Not every movie lights up the box office or wins major awards. Not every movie spawns sequels or prequels- the current barometer for success in Hollywood. There are plenty of good movies that did none of these things, but the passage of time just forces many of them to be pushed into the background until they're largely forgotten as hundreds of new offerings pour out each year. It's never too late for a movie to experience a revival, though. Film buffs have the power to make previously underrated movies like "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory", "Blade Runner", "Scarface", "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Fight Club" SO popular that we forget what the initial response was. There's hope for these films yet. Here are 40 more underrated movies in the order they were released.
1. "Play It Again, Sam"(1972)
If you're a Woody Allen fan(and you should still be), then seek out his first teaming with his '70s muse Diane Keaton, that laid the groundwork for his neurotic immortality, as his lovelorn Bogart-obsessed introvert fails repeatedly at romance.
2. "Lenny"(1974)
Dustin Hoffman is excellent in the true life story of controversial stand-up comic Lenny Bruce who shook up a repressed public in the 1950s and early '60s with his racy but honest monologues that inspired a whole generation of libertarians.
3. "Nighthawks"(1981)
If you can get past Sylvester Stallone's Serpico beard, this NYC cop thriller is an early, unsung effort from the budding icon. Rutger Hauer is chilling as an international terrorist on the loose in the Big Apple.
4. "Missing"(1982)
Jack Lemmon displayed more of his seemingly effortless acting talent as an American businessman searching for his missing son in a turbulent South American country. Sissy Spacek is more than a match as his distraught daughter-in-law.
5. "Ruthless People"(1986)
Danny DeVito's philandering millionaire refuses to pay the ransom when his obnoxious wife(Bette Midler) is kidnapped by a financially strapped couple(Judge Reinhold and Helen Stater) in this sharp and hilarious comedy from the ZAZ team that brought us "Airplane!".
6. "Angel Heart"(1987)
This stylish thriller from "Midnight Express" director Alan Parker has a young, untarnished Mickey Rourke in the lead role and Robert De Niro in full creep mode. It also had the grave misfortune of coming out the same day as "Lethal Weapon".
7. "Baby Boom"(1987)
Diane Keaton's high-powered Manhattan career woman didn't see the same success as "The Three Men" that took up child-rearing that very same year, but this Nancy Myers comedy was similarly good-natured family entertainment.
8. "La Bamba"(1987)
Lou Diamond Phillips reached his career high point as Hispanic 1950s rock 'n' roll singer Ritchie Valens who died tragically in the same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly just as he was achieving broad mainstream appeal.
9. "Throw Momma From The Train"(1987)
Danny DeVito kept his hot streak going in this black comedy(that he also directed) with plenty of help from Billy Crystal and the late Ann Ramsey of "Goonies" fame, as the nastiest mother in movie history.
10. "Overboard"(1987)
Goldie Hawn was exceptionally likable and gifted when it came to light comedy(if you think that's easy, then you've probably never sampled any of her daughter's work). Along with real life co-star Kurt Russell, this amusing update of "The Taming of the Shrew" found the bubbly beauty at her peak.
11. "Funny Farm"(1988)
Chevy Chase's rural romp was released during his 1980s heyday and received a very enthusiastic recommendation from Siskel & Ebert, but neither of those factors could help it against "Big" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" at the ticket counter. I'm backing up the late, great duo's assertion that it's easily one of his better vehicles.
12. "Married to the Mob"(1988)
Michelle Pfeiffer is as engaging as she is gorgeous as she attempts to leave the Family to live a poor but honest life in director Johnathan Demme's unorthodox comedy that may have set the template for VH1's "Mob Wives".
13. "Eight Men Out"(1988)
The 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal is recalled in this authentic period drama. John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, D.B Sweeney and Christopher Lloyd were a winning ensemble and director John Sayles effectively re-creates one of the darkest chapters of America's favorite pastime.
14. "Mississippi Burning"(1988)
Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe are mismatched FBI agents investigating the disappearance and suspected murders of three civil-rights workers in the racially charged Mississippi of 1964 in director Alan Parker's taut dramatization.
15. "Sea of Love"(1989)
This well crafted police thriller marked Al Pacino's return to the screen after a four year self-imposed exile and quickly reminded us that the multiplex is a much better place when he's around. As a NYC cop, he tracks a lonely hearts killer who may or may not be Ellen Barkin.
16. "Sex, Lies, and Videotape"(1989)
Director Steven Soderbergh's steamy breakthrough explores the psychological make-up of a group of young adults as James Spader's mysterious drifter awakens some repressed feelings from two sisters(Andie MacDowell and Laura San Giacomo) entirely through conversation.
17. "Wild at Heart"(1990)
Relive the days when Nick Cage was cool and even mainstream movies were a little warped as director David Lynch serves up more lurid sex, violence and grotesque characters. It's not for everyone, but adventurous viewers won't be sorry they took this trip.
18. "Unlawful Entry"(1992)
Ray Liotta is intense as a deranged cop who terrorizes a helpless yuppie(Kurt Russell) after becoming obsessed with his attractive wife(Madeline Stowe) in this gripping "Fatal Attraction"-style thriller.
19. "Hoffa"(1992)
Jack Nicholson delivered his most undervalued performance in this epic telling of the controversial Teamsters boss that got lost in the '92 holiday shuffle(even the adults were more interested in "Aladdin" and "Home Alone 2"). Danny DeVito directs a David Mamet screenplay, and co-stars as Hoffa's shady cohort.
