Quirky, Overlooked and Worth Watching
by evm211 | created - 11 Nov 2013 | updated - 23 Dec 2015 | PublicThese are movies that seem to have been somewhat forgotten, aren't constantly on cable, left out of the "Classics" canon for one reason or another, and are worth watching at least once.
Some are slices of life, great character studies, others are overlooked because they don't neatly fall into one genre, or are problematic with how they aged, but still stories worth watching.
*I realize these aren't obscure, truly rare, undiscovered movies, just ones worth watching, and you might not have heard of all of them.*
Most of them I stumbled upon and was pleasantly surprised. What are your favorite seldom-seen gems?
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1. The Defiant Ones (1958)
Approved | 96 min | Crime, Drama
Two chained-together escaped convicts, White and Black, must learn to get along in order to elude capture.
Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Cara Williams, Theodore Bikel
Votes: 17,854
Two escaped convicts must learn to get along in order to survive.
Drama.
2. Lilies of the Field (1963)
Unrated | 94 min | Drama
A travelling handyman becomes the answer to the prayers of nuns who wish to build a chapel in the desert.
Director: Ralph Nelson | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Lilia Skala, Lisa Mann, Isa Crino
Votes: 13,587
A wandering man helps nuns build a chapel in the desert.
Comedy/slice of life.
3. The World of Henry Orient (1964)
Approved | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
A mischievous, adventuresome fourteen-year-old girl and her best friend begin following an eccentric concert pianist around New York City after she develops a crush on him.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Peter Sellers, Tippy Walker, Merrie Spaeth, Paula Prentiss
Votes: 3,847
Odd fantasy set in NY about two girls and their crush on an elusive pianist played by Peter Sellers.
Comedy.
4. The Honeymoon Killers (1970)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
An obese, embittered nurse doesn't mind if her toupee-wearing boyfriend romances and fleeces other women, as long as he takes her along on his con jobs.
Directors: Leonard Kastle, Donald Volkman | Stars: Shirley Stoler, Tony Lo Bianco, Mary Jane Higby, Doris Roberts
Votes: 5,832 | Gross: $0.46M
Two lonely weirdos find each other and bring out the worst in the other.
Cult/Thriller/Drama.
5. Little Big Man (1970)
PG-13 | 139 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Jack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Native Americans and fighting with General Custer.
Director: Arthur Penn | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George, Martin Balsam
Votes: 37,908 | Gross: $31.56M
Dated but watchable story of the last survivor of Custer's Last Stand, with a great performance by Dustin Hoffman.
Comedy/Historical Drama.
6. Sherman's March (1985)
Not Rated | 157 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy
Documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee sets out to make a movie about Union General Sherman's March to the Sea towards the end of the American Civil War, but keeps getting sidetracked by his own love life.
Director: Ross McElwee | Stars: Ross McElwee, Dede McElwee, Ross McElwee Jr., Patricia Rendleman
Votes: 2,709
A man's search for a theme for his documentary spirals into an introspective look at his past romances.
Documentary/comedy.
7. Murphy's Romance (1985)
PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Emma moves to a ranch with her son after a divorce and befriends the older Murphy, but things turn complicated when her ex shows up.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Sally Field, James Garner, Brian Kerwin, Corey Haim
Votes: 7,061 | Gross: $30.76M
A young divorcee arrives in Arizona and tries to make a living in a small town.
Romantic comedy.
8. Bagdad Cafe (1987)
PG | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
A lonely German woman ends up in the most desolate motel on Earth and decides to make it brighter.
Director: Percy Adlon | Stars: Marianne Sägebrecht, CCH Pounder, Jack Palance, Christine Kaufmann
Votes: 15,199 | Gross: $3.59M
A European tourist is FED UP with her husband and searches for a new life. Artsy and kind of strange, but worth watching.
Drama/Slice of life/Comedy.
9. Chances Are (1989)
PG | 108 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A reincarnated man unknowingly falls in love with his own daughter from his previous life. Once he realizes this, he tries to end their relationship before angels erase his memory.
Director: Emile Ardolino | Stars: Cybill Shepherd, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan O'Neal, Mary Stuart Masterson
Votes: 13,849 | Gross: $16.28M
A comedy about reincarnation.
