Movie Minutiae - Johnny Betts' Most Surprising Movies of 2004
By Johnny Betts, Moviegoer Advocate
Contact Johnny
There were several movies released in 2004 that I either wasn't expecting to enjoy or I had doubts about. Some of
those movies ended up being the crapfests that I feared, while others ended up really impressing and entertaining
me more than I expected. I dedicate this section to the movies that most exceeded my expectations.
6. Jersey Girl - A romantic dramedy starring Ben Affleck as a single
father who is forced to cry in one scene? Yep, it had the potential to be very bad. But I must put all my macho
posing aside and admit that I enjoyed the movie more than I had any right to. Very good mix of comedy and drama,
and it made me forget to ridicule Affleck for a short period of time.
5. Collateral - A movie starring Tom Cruise as a hitman with ridiculously
gray hair and Jamie Foxx as a cab driver? Considering I'm not a huge fan of Cruise and I've never liked Foxx, I had
serious doubts about this one. So you know a movie has to be good when I'm actually enjoying conversation
between Cruise and Foxx. Sharp dialogue and a gripping story won me over.
4. Spanglish - A dramatic Adam Sandler movie that revolves around a
housekeeper who can't speak English? Yeah. That sounds riveting. Plus, I yawned approximately 24 times the first
time I saw the trailer, so I wasn't really looking forward to this one. In fact, I almost didn't go see the free
screening. I'm now glad I went. Sure, it's a little drama heavy at times, but the characters are so well-developed
and I was interested enough in how everything would turn out that I was able to look past all the chick flickiness.
3. 13 Going On 30 - Let me get this straight, a 13-year-old wishes she
was older, so some magic dust somehow turns her into a 30-year-old Jennifer Garner? Sounds horrible. In fact, I was
ready to pencil this one in under my "Worst of" list for the year. But then I watched the movie, turned in my man card,
and had to admit I was entertained. Jennifer Garner is charming, and Mark Ruffalo is cooler than the typical teeny
bopper who plays the love interest in movies like this. I'm currently in week 10 of my "Guys Who Enjoy More Romantic
Comedies Than They Should" counseling.
2. The Notebook - This is another movie I almost decided to skip, but at
the last second I figured I'd give it a chance. I actually brought some biscuits to the screening with
me. My plan was to spread them with the sap oozing from the screen and enjoy a little mid-movie snack. But then
the movie had to go and capture my enjoyment. WHY?!?! Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams put on two of the best
acting performances of the year, and for my money they were one of the most believable on-screen couples I've seen in
a long time. I'm not big on romance movies, but this one worked.
1. The Butterfly Effect - Wait, Ashton Kutcher has to play a
dramatic role in a movie that somehow deals with time travel? Bwahahaha, sure thing. Weeeell, 12 months later
this still managed to be one of my ten favorites of the year. It's original, dark, unpredictable, has a very
good plot, and is in no way formulaic. I thought it had potential to be decent, but I didn't expect it to be one
of my favorites of the entire year. And who knew Kutcher would effectively pull off a dramatic role? This is
the "watercooler" movie of 2004.
|
