicates the tragic flaw of how the script handled Reba McEntire’s exit from the franchise. It breaks my heart. They didn’t have to write it that way. REBA!!!! In fairness though, Michael Gross’ genius remains undimmed, despite the lack of Reba.)
I have never seen Tremors II (and I will now! Thank you)! But Tremors is a core childhood obsession. Still will put it on ANY TIME I SEE IT live, streaming, on DVD on someone’s shelf.
ahhh I love to see an I Know Where I’m Going! Rec!
A Life Less Ordinary! Wacky, funny, very late 90s. Great soundtrack. Cameron Diaz, Ewan McGregor, Delroy Lindo, Holly Hunter. Watched in highschool 97 and still quote random lines to this day. (Bonus – similar vein to So I Married…)
The F Word! So re-watchable
These annual articles are how I choose many of the movies that I decide to watch. The choices this time are a bit bleak for me, but I will return to it as I usually do. And watch something incredible! https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/10_movies_that_highlight_the_best_in_humanity_2026
You won’t regret watching Come See Me In The Good Light!
Away We Go – Starring Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski, directed by Sam Mendes A lovely story about finding where your home will be.
Thank you Jo, THIS is the comment section I didn’t know I needed until you served it up! I deeply enjoy your book recommendations and the ensuing quality comments that stream in, my library queue is always full because of those. But I have been in a movie rut and gotten out of watching them due to sheer overwhelm and disappointment when I watch movies that get a lot of buzz but then fail to deliver. I have filled up my streaming queues now with so many great recommendations from this list – and already watched Oh, Hi! and Dan in Real Life, both gems! I appreciate you and this community so much!
Down with Love – my absolute most favorite romcom, Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor being perfectly charming and adorable and quippy while David Hyde Pierce and Sarah Paulson have their own hilarious love story. A throwback to 1960s romcoms and so zany, what’s not to love??? Also want to shout out my favorite old movie (Ball of Fire), my favorite movie from last year that went way too under the radar (The Testament of Ann Lee), and my favorite underseen children’s movie (Ernest & Celestine, which looks like a watercolor painting). Absolutely loving all the recs here!
Love Ball of Fire and Down With Love so much!! Barbara Stanwyck forever
I Love You To Death!!! Amazing cast- Kevin Kline, Tracy Ullman, William Hurt, Joan Plowright, River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves. “C’mon ladies, let’s go…Monnnnnopoleee!” – it’s a classic!!! I also watched Clue 1000 x before. Great cast- Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Lesley Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull. I’ve definitely used the line “Flames…flames, on the side of my face” among my family before Romancing the Stone was probably more of a blockbuster, but I also loved it as a kid “I know, but I keep hoping for u pumpkin “. Love , love, love!
Romancing the Stone is one of my favourite movies. Love, love, love too!
Sing Street and Begin Again, both by the same director who made Once. If you like movies about musicians these are so charming!
Flora and Son is another. Appletv. Flies under the radar.
Thank you Hillary! Will watch this for sure.
Liberal Arts The Big Sick – soooo good! The Way Way Back – adore Sam Rockwell in this Cousins – Ted Dansen and Isabella Rossellini are delightful Mystery Men – I have a very fond memory of watching this in the theater with my Mom. We had no idea what to expect and had a lot of fun watching it!
Welcome to the Dollhouse is this kind of movie to me. Unhinged and very weird but also funny??
YES! Dawn Wiener and all the angst and messiness of middle school.
Keeping the Faith! It almost never comes up when people talk about romcoms, but it’s such a classic early aughts romcom. Also Under the Tuscan Sun, which I don’t think is especially under-the-radar, but is a movie I forget about and then am so sad I forgot, because I love it so much! Both movies are great love stories with such good supporting characters. This one is new so I haven’t seen it yet, but a friend sent me the trailer for Mile End Kicks and it gave me so much nostalgia for living in Montreal in the 2010s! And simultaneously made me grateful that I’m no longer in my 20s, haha. Can’t wait to see it! Here’s the trailer, for other nostalgic millennials: https://youtu.be/mzaCmw_VrlI
The Hundred-Foot Journey is AMAZING! Helen Mirren!!!
The only film I’ve seen in a theater where not one person got up until the credits were completely over was The Danish Girl. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since and it came out 11 years ago!
Age of Adeline is a really good movie.
The Station Agent with Peter Dinklage and the British original Death at a Funeral.
Now that I think of it, both movies have Peter Dinklage in them!
midnight run. its the best and funniest robert de niro movie, with charles grodin at his best.
The Commitments, from 1991. A group of working class Irish amateur musicians playing soul music.
Yes to the Commitments! Also read the book (by Roddy Doyle) and the whole Barrytown Trilogy back when I was a teenager.
I also loved this, and was just reminded of it because one of the actors is in How To Get To Heaven From Belfast and I hadn’t seen her in 30 years!
I LOVE The Commitments. Excellent soundtrack too.