20. "Lorenzo's Oil"(1992)
This gut-wrenching fact based drama will be difficult for some, due to it's unflinching portrait of a sick child and terminal illness, but the experience is ultimately an uplifting one. Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte are terrific as parents who never gave up.
21. "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story"(1993)
Jason Scott Lee(no relation) is very effective as the martial arts legend in this entertaining biography that focuses on the many struggles and personal demons accompanying his rise from the streets of Hong Kong to international stardom.
22. "What's Love Got to Do with It"(1993)
Angela Bassett and Lawrence Fishburne both shined in this above-average biopic that chronicles the musical success of singer Tina Turner as well as the brutal treatment at the hands of her infamous manager/husband Ike.
23. "The Man Without a Face"(1993)
Mel Gibson made a successful directorial debut with this moving drama in which he also stars as a disfigured, reclusive teacher who forms an unlikely friendship with a troubled teenage student.
24. "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm"(1993)
Mark Hamill's show-stealing vocals as the Joker is enough to put the feature length version of "Batman: The Animated Series" comfortably ahead of Joel Schumacher's nippled nightmares on the Caped Crusader's big screen resume.
25. "Quiz Show"(1994)
Director Robert Redford's smart and subtle examination of the 1950s game show scandal had a fine cast that included Ralph Fiennes, but couldn't hope to nudge "Forrest Gump" out of the way at the 1994 Oscars.
26. "The Bridges of Madison County"(1995)
Clint Eastwood left his comfort zone to direct and star in this affecting melodrama with another flawless performance from Meryl Streep as a lonely housewife who falls for a traveling photographer.
27. "12 Monkeys"(1995)
Bruce Willis displays zero vanity as a grungy time traveler desperately tracking the origin of a disease that will wipe out the majority of the Earth's population in director Terry Gilliam's dark and gritty sci-fi tale, while Brad Pitt proved that he had even less interest in being pristine.
28. "Nixon"(1995)
Anthony Hopkins brought his amazing skill to the role of the disgraced 37th President, but it just wasn't enough with "Toy Story" playing down the hall. Oliver Stone pokes around a few more dark corners of American history and the results are no less nourishing than his masterpiece "JFK".
29. "Donnie Brasco"(1997)
It's hard to standout in a genre already perfected by the likes of "The Godfather I and II" and "Goodfellas", but Johnny Depp's undercover FBI agent doesn't seem out of place in mob movie lore thanks largely to Al Pacino's mid-level lifer 'Lefty' Ruggiero.
30. "Jackie Brown"(1997)
Considered a disappointment at the time of it's release for not being Pulp Fiction 2, this Elmore Leonard adaptation is starting to get recognized as Tarantino's most mature film. QT let up on the violence for the first and last time, and Pam Grier heads up a killer cast as a middle-aged flight attendant caught between both sides of the law.
31. "The Thin Red Line"(1998)
If "Saving Private Ryan" hadn't cast such a large shadow that same year, Terence Malick's existential drama would no doubt be recognized as the greatest modern WWII film. It may lack the visceral impact of Spielberg's epic, but Malick is no slouch on the battlefield, with a dream ensemble that includes Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Jim Caveziel and Adrien Brody.
32. "The Hurricane"(1999)
Denzel Washington furthered his standing as one of this generation's undisputed greats in the role of imprisoned boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, which is easily par with his work in "Malcolm X"(he didn't win the Academy Award for that, either).
33. "Ali"(2001)
Will Smith proved himself a more than capable actor with his astonishing portrayal of 'The Greatest', in Michael Mann's biopic that covers the life of Cassius Clay from 1964-74 and his defining battles in and out of the ring.
34. "Miracle"(2004)
Kurt Russell guides a line-up of real life hockey players as inspirational coach Herb Brooks for this retelling of one of the biggest upsets in sports history- the U.S. Olympic hockey team's victory over their heavily favored Soviet rivals in 1980.
35. "Collateral"(2004)
Michael Mann's sleek thriller had a tough time getting noticed in a summer dominated by the likes of "Spider-Man 2" and "Shrek 2", despite a stone-cold Tom Cruise in a rare villainous role and newly minted Oscar winner Jamie Foxx as his helpless cabbie/accomplice.
36. "Garden State"(2004)
Natalie Portman is better in any one scene of this quirky indie comedy starring Zach Braff, than in any of the "Star Wars" movies that were filmed around the same time(way to go, George Lucas).
37. "The New World"(2005)
Audiences were very reluctant to give Colin Farrell another chance in a historical drama only one year after the disastrous "Alexander", which is a shame because nearly everyone missed out on the visual poetry that Terence Malick brought to the romance between John Smith and Pocahontas.
38. "W"(2008)
When Obama fever was spreading through the land in '08, nobody seemed to be in the mood for Oliver Stone's indictment of the Bush administration. One day, the public will appreciate Josh Brolin's praise-worthy performance as the college drunk/C-student who became our unlikeliest Commander in Chief.
39. "Changeling"(2008)
Angelina Jolie may have been more deserving of the Best Actress Oscar than that year's recipient Kate Winslet for her searing portrayal of a 1920s woman who exhaustively searches for her missing son in this compelling true story directed by (who else?) Clint Eastwood.
40. "The Wrestler"(2008)
Mickey Rourke's astounding transformation into an aging, washed-up pro wrestler in Darren Aronofsky's heartbreaking character study is the closest thing this cinematic era has to a "Raging Bull".
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