In recent years, the gap between audience and critic scores of new movies has been widening, with audiences favoring blockbusters more than reviewers do, according to Bloomberg,. Many films that are commercial successes and beloved by viewers are nevertheless lambasted by critics. (The opposite is also true. Here’s a list of R-rated movies loved by critics, hated by everybody else.)
To compile a list of R-rated movies America loved but critics hated, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on audience and critical reception from Rotten Tomatoes. R-rated movies were ranked based on the difference between each one’s Rotten Tomatoes audience score and Tomatometer (cumulative critics’) score. Only movies with an audience score of 75% or higher and a Tomatometer score less than 50% as of April 2023 were considered. Movies must also have at least 1,000 Rotten Tomatoes audience reviews, 10 Tomatometer critic reviews, and 10,000 user votes on IMDb. Documentaries were not considered. Cast and director credits are from IMDb.
Action movies, dramas, and thrillers are all represented, but comedies dominate the list. Many of these have developed a cult following, including “Super Troopers,” a slapstick comedy about a Vermont state police force; the teen-comedy parody “Wet Hot American Summer;” and the dark crime comedy “Party Monster,” a tale of depravity, excess, and murder based on the true story of New York club kid Michael Allig. (These are the highest-grossing R-rated comedies of all time.)
Click here for a list of 40 R-rated movies America loved, but critics hated
Also featured are stoner cult classics including “Half Baked” and both “Friday” sequels, “Next Friday” and “Friday After Next,” as well as Paris Barclay’s directorial debut, the 1996 parody of Black culture “Don’t Be a Menace,” starring Shawn and Marlon Wayans. Other notable Black directors whose films were loved more by audiences than by critics, include John Singleton, F. Gary Gray, and George Tillman, Jr.
40. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 37 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (39,687 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 38% (76 reviews)
> Starring: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter
> Directed by: David Wain
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39. Stuber (2019)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 37 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (5,396 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 42% (230 reviews)
> Starring: Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani, Mira Sorvino
> Directed by: Michael Dowse
38. The Program (1993)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 37 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (12,026 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 43% (21 reviews)
> Starring: James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Epps
> Directed by: David S. Ward
37. A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 37 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (22,431 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 43% (100 reviews)
> Starring: Scarlett Johansson, John Travolta, Gabriel Macht
> Directed by: Shainee Gabel
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36. Spun (2002)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 38 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (56,701 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 37% (79 reviews)
> Starring: Jason Schwartzman, John Leguizamo, Patrick Fugit
> Directed by: Jonas Åkerlund
35. The Chumscrubber (2005)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 38 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (39,537 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 37% (60 reviews)
> Starring: Jamie Bell, Allison Janney, Rory Culkin
> Directed by: Arie Posin
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34. Running Scared (2006)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 38 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (135,422 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 41% (131 reviews)
> Starring: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Chazz Palminteri
> Directed by: Wayne Kramer
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33. Men of Honor (2000)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 39 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (77,333 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 42% (106 reviews)
> Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert De Niro, Charlize Theron
> Directed by: George Tillman Jr.
