Every adult must eventually come to terms with the fact that not all classic films are excellent films. Some are actually horribly awful. On the other hand, many films that were not well received when they first came out went on to become timeless favorites. There is a mixture of both in the 23 classic films with the lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores. Unluckily, some are simply awful. Others are only despised by critics. However, they all share the same trait: they are all classics with rotten ratings, which are defined as having a 50% or lower on Rotten Tomatoes.
At the risk of stating the obvious, Rotten Tomatoes is a relatively recent creation, so it wasn’t available when classic old Hollywood films were released. Additionally, there were far fewer critics out there willing to voice their opinions to the world before the development of the Internet. As a result, many classic movies lack official Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and those that do don’t always have high marks. It turns out that critics were just as harsh and unforgiving then as they are now. Old and new Hollywood classics receive some pretty negative reviews. As these 23 classic films with dismal reviews on Rotten Tomatoes demonstrate, a movie needs more than big names and significant cultural impact to be well received by critics.
The Long, Long Trailer was released in 1953.
The Long, Long Trailer, a comedy starring Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, received unfavorable reviews from critics, earning a depressing 38 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Wiz, a 1978 film.
A startlingly low 36 percent of people think The Wiz is good. Yes, according to Rotten Tomatoes, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross are rotten, which is a tragedy.
‘Hook’ (1991).
According to audiences, Hook is a delightful classic. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics, for some reason, gave the film a score of just 30%. Rufio merits better.
2003’s “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.”.
Rotten Tomatoes gives the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days a 42 percent approval rating, so apparently I have to doubt everything I’ve ever learned about love.
The 1963 film “Cleopatra”.
Cleopatra, arguably Elizabeth Taylor’s most well-known movie, has a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 55%. Even though it may seem good at first, this is still completely unacceptable.
From 1959, “Gidget.”.
Gidget may have contributed to Sandra Dee becoming a benchmark for youthful beauty and purity, but the reviews weren’t great, and the film only received a 44 percent from critics.
(1996) “Space Jam.”.
The fact that Space Jam is regarded as being so awful is a big part of why it’s become a classic, so it makes sense that the film has a 37 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The 1968 song “Yours, Mine, and Ours”.
Yours, Mine, and Ours is a film about two large families coming together that, despite having a 50% Rotten Tomatoes rating, sparked a remake in the early 2000s.
