Further Review: 5 Underrated Movies From 2017

However you feel about the best films of 2017, or about 2017 in film in general, you have to admit that the best movies were really freaking good, man. I look at a lot of the best movies of 2017 lists that are coming out. While there was more bullshit than ever to sift through, I have to admit that there were also some really good movies, too. Get Out, Wonder Woman, Dunkirk, and Thor: Ragnarok are all good examples of large-scale releases that made good on every possible level.

However, as good as those movies are, they don’t tell the whole story of film over the past twelve months. If the best-of 2017 lists are old news to you, don’t worry. With dozens of films released this year, there is a good chance that a few slipped past your radar. You can say that for all of us. To that end, let’s take a look at just 5 of the most underrated movies of the year. This isn’t in any particular order of quality, so don’t worry about that. Just make it a point to see these movies. For one reason or another, they just didn’t get the attention they deserved.

 

1. Youth in Oregon

Despite a high-mindedness in its storytelling that borderlines on grating, and a poster that is about a decade too late to effectively rip off Little Miss Sunshine, there is much to Youth in Oregon that is worth your attention. As Raymond, Frank Langella avoids pandering in his portrayal of a brilliant, dying doctor, who chooses to end his life through euthanasia. Not surprisingly, the strongest heartbeats of this film come from his gentle, understated desire to be proven wrong in his otherwise unshakable determination to retain control over the belief that life is no longer worth living.

Occasionally, the film comes across as heavy-handed as the premise above sounds. The family drama dynamics, particularly with Frank’s daughter (Christina Applegate, who is pretty underrated in her own right), his son-in-law (Billy Crudup, who actually seems to wake up for this one), and their daughter (Nicola Peltz), give the movie enough weight to remain interesting. Dysfunctional family dramedies often rely too heavily on the chemistry of the cast. Youth in Oregon is no different, but it ultimately redeems itself through the fact that the chemistry really is that compelling. Youth in Oregon received middling reviews from most critics. I don’t think that’s reasonable. Despite its flaws, this movie has a lot to offer. Langella’s performance most of all.

 

2. XX

Don’t be the asshole who thinks that XX putting its anthology format firmly in the varied hands of female directors is some sort of gimmick. Although the marketing can feel a little tacky, I doubt that was the actual intention of anyone behind this intensely entertaining, genuinely scary collection of short films. Perhaps, we should replace the word “gimmick” with “purpose.”

XX is a strong reminder that women have been writing and directing great horror for decades. Despite that, the genre remains largely dominated by men. We can see that changing now. XX is a testament to that change. If there is any statement to be taken from the four stories that make up this film, it is that women have much to offer the subject of horror. That isn’t a surprise to me, but it seems to be mildly astonishing to others. Annie Clark, Karyn Kusama, Roxanne Benjamin, Jovanka Vuckovic all bring something singular, and absolutely ferocious to their stories. In particular, “The Birthday Party” emphasizes and celebrates the beautiful art of black comedy that is dominated by constant dread. While you may not like all of these stories, I’m willing to bet you will enjoy most of them.

 

3. Brigsby Bear

One of the most unique mediations on trauma and grief processing to come out in quite some time, Brigsby Bear avoids every single cliché that threatens its intriguing premise. A young man named James knows only what is taught to him by his parents (Mark Hamill and Jane Adams), who kidnapped him as a child, and have kept him in isolation with them in a bunker in the California desert. Most of James’ world is shaped by a television show, created by his parents, called Brigsby Bear. When the police rescue James, awkwardly restoring him to his family, he is shocked to learn the truth about his entire world.

Since James can’t quite shake his favorite TV show, he elects to finish the series with a film. The nervous energy of Kyle Mooney as James is perhaps the strongest feature to Brigsby Bear. James isn’t the standard idiot man-child that usually fits the bill for the story of someone growing up at a later date than most. He is naïve, and he is largely left to figure out his new world, and his place in it, on his own. That journey avoids getting too serious, which may frustrate those who want this story to take James’ trauma more somberly. It also includes a number of winning performances from Hamill, Adams, Matt Walsh, Greg Kinnear (who should play characters like these more often), Ryan Simpkins, and Andy Samberg (who helped produce the film). Brigsby Bear wraps its strange, somewhat dark story in whimsy and sentiment. Owing to the actors, as well as the script, it avoids choking the larger points the movie aspires to make.

 

4. The Lost City of Z

Grossing a little over 17 million against a budget of 30 million, The Lost City of Z is an example of a box-office bomb that deserved better. Poorly marketed, devoid of overused movie franchise heroes, and lacking in the kind of star power that is usually attached to an ambitious biopic like this, you’re missing out, if you don’t make it a point to see this. The Lost City of Z is the story of real-life explorer Percy Fawcett, who disappeared with his son in 1925 while searching for a lost Amazonian city. Charlie Hunnam gives perhaps the best of his career thus far as Fawcett, while Robert Pattison continues to put Twilight behind him, giving one of his best turns as fellow explorer Henry Costin. Then we have Sienna Miller, who takes full advantage of the way The Lost City of Z writes Fawcett’s wife Nina as more than just a suffering wife role.

The validity of The Lost City of Z’s true story isn’t really that important. The film uses factual information for the foundation, and then moves into its own territory. The distinction between these things is clear, and it would be nice if more biographical films could make that effort. Although a little long at 2 hours and 20 minutes, The Lost City of Z is an epic that has more to offer than you might think.

 

5. Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

I suppose there is a chance that this movie will get some attention during awards season. Yet somehow, in spite of the massive success of Wonder Woman and Gal Gadot, this movie continues to be overlooked. I have a sinking feeling that won’t change. That is too bad, since Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is another biopic that finds challenging, rich ways to tell the story of Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston.

While the movie does naturally lend a good portion of its running time to unraveling the secrets behind one of the most important comic book characters of all time, the true appeal of this film comes down to the story of Marston, his wife (Rebecca Hall), and their partner (Olive Byrne). Marston paid a high price for his passions and beliefs. Angela Robinson, who wrote and directed the film, shows us this, without making the film a depressing episode from a time that was even less sympathetic towards gravitations from the norm than what we have to deal with now. Robinson keeps the film from being glossy, overtly sexual, or as a tedious depiction of scandal. The movie isn’t arrogant in its belief that heterosexual 2-person couples are not for everyone. It simply presents the details of a beautiful, occasionally tragic love story, while also finding time to take us to the ground floor of Wonder Woman.

To be sure, there are relationships even more complex, and more viciously stigmatized by the shittier parts of society, than the long-term bond between the three protagonists of Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. There is an undercurrent to this film that reminds us of this. The movie is one of the most refreshing dramatic romances of the year. Quite possibly, of the decade, as well.