Scrolling through streaming services to choose the right film or TV show can sometimes feel like a drag.
“Seen this. Don’t want to watch this. Heard about this, but don’t know if I want to spend the next three hours crying,” you may be thinking to yourself this weekend.
But what if there was a film about a bear ingesting pounds of cocaine before terrorizing folks in a national park? Or snakes falling from the ceiling of an airplane? And — even better — what if the films also had weird titles?
Grab your popcorn, sit back and pick your next weekend watch (while trying not to spill your drink from giggling) from our list of movies with wacky — and sometimes extremely literal — names.
1. “Cocaine Bear” (2023)
Both a wacky and literal title, you’ll have to leave your couch to watch “Cocaine Bear,” a film released in Canada on Friday about a 500-pound black bear that ingested a huge amount of cocaine before embarking on a drug-fuelled rampage.
The worst part is that it’s inspired by a true story. Whatever happened to bears eating berries and salmon?
2. “Snakes on a Plane” (2006)
“Snakes on a Plane” (2006) is a story about an FBI agent (Samuel L. Jackson) who boards a flight to escort a witness to trial. Straightforward enough, right?
Wrong.
An on-board assassin releases a bunch of deadly snakes on the plane in an attempt to kill the witness, leaving fellow passengers and crew in a fight for their lives.
3. “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants” (2005)
Despite what the title suggests, the pants don’t travel alone.
The movie follows a group of best friends (including America Ferrera and Blake Lively), who are spending the summer apart. Not wanting to lose connection to each other, they take turns sharing a pair of jeans that perfectly fit all four girls even though they have varying body shapes.
4. “Dude, Where’s My Car?” (2000)
The title is literally what the movie is about: Two friends (Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott) wake up after a night of partying and can’t remember where they parked their car. As they try to find it, they end up meeting some memorable characters along the way.
5. “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” (1995)
In this cult classic, three drag queens (Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo) impress judges at a drag competition and secure a spot in the national competition in Los Angeles. The rest of the film is about their road trip across America and their struggle to make it to finals in time.
6. “Scary Movie” (2000)
Less scary and more comedic, the “Scary Movie” franchise parodies slasher films. The first in the franchise, “Scary Movie” is still the best: it follows a group of teens who accidentally hit a man with his car and dispose of the body. A year later, someone wearing a mask and black robe sets out to kill them one by one. Much funnier than it sounds.
7. “My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To” (2020)
This horror-drama takes viewers through the saga of two siblings looking to save their sick, younger sibling who must drink blood in order to survive. How do they acquire said blood? Simply by murdering people.
According to the Star’s Akrit Michael, the title should be, “Go See a Cardiologist!”
8. “Sharkboy and Lava Girl” (2005)
Before he was Jacob Black in “Twilight,” Taylor Lautner was Sharkboy, a half-human half-fish child with a fin on his back in “Sharkboy and Lavagirl.” At first he and his fin are imaginary, part of a young boy named Max’s school project. But then, Sharkboy, accompanied by Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley), becomes real and they venture off to Planet Drool to battle aliens and save the planet from destruction, defeating real-life bullies who have become villains in this new world along the way.
9. “But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999)
A cheerleader (the peerless Natasha Lyonne), who excels in school and has a football-playing boyfriend, is shocked when her parents say she’s gay and sends her to a True Directions boot camp which is basically conversion therapy. She meets another teen girl there and starts to have feelings for her. It’s an iconic movie among LGBTQ people — and hilarious to boot.
10. “Spy Kids” (2001)
In this hit movie, two siblings become spies to save their ex-spy parents from an evil mastermind. Also included in the film are some people who are entirely made up of thumbs and wear red rompers. A classic.
Did we miss any movies you feel deserve recognition? Use the comments to discuss the Star’s picks and add to the list.
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