Romantic comedy.
10. Heart and Souls (1993)
PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
An unhappy businessman finds a new sense of purpose after he's tasked with helping a quartet of ghosts fulfill their last wishes before moving on to the afterlife.
Director: Ron Underwood | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick
Votes: 18,945 | Gross: $16.58M
A comedy about the afterlife filmed in San Francisco, set in the 50's and 90's.
Romantic comedy.
11. This Boy's Life (1993)
R | 115 min | Biography, Drama
The story about the relationship between a rebellious 1950s teenager and his abusive stepfather, based on the memoirs of writer and literature Professor Tobias Wolff.
Director: Michael Caton-Jones | Stars: Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Barkin, Jonah Blechman
Votes: 58,375 | Gross: $4.10M
Tobias Wolff's memoir about growing up with his abusive stepfather. A story about resiliency.
Drama.
12. Corrina, Corrina (1994)
PG | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1959, a widower hires a kindly housekeeper/nanny to care for his seven-year-old daughter.
Director: Jessie Nelson | Stars: Ray Liotta, Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Majorino, Noreen Hennessey
Votes: 14,173 | Gross: $20.16M
A young girl grieves her mother and a family comes together, a great family film set in the 60's.
Comedy/Light Drama.
13. A Simple Twist of Fate (1994)
PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
His life was emotionally closed off from the world, until an orphaned baby showed up at his house.
Director: Gillies MacKinnon | Stars: Steve Martin, Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Catherine O'Hara
Votes: 6,078 | Gross: $3.43M
An abandoned child is found by Steve Martin's reclusive character, a movie about the family we choose and the lives we make for ourselves.
Light drama/comedy.
14. The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
R | 112 min | Drama
A bus crash in a small town brings a lawyer to defend the families, but he discovers everything isn't what it seems.
Director: Atom Egoyan | Stars: Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Caerthan Banks, Tom McCamus
Votes: 36,741 | Gross: $3.25M
A story about a town recovering from a tragic accident, and its effects on the survivors. Heartbreaking and beautiful.
Drama.
15. Gods and Monsters (1998)
R | 105 min | Biography, Drama
The last days of Frankenstein (1931) director James Whale are explored.
Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich
Votes: 32,773 | Gross: $6.39M
Great performances from Ian McKellen and Brendan Frasier illuminate this biography of an early gay Hollywood director as he reflects on his life.
Drama.
16. Smoke Signals (1998)
PG-13 | 89 min | Comedy, Drama
Arnold rescued Thomas from a fire when he was a child. Thomas thinks of Arnold as a hero, while Arnold's son Victor resents his father's alcoholism, violence and abandonment of his family.
Director: Chris Eyre | Stars: Adam Beach, Evan Adams, Irene Bedard, Gary Farmer
Votes: 12,608 | Gross: $6.72M
A young man sets out with his best frenemy from the Rez to find closure with his father.
Comedy/Drama.
17. Big Eden (2000)
PG-13 | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Big Eden is a small, fictional northwestern Montana town.
Director: Thomas Bezucha | Stars: Arye Gross, Eric Schweig, Tim DeKay, Louise Fletcher
Votes: 4,903 | Gross: $0.51M
A sweet movie about coming out in a small town.
Comedy/Romance.
18. Two Family House (2000)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A dreamer finds that his wife and friends are binding him to his mediocre existence.
Director: Raymond De Felitta | Stars: Michael Rispoli, Kelly Macdonald, Kathrine Narducci, Kevin Conway
Votes: 1,731 | Gross: $1.02M
A man in New York in the mid-century finds meaning to his life with family.
Comedy/slice of life/Drama.
19. Ghost World (2001)
R | 111 min | Comedy, Drama
Two eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.
Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro
Votes: 126,855 | Gross: $6.22M
Funny, sometimes harsh, story about a girl's transition into adulthood. Acerbic but with moments of sweetness, and great performances by Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi.
20. The Anniversary Party (2001)
R | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Love is complex and relationships deteriorate.
Directors: Alan Cumming, Jennifer Jason Leigh | Stars: Alan Cumming, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Kevin Kline
Votes: 8,754 | Gross: $4.01M
An LA anniversary party lets us get to know the guests and their entanglements.
Comedy.
