Top 10 Most Overrated Movie Moments Of All Time

“Love Actually” (2003)

To some, the cue cards scene from “Love Actually” is the most romantic film moment of the last three decades. To others, it’s completely over-hyped - and rather than call it super romantic, they would call it super creepy. Remember, it’s a guy telling his best friend’s wife that he is in love with her. And he does it in a grand way at their house while said best friend is in the living room. There’s no denying the bigness of the moment - but it doesn’t take more than a second look to appreciate that the romanticness of it is overrated. Although, as far as the scene’s ripeness for parody - that can’t be overrated!

“The English Patient” (1996)

“The English Patient” won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the American Film Institute named it the 56th-greatest love story of all time. However, with all its critical and commercial success, there are many, like Elaine Benes, who found the film rather…. boring. And the scene in which Kristin Scott Thomas tells Ralph Fiennes that she’s “always loved him” reveals just how differently some people react to this film. If you were invested in the movie and the story, then this would surely get the tears flowing. But it could also get the jeers going if you’ve already struggled to make it that far into the film without (as Elaine does) yelling at the screen.

“Frozen” (2013)

Disney Animation’s “Frozen” was an astounding pop cultural phenomenon, but do you remember that one song the trolls sang? If not, it could be because “Fixer Upper” doesn’t hold an icicle to the rest of the movie’s soundtrack. The number’s endgame is to get Anna and Kristoff together, despite acknowledging the latter’s flaws. But shouldn’t the singing stop once everyone finds out that Anna is already engaged…? Potential homewrecking aside, the whole sequence relies on a forgettable melody that’s just as bland and colorless as the creatures performing it. The trolls are interchangeable, devoid of personality, and manage to troublingly declare that “people don’t really change.” In a musical sensation that has almost zero skips, the uninspired and ordinary “Fixer Upper” just doesn't belong.

“Shakespeare in Love” (1998)

“Shakespeare in Love” made almost $300 million at the box office and received much critical acclaim. But to many it will always just be the lesser film that undeservedly won Best Picture over “Saving Private Ryan” at the Academy Awards. We probably could’ve mentioned any scene from this movie and slapped the overrated tag on it. I mean, Viola's audition is a good moment, and a well acted scene that sets the story in motion. But it isn’t the US Army landing on Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy in WWII.

“Green Book” (2018)

Another controversial Best Picture winner, “Green Book” did make over 300 million feel-good dollars at the box office. And the fried chicken scene is one of the classic “feel good” moments the film spoon fed us. But not everyone felt so good about it (the scene, or the film). Although director Peter Farrelly consciously tried to avoid it, there are those who criticized the movie for its flagrant perpetuation of “the white savior trope with the story of a bigot's redemption.” So, as some are laughing at Viggo Mortensen teaching Mahershala Ali about fried chicken - others are cringing.

“Avatar” (2009)

If there’s one thing you can say about “Avatar” it’s that it sure did look good. But, despite what fashion magazines have been telling us for decades…. looks aren’t everything. We also need some substance, and on that front “Avatar” fails to provide much. The story itself isn’t anything we didn’t see in films like “Pocahontas” and “Dances With Wolves.” And speaking of no substance: the Jake and Neytiri love scene might be a fan favorite, but this overrated moment is superficial at best, as the characters never truly get to know each other. This version of the played-out, star-crossed lovers trope is as deep as an Oreo thin cookie and as believable as anyone who tells you they can eat just one.

“Crash” (2004)

“Crash” is one of those movies that you either love or you hate. You either applauded when it won Best Picture at the Academy Awards or you thought it was one of the biggest miscarriages of justice the movie world has ever seen. Which brings us to the film’s opening scene. “Crash” begins with a car crash, a thought-provoking monologue and some blatant bigotry that sets the stage for the interconnected stories that will follow. Or, at least that’s how it was presented by proponents of the film. But really, looking at it now - the scene begins with a too on-the-nose car crash, a preachy monologue and stereotypical racial slurs that forgo nuance for an easy audience reaction.

“She’s All That” (1999)

It’s one of the most talked about, emulated and parodied teen romcom scenes of the last 30 years. Ugly duckling Laney Boggs gets a makeover and is transformed into the beautiful swan Laney Boggs. We could get into the whole thing about how the scene perpetuates harmful and superficial ideas. But putting that aside, even taking the scene at face value, its overratedness can be described in 6 simple words: Laney was hot before the makeover. The “transformation” was less ugly duckling to swan - and more pretty swan to swan with her glasses off and her hair done.

“American Beauty” (1999)

It’s maybe the most famous scene from “American Beauty” and an iconic visual that we see in movie clip montages all the time. Kevin Spacey’s grownup character fantasizes about the high school-aged Mena Suvari - seeing her lying naked on a bed of rose petals as more fall from above. Given all the allegations that have come out about Spacey, this scene feels extra creepy. But regardless of who the actor is, the stunning beauty of the scene feels overdone given the age difference between the characters. There’s also the plastic bag monologue that’s a bit, nay, a lot pretentious.

“My Cousin Vinny” (1992)

Marisa Tomei memorably took home the 1992 Oscar for her role in “My Cousin Vinny”. Many called it a “surprise win,” but others called it “undeserved.” Rumors even developed that suggested Tomei's name had been said by mistake. There was no such error, but she did defeat a lineup of veteran actresses who all appeared more likely to win. Mona Lisa’s testimony is certainly a pivotal moment of the movie, and Tomei does a fine job delivering it. But when you stack this against Miranda Richardson’s meltdown in “Damage” or Judy Davis’s phone call in “Husbands and Wives”, it doesn’t seem to hold up. It may be an award-winning scene, but it’s often remembered more for the external controversy than for the monologue itself.

Did we miss any major overrated scenes? What moments on our list do you think don’t deserve the overrated tag? Let us know in the comments.