Guilty Pleasures: Movie Edition

Although I usually have fairly good taste in movies, there are some very strange aberrations that will probably make some people question my judgment and/ or sanity. Here are some of the more embarrassing ones (in no particular order):

1. Mannequin – I love this movie. From the extreme ‘80s hair and fashion (case in point: the shoulder pads on all of the women) to the Starship power ballad “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” this is a great testament to just how naïve (or stupid) I once was. When Kim Cattrall reemerged as sexpot Samantha in Sex in the City, a little part of my childhood died.
   

2. Jersey Girl – As much as I make fun of Lifetime Television for Women, I must admit that I flip to that blasted channel whenever it airs this movie. For people who did not see it (most of the population), it is a kinder, gentler Kevin Smith movie. It stars Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck, and the ending gets me every time.
   

3. The Majestic – This film could also be titled Jim Carrey's Frank Capra Film. In this woefully underrated film (which is probably the least embarrassing movie on this list), Carrey plays a screenwriter who is blacklisted during the Red Scare. I will be the first to admit that the first 30 minutes of this film is slow, but the rest of it is quite good. Roger Ebert, my brother, and I are probably the only people in the world who really enjoyed this movie.
   

4. Drop Dead Gorgeous – I still refuse to believe that this is a bad movie. There are some incredibly tasteless jokes, but any movie that makes fun of beauty pageants by featuring Denise Richards singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” to Jesus can’t be all bad.
   

5. Center Stage – As a recovering theatre junkie, I couldn’t help but get sucked into this drama of dancers attending a fictional ballet company. Peter Gallagher’s eyebrows out act several of the actual actors, but that’s just part of the movie’s charm. However, even the eyebrows can’t compete with the insane (and nonsensical) ballet at the end, where several of the lead characters dance to Michael Jackson and Jamiroquai.