1A Movie Club: The Best Of The Bad

1A

NPR

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4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 14 September 2023

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The 1995 film "Showgirls" starring Elizabeth Berkley was one of the largest commercial failures of its time. With a budget of $45 million, (nearly $90 million in 2023 dollars), the film ended up losing more than $8 million and was widely panned by critics. Berkeley said the movie was so bad she became a "pariah" in Hollywood.

But nearly 30 years after its release, "Showgirls" maintains a cult following with midnight showings at independent theaters and deep-dive essays exploring its themes by culture critics.

Americans love their share of bad movies. From "The Room" to "Troll 2," you can find entire online communities and podcasts dedicated to unpacking these works of... art.

We discuss what it is we love the most about bad movies.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	And now, our feature presentation.
0:12.0	If I asked you to name your favorite movie, it likely have a title or two ready to go.
0:21.7	It's maybe critically acclaimed or an Oscar winner.
0:25.4	What if I asked you to name a terrible movie that you absolutely love?
0:30.8	My favorite bad movie is one called Monster Dog that stars Alice Cooper.
0:36.4	It's 20 years later and Finn's Raven is going home.
0:40.8	He's hoping for a new beginning, but somehow he can't escape the horror of his past.
0:46.8	It was recorded in another country, so I think it's voice over, but it is spectacularly terrible.
0:53.5	Richard Thomas, Duluth, Minnesota.
0:57.2	I'd like to talk about a horror party beach, my favorite bad movie.
1:00.7	While the beach set twists to the big beach sound of the delaires, swinging out with six rocking hits.
1:09.1	Thanks for those messages.
1:10.4	Now me, I have a soft place in my heart for 80s dance movies.
1:14.9	Think Xanadu, the break-in franchise, electric boogaloo, or staying alive.
1:21.6	Just like Krispy Kreme Donuts and reality television, we love to watch movies that some consider
1:28.0	junk. Films like The Room, which one critic described as the citizen cane of bad movies,
1:33.3	can still be seen at independent theaters across the country 20 years after its release.
1:38.8	Why do we love to watch bad movies?
1:41.9	And who decides if a movie is good or bad anyway?
1:45.1	Today, we get into those questions and hear all about your favorite bad movies for the latest
1:49.9	installment of the 1A Movie Club. I'm Jen White. You're listening to the 1A podcast
1:54.8	where we get to the heart of the story. We'll be back with more after the break.
	...

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