Topic: Films with honkingly-bad titles

[Mister Six]

I worked at a cinema when TGL&PPPS came out and customers would always ask for tickets to "The Guernsey..." and trail off. See also "Alexander And The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day" from a few years earlier.

I'm trying to figure out what it is, and I think it's that the placement of the ampersand throws off the natural cadence that comes with those syllables. It doesn't made sense, but "The Guernsey Literary Potato & Peel Pie Society" somehow works better. Or is that just me?

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Is a potato peel pie even a real thing? It sounds fucking rubbish.

[greenman]

Is a potato peel pie even a real thing? It sounds fucking rubbish.

Seems standard pratice for bland drama fluff, trying for an unconventional title to make it sound a bit more interesting ala The Englishmen Who Went Up A Hill and Came Down A Mountain but failing miserably.

[Tokyo van Ramming]

Gleaming The Cube - what does that title conjure to you?

[alan nagsworth]

Bulletproof Monk

Remember being in a cinema when a trailer for this came on and the whole audience laughing at the title.

"Argh, monkproof bullets! My one *cough* weakness!"

[Blumf]

The sequel, Dishwasher Safe Cleric, was much better.

[mjwilson]

Now, see, I think ... would be a great film title. Imagine the fun one could have trying to Google it.

There was an episode of Lost just titled ?

I worked at a cinema when TGL&PPPS came out and customers would always ask for tickets to "The Guernsey..." and trail off. See also "Alexander And The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day" from a few years earlier.

I seem to remember giving up halfway through asking for a ticket for Martha Marcy May Marlene (although I can get that title right today without looking it up so the film must have done alright).

[Gerald Fjord]

I'm trying to figure out what it is, and I think it's that the placement of the ampersand throws off the natural cadence that comes with those syllables. It doesn't made sense, but "The Guernsey Literary Potato & Peel Pie Society" somehow works better. Or is that just me?

Spot on, the cadence is fucked.

[Piggyoioi]

took me a couple posts before i realized the title wasn't 'Films with honkingly-bad titties'

[beanheadmcginty]

"Slap Her... She's French"

[beanheadmcginty]

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

[gilbertharding]

I'm trying to figure out what it is, and I think it's that the placement of the ampersand throws off the natural cadence that comes with those syllables. It doesn't made sense, but "The Guernsey Literary Potato & Peel Pie Society" somehow works better. Or is that just me?

Did this sort of thing start with Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe? At least that title was usually abbreviated.

I haven't watched it, but understand potato peel pie *is* pretty horrible, but existed due to the lack of anything much better to eat in German occupied Guernsey which is where the film is set.

[Blumf]

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies?

[Keebleman]

The Favour, The Watch and the Very Big Fish, a flop from 1991.  (Actually, A Flop from 1991 is a much better title.)  It's trying so hard to be cute and quirky but is just clumsy and dull instead.

[gib]

Star Wars

huh?

[Blumf]

Star Wars

huh?

It's pretty obvious; several large stellar objects have at it with each other. I think it's a metaphor for divorce.

[non capisco]

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Up until the very last minute this Nickelodeon film for pre-teens was called Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging. Presumably hurriedly changed at the eleventh hour when someone realised it sounded like one of the films that Herr Lipp lookalike "In myyy shop?" guy might have been selling under the counter before Roger Cook bust in on him.

[a duncandisorderly]

I put off watching "glengarry glenross" for years because it had a shit title, & because people kept on about what a great stage-play it had been. shit title, & all the action in a confined space?
no thanks. but yes, it's nowhere near as bad as that we're so quirky & arty fried green potato peel dead poets snogging shite. I'd rather sit through 'terminator 3' again.

[Panbaams]

Another attempt to cash in on Four Weddings' success that failed miserably: Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel & Laurence.

I have a feeling that none of these cutesy names for British romcoms would have happened if the makers of Four Weddings and a Funeral had stuck with their original title: The Best Man.

[Blue Jam]

Bulletproof Monk

"A monk. A punk. A chick. In a kickass flick."

FUCK OFF. I remember when that seemed to be on the side of every bus in London, a tagline that was crap but also incredibly pleased with itself.

[Blue Jam]

The Kid Who Would Be King

I think this has been discussed here before, but "The Boy Who Would Be King" and "The Child Who Would Be King" both work better than "The Kid..." Urggh.

[Panbaams]

King Kid.

[EOLAN]

Another attempt to cash in on Four Weddings' success that failed miserably: Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel & Laurence.

I have a feeling that none of these cutesy names for British romcoms would have happened if the makers of Four Weddings and a Funeral had stuck with their original title: The Best Man.

My grammar isn't always the best; but should it not be a semi-colon after Martha? (Just to clarify; that Panbaams has copied the title exactly).

[St_Eddie]

My grammar isn't always the best; but should it not be a semi-colon after Martha? (Just to clarify; that Panbaams has copied the title exactly).

Yeah, it's not grammatically correct (or at the very least; it's clumsy, unwieldy and doesn't scan well).

[popcorn]

The Kid Who Would Be King

I think this has been discussed here before, but "The Boy Who Would Be King" and "The Child Who Would Be King" both work better than "The Kid..." Urggh.

This is bananas! "The boy" and "the child" are identical but without the alliteration. Without it it'd be a terribly portentous title and it wouldn't capture the film's sense of fun.

Of course it's a terrible film but that's incidental.

[Piggyoioi]

While we're talking about Joe Cornish's poorly titled film, here he is taking the piss out of another poorly titled film -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6CoNUE5Zho

[icehaven]

Another attempt to cash in on Four Weddings' success that failed miserably: Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel & Laurence.

A friend of mine at Uni loved that film but just called it "Martha, Meet Lots of Men."

[mothman]

A friend of mine at Uni loved that film but just called it "Martha, Meet Lots of Men."

Well, that’s a title writing a cheque the film won’t be able to cash.

[Shameless Custard]

I've never quite decided if Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a great title or a shit one

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

[Jerzy Bondov]

MICHAEL CLAYTON
JERRY MAGUIRE
ANNIE HALL
BILLY ELLIOT
HARRY BROWN
CHARLIE BARTLETT

Who the fuck are these cunts?