10 Movies That Worked Despite Their Absurd Premise
1. Bubba Ho-Tep
It's a tale as old as time: Elvis Presley teams up with a Black JFK in order to stop an ancient mummy from stealing the souls of every resident of the retirement home in which they live. Almost every aspect of Bubba Ho-Tep's plot seems meticulously designed to elicit utter bemusement. The final layer of bewilderment? It's a goofy, effectively funny screwball comedy that sees Bruce Campbell unironically portray one of the best depictions of Elvis there's been.
The story goes that Presley, sick of life in the spotlight, swapped with an Elvis lookalike so he could enjoy some peace and quiet. And why is JFK Black now? Well, he had his skin dyed following an assassination attempt, natch. The mummy stuff might take a bit more explaining, though.
If it all sounds silly, that's because it undoubtedly is. However, remarkably, Campbell and Ossie Davis managed to stir up a believable chemistry amidst all of the chaos, with laugh-out-loud moments aplenty. While audiences lamented the ineffective horror elements, the rest was just too good and too bizarre of a time to dismiss or forget.