Top 10 Best 2000s Guilty Pleasure Movies

This romantic comedy follows Christina, a man-eater who falls hard for a guy she meets at a club and her attempts to meet him again at a wedding, which turns out to be his. Often criticized for having a thin plot and numerous juvenile gags, including a very public song about male genitalia in a restaurant, “The Sweetest Thing” nevertheless manages to be quite funny and occasionally living up to its name. While “The Sweetest Thing” may strike some as being more sour than sweet, there are those of us that like that flavor more.

Speaking of immature humor, one of the kings of lowbrow comedy movies in the 2000s was the “Scary Movie” series. Although we’re reluctant to include the whole franchise, as the later entries deserve the reputation for dumb gags and for becoming parodies of themselves, as well as their nominal targets, the original film is still fairly solid. Its tongue-in-cheek lampooning of the horror genre, especially “Scream,” as well as other film tropes, was refreshing at the time and it’s still an entertaining whodunit. It’s not the height of comedy, but we’d be lying if we said it didn’t make us laugh.

Starting out on the Disney Channel and eventually making it to theaters, this franchise follows a group of high school students as they learn the most valuable lesson of all: we’re all in this together. While the “High School Musical” films have been criticized for being rather cookie cutter and clichéd, the trilogy nevertheless has endearing and entertaining characters, as well as a ton of infectiously catchy songs. Sure, the series is more sugary than cotton candy and just about as substantial, but come on – who doesn’t like cotton candy every now and then?

This unusual horror franchise follows small groups of characters who, rather than being picked off by a killer, are instead killed by death itself; usually after avoiding certain death following a vision. The “Final Destination” films usually feature creative and Rube Goldberg like sequences that lead to the victims dying in outlandish ways. Although the series has been criticized as formulaic and lacking characters with any depth, this is a common criticism of most movies in the horror genre. At least “Final Destination” brings something different and inventive to the table.

While the majority of this franchise came out in the 2010s, its first instalment qualifies for our list, and it’s definitely a guilty pleasure. A supernatural romance about a vampire that sparkles and a teenage girl, “Twilight” has been derided for everything, from its wooden acting to its questionable effects. Yet, despite all this, the film has its fans, and Edward and Bella’s romance has caught the eye of a whole generation for a reason. And even those who dislike the film can still enjoy it, even if it is because it’s so easy to make fun of.

Yeah, yeah, “Rob Schneider, derp dee derp,” we’ve all seen the “South Park” bit. “The Hot Chick” follows a shallow, popular high school girl who accidentally switches bodies with a schlubby criminal. Despite plenty of crude moments, “The Hot Chick” still manages to have some surprisingly sweet ones, as well and some genuinely funny humor. Body swap comedies aren’t anything new, but “The Hot Chick” pulls it off better than you might expect, thanks to a fairly strong performance by Rob Schneider. Never thought we’d have to say that sentence…

Written by Diablo Cody, this dark comedy horror movie follows the title high schooler who becomes possessed by a demon and her best friend’s attempts to stop her. Although many have criticized the movie as not living up to either of its genres, “Jennifer’s Body” does have some of Cody’s signature clever dialogue. In addition, it features one of Megan Fox’s better performances and actually works as a piece of feminist horror that presages the issues raised by the #MeToo movement. While it might not reach some of the scares or laughs of similar horror comedies, “Jennifer’s Body” may be worth another look if you’ve written it off.

Yeah, this isn’t an easy one to admit to enjoying. “White Chicks” follows a pair of black FBI agents who go undercover as a pair of white socialites they’ve been assigned to protect. The film has drawn criticism for its racist premise and lowbrow humor throughout, and you’ll get no argument about how questionable the whole thing is. We have no doubt it’d be tricky to make today. Even so, some of the comedy is genuinely hilarious and it does feature some standout characters who steal the show. But, seriously – where else are you going to see Terry Crews singing Vanessa Carlton?!

Arguably the worst movie on our list, and frequently considered one of the most awful films ever made, “The Room” might graciously be called a “romantic melodrama,” and depicts a strange European man who is cheated on by his best friend and fiancée…er, “future wife.” While an objectively bad movie, writer/director/star Tommy Wiseau still manages to captivate audiences with his bizarre film thanks to accidental comedy. Strange line readings, subplots that go nowhere, and more quotable lines than you can throw a spoon at, “The Room” will “tear apart” your insides with laughter.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:



“You Got Served” (2004)





“What a Girl Wants” (2003)





“National Treasure” (2004)



“Bad Boys II” (2003)

Audiences and critics didn’t know what to make of “Josie and the Pussycats” when it came out, coming out divided on it. However, reception has become more positive as time has gone on, as its theme became more relevant. Despite being a superficial teen musical film on the surface, the movie also parodies its own genres and satirizes the commercialization of the music industry. We love it as a parody, but we can also enjoy it un-ironically because the music is catchy and it has a great cast. While it can be tough to own up that we like it, it does have a cult following for good reason.