Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2019

Honorable Mentions: Brittany Runs a Marathon, Child's Play, Triple Frontier 

Dolemite is My Name: In a really strong year for biopics that featured such unconventional triumphs as Rocketman, Honey Boy and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Dolemite is My Name managed to emerge as the clear leader in an elite clubhouse. Courtesy of Craig Brewer's energetic direction, Eddie Murphy's electrifying performance and a hilarious supporting cast (Wesley Snipes, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan Michael-Key, Craig Robinson, Mike Epps), comedian/eventual Blaxploitation icon Rudy Ray Moore's long journey to fame that culminated in the release of the cult classic Dolemite is transformed into a warm, wildly entertaining story of perseverance and dreams coming true against all odds.    

Jumanji: The Next Level: Referring to a commercially successful blockbuster as "underrated" may see a little bit odd, but I believe that Jumanji: The Next Level doesn't get the level of credit it deserves for being a sequel that found creative ways to differentiate itself from its predecessor without losing sight of what made the original work. Bringing in new characters inside (Awkwafina) and outside (Danny DeVito, Danny Glover) of Jumanji allows for some inspired reshuffling of the body swap gimmick that drives the plot, the script adds some emotional depth by fleshing out the now college-aged kids (Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman) that re-enter Jumanji and the avatar leads (Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black) seem to be enjoying playing these characters trapped inside of characters even more the second time around. It's just pure, massive-scale entertainment at its finest and I'd gladly watch 6,000 more of these contemporary Jumanji movies if they continued to be as fun as this.    

Long Shot: I'd like to believe that the title of Long Shot is a reference to the odds of a love story that's set in the mind-numbing cesspool otherwise known as modern American politics being so utterly god damn delightful. Seriously, this movie is so fucking charming, good-natured and sweetly funny that it feels like it was sent here from another universe. Jonathan Levine, Liz Hannah, Dan Sterling, O'Shea Jackson Jr., June Diane Raphael, Ravi Patel, Andy Serkis, Bob Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgard, Lisa Kudrow, Randall Park and of course the power couple themselves: president Charlize Theron and first man Seth Rogen, you're all miracle workers, and thank you for your contributions to the most improbable romantic comedy masterpiece in the history of cinema.

Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2018

Honorable Mentions: Destination Wedding, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Red Sparrow 

Mid90s: Watching Mid90s was a surreal trip because its characters and the situations they were put into reminded me a lot of my own experiences as a teenager. It captures the loving ballbusting, reckless decisionmaking and raw heart-to-heart conversations that defines the adolescent male experience with staggering realism. Providing such a level of heartfelt authenticity to a scrappy story made Jonah Hill's directorial debut every bit as impressive as the more widely celebrated inaugural efforts from other actor-turned-filmmakers including Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig and Bradley Cooper that were released during the same nearly 2 year period.
   

The Night Comes for Us: Indonesia became known as an international martial arts powerhouse after the release of The Raid series. The traditional Indonesia form of martial arts known as Pencak silat- which combines full body fighting with the use of weapons both traditional and improvised- provided the type of versatile backdrop that allowed for the creation of a pair of widely-acclaimed martial arts flicks that featured some of the most elaborate choreography and brutal enemy deaths the genre has ever seen. By bringing in many of the same unbelievably gifted silat masters (Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Zack Lee) and a horror director in Timo Tjahjanto that shared Gareth Evans' unfiltered sensibilities, The Night Comes for Us serves as a spiritual sequel that comes very close to matching the jaw-dropping highs of both Raid films. The pacing is relentless, the fight sequences are cleanly-edited, impeccably-choreographed spectacles and the gore is on the level of an extreme grindhouse splatter flick. For my money, it's one of the best martial films ever made and a call to the rest of the world's martial artists to get on the level of Indonesia.    

Overlord: Its been 18 months since Overlord was released, and I'm still blown away by how smoothly it melded together the war and horror genres. Combining the real life terror of World War II with the supernatural threat of the Nazis turning people into bloodthirsty zombie-like creatures that are damn near impossible to kill makes for a uniquely visceral experience that is unbelievably intense, unsettling and entertaining throughout.

Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2017

Honorable Mentions: Brigsby Bear, Ghost in the Shell, I Don't Feel At Home in this World Anymore

The Disaster Artist: As a huge fan of The Room and the book its based on, I couldn't be more satisfied with how The Disaster Artist turned out. The long-delayed big screen adaptation of the behind-the-scenes making of Tommy Wiseau's cult classic combines a compelling underdog story about a naïve dreamer having all of his wishes come true after years of rejection with stunningly faithful recreations of the iconic scenes from Wiseau's masterpiece to make a hilarious yet moving piece of great art.

Ingrid Goes West: Is it reasonable to declare a movie that's only three years old ahead of its time? If so, Ingrid Goes West absolutely was. This still ever-so-timely examination of influencer culture is a scathing, impeccably-acted satirical dark comedy that demonstrates the appeal of the lifestyle before swiftly cutting through the hollowness of both the façade these people sell as their real lives on social media and the fleeting "fame" that's attached to it to reveal the deep misery that exists in between the staged glamorous posts.        

Molly's Game: It somehow took acclaimed writer/showrunner Aaron Sorkin 25 years to secure his first directorial gig, but holy shit did he make the most of it with the superb Molly's Game. Aided by a fascinating real life story and knockout lead performance from Jessica Chastian as Olympic skier turned underground poker kingpin Molly Bloom, Sorkin was able to make an easy transition to the commander of the ship by crafting a wildly entertaining crime flick that boasted a huge supply of his signature electric energy and snappy dialogue.  

Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2016

Honorable Mentions: Don't Think Twice, Keanu, The Magnificent Seven

Green Room: Calling Green Room a relentless thriller feels too mild. Jeremy Saulnier's brutally realistic shockfest delivers the type of unnerving, pulse-pounding suspense that puts knots the size of boulders into your stomach. Its claustrophobic setting (a backwoods Nazi club in rural Oregon) paired with its legitimately dangerous antagonists and bursts of gruesome violence creates an atmosphere of everpresent danger as the unsuspecting protagonists (the late Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner) fight for their lives that is both gripping and deeply horrifying. Any aspiring filmmaker that wants to learn how to create something that's full of dread and intensity on a microbudget needs to seek this out ASAP.

The Nice Guys: Throwback misfit buddy noir comedy The Nice Guys is easily one of the most fun movies that's come out in recent years. It's one of those movies that I can't possibly turn off if I stumble upon it on TV, which actually happened a few weeks ago on HBO, because it's just so god damn amusing and entertaining. Shane Black's script is full of clever, wildly entertaining twists, the dialogue is razor sharp and Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are just a hilarious screwball duo that boast a rapport so strong that it borders on the absurd. Now if some producer would only step up and fund the sequel they intended to make before this failed to takeoff at the box office...

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stop Never Stopping: The day where it doesn't take years for people to discover the genius of The Lonely Island's movies is going to be a great one. Popstar is slowly and steadily starting to developing a vocal following, but I still feel like it's vastly underrated overall. A parody of the music industry and the self-indulgent documentaries from prominent pop artists (Katy Perry, Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber x2) that were trendy in the late 2000's/early 2010's provides the trio with an ideal setting to utilize their subtly smart, gleefully absurd humor to mine non-stop laughs out of a subject that is a prime target for pointed jabs. The songs are the best The Lonely Island have ever written, the ensemble just crushes (particularly Andy Samberg as Conner4Real, Chris Redd as the Tyler, the Creator-inspired Hunter the Hungry and Tim Meadows as Conner's far too levelheaded musician turned manager) and like all great comedies, it manages to get even funnier upon each rewatch.

Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2015

Honorable Mentions: Concussion, Match, Sleeping with Other People

Dope: Netflix really helped elevate Dope's profile a few years back after a lackluster theatrical run, but I still don't think it gets the amount of credit it deserves. Thanks to the clever, confident vision of writer/director Rick Famuyiwa  and a strong group of actors (Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Zoe Kravitz, Blake Anderson, Chanel Iman, A$AP Rocky, Roger Guenveur Smith) that all nail their respective roles, Dope succeeds as both a hilarious coming-of-age story and poignant drama that tackles the overlooked issue of the prejudiced systemic biases that are placed upon students from black communities while applying for colleges that prevent them from getting the same opportunities as their white counterparts.  

