17 movies where viewers completely missed the point

We've all been there: we've left a movie theater wondering, "What did I just see?"

Some of the most well-known movies ever created have also been the most perplexing; some of them leave audiences completely perplexed as to their purpose.

There are numerous instances throughout film history where audiences, or at least certain viewers, seemed to completely miss the point, whether we're discussing oddball comedies like Juno or tense psychological dramas like Fight Club.

This might be the result of viewers introducing their own biases into the film or just falling into the conspiracy ideas of the film.

The Rambo franchise began as a scathing critique of violence before turning into a gleeful support of the same violence it had previously denounced, proving that spectators are not the only ones who lose the plot.

Actors and directors have occasionally even been forced to address incorrect interpretations of their work; Hugo Weaving, for example, ruthlessly dispels myths about V for Vendetta and The Matrix.

These 17 movies failed to make an impression on viewers.

American Psycho

Moneyed sociopath Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) ruthlessly targets and murders both men and women in Mary Harron's black comedy, which was criticized for its gleeful violence when it first came out. More so than the movie, Bret Easton Ellis's original book was also misunderstood, but both have since been accepted as the witty, deliberate social satires that they are.

The Counsellor

When Ridley Scott's thriller debuted in theaters in 2013, it turned off both reviewers and viewers. The picture, which had a Cormac McCarthy script, was dismissed as an excessively violent and sexist mess. But history has been on its side, and the movie is now widely accepted as a clever, unexpectedly multi-layered take on a popular genre.

Cuties

A miscommunication can occasionally get completely out of hand. In 2020, the French play Cuties was at the center of a political storm because to its alleged sexualization of children. The problem? In actuality, Cuties was created as a direct critique of the sexualization of children, exposing the objectification and misogyny at the core of our society.

The Fabelmans

It should come as no surprise that many spectators rejected Steven Spielberg's autobiographical drama as a mawkish ode to movies, considering the director's penchant for sentimentality. But if you examine the film's message more closely, you'll notice a grim, slashing undertone: a director slicing at the murky psychology of his own work.

Fight Club

Given how the movie was marketed, it's understandable why audiences may see Fight Club as a macho celebration of male cruelty. Beneath its premise, however, David Fincher's 1999 thriller was a harsh (if blustery) indictment of capitalism and masculinity. The cherry on top was the debut of a hilariously inept video game called Fight Club.

Fool’s Paradise

Charlie Day, actor of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, did not make an impression on either critics or viewers with his first film as a filmmaker, Fool's Paradise, a comedy set in Hollywood. Day's nonverbal protagonist, who was criticized for being unenthusiastic and boring to watch, was the subject of several critiques. However, Day claims that this was a conscious decision made to highlight the upward failure of white men. In August 2023, he told The Independent, "The whole point of the satire is to not be the charismatic, entertaining character they need and want." "You must accept the fact that you have made this decision and taken this significant risk."

Goodfellas

You would think that Goodfellas' overtly anti-crime message would be easy to understand, as the majority of Martin Scorsese's 1990 drama is devoted to depicting you awful people acting in awful ways. However, the constant debate about superhero movies in recent years has led to more and more accusations that Scorsese's picture was made to make crime seem cool. False!

Josie and the Pussycats

When this 2001 satire of the music industry originally came out, it was widely criticized, with some pointing out its obvious superficiality and extensive use of products. However, a lot of critics just weren't giving the movie enough credit. The film's sarcastic theme, which has only become stronger in the years after, included the gaudy commercialism.

Juno

Elliot Page played a bright 16-year-old who chooses to carry an unplanned pregnancy to term in Diablo Cody's teen comedy. Many pro-life activists supported the movie because they believed its message was anti-abortion. Page also said, "What I get most frustrated at is when people call it a pro-life movie, which is just absurd...," indicating that this was never the intention. The most crucial aspect is that there is a choice, as the movie amply illustrates.

The Matrix

Since the Wachowskis were a sibling filmmaking duo and were widely believed to be two cisgender guys at the time of the film's premiere, most people might be forgiven for missing the trans metaphor at the center of The Matrix. The Wachowskis have acknowledged in the years following the movie's premiere that the picture was meant to serve as a metaphor for the trans experience, a meaning that most audiences were unaware of in 1999. Conversely, the alt-right's appropriation of The Matrix, which even included the movie's well-known "red pill/blue pill" imagery in its vocabulary, was also oddly incorrect. Star Hugo Weaving then remarked, "It's a very, very shallow reading of the intention of a film."

Rambo: First Blood

Because of the violent excess of its sequels, everyone believes Rambo to be a gritty homage to violent retaliation. The original Sylvester Stallone film, however, was essentially a scathing critique of violence and conflict; viewers were meant to watch in terror rather than take pleasure in it.

Showgirls

When Paul Verhoeven's sensual drama was first published, it was criticized for its sex scenes and dialogue, which made viewers laugh mockingly. However, Verhoeven later confirmed that the film's exuberant, exaggerated tone was a purposeful component of the satire, proving that this was the filmmaker's objective.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

There are many important reasons why George Lucas's science fiction prequel was mostly disregarded when it originally came out. However, some of the criticism was unjustified. Since then, revisionists have praised the movie for its deliberate portrayal of the Jedi's complacency, revealing that it has far more complex political allegories than it was first thought to have. However, that does not absolve Jar Jar Binks.

Starship Troopers

Maybe the Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven continues getting lost in translation, which is why he seems to have a talent for misinterpreted movies. But another excellent example is Starship Troopers, a movie that was criticized for its sweeping, jingoistic tale of military adventure but was really a clever, unafraid parody of the American war machine and its propaganda.

V for Vendetta

Many viewers were moved by the anti-establishment message of this 2005 comic book adaptation, especially by the image of the main character, the masked revolutionary "V." However, real-life activists, including some on the far right, quickly wore masks similar to the character's, a la Guy Fawkes. "I am confused by it," V star Hugo Weaving blasted the interpretation in an interview with The Daily Beast. It only serves to highlight how superficial people are. You can't read between the lines with them. They will take anything that they find cool and modify it to suit their needs, even though the original aim or significance was completely different.

Wall Street

Is greed a positive thing? Yes, assuming you accept Oliver Stone's highly regarded drama from the 1980s as fact. Many did, and Gordon Gecko, played by Michael Douglas, came to represent greedy corporate ambition. However, if you look below the obvious, you'll discover a brutal yet powerful indictment.

The Wolf of Wall Street

In Martin Scorsese's criminal epic Wolf of Wall Street, Leonardo DiCaprio plays stock market tycoon Jordan Belfort, who is a charming crook but a vile person. Over the course of its three-hour runtime, the film goes to considerable pains to demonstrate Belfort's depravity, yet many viewers left the movie with the impression that he was an inspiring character. Wall Street was back to normal.