21. 13 Conversations About One Thing (2001)
R | 104 min | Drama
In New York City, the lives of a lawyer, an actuary, a house-cleaner, a professor and the people around them intersect as they ponder order and happiness in the face of life's cold unpredictability.
Director: Jill Sprecher | Stars: Alan Arkin, John Turturro, Matthew McConaughey, David Connolly
Votes: 11,497 | Gross: $3.29M
Intersecting stories of New Yorkers seeking happiness in sometimes misguided ways.
Drama.
22. Haiku Tunnel (2001)
R | 88 min | Comedy
Josh has an offer to "go perm" at his employer and the first task is to mail 17 high priority letters....something that seems a little difficult to do.
Directors: Jacob Kornbluth, Josh Kornbluth | Stars: Josh Kornbluth, Warren Keith, Sarah Overman, Leah Alperin
Votes: 1,340 | Gross: $0.25M
A very funny movie about the joys and mostly miseries of temping in the corporate world.
Comedy.
23. Lantana (2001)
R | 121 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
The relationships of four couples unravel after the discovery of a young woman's body in Lantana bush in suburban Sydney.
Director: Ray Lawrence | Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Rachael Blake, Kerry Armstrong
Votes: 20,223 | Gross: $4.46M
A missing person investigation kicks off this intimate story.
Drama.
24. Love Liza (2002)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
Following the unexplained suicide of his wife Liza, a web designer turns to gasoline fumes and remote-control airplanes while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law.
Director: Todd Louiso | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Annie Morgan, Kathy Bates, J.D. Walsh
Votes: 8,610 | Gross: $0.21M
A man grieves his wife's suicide. Sad, but with an electrifying performance by the always terrific Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Drama.
25. Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A group of over-achieving East Asian American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extracurricular criminal activities.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Parry Shen, Jason Tobin, Sung Kang, Shirley Anderson
Votes: 10,455 | Gross: $3.80M
Bored, over-achieving suburban teenagers try to spice up their lives. Oops.
Drama.
26. Stevie (2002)
R | 140 min | Documentary
In 1995, director Steve James (of 'Hoop Dreams') returned to rural Southern Illinois to reconnect with Stevie Fielding, a troubled young boy to whom he had been an "Advocate Big Brother" ten years earlier.
Director: Steve James | Stars: Steve James, Stephen Fielding, Tonya Gregory, Bernice Hagler
Votes: 2,742 | Gross: $0.10M
Documentary maker Steve James returns to his hometown to find out what happened to his Big Brother mentee. Unsettling and well-made.
Documentary.
27. The Best of Youth (2003)
R | 374 min | Drama, Romance
An Italian epic that follows the lives of two brothers from the 1960s to the 2000s.
Director: Marco Tullio Giordana | Stars: Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni, Jasmine Trinca, Adriana Asti
Votes: 23,214 | Gross: $0.27M
Long, but worth watching. The lives of two Italian brothers. Sweeping, emotional and magnificent.
Drama.
28. 11:14 (2003)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The events leading up to an 11:14 p.m. car crash, from five very different perspectives.
Director: Greg Marcks | Stars: Henry Thomas, Colin Hanks, Ben Foster, Patrick Swayze
Votes: 50,072
Intersecting stories about one fateful night in a small town.
Comedy/Suspense
29. Ladies in Lavender (2004)
PG-13 | 104 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Two sisters befriend a mysterious foreigner who washes up on the beach of their 1930s Cornish seaside village.
Director: Charles Dance | Stars: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Daniel Brühl, Freddie Jones
Votes: 12,693 | Gross: $6.76M
A mysterious young man appears on two elderly ladies' doorstep, and hearts are awoken, sweetly and sadly.
Drama/Slice of life.
30. Primer (2004)
PG-13 | 77 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.
Director: Shane Carruth | Stars: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden, Anand Upadhyaya
Votes: 114,211 | Gross: $0.42M
Time travel!
Sci fi/Drama
31. Nobody Knows (2004)
PG-13 | 141 min | Drama
In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Yûya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu
Votes: 31,423 | Gross: $0.68M
Small children abandoned in a Tokyo apartment care for each other.
Drama.
32. Crazy Love (I) (2007)
PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Romance
The bizarre true story of Linda Riss and Burt Pugach.