32. Green Street Hooligans (2005)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 40 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (219,919 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 47% (64 reviews)
> Starring: Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani
> Directed by: Lexi Alexander
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31. Equilibrium (2002)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 40 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (268,231 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 41% (91 reviews)
> Starring: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson
> Directed by: Kurt Wimmer
30. Great Expectations (1998)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 41 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (47,565 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 37% (35 reviews)
> Starring: Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria
> Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
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29. Life as a House (2001)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 41 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (57,073 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 47% (105 reviews)
> Starring: Hayden Christensen, Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas
> Directed by: Irwin Winkler
28. Waiting… (2005)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 45 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (233,462 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 30% (92 reviews)
> Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris, John Francis Daley
> Directed by: Rob McKittrick
27. Forsaken (2015)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 45 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (4,214 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 42% (45 reviews)
> Starring: Esther Purves-Smith, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland
> Directed by: Jon Cassar
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26. Party Monster (2003)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 46 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (36,831 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 29% (79 reviews)
> Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Wilson Cruz, Seth Green
> Directed by: Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato
25. All About the Benjamins (2002)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 47 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (34,521 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 30% (76 reviews)
> Starring: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Tommy Flanagan
> Directed by: Kevin Bray
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24. Anna (2019)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 47 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (2,226 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 34% (71 reviews)
> Starring: Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Luke Evans
> Directed by: Luc Besson
23. The United States of Leland (2003)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 47 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (30,380 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 34% (93 reviews)
> Starring: Ryan Gosling, Don Cheadle, Kevin Spacey
> Directed by: Matthew Ryan Hoge
22. Underworld (2003)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 48 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (496,020 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 31% (162 reviews)
> Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly
> Directed by: Len Wiseman
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21. The Butterfly Effect (2004)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 48 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (623,433 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (172 reviews)
> Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Melora Walters
> Directed by: Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber
20. Poetic Justice (1993)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 49 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (38,446 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 34% (32 reviews)
> Starring: Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King
> Directed by: John Singleton
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19. Friday After Next (2002)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 49 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (135,097 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% (72 reviews)
> Starring: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, John Witherspoon
> Directed by: Marcus Raboy
18. Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 49 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (517,395 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% (162 reviews)
> Starring: Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb
> Directed by: F. Gary Gray
17. Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 49 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (65,851 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 31% (26 reviews)
> Starring: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans
> Directed by: Paris Barclay
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16. Man on Fire (2004)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 51 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (423,695 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 38% (169 reviews)
> Starring: Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning
> Directed by: Tony Scott
15. Half Baked (1998)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 52 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (194,284 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 29% (24 reviews)
> Starring: Dave Chappelle, Guillermo Díaz, Jim Breuer
> Directed by: Tamra Davis
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14. How High (2001)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 53 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (67,118 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% (57 reviews)
> Starring: Method Man, Redman, Obba Babatundé
> Directed by: Jesse Dylan
13. Next Friday (2000)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 55 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (181,653 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 21% (66 reviews)
> Starring: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Justin Pierce
> Directed by: Steve Carr
12. Angel Has Fallen (2019)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 55 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (14,674 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 38% (188 reviews)
> Starring: Gerard Butler, Frederick Schmidt, Danny Huston
> Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
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11. Super Troopers (2001)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 55 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (262,930 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 35% (89 reviews)
> Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, André Vippolis
> Directed by: Jay Chandrasekhar
10. Bad Boys II (2003)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 55 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (502,048 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 23% (185 reviews)
> Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union
> Directed by: Michael Bay
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9. Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 56 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (8,121 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% (172 reviews)
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta
> Directed by: Adrian Grunberg
8. Jigsaw (2017)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 57 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (29,519 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 32% (90 reviews)
> Starring: Matt Passmore, Tobin Bell, Callum Keith Rennie
> Directed by: Michael & Peter Spierig
7. Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 58 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (2,309 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 25% (249 reviews)
> Starring: Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso
> Directed by: Ron Howard
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6. Harlem Nights (1989)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 59 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (34,486 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 21% (34 reviews)
> Starring: Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx
> Directed by: Eddie Murphy
5. Shaft (2019)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 61 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (7,727 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (129 reviews)
> Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher, Richard Roundtree
> Directed by: Tim Story
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4. The Life of David Gale (2003)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 62 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (60,988 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 19% (157 reviews)
> Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney
> Directed by: Alan Parker
3. The Boondock Saints (1999)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 63 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (335,578 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 28% (29 reviews)
> Starring: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus
> Directed by: Troy Duffy
2. Grandma’s Boy (2006)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 69 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (226,305 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 16% (62 reviews)
> Starring: Allen Covert, Linda Cardellini, Shirley Jones
> Directed by: Nicholaus Goossen
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1. Belly (1998)
> Difference between audience and Tomatometer score: 71 % pts.
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (34,290 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 16% (19 reviews)
> Starring: Nas, DMX, Taral Hicks
> Directed by: Hype Williams
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