The Night Before: How many great comedies are also great holiday movies? It's basically just Bad Santa and this slept-on gem-which doesn't have the cult following of that wonderfully depraved, hilarious film from 2003. Combining the vulgar stoner humor and natural buddy rapport (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie play lifelong best friends who celebrate every Christmas Eve together for a very personal reason) that drives all of Rogen's best work with an overwhelmingly genuine warmth makes this a beautiful seasonal triumph.

Steve Jobs: The theatrical style of Steve Jobs has made it one of the more polarizing biopics of the past several years. Personally, I believe that narrative framing device is a huge reason why it's such a strong film. Choosing to tell Jobs' story through three of his product launch days provides an underlying intensity to the events that probably wouldn't have existed if they had been told in a more conventional way while also providing a raw forum to explore both the persistence, creative/marketing genius and slew of personal shortcomings (egomaniacal behavior, control problems, failure to properly acknowledge his daughter during the early years of her life) that defined him as a person.  

Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2014

Honorable Mentions: Dom Hemingway, Kill the Messenger, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Edge of Tomorrow (aka Live. Die. Repeat.): Doug Liman's adaptation of the Japanese graphic novel All You Need is Kill about a cowardly military media relations officer (Tom Cruise) who gets forced to fight on the frontlines of a war against a lethal alien race known as Mimics who gets caught in a time loop reliving the same day after killing their leader is arguably the most quietly influential blockbuster of the past decade. Its moderate financial/critical success led to a resurgence of films using plots revolving around time loops and Emily Blunt's role as the tough, decorated solider who has teach to Cruise's character to become an unselfish hero marked the start of a shift in how female characters are portrayed in these types of movies. It also doesn't hurt that the film happens to be a funny, action-packed and just plain exhilarating spectacle that reinforces why the particularly brand of joy that a well-executed piece of escapism delivers is so special.

The Skeleton Twins: Another year, another slept-on Sundance acquisition. Not only did The Skeleton Twins feature a pair of fearlessly powerful performances from Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig that showed that they're much more than just standout Saturday Night Live alums, it examines subjects like childhood trauma, mental illness and how the powerful, honesty-driven bond between siblings  can help navigate through life's toughest situations in a really beautiful, profound way that you don't see very often in dramedies of any production size or narrative style.  

Top Five: Looking at Chris Rock's filmography through the early 2010's, it was fair to question whether or not he was better off just sticking to stand-up. Even in his better big screen projects (Death at a Funeral, Pootie Tang, Head of State), the sharp wit and incendiary delivery that has made one of the most strongest comedic forces to ever step foot on a stage rarely ever shined through. After 20+ years of acting, the full extent of Rock's comedic talent finally made its way to his movies with Top Five. By making his third directorial effort a semi-autobiographical story about a comedian turned actor whose confidence is wavering after getting sober, starring in a string of unsuccessful projects and entering a highly public relationship with a famous reality TV star to try to remain relevant, a visibly revitalized Rock was able to seamlessly bring the sincere, intelligent, honest and deeply hilarious observations that have defined his career on stage to the screen for the very first time. Here's to hoping that his upcoming work, which includes appearances in Robert Zemeicks' remake of The Witches, Saw reboot Spiral and the fourth season of FX's anthology series Fargo continues to be as heartfelt and brilliant as this.        

Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2013

Honorable Mentions: Inside Llewyn Davis, The Last Stand, Pain & Gain

Fruitvale Station: As the video of George Floyd's senseless murder caused by use of excessive force from the police circulates around the globe, the largely ignorant United States society was again forced to grapple with the fact that the people that are supposed to protect the communities they serve just took the life of yet another unarmed black man. What Fruitvale Station did was provide the story of a man behind another one of these tragic headlines and pieces of video. In just 85 minutes, the audience gets to experience a day in the life of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan in what proved to be his breakout performance), a normal, flawed 22-year old man from Hayward, California trying to find his way in the world and how the "shoot first, ask questions" later mentality of prejudiced law enforcement officers deprived him of the opportunity to find himself, raise his daughter and just generally live his life. It's a remarkably potent and heartbreaking film that should've served as a wakeup call to the world on this massive issue, but here we are 7 years later still talking about the same stuff. The time for sweeping changes to our justice system from policing down to government funding for schools is long overdue, but as long as there are a sizable amount of bigots manning our police forces and political offices, it's sadly not going to occur.        

