Some of the weirdest movies ever made have great entertainment value. Wild and bonkers premises that seem to be too whimsical and chaotic often lead to unexpectedly meaningful and fun viewing experiences. That’s not a guarantee, as many movies are plain weird, and you can find innumerable whimsical films that go nowhere despite having potential. However, it isn’t rare for an apparently silly and meaningless-on-paper premise to give us a memorable movie that will enthrall us till the end of time.

While some of the most unintentionally hilarious movie characters of all time were born accidentally and don’t necessarily enrich a film, intentionality with goofiness is a promising storytelling technique. Yes, many horror movie moments meant to be scary are hilarious by mistake, but trying to mix laughter with horror can yield wonderful results, as demonstrated by the most hilarious horror comedy movies that entertain audiences endlessly. So, some movies with very weird premises can be extremely entertaining as well.

9

Ratatouille (2007)

Directed by Brad Bird

Try explaining to someone that a rat with weirdly strong culinary skills can use tufts of hair on a struggling chef’s head to guide him like a puppet and take him to the heights of fame he was destined for based on his ancestry, and they’ll call you mad. The elevator pitch for Ratatouille sounds like it’d have been impossible to convince any producer, and yet, Brad Bird and the wonderful team behind the movie gave us one of the most memorable animated films in recent years.

The relationship between the rat Remy and his human friend or puppet, funnily named Linguini, is beautiful, and only makes sense in animation. The gorgeous art complements the story of rags-to-riches, as the rat, ideally supposed to be living in the sewers and eating rotten or discarded food, becomes a gourmet chef by proxy, and the famous chef Gusteau’s bastard son lives up to his dad’s reputation. With soulful music, energetic character interactions, chaos, and a bonkers premise, Ratatouille is one of Pixar’s finest movies.

8

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan

A woman is suddenly contacted by a version of her husband from an alternate reality, who possesses his body and lets her access her alternate versions from other universes so she can end the apocalypse of the multiverse. On paper, the premise of Everything Everywhere All At Once sounds too silly and goofy to amount to anything of significance and substance. Yet, it’s one of the best films of all time.

As one of the best martial arts adventure movies, Everything Everywhere All At Once leans into the disorienting effect of being able to possess the bodies and have memories of other versions of yourself. It is a whimsical film with various alternate realities that explores the bond between the protagonist and her daughter. The emotional core also deals with her relationship with her husband, and despite having what seems to be a weird premise, the movie delivers on all fronts.

7

White Chicks (2004)

Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans

Few movies scream early 2000s comedy like White Chicks, remembered as a timeless artifact of the era. Shawn and Marlon Wayans play two FBI agents who are forced to take the place of two white women after they’re injured during a car accident and refuse to let them escort them to their destination. The raceplay and genderplay elements may seem dated, but the film is surprisingly sensitive and aware for its time.

As a satire on the upper class, on America’s systemic racism and transphobia, White Chicks is a classic that has aged well and deserves a better reputation than it has. With a meager 15% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was critically panned, but it has been re-evaluated in recent years and has a Letterboxd rating of 3.54. Moreover, despite the weird premise, it’s one of the most entertaining comedies of the 2000s, with one of Terry Crews’ most memorable scenes of all time.

6

Cocaine Bear (2023)

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

Elizabeth Banks is often written off as a director because of the subpar quality of the two Pitch Perfect sequels she directed and because the Charlie’s Angels remake, a brilliant reimagination with a female lens, was critically panned. Similarly, despite receiving much love during its initial weeks of release, her latest film, Cocaine Bear, has also almost disappeared. It does, however, have the potential to become a cult classic that will survive the test of time.

Based on the 1995 incident when a bear overdosed on cocaine, Cocaine Bear is a unique creature feature where the killer is simply a bear high on cocaine. The horror comedy approach works in its favor as it allows the film to highlight the goofy nature of the headline, while still remaining serious about the consequences. With some great gory kills, a host of memorable one-liners, and a great ending, the film is an entertaining monster movie.

