Guilty Pleasures of the 2000's

Day 8: Guilty Pleasures of the 2000's

What exactly is a guilty pleasure? There are a lot of movies that are considered bad by a lot of people, that I believe to be very good, these are films that I then consider to be underrated. Then there are a lot of movies that are considered bad by a lot of people, that I also believe are bad. These are just plain bad films. A guilty pleasure emerges for me when I find myself enjoying a film despite its 'badness'. In all, a 'guilty pleasure' is a film that I don't think is ultimately a great (or even good) 'film', but I enjoy watching it, and sometimes watch it over and over. Some of these you might find a little shocking.

I've ranked the Top 25 guilty pleasures for you in the order of my liking to guilt ratio. The worst movies that I enjoy the most will be the highest ranked. What are your favorite guilty pleasures of the 2000's?

25-21

25. The Pacifier (2005)
24. Land of the Lost (2009)
23. Kicking and Screaming (2005)
22. Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D (2008)
21. Sex and the City – The Movie (2008)

20-16

20. Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
19. Blades of Glory (2007)
18. Doomsday (2008)
17. You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)
16. Death Race (2008)

15-11

15. Transporter 2 (2005)
14. Underworld Series (2003, 2006, 2009)
13. 17 Again (2009)
12. Team America: World Police (2004)
11. Van Helsing (2004)

Top Ten Guilty Pleasures

10. Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002)
Irwin is such an enjoyable guy (he does his normal routine here) and it's fun to watch how they fit a light story around his typical croc show. There is a genuine joy to life within this film that comes across on screen. Saw it twice as the dollar theatre and have it in my collection.

9. Miss Congeniality (2000)
I like watching this film now and then, Bullock's Freebush is such an enjoyable character to spend a film with and the movie pleasantly finds the right humor in beauty pageants.

8. The Pink Panther 1 & 2 (2006, 2009)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Martin is no Peter Sellers. Well here's a shocker, I actually enjoy these films better than any of the Sellers Panther movies. I like Martin's go for broke approach and there are a couple innocent and simple gags in these movies that make them pleasurable entertainment.

7. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
Indulgent, a little bloated, and a little ribald; this film clearly contains faults. It's also got some of the funniest bits and lines of the year as well. Mike Myers shoots for the fences here, hits a couple home runs and strikes out a few as well.

6. Jackass & Jackass 2 (2002, 2006)
Loved the T.V. show and the movies are hilarious as well. Hit or miss sometimes, but call me sophmoric, this stuff knows how to make me laugh.

5. Scary Movie 3 & 4 (2003, 2006)
I agree that it's cheesy and obvious at times, but this kind of humor is right up my alley. I love visual jokes, puns, entendre and good ol' tomfoolery.

4. Cat in the Hat (2003)
I know I am gonna catch flak for this one, but here is one of my guiltiest of pleasures. I'm usually a sucker for Mike Myers comedy (sans The Love Guru), and I think this one is an underrated family film. It's not a great movie by any stretch, but it makes me laugh often and I actually like the overall theme. Call me crazy, but this is decent entertainment.

3. Bad Santa (2003)
This film is hilarious, smart, and truly one of a kind. I'm not a fan of the raunch, but if you get a chance to catch this on TV, don't miss the edited version. Great performances and several huge laughs will be had, I guarantee.

2. Wedding Crashers (2005)
Of all the sex comedies that came out during the 2000's, Wedding Crashers is by far my favorite. The chemistry between Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn is incredible and at its core there truly is a redeeming message with self-reflection and genuine change and sorrow for their actions. It's also really hilarious!

1. The Saw Series (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)

Despite the knowledge that this series produces terrible 'films' (though they do vary in quality greatly), I look forward to a new entry every year. I am completely sucked into the universe and enjoy how each film fills in backstories, characters, and motivations, adding richness and depth with each new film. At times over violent (though actually less so than most people would assume), sadistic, and with terrible justifications, this one ranks for me as the guiltiest pleasure of all.