Campy, adj. 1. Of a quality that doesn't exactly take itself seriously, or does so to the point of hilarity, using generic caricatures or exaggerated tropes to provide entertainment.
Some
movies, we watch because of the marvelous storytelling and the
fantastic images that take our breath away or leave us pondering the
intricacies of reality.
Others, we watch because we have a
"movie sweet tooth" that never tires of watching the fluffy, fun,
frabjuous romp that is campy movies. Below are ten movies (in no
particular order) I have seen, which I am hereby shedding any shame I
might feel in admitting it. They aren't by any means spectacular,
neither in story or in special effect, but I am still very much attached
to them, and will always take up anyone on the offer to watch them
again, even to the point of watching them by myself.
Dragonheart 3 (Colin Teague 2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 45%
Undoubtedly
the campiest of them all. The whole franchise is just to satisfy
somebody's dragon fetish—the villains are all but worthless in the fact
that they all have anger issues, greedy, power-mongering, and you know
they will lose in the end. BUT DRAGONS, OKAY? Honestly, this one is the
best of the three, since Dennis Quaid (who plays the hero in the first
film) cannot act alongside an animated character to save his life
(painful, I tell you!) and the second film let a ten-year-old do the
animation job, apparently. (Not really, but it looks like it!) This
third film managed to get ahold of some pretty convincing actors, the
dragon is one of the more "realistic" I've seen, and voiced by Ben
Kingsley, no less—what more could you ask for in a dragon film? 'S gold,
I tell you; camp gold.
American Outlaws (Les Mayfield 2001)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: %14
Yet
another history-bending film that lends itself more to comedy and
entertainment than presenting any kind of accurate picture of the time
period ruled by Jesse James and the James-Younger gang, hunted endlessly
by the famed Pinkerton Detectives. Colin Farrell, Gabriel Macht, Kathy
Bates, Scott Caan, Alli Larter—and a whole lot of shoot-em-up and
fistfights! It's beautiful in all its anachronistic glory, and hilarious
and easily my favorite Western ever.
Race to Witch Mountain (Andy Fickman 2009)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 43%
Out
of all the family-friendly films in which Dwayne Johnson tried to star,
I believe this one was the least bad. Also in its favor would be
convincing performances by Anna Sophia Robb (always a treat) and
Alexander Ludwig. (significantly less-well-known, but no less skilled!) A
cabbie with gambling debts (Johnson) happens to cross paths with two
extraterrestrial children (Robb and Ludwig) who want to find a device
left by their parents which would contain the means of saving their
dying planet... Meanwhile also evading the clutches of a covert
government agency trying to capture them for exploitation. It's
whimsical, it has it's touching moments, it's definitely campy—but I
love it.
Leatherheads (George Clooney 2008)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 53%
A period film
in which George Clooney's character is a flamboyant risk-taker intent on
beating the odds and doing the impossible? Pretty much. Add the
witticisms of Renee Zellweger and comedic "good guy" heart of John
Krasinski, and you've got Leatherheads, the story of how a football legend used the good looks and high profile of a professional player to bring the sport into prominence... from a New England cow
pasture. It's quirky, it's funny, good old-fashioned wholesome comedy!
The fist-fight between Clooney and Krasinski is not to be missed.
Son of Rambow (Garth Jennings 2007)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74%
Okay,
it's not totally campy—in fact it gets downright feels-y at points—but
it's quirky enough that it finds its way onto this list, for lack of
truly solid plot direction. A bully and his intended victim end up bonding over their love of Rambo films, and work together to make their own film for a contest. It is CUTE though; Garth Jennings makes
awesome feel-good movies. And the young actors on this film were
AMAZING—not the least of which is Will Poulter. Everyone took their
roles very seriously, and it makes for a very enjoyable film!
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Garth Jennings 2005)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 60%
I
can still remember my first time seeing this trailer. I was like "What in the HECK is this movie? I don't
get it!" So finally I watched it. And now I get it. And it's funny. Like, Oh-So-Very-British Funny.
Starting Martin Freeman, Zooey Deschanel, Mos Def, and Sam Rockwell,
narrated by Stephen Fry, co-starring Bill Nighy, John Malkovich, and
featuring the voices of Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson—there is nothing
this movie doesn't do, and it's all good funny comedy! Very British
humor, and quite possibly the biggest sci-fi camp-fest you could
possibly imagine.
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Zach Helm 2007)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 37%
You
must be in a whimsical mood to watch this film. It's cheesy, it's
funny, it's colorful and it's light–and it is definitely something I
would watch and re-watch when I am in one of those random, silly moods
and don't mind watching actors I don't normally enjoy (Jason Bateman and
Natalie Portman, in this case) just because the movie fits that
particular mood so well. Watching Dustin Hoffman try to be Robin
Williams is completely worth it, and the "magic is as real as you
imagine it" trope never gets old.
Princess Bride (Rob Reiner 1987)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%
This
is what all campy fantasy films aspire to be. This movie is pretty much
the greatest hodgepodge of fantasy tropes that still manages to come
off with a reasonable story... And the cast is simply the greatest
ensemble until Lord of The Rings. (By the way, I recently read Cary
Elwes' memoir on the making of this film and it is glorious; I had
fangirl feels over a piece of nonfiction; HIGHLY recommended for all
fans!) I realize that out of the ten films on this list, it's extraordinarily-high rating seems far and away too good to be dismissed as "campy"... but when one takes a good hard look, one realizes that it really is pretty satirical and the way it pokes fun at the generic "fantasy hallmarks" is just brilliant and cheesy. Also, it's my favorite. So yes, it goes on this list.
Sydney White (Joe Nussbaum 2007)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 37%
Out of all the
films starring Amanda Bynes, this would have to be my second-favorite.
(Most favorite is She's The Man; BECAUSE SHAKESPEARE!) It's kitschy and
generic... But SOOO great! It's the fairy tale of "Snow White" if Snow
was the only daughter of a widowed father trying to get into her
mother's old sorority, subsequently kicked out by the "Queen Greek"
because she dared fraternize with the outcast "seven dorks." Sydney
retaliates by working to make the dorks "cool" again... Or at least make
the "dorks" look cool! Oh, and also win the admiration of the school
jock, too. Yeah, it's good, funky fun.
Transformers (Michael Bay 2007)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 57%
As much as I will join in the "Bay-bashing".... I still would count this as one of those movies that is cheesy, corny comic-book action flick that I will still watch repeatedly, just because I think it's so much fun! It's really dorky, especially compared to the other Marvel superhero films that have inundated the movie industry lately... but it comes off rather well in spite of the cliche-ridden plot and the canned acting. Definitely earns a place on this list!
What are some of your favorite "campy" movies?
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