Oh The Commitments! I was so excited coming out of the cinema afterwards. I can remember the feeling so precisely! Thanks for reminding me! Love from Paris
The Way – but you might need to cry Goodbye Lenin – full of love and also funny A Canterbury Tale – shot during WW2, a Powell and Pressburger film full of wonder and joy Personal Shopper – extremely weird but compelling
Powell and Pressburger films for LIFE. Joanna, as a person who appreciates good use of color and who is English-American, you’d loooove these if you’re not already familiar. Gone to Earth, I Know Where I’m Going, and A Matter of Life or Death are also great P and P joints. :)
Oh my god, Goodby Lenin! We watched it all the time in German class when I was in High school. The music is so beautiful (the score was created by Yann Tiersen who also did the music in Amelie)
Sideways All the comments reminiscing about block buster made me so nostalgic for magazines. They were a perfect treat after a bad day, ideal when one was sick and really irreplaceable as bathtub companions! Ezines are just not even in the same league!! I also used to love going to a newsstand seeing a magazine I had never seen before and taking a trip into whatever activity, subject matter etc had enough people obsessed with it that it warranted a magazine! So fun, so interesting on a lazy Sunday afternoon!
Sideways. 100% I’m not sure where you’re located, but you’ll have to visit casamagazinesnyc.com.
Omg I KNOW. There was nothing better than grabbing a stack of magazines for an afternoon at the beach. Ezines don’t have the faint whiff of Davidoff Cool Water!!
My husband recently subscribed to the Atlantic which inspired me to subscribe to a bunch on magazines.com – I got Food and Wine, Real Simple and Better Homes and Gardens. It’s been so fun to have them lying around and packing them for trips and pulling out reipes and garden ideas and great articles to share. I spent the first 10 years of my career working for the biggest printer in the US so I always had dozens of magazines around. It’s nice having them to pick up again (instead of my phone)
Laggies, with Keira Knightley and Sam Rockwell. Terrible title, delightful movie.
Yesss. I’ve been slowly working my way through Lynn Shelton’s films/tv episodes since we lost her in 2020. Such a talent, and gone too soon.
Oh! And the After Sunset, Before Sunrise films with Ethan Hawke. Also the Australian film Danny Deckchair. So many!
I adore Richard Linklater films. Before Sunrise gave me a romantic notion about traveling. Sadly, I’ve never met the love of my life in my travels. Could still happen?
The Two Popes. Amelié. Calendar Girls. Sarah Plain and Tall. Babette’s Feast.
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain Waking Ned Devine Grosse Pointe Blank The Ref
Second for Waking Ned Devine!
A third for Waking Ned! Similar vein – The Banshees of Inisherin – moving, absurd, darkly funny. Also, Perfect Day. Nothing like the two above but a beautiful, comforting film.
A lot of the underrated aspect of movies depends on age, where you live, friend group, etc. Like, ‘About Time’ has been mentioned a lot here but I consider that one mainstream (albeit DELIGHTFUL). But I love that all of us found likely at least one movie we have never seen from these comments.
A Lot Like Love
I recently hunted this down on DVD because I felt like a (568th) rewatch and it was nowhere to be found on streaming…like so many of my favorite underrated gems!
Yes to this. Also, Meghan Markle has a bit part in it.
I play a game called Cinematrix on Vulture every day, which involves guessing 9 movies for usually 3 actors, sometimes directors, that fit in 3 different categories. You get a higher score if you guess a less popular answer, so I’m going to try to remember some of these movies for future games!
A true gem from the eighties, and my all-time favorite is Local Hero. Funny, quirky, thoughtful, and a bit dreamy, it’s the story of a Dallas oil exec sent to coastal Scotland to buy a village where an oil refinery is planned. Needless to say, nothing goes to plan. Burt Lancaster plays a hilarious CEO obsessed with the night sky, and there’s even a mermaid! So much of it is still timely, and hopeful.
I love this movie so much.
sooooooo good. that was a “family movie” for us in the 80s
Comedy: I <3 Huckabees (Lily Tomlin!) Drama: I Am Love (Tilda Swinton!) Documentary: Pina (Pina Bausch!)
Pina is amazing!!
Wanderlust and Our Idiot Brother, for the Paul Rudd fans out there.
1. Crocodile Dundee 2. Hope Floats 3. Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken 4. Forget Paris
Yes 1000 times to Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken!!!
I love French Kiss with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. Unfortunately, it isn’t found streaming and you have to watch a DVD. It’s silly and fun and has some of my favorite lines. I just bought a DVD player to watch it and other favorites that I can’t find streaming.
Haha! My partner and I quote that movie to each other all the Time “you people make my ass twitch” in a French accent is surprisingly applicable to many situations!
Lactose intolerance!!! Iykyk! I had forgotten about this movie, it IS a good one!
YES! The cheese!
I just thought of another one: Shag. It’s a darling little movie about college age girls going to Myrtle Beach for a shag competition. It’s got great music!!!!
OMG SHAG!!! I forgot about that movie! The music, the dancing, and Buzz Ravenal 🥹
I loved Shag growing up! Super cute.
