There are countless films that have plots and stories we heard and watched over and over, and let’s be honest, it is getting pretty tiring. Movies that are common and usual are boring.
Just reading the synopsis would make you easily predict the ending and if you are fed up with movies with overused storylines, or simply just up for some wacky and unbelievably weird movies to watch that would give you a good laugh, then this list could be a helpful starting point.
There are tons of eccentric and quirky movies with stories and characters that are easy to fall in love with. They are totally strange and unconventional, but are interesting and appealing because of how they introduce us to something undiscovered and unknown.
Author Roman Payne once said, “All forms of madness, bizarre habits, awkwardness in society, general clumsiness, are justified in the person who creates good art.” These uncommon themes bring us to a broader and much complex scheme of life, not just for entertainment, but for opening people’s minds and widening everyone’s imaginations.
This list has 20 offbeat and mostly unrelatable comedies that somehow captivated their viewers and have the power to still make you like you feel belong. They take comedy to a level where they don’t rely on the typical way of making people laugh, as shown in today’s mainstream comedies.
They’re completely different millennium hits “22 Jump Street” (2014), “Neighbors” (2014), “The Hangover” (2009) or “American Pie 2” (2001), to name a few, which use themes that everyone could easily relate to with jokes and puns that we use every day.
These movies show that quirky people are not to be messed with. They may be treated as underdogs or even creeps, but they know how to redeem themselves fabulously. These became instruments for us to embrace our weirdness and celebrate our uniqueness.
1. Amélie
France, being a home for unique directors and odd movies, produced this rom-com film originally titled “Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain”.
The surrealist film is about a naive French girl named Amélie (Audrey Tautou), who was diagnosed with a heart problem by her parents, who kept her isolated from other people as she grew up. Amélie’s loneliness and curiosity triggered her to make her own world of imagination and surrealism.
The first-person narrative is delivered in a way that shows Amélie’s quirky and odd personality, which also adds humor and life to the plot. The killer interiors of the set and picturesque cinematography gave the film justice and consistency to its whimsical ambiance.
Director and writer Jean-Pierre Jeunet portrayed Amélie as a loveable and charming girl who loves and cares for others, and proves that living in solitude does not feel lonely when you know how to live it the right way.
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” was one of the top-notchers at the 2015 Academy Awards with nine nominations and four wins. Wes Anderson, who is known for his quirky films, directed it using his distinct visual and narrative style.
The story is about Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a famous concierge, who trained a lobby boy named Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), until they became each other’s’ most trusted friend. The two team up as they go on a bizarre and crazy adventure, eluding the people accusing Gustave for a framed murder.
What makes the film unique and interesting is that it is narrated in a story within a story within a story, over different time periods. The iconic symmetrical wide shots and pleasant color palette made the film unique yet appealing to the eye, and the fanciful production and costume design completed the overall impact of the feel-good comedy-drama.
3. Being John Malkovich
This 1999 film was directed by Spike Jonze and follows the life of an unemployed puppeteer, Craig (John Cusack), who discovers a portal leading into the head of actor John Malkovich. Craig and his wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), became obsessed and completely fascinated by going inside Malkovich’s head and experiencing what the actor experiences.
“Being John Malkovich” is a genre-bending film. Starting off as a comedy, the film turns into a fantasy and opens up to elements of magic realism, suspense and drama. Watching the movie is like a roller coaster ride with the different moods it delivers. The oddness of not just the plot but the personality and traits of the characters is something that makes it a bit oddly disturbing as well.
4. Micmacs
“Micmacs” is the second film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet on this list. It is a 2009 action-comedy movie about Bazil (Dany Boon), a video store clerk who got hit by a stray bullet in his head, loses his job, and meets a very peculiar group of misfits who he eventually lived with. Bazil, together with his newfound friends, plans to destroy two big weapons manufacturers where the bullet that killed his father and the one in his head came from.
“Micmacs” has a sense of humor that is shown in a very different way, yet is very acceptable and hilarious in its own way. What makes the film special is that it distorts reality and creatively creates scenes, and has an imaginative way of execution that is totally random but not misleading.
5. Big Fish
This 2003 fantasy-drama directed by Tim Burton is based on a novel by Daniel Wallace with the same name. The film revolves around the story of a dying man who tells unusual stories during his lifetime, and his distant son who refuses to believe them. The son, wanting to reconcile, tries to mend their relationship and understand his father’s odd tales.
Burton’s vision toward the movie is pure eye candy, with heartwarming and soul-pleasing visuals, roles and even music. The popping colors made the film look dreamy and surreal, and the imaginative characters and bizarre imagery brought the movie so much color and life. “Big Fish” brings the viewers to a vague universe and lets us tag along on the adventures of the characters in their sweet tale of morality.
6. Little Miss Sunshine
This 2006 road trip film is about a family trying to make it to their daughter’s beauty pageant at the most complicated time of their lives, as they took a meaningful and life-changing ride in their VW bus.
Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris formulated a way to present the characters inspirationally and Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, and Alan Arkin made a remarkable ensemble and gave justice to their individual characters.
The differences of the characters are the most striking part of the plot; the chemistry among the personalities lifts the plot rather than complicates it. The serious subjects tackled in the movie were delivered in an honest yet comical way.
The film is quirky and the family on a whole is weird when it comes to how they handle and react to things, but the personalities, beliefs and experiences of everyone is something the viewers can relate to in a very personal way. The balance of drama and comedy perfects the recipe for this film.