20 2000s Movies Audiences Loved, But Critics Hated

3. The Butterfly Effect

By the mid 2000s, Ashton Kutcher was largely known only in the comedic world, thanks to That '70s Show, Dude, Where's My Car?, and hosting MTV's Punk'd. It was almost automatically intriguing then, when he starred in a dark and psychological thriller in 2004.

The Butterfly Effect completely played against Kutcher's type, something that simultaneously paid off and fell flat. The film that saw Kutcher's Evan travel back in time to key points in his life in an attempt to change the future did well at the box office, but released to a poor critical reception.

In this regard, the critics saw only a plot that was difficult to get invested in, a confused film that struggled with its own tone, and perhaps unsurprisingly given the time-travelling framing device, rather repetitive. Though even The Butterfly Effect's harshest naysayer would struggle to argue the premise wasn't a strong one, they would argue such an idea holds little weight in the face of poor execution.

The other side of that coin is that the mainstream audience was spellbound by the non-linear storytelling, going from flashback to altered present, as well as the themes of dwelling on the past and the bittersweet ending.