I literally ran into Annabeth Gish this summer at a horror convention and I wanted so badly to tell her how much I love Shag, but instead I murmured “Excuse me” and kept walking to the bathroom. Alas!
My high school friends and I were obsessed with this movie! We even ended up going to Myrtle Beach for our Spring Break senior year (1994) because of it. Truly love the friendship dynamics in this one.
The most fun!
HOT ROD!!!! Also love Palm Springs! Basically just Andy Samberg on repeat forever and always.
My BFF is recovering from a gnarly brain surgery, thus, has been watching a lot of TV. Shout out to Dr. Q at Mayo Clinic!! If you have an hour to spare, watch Surgeons Cut, episode 2 + try not to fall in love with this sweet + brilliant man! Said friend has been raving about Young Woman and The Sea. It’s on Disney plus. Each time we talk, she asks me if I’ve seen it. “I can’t believe it’s so under the radar, it’s so good!, You must watch soon”. It came out in 2024 + is about Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle, the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926!!! It’s cool + rainy here today in Raleigh, so I think tonight is the night! Also, a friend + I watched OH, Hi! When it came out, we loved it. We laughed on the couch, asked hypothetical questions, the scenery is gorgeous. We thought it was giving Search Party vibes, which is a wild ride of a show to dive into if you haven’t already! Happy watching!
Someone Great. I watched it on a whim one night and was laughing, sobbing, yearning. It absolutely nails a certain period of your 20s/30s in New York and the friendship dynamics are PERFECT. Plus: Lakeith Stanfield. Need I say more?
I love this one too! It gives me the biggest heart feels because it always reminds me how wonderful friendship is.
Same! Watched it on a whim and LOVED it. It had me SOBBING! (one way I know a movie is high quality lol)
love this movie!
Hanna starring young Saoirse Ronan is an incredible action film! As is The Place Beyond the Pines with Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes. One of those films that stayed with me for a long time. I also weirdly loved the film Whiplash. None of these movies fall into my usual Jane Austen-esque comfort film category but they are worth a watch!! Oh! Last but not least! I could rewatch Autumn de Wilde’s film adaptation of Emma a zillion times for the sheer decadence of the costumes, rolling landscapes and incredible facial expressions that say so much without dialogue. That film is positively dripping in detail. Love it! Great Q, Jo! Xo
Back to the Beach from 1987 is one of my childhood favorites!
YES!! The Pee-wee Herman “Surfin’ Bird” scene has lived rent free in my head for decades.
It completely reminded me of a novel i read ages ago (can t remember the name), by Stephen King: a couple is staying in the middle of nowhere for a romantic sexy escape, the husband handcuffs his wife to the bed (its a fun game for them), and in the heat of the moment he has a heart attack. She finds herself naked, tied and alone on a bed, night falls and she starts to hear noises and a presence. I can t remember the rest of it but it was such fabulous. Love from Paris, writing down all your recommendations.
I think it’s Gerald’s Game!
Gerarld’s Game
I will trust you on that title and get a copy!!
Yes- Gerald’s Game. There’s also a movie (I enjoyed it too)
One of my all-time feel good movies is the 1995 film, “Babe” … about the pig who bonds with a border collie. It is so fun and sweet.
That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.
Oh, also, Loser and Playing By Heart.
Beau Travail. It completely changed my relationship with the song Rhythm of the Night by Corona. A truly beautiful film.
Thank you for the review! I’ve seen that movie listed, but have hesitated. Now I’ll definitely watch! Sounds like the perfect movie to fold laundry to :)
Just here to say Logan Lerman is a gem and he himself has flown under the radar for far too long.
Mr. Right with Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick! Those two make the film! It is a silly movie and Sam Rockwell (my fave) is what made me give it a try. Loved it. Perfect for a light Friday night movie. And then has anyone seen Black Bag? ONE OF MY FAVES. Steven Soderbergh film with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. Super fun and sexy and beautiful to watch.
omg that movie looks so good. she’s reminding me of Ione Skye who, by the way, is DONOVAN’S CHILD?? did we all know this? ok, I have to share something else that I JUST learned and that is VERY IMPORTANT: you can’t take cough syrup with DM or cold medicine with pseudoephedrine if you’re on SSRIs??!! there is a small risk of a potentially lethal drug interaction causing SEROTONIN SYNDROME. I was literally about to put some robitussin in my mouth because somehow I have the same hideous chest cold as you way up here in Nova Scotia, and for once I read the box and it said not to take if you’re on an antidepressant!! so this is me sharing this BRAND NEW INFORMATION with you all! did everybody already know this? is this why I always LOVED taking cold medicine before I was on prozac, was that self-medication??? [gif of fractal dog, so many questions] ok one more thing: herbs for chest congestion are marshmallow root, licorice, mullein, eucalyptus. now I’m guzzling tea and herbal cough syrup. because mama is staying on the prozac.
omg thank you emjort!!!
Oh wow! That is really scary … I have not heard that and I’ve been on zoloft for a while now! Thank you.
While we’re on the topic… grapefruit and grapefruit juice also interact with many prescription drugs, including statins and antidepressants.