Directors: Dan Klores, Fisher Stevens | Stars: Burt Pugach, Linda Pugach, Bob Janoff, Sylvia Hoffman
Votes: 2,830 | Gross: $0.30M
A truly memorable documentary about a man obsessed with a woman in 50's New York. Shocking and suspenseful.
Documentary/Drama/Suspense.
33. The Savages (2007)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama
A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.
Director: Tamara Jenkins | Stars: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Peter Friedman
Votes: 38,641 | Gross: $6.61M
Two siblings struggle to care for their failing father. Witty writing, very dark, perfect.
Comedy/Drama.
34. Prodigal Sons (2008)
Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary
Filmmaker Kimberly Reed returns home for her high school reunion, ready to reintroduce herself to the small town as a transgender woman and hoping for reconciliation with her long estranged... See full summary »
Director: Kimberly Reed | Stars: Kimberly Reed, Carol McKerrow, Marc McKerrow, Claire Jones
Votes: 759 | Gross: $0.07M
A trans woman returns to her middle-America hometown to (try to) make peace with her brother. Fascinating and surprising.
Documentary.
35. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
Director: Kurt Kuenne | Stars: Kurt Kuenne, Andrew Bagby, David Bagby, Kathleen Bagby
Votes: 40,738 | Gross: $0.02M
Probably the saddest movie you'll ever see. Also beautifully made and engrossing. A documentary made for a boy about his parents, and the custody struggles that ensued.
Documentary/Drama (Very sad).
36. I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)
R | 98 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
A cop turns con man once he comes out of the closet. Once imprisoned, he meets the second love of his life, whom he'll stop at nothing to be with.
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa | Stars: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro
Votes: 99,804 | Gross: $2.04M
A dark and funny romance about a con man.
Comedy.
37. American Harmony (2009)
Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary, Music
Every year thousands compete in the world's greatest singing competition - that you've never heard of. AMERICAN HARMONY journeys deep into the ultra-obsessive, zany, and heartfelt world of ... See full summary »
Director: Aengus James | Stars: Greg Clancy, Patrick Claypool, Eric Dalbey, Tony DeRosa
Votes: 84
A documentary about a Barbershop competition. The stories of the singers' personal lives and friendships make for a memorable film despite being a fan or not of Barbershop singing.
Documentary/Comedy/Drama
38. Another Year (2010)
PG-13 | 129 min | Comedy, Drama
A look at four seasons in the lives of a happily married couple and their relationships with their family and friends.
Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Manville, Oliver Maltman
Votes: 30,889 | Gross: $3.21M
A year-long look at an aging British couple and the loved ones. A movie about the choices we make, and the ones thrust upon us.
Comedy/slice of life.
39. The Perfect Host (2010)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
An on-the-run convict looking for temporary cover finds it at the house of a very colorful character.
Director: Nicholas Tomnay | Stars: David Hyde Pierce, Clayne Crawford, Nathaniel Parker, Tyrees Allen
Votes: 28,475 | Gross: $0.05M
David Hyde Pierce is delicious as the surprised host at an impromptu dinner party.
Suspense/Comedy.
40. Shuffle (2011)
PG-13 | 82 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A man begins to experience his life out of order: each time he falls asleep, he wakes up on a different day of his life, at a different age, and he never knows where or when he will be "tomorrow."
Director: Kurt Kuenne | Stars: T.J. Thyne, Paula Rhodes, Chris Stone, Meeghan Holaway
Votes: 1,934
A man lives his life out of order in time, trying to piece together clues. Small but clever and engaging.
Mystery.
41. Another Earth (2011)
PG-13 | 92 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the Solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident.
Director: Mike Cahill | Stars: Brit Marling, William Mapother, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, DJ Flava
Votes: 100,040 | Gross: $1.32M
A sci fi story about mistakes and the search for redemption.
Sci fi/Drama.
42.
Screen One (1985–2002)
Episode:
Wide-Eyed and Legless
(1993)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The movie chronicles the struggles of Deric and Diana Longden, a happily married couple who try to cope with Diana's inexplicable degenerative disease which causes occasional paralysis of ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Thora Hird, Sian Thomas
Votes: 230 | Gross: $0.21M
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