10 Best Guilty Pleasure Movies

We all have go-to movies that we rarely get time to watch. Below are a handful of movies out there that we would shy away from telling our friends we replay on the regular. But then again, those types of films are nothing to be ashamed of either. Whether it’s a B-rated rom-com, a low-budget action flick, or a box-office flop, all stories have something memorable enough to remain special in our hearts.

Guilty pleasure movies are not necessarily a “bad thing”. Part of the fun is basking in the guilt! We don’t need to look to critics to decide which films are the best for us. Sometimes a hearty, crying laugh is just what audiences need to remember a good time, and there is no shame in sharing their favorite secret gems.

10 ‘Super Mario Bros.’ (1993)

With the 2023 animated release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, most movie-goers have forgotten Mario and Luigi’s first live-action film appearance nearly twenty-three years ago! Featuring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, Super Mario Bros. is considered one of the worst films ever made due to its bizarre character designs, lack of creative control, and misaligned undertones.

This fantasy adventure fail tries its best to replicate Nintendo’s most beloved characters, but some viewers can look back and chuckle at the chaotic, off-beat adaptation. Regardless, the film is unquestionably a unique experience. “I loved the Super Mario Bros. movie. I didn’t even care that it was nothing like the games; it was just so surreal, weird, stylish, and fun. I rented the tape 3 times.”

9 ‘Rat Race’ (2001)

Jerry Zucker‘s Rat Race is cash run comedy featuring the best of the best comedians including Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, and John Cleese. Split up into teams, the all-star cast play odd-balls who are given the opportunity to race from Las Vegas to New Mexico with a key to a locker that contains two million dollars. Simple, whoever gets there first wins!

“I think I keep this on my guilty pleasure shelf because it reminds me of a type of movie they don’t really make anymore.” Rat Race was a box-office smash splattered with hazardous stunts and dirty humor that still lives up today.

8 ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ (1986)

Big Trouble in Little China is an action comedy starring big-time names Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, and James Hong. Originally envisioned to be a Western, the plot is set in San Francisco’s Chinatown when truck driver Jack is pressured into helping his buddy Wang Chi save his green-eyed fiancée from an evil Chinese sorcerer.

This home video classic is stuffed with cheeky danger, and the movie is a real guilty pleasure, in that it has quite a bit of controversy behind whether it is subverting or playing into racism with its characterization of the villains. That said, if you put aside that, it does well at giving us something unique, in that it shows an action film from the comic relief’s perspective.”

7 ‘She’s the Man’ (2006)

“Do you like cheese?” She’s the Man, starring comedic genius Amanda Bynes and heartthrob Channing Tatum, is one of the most quotable rom-coms to date! The early 2000s marked the start of a gender-bending trend seen in films like The Hot Chick and international TV series like Coffee Prince and You’re Beautiful. The plot surrounds teenager Viola Hastings who impersonates her twin brother at his boarding school in order to prove her talent on the boy’s soccer team.

The storymay sound like a B-movie at first, but it was easily a commercial success thanks to Bynes’ perfect comical timing in performing as an awkwardly stereotypical “guy-man-guy-guy-man”. The movie still holds the power to make anyone burst out in laughing including user mixed-tape who started a discussion thread quoting the film’s most hysterical lines.

6 ‘Overboard’ (1987)

MGM’s Overboard, starring famous couple Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, is a cult rom-com with a problematic screenplay that ought to have Gen-Zs deeming it “cancel” worthy. After a rich socialite falls off her precious yacht and suffers from amnesia, a poor carpenter, whom she offended, tricks the dame into being his wife of four boys as revenge.

If taken out of its comedic context, the plot could loosely mimic a psychological thriller, but Hawn’s hilariously, convincing performance persuades viewers to look past her romanticized Stockholm-syndrome circumstance. Nonetheless, Overboard is an 80s fan favorite, and classic guilty pleasure movie.

5 ‘Batman & Robin’ (1997)

From Lewis G. Wilson to Robert Pattinson, major Hollywood celebs have once stepped into the famous Caped Crusader superhero’s suit including Oscar-Winner George Clooney in Batman & Robin. Director Joel Schumacher‘s edition was the first live-action appearance of the venomous villain Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) and Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as the plot explores Bruce Wayne’s boiling tension with his young side-kick.

Though the film received harsh, negative reviews, but look past the cheesy scenes and commented, “I adore Batman & Robin. A blatantly terrible movie, but it’s truthfully one of the most entertaining, memorable, and quotable superhero movies ever made. The over-the-top action, the fanfiction-y writing, the cartoonish stuntwork and special effects; it’s a campy mess but there’s a certain charm to it that I always feel whenever I watch it.”

4 ‘Beverly Hills Ninja’ (1997)

The energetic comedian and Saturday Night Live personality Chris Farley starred in many popular pictures from Tommy Boy to Airheads, but nothing quite compares to Farely’s last and unforgettable appearance in Beverly Hills Ninja. Orphaned boy Haru is taken in by a clan of ninjas and struggles to learn the tactful ways of becoming one of them. On his first mission, he is sent to Beverly Hills, and what follows is a non-stop laughing fest of goofball humor.

Farely’s performance is a spectacle to watch, and the story does a great job of presenting the silly side of martial art comedies. “Big guilty pleasure here for me. I love Farley and I love seeing him bumble his way through the movie. That swinging palm tree moment exists as one of those moments where I remember crying laughing as a child.”

3 ‘Good Burger’ (1997)

“Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger. Can I take your order?” Nickelodeon’s Good Burger was an iconic symbol of the start of summer for many 90s kids.

The film revolves around high schooler Dexter who nabs a summer job at a small-town burger restaurant to pay off a car accident debt. At Good Burger, Dexter meets Ed, a wacky employee with a few screws loose, and the two form a unique friendship as they rival against Mondo Burger, the joint across the street.

This cult film might be jammed with ridiculousness, but the timeless belly laughs never get old. Millennials are waiting in great anticipation for the return of dynamic duo Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell in the upcoming sequel Good Burger 2, releasing later this year! This movie is more than just some dumb Nickelodeon cash grab. First, it’s riddled with Dad jokes primarily spoken by Ed. I’ve laughed more than I could imagine.”

2 ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ (2000)

Guilty pleasure movies don’t all have to be kept a secret, yet The Emperor’s New Groove is one of Disney’s best-hidden gems. When selfish Emperor Kuzco (David Spade) is turned into a llama by his wicked advisor Yzma (Eartha Kitt), humble villager Pacha (John Goodman) agrees to venture with Kuzco back to his palace before Yzma destroys him for good.

The Peruvian-inspired comedy is a whirlpool of fun, slapstick adventures, and a feel-good movie for all ages. Kuzco and Pacha’s bickering friendship is worth gold, and this movie never gets old.”

1 ‘White Chicks’ (2004)

The early 2000s marked the era of ultimate cringe-worthy flicks. Co-written by Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans, the brothers took a risk playing the main roles in the comedic crime story White Chicks. When FBI agents Marcus and Kevin screw up their mission of protecting the Wilson sisters from a kidnapping scheme, the brothers must disguise themselves by literally becoming “white chicks”.

Despite their controversial whiteface appearance, the film gained a massive cult following thanks to its priceless jokes and absurdly, loony scenes that fans still love to re-create today. White Chicks is one of the best guilty pleasure films out there, including Puzzled-Journalist-4 who shares, “White Chicks – Even its dirty, chip jokes still hold up and never fails to make me laugh, and the fact that this type of film is impossible to make today made it more special.”