Short Term 12: Let's follow up a somber real life movie about the devastation caused by police brutality with a somber real life movie about the devastation of growing up in a short term foster home for "troubled" teenagers. What makes Short Term 12 special is that it takes a premise that is rife with melodramatic potential and turns into something raw and remarkably powerful. Both the kids in and running the home have been through the ringer (being abandoned, physically/sexually abused) and the script/actors handle their traumas, fears, etc. in a delicate, sensitive manner. It also served as a launching pad for a number of acting powerhouses (Brie Larson, Rami Malek, Lakeith Stanfield, Kaitlyn Dever, John Gallagher Jr.) and writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton-who went onto make Just Mercy and is about to enter the MCU with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.  

The Spectacular Now: Coming-of-age tales are a staple of independent filmmaking. You could look at just about every edition of Sundance and find at least one title from the lineup about the hardships of growing up that went onto resonate with people. James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now is the most overlooked title that I can recall that falls into that camp. To be fair, I completely understand why it's received a pretty polarizing reaction. The protagonist (Miles Teller) isn't particularly redeemable, there's a fairly notable aspect of its portrayal of teenage alcoholism that's a little bit hard to believe and it ends on an open note that will definitely piss some people off. However, those imperfections and ambiguities are a big part of why I loved it so much. It's a beautifully-acted, refreshingly bittersweet tale where the central romance (Teller, Shailene Woodley) feels like the type of passionate yet recklessly naïve relationship high schoolers would have, the decisionmaking of the characters makes complete sense from start to finish and the expected life lessons come with real consequences. Occasionally Hollywood needs to remind the world that being a young adult isn't as glamorous or as whimsical as The Breakfast Club or Juno make it seem and for that, The Spectacular Now will always have my admiration.

Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2012

Honorable Mentions: American Reunion, Dredd, Looper

End of Watch: Subversion is essentially a foreign concept in the world of police procedurals. Traditionally, thee stories tend to follow a group of cops investigating who is behind a series of criminal acts (typically murders) without really divulging who these characters are outside of their professional lives. End of Watch approaches the genre differently. Writer/director David Ayer spends just as much time developing the men (Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena-both outstanding) behind the badge as it does following them around as they try to survive after getting marked by a cartel following their discovery of a human trafficking operation during a routine call. Taking the time to develop these characters' lives as well as their relationship with each other gives End of Watch a rawer, more human feel and elevates the emotional impact of the unexpected ending.        

The Expendables 2: Sylvester Stallone had a very simple goal with The Expendables: assemble an all- star team of action stars from past and present to make a vintage, over-the-top blockbuster. Considering that the film featured a murder's row of genre legends and an abundance of electrifying action sequences filled with applause-worthy moments (Terry Crews mowing people down in a narrow hallway with an AA-12 shotgun, Dolph Lundgren harpooning a pirate torso's to the wall, Randy Couture spearing Stone Cold Steve Austin into a ring of fire), it's safe to say that he achieved that goal with ease. The Expendables 2 managed to do an even better job of bringing Stallone's maximalist vision to life. Embracing a lighter, more self-aware tone, bringing on the slyly charismatic Jean-Claude Van Damme as the villain and of course, continuing to deliver tremendous bursts of massive, gory action made this a note perfect recreation of the late 80's/early 90's action movie aesthetic.

Smashed: This way under-the-radar indie triumph may contain the single most realistic portrayal of alcoholism I've ever seen on screen. Through its grounded script that never even comes close to fetishizing this delicate subject matter and a completely fearless performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an elementary school teacher who reluctantly begins going to AA meetings following an embarrassing public intoxication incident, Smashed highlights the ugly revelations that come to light once the haze of perpetual intoxication goes away as well as the huge challenges that come with trying to shake an addiction that has dictated how you lived your life for so long. It's a beautiful, devastating and important movie that deserves to  (and hopefully will) find an audience at some point.

Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2011

Honorable Mentions: Hobo with a Shotgun, Horrible Bosses, Martha Marcy May Marlene  

50/50: As I mentioned in my Top 20 Movies of the 2010's countdown earlier this year, I believe this is the single most underrated movie of the past decade. By combing gut-wrenching emotion with a sharp sense of humor and an exceptional cast anchored by an astounding Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the protagonist, 50/50 tackles cancer and how it effects everyone from the patient to their loved ones with a realism that other similar films couldn't even dream of. Hopefully Will Reiser returns to screenwriting again someday because the film world needs more stories that are profound and well-rounded as this.

Attack the Block: Longtime Edgar Wright collaborator Joe Cornish proved he could match the brilliance of his friend when he finally got the chance to direct his own movie. Not since Wright's Shaun of the Dead has a film expertly blended tense genre thrills with broad comedy to make a gory, hilarious and deliriously entertaining concoction. If Attack the Block's success as a sci-fi/horror/comedy hybrid wasn't enough, it was also the vehicle that was responsible for launching the great John Boyega's career as well as giving the current Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker one of her first prominent roles. Pretty good resume for a scrappy little British production that cost a little under $9 million in US dollars.    

Super 8: Well before Stranger Things became a cultural phenomenon, J.J Abrams was dabbling in the art of making throwback sci-fi adventures where misfit 12-13 year olds have a series of encounters with alien lifeforms. Abrams gleefully captures the spirit of Steven Spielberg's early work (E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind) by packing Super 8 with enough heart, humor and wonderous spectacle to make it a damn near perfect piece of popcorn entertainment.

Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2010

A piece on the most underrated movies of the 2010's is something I've been teasing since March. While preparing NFL Draft content was partially responsible for the delay, it was predominantly because I wasn't exactly sure how to go about assembling the list. Approaching it like a traditional favorites countdown would be pretty difficult because underrated is a much broader categorization. Ranking things that are underrated also seems to kind of go against the whole spirit of the term. That's why I've decided instead of dropping a countdown of 20 movies, I'm going to profile a few underrated titles from each year of the 2010's-starting below with the natural jumping off point of 2010. This looser structure will not only allow me to profile more under-the-radar or not overly acclaimed titles, which is the whole point of this exercise in the first place, but avoid fully embracing the definitive, hardline nature that traditionally comes with these type of lists. Be sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks for more celebrations of underrated movies from the past 10 years!

(Note: Titles will be presented in alphabetical order throughout.)

Honorable Mentions: The A-Team, Buried, Going the Distance 

The Book of Eli: This was actually the title that finally got me to disregard the bullshit belief that January exclusively serves as a dumping ground for garbage movies. While its prominent religious subtext isn't something that I necessarily agree with, The Hughes Brothers (Dead Presidents, Menace II Society) last effort as a duo (for now at least) is one of the most effective post-apocalyptic films I've ever seen. From the bursts of brutal action to the seedy characters that lurk around every murky corner, this is the rare dystopian environment where the decay of a barren universe feels abundant and the layered performances from its leads (Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis) provide this perilous journey across a lawless wasteland with real, compelling emotional stakes.

MacGruber: Expanding a one-joke recurring Saturday Night Live sketch into a feature-length movie was a very risky proposition. Not only did Will Forte and Jorma Taccone prove they could stretch the comic appeal of MacGruber into a 90 minute package, they made the character 100x funnier than he was on the small screen. Forte's unbelievable commitment to playing this absurd character that reimagines MacGyver as an incompetent doofus, having a sharp supporting cast (Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillipe, Val Kilmer, Maya Rudolph, Powers Boothe) that fully leans into the cheesy 80's action movie parody vibe and embracing the lack of a filter the setting of an R-rated movie allows for makes this a home run comedy that consistently delivers huge laughs.      

Piranha 3D: Saying that a movie "couldn't/wouldn't get made today" is a common cliché in critical circles, but I'd be flat-out stunned if something like Piranha 3D got greenlit for theatrical release in the present day. This is a proper grindhouse-inspired exploitation flick that goes so over-the-top with its gore, nudity and self-aware stupidity that it almost feels surreal. Obviously that combo is going to alienate a lot of viewers, but its unapologetic commitment to its sleaziness is something that I find admirable, refreshing and downright hilarious.