10 Niche Movies You Should Watch
The old adage "A Hundred Channels and Nothing to watch." is still very much true in the age of streaming. How many of us have sat on our couches, in a trance, scrolling through the brightly colored tiles of movies and not actually selecting anything. I can spend an entire hour doing this, until I look at the clock and realize I blew my time to watch a movie.
Luckily for you, I'm a total film nerd, and I've watched plenty of unusual movies. Four years of film school certainly exposed me to a lot - most of it depressing. Here I've curated a ragtag list of movies that I feel didn't quite get their fair chance in the world. Some are truly indie, others are mainstream studio films that just got passed over. I hope you watch one of them and enjoy.
The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared
Imagine if Forrest Gump was Swedish. That is The 100 Year-Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared. Really the title says it all. The film follows Allan Karlsson on his 100th birthday. Allan lives alone in an assisted living home after blowing up a fox who killed his pet cat (And lets be real, as a cat owner myself, I too would blow up anyone or anything that harmed my cat). Allan decides he hates the home and simply climbs out the open window, hops a bus and travels as far away as he can.
Through the course of the film, Allan makes new friends, new enemies, and ends up caring for an elephant. We also get to see flashbacks to Allan's early life, and the trials he went through. With a love for explosives, Allan helps detonate bombs in the Spanish Civil War, helps Oppenheimer build his nuke, and generally goes wherever the wind takes him.
I don't want to give away too much of the film, so I'll summarize. It is charming, absurd, and definitely worth a watch. The Netflix sequel, the 101 Year-Old Man who Skipped out on the Bill and Disappeared, is not.
Jules
Jules is just a cute movie, with an amazing cast to boot. The film came out in late 2023, but had a limited theatrical release. Which is a shame, because I think could have been bigger. With Ben Kingsley as the lead, and Marc Turtletaub's input, who produced such films as Little Miss Sunshine and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, it certainly had a good chance at being a great movie.
Jules follows an elderly man named Milton in the early stages of Alzheimers. Milton lives alone, but his daughter checks on him frequently. She starts to get concerned as he forgets things, and begs him to get an evaluation. But he isn't ready to give up control of his life just yet. Milton frequently attends city council meetings, and has two acquaintances, Sandy and Joyce, who begin to get concerned for him.
One day a UFO lands in his yard, and a humanoid alien crawls out. At first Milton asks his daughter and the city council for help, but he's written off as senile. After a few days Milton decides to help the humanoid, and lets it live with him. Sandy, concerned that Milton is unfit to care for himself, checks in on him, only to discover the alien is real. Thus begins a heartwarming story about how an alien from another planet brings people together.
On that note, I believe that all the best stories about aliens are simply metaphors for humans who are disconnected from their society. The best aliens parallel some human quality - good or bad - and force us to confront it. Jules reminds us that community is more important than ever. Elders face isolation and need company, youth are misunderstood, and all it takes is a compassionate listener to solve most of our interpersonal problems.
I highly recommend Jules.
Being Frank
I am slightly biased with this review because I am a huge Jim Gaffigan fan. Being Frank seems pretty average on the surface - a father who doesn't have time for his kids, and the son who is suffering because he just wants a connection. And then it takes a turn. This father has a whole secret family he's been hiding for years.
I think I was more comfortable going into this film because Jim Gaffigan was the dad. I do not have a good relationship with my father, and something I hate in movies is how easily bad fathers get let off the hook. Being Frank did not do this. Without spoiling the ending, I can say that the father and son do get closer, but the father doesn't get a happy Hollywood ending.
Being Frank is an unusual story, which in this day and age, is a rarity in the film industry. I recommend it for that reason alone. The acting is good, the story is well paced, and the ending is satisfying. It is a great little indie film.
Lazy Susan
Lazy Susan was recommended to me by my mom, who often finds niche movies. Once again, I think Lazy Susan could have made a bigger splash, but sadly it was released during the pandemic.
The film follows Susan, a complete deadbeat. She makes collages. She doesn't have a job, or a boyfriend. Her mom pays her rent. And she has no interest in changing. Until her family has an intervention and stop paying for her. But Susan doesn't take initiative. She jumps from relationship to relationship, leeching off of her partners'. It isn't until the very end that Susan realizes her life is unsustainable, and makes a change.
In the meantime, we get to see hilariously gross scenes of Susan being Susan. She pours ketchup onto her belly and dips her fries in it. She burns her pair of 100 dollar cowboy boots after a breakup. She doesn't move a single muscle when she has sex.
As a character piece, Lazy Susan is a masterpiece. The plot is a little slow, but fulfilling. It is a quirky, whimsical film about the forgotten classes of society. About the difficulties of family. And about wanting to change, but not knowing what to do to get there. In that way I think it is a very realistic film.
Sword of Trust
This movie is funny. No two ways about it. It has what most comedies should have - a crazy premise, an eclectic cast of characters, and good jokes. Directed by Lynn Shelton, it was her last film before she died, which gives it an even bigger place in my heart.
After the death of Cynthia's grandfather, Cynthia and her partner Mary discover that due to a reverse mortgage, the only thing of value they will be receiving is an antique sword. Upon unsheathing it, they find a note, which claims that the sword belonged to General Sherman, and also the South rightfully won the Civil War.
Horrified, but in need of cash, Cynthia and Mary go to Mel's pawnshop and attempt to convince him of the conspiracy, claiming it to be a valuable artifact. Mel, ever the cynic, tells them to get lost. Until he does some research and discovers there is a portion of the population who believe the south won, and are willing to pay big bucks to get the sword. Thus the team decide to pull a con and enter into the scary world of "The South will Rise Again" - with the promise of 40,000 dollars.
