15 More Dumb Movies Which Are Secretly Smart

6. Hoodwinked

Shrek Forever After
TWC

Hoodwinked is one of the most underrated animations of all time, and one of the very best films with a rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes. Yes, the animation is hideous but in terms of writing, this has a ton of brains and it's one hell of an ambitious work.

Refashioning a fairy-tale (Red Riding Hood in this case) as a crime-mystery and telling the whole story through a Rashomon-style narrative was an idea so great many in Hollywood were probably jealous they didn't come up with it first, and for the most part, Hoodwinked delivers on the boundless potential of this premise.

It's not only a tightly written, razor-sharp mystery filled with clever plot twists and satisfying pay-offs, but it's also got terrifically funny dialogue and largely delightful characters - including the greatest goat in cinematic history, a hilarious side-character who sings everything he says and steals the entire film with just a few minutes of screen-time.

The dire 2011 sequel is genuinely dumb and should be avoided like the plague, but the original is well worth checking out.

 
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Film Studies graduate, aspiring screenwriter and all-around nerd who, despite being a pretentious cinephile who loves art-house movies, also loves modern blockbusters and would rather watch superhero movies than classic Hollywood films. Once met Tommy Wiseau.