20 Movies Critics HATE But Audiences LOVE

10. Life Itself

Life Itself Oscar Isaac Olivia Wilde
Amazon Studios

Here's another thing that general audiences like a lot more than critics - schmaltz, or at least the perception of schmaltz, if the reviews can be believed.

Critics absolutely despised Life Itself - a 2018 drama from This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman which scraped just 13% on the Tomatometer, with most reviewers chiding it for its sentimental, mawkish storytelling and abject waste of an incredible cast.

But 83% of audiences dug the film, and while that's likely in large part due to the buzzy cast - which includes Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Mandy Patinkin, Olivia Cooke, Laia Costa, Annette Bening, and Antonio Banderas - it also speaks to the general audience's lesser aversion to sappy storytelling.

It's not a good movie by any means, but as a film for couples to cozy up with on a lazy Sunday and get some emotional rewards out of? It's... fine.

 
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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.