I can assure you that this movie does not glorify the South, or believe that the Confederacy won the Civil War. It uses humor in a great way to mock those people who do believe that - and as someone raised in the South, I greatly appreciate it. Humor is a fantastic way to take away power from scary people.
The Big Year
I was amazed when I stumbled upon this movie - amazed I'd never heard of it before. I adore Steve Martin, I love Owen Wilson, and who doesn't love Jack Black? Yet still, I'd never seen it. With high hopes I turned it on, and my hopes were fulfilled.
The Big Year is actually an audobon society term. Every year the society puts on a contest to see who can spot the most birds in one full year. And it gets fierce. Contestants fly all over the country in the hopes of spotting birds. There is an intense list of rules. And the best part is that this is a true story. Adapted from a book by Mark Obmascik.
The Big Year follows three birders. Owen Wilson plays the big shot birder who has won many years before. Steve Martin is a newly retired man who has dabbled in birding. And Jack Black is the new kid on the block, who scrimped and saved to be able to do a big year.
This isn't a "you'll be rolling on the floor laughing" comedy, but it is funny. It has lots of tender moments and plenty of competition.
Exit Through the Gift Shop
This one is the "artsiest" film on the list. Actually I was surprised when I was at film school that not many people had seen this movie. Exit Through the Gift Shop is a documentary about an up and coming street artist named Mr. Brainwash.
Actually, hold on a second. Our main character is named Mr. Brainwash? A film directed by Banksy, known for his anonymity and contrarian views as an artist? Is this documentary real, or does it fall into the genre of hoax-documentaries?
Well, Bansky being Banksy, he never reveals his intentions. I am personally of the opinion that it is partially staged - the best lies are based in truth, after all. It seems to have too many "coincidental" instances of sticking it to the man.
I can't help but be fascinated with this film. It blurs the lines between reality and fiction. It has strong anti-establishment themes. It opens a wonderful conversation about the capitalism of art, and art belonging to the people. And it really does have a fun story. If you like Exit Through the Gift Shop, I recommend an Orson Welles film called F for Fake, which deals with many of the same themes.
A Town Called Panic
French absurdism at its finest. A Town Called Panic is a wonderfully quirky stop motion film that has more plot twists than a soap opera. The basic premise is this - it is Horse's birthday, and Cowboy and Indian (his friends and roommates) forgot to get him a gift. They decide Horse would enjoy a barbecue, and order 50 bricks to build it. However, a typo leads to 50 million bricks being delivered to their house.
Cowboy and Indian hid the extra bricks on top of the house, but as you can imagine, it all soon comes crumbling down. Literally. Horse makes Cowboy and Indian rebuild the house - and that's when little fish people steal their bricks! The ensuing chase takes Cowboy, Horse and Indian to all unexpected corners of the globe, and believe me, you cannot predict what will happen at any given moment.
I love absurdist, surreal comedy, and luckily A Town Called Panic does not fall into the trap that many absurd comedies do - it is never boring. Right from the onset the story is engaging. But you will have to leave your understanding of logic behind, because nothing makes sense in this raucous toy universe.
An American Pickle
The premise of An American Pickle immediately made me want to see it. In 1919, a newly immigrated man named Herschel falls into a vat of brine at the pickle factory he works in. The factory is soon closed down, and the brine preserves him for 100 years, where he is rediscovered.
Upon entering the modern world, Herschel discovers he has a great grandson named Ben. But conflicts between them start immediately. Ben is too timid, too shy, and too absorbed in his phone. Herschel is too headstrong, too stubborn, and has some un-woke opinions about life.
Being that the premise reminded me of Back to the Future, I was expecting a fun, fast paced movie with plenty of slap stick. Certainly Seth Rogen playing both Ben and Herschel lead me to believe that. But the movie is more subtle. It doesn't glorify the past nor admonish the present. It points out flaws in both eras. In the end it all comes down to family.
An American Pickle was released in 2020, and got an exclusively digital release. Because of this I believe it got passed over very quickly.
I Love You, Phillip Morris
I think as a nation we should implement a new rule for prisoners - if you manage to escape prison THREE times, you get out. And maybe you should work for the FBI. Steven Russell does just that, all to be with the love of his life - Phillip Morris.
Now I will admit that this movie isn't exactly niche - Jim Carrey and Ewan Mcgregor aren't unknown actors. The film was widely released and critically acclaimed. So why am I adding it to this list? Because it came out in 2009, and I think it is starting to be forgotten. I am also adding it because Steven Russell was just granted parole in 2023 - so we'll have to see if he goes back to his con man ways. Perhaps a sequel could be in the works?
I Love you, Phillip Morris follows the real life of Steven Russell. He lives a pretty standard, if not boring life. He was adopted by his parents who run a produce store. He has a wife, a lackluster sex life and a daughter. Everything looks good on paper - but Steven Russell is actually gay.
After a car crash, Steven Russell decides he needs to live his authentic self. He divorces his wife and moves to Miami, where he finds a boyfriend and lives an opulent lifestyle. In order to afford it, he cons people, and eventually gets booked by the police and sent to prison. It is there that he meets Phillip Morris, and falls in love.
Steven gets released from prison, but Phillip remains. And Steven can't live without Phillip. He hires a lawyer and gets Phillip out of prison. The pair start a happy life together, but Steven can't resist the allure of embezzlement. I will leave the plot there, because it only gets more interesting.
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