5

The Lobster (2015)

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the founding directors of the Greek Weird Wave, and with that reputation, it’s no surprise that his Hollywood productions have the weirdest premises either. The Lobster is set in a dystopian future where single people are herded off to a H๏τel and given an ultimatum to find a romantic partner, with the threat of being turned into animals if they fail.

Lanthimos’ previous Hollywood film, his first American English-language production, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, is one of the best thriller movies of the 2010s. The Lobster is no different, as, despite the weird and goofy premise, which leads to comedic situations, the film is a tense thriller since the premise sets off a ticking clock for the protagonist to find a romantic partner. The absurdity of the situation and Lanthimos’ trademark janky and transactional dialogue create an entertaining viewing experience with memorably anxiety-inducing scenes.

4

Swiss Army man (2016)

Directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan

Daniel Scheinert directed two good movies before an amazing third, Everything Everywhere All At Once, which skyrocketed him and his directing partner Daniel Kwan to household name status. However, the duo’s Swiss Army Man remains one of the most famously weird films ever made. It also showcases Daniel Radcliffe’s acting talents, who has been diversifying his portfolio since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II in 2011.

Radcliffe plays a corpse discovered by another man (Paul Dano), who has been marooned on an island. Despite being ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, the corpse has some form of sentience, and the rot in his body gives him supernatural abilities. His farts can fly the man anywhere if he holds onto the corpse and the body’s insides work as a water reservoir. With a multipurpose body, the corpse only has one drawback – it doesn’t look alive and can’t speak, which the man decides to help with. The absurd surrealism of the film only makes it more entertaining and memorable.

3

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Directed by Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze is most famous for directing the futuristic romance drama Her, a movie to avoid if you’re nervous about AI. However, if the premise of a lonely man falling in love with an AI sounds absurd, his directorial debut feature will confuse you even more. Being John Malkovich, starring the тιтular actor, is about a group of people who discover a means to possess the actor’s body and access the resources available to him.

Pitched as an out-of-body experience, the phenomenon of occupying John Malkovich’s body is like a drug trip to the characters in the film. What’s weirder, John Malkovich himself is present, but as a consciousness watching someone else control his body and doing things he’d never do. The brainchild of surrealist screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, the film’s exploration of bodily autonomy and body absurdity is commendable. The drama between characters abusing the ability to control someone else creates an entertaining viewing experience you won’t soon forget.

2

The VelociPastor (2018)

Directed by Brendan Steere

If the idea of a pastor who can transform into a velocipastor to fight ninjas employed by the Church to spread drug addiction, so more people come to Church looking for deliverance, doesn’t sound weird to you, nothing will. His partner in his fight and his romantic interest is a self-proclaimed hooker-doctor-lawyer with incredible martial arts skills. Nothing about The VelociPastor is remotely normal, and on paper, it just sounds like a horrible movie.

However, the absolute lack of adherence to filmmaking norms and the director’s lack of restraint in doing whatever pleases him make it one of the finest instances of zero-budget filmmaking. It is entertaining from start to finish, never letting up on the weirdness and delivering moments of lowbrow entertainment you can never forget. Despite my low expectations, VelociPastor is a good movie that I’ll never stop recommending, for the “VFX: Car on fire” sequence, among other reasons.

1

Rubber (2010)

Directed by Quentin Dupieux

Not only does a tire come to life and exhibit Sєxual attraction towards a woman, people watch his actions like a movie in Rubber. It is nigh impossible to describe the absurd experience of watching Rubber as the self-referential sense of humor in the film must be seen to be believed. Despite being a horror movie that gets a lot of flack, I love Rubber for its lack of convention and willingness to commit to its weird premise.

Opening with a monologue commenting on the surrealism of experiences in real life, where things occur for no apparent reason, Rubber goes on a crazy journey where you can’t predict what will happen next. It often becomes difficult to keep track of what’s occurring in the film and what’s occurring in the film the characters are watching. While Rubber can feel self-indulgent with its commentary and pseudo-smartness, the movie will entertain you if you surrender to its whimsy.