10 underrated movies recommended by Jonathan Demme
When it comes to cinema, it goes without saying that taste and personal preference are entirely subjective. As it turns out, that even applies to some of the most noteworthy directors of the modern era, at least based on some of the choices made by Jonathan Demme.
The filmmaker – who won an Academy Award for his one and only ‘Best Director’ nomination thanks to The Silence of the Lambs – was on the board of directors at the Jacob Burns Film Center. As part of his contributions, he kickstarted a screening series known as ‘Rarely Seen Cinema‘, with the intention of showcasing titles he believed to be unheralded and underappreciated to a brand new audience.
Much like his own filmography – which kicked off with 1974’s female-fronted prison story Caged Heat through to 2015 musical comedy Ricki and the Flash – the candidates are nothing if not eclectic, covering a range of genres. One thing they have in common, for the most part at least, is that barely any of them are what you’d call universally beloved.
Steven Spielberg taking over an unfinished Stanley Kubrick project sounds like a match made in cinema heaven, but despite being a box office success, A.I. Artificial Intelligence proved polarising in part due to Spielberg ladling his signature sentimentality on a little too thick for those who craved something more Kubrickian.
Ben Wheatley’s sparse, monochromatic, period-set psychological horror A Field in England is another that greatly divided opinion, even if it’s held in high esteem by those who admired its singular charms. Crime and Punishment in Suburbia made the bold call of repurposing Dostoevsky for the year 2000, which Demme enjoyed despite its commercial failure and critical mauling.
The Duplass brothers’ Jeff, Who Lives at Home does have plenty of fans, to be fair, as does Ang Lee’s severely underrated and largely overlooked revisionist Western Ride with the Devil, highlighting the recurring theme of Demme getting his kicks out of genre films that had a tendency to flop hard in cinemas.
Stomach-churningly gruesome horror The Ruins and Dwayne Johnson’s rainforest-dwelling action blockbuster The Rundown also tick that particular box, and it can certainly be argued that each of them deserved to earn a great deal more money than they did. Neil Burger’s Limitless proved so popular it spawned a short-lived TV series, though, but the high-concept thriller isn’t exactly regarded as an all-timer.
Sean Connery and Aubrey Hepburn’s Robin and Marian is without a doubt one of the more subversive Robin Hood adaptations out there if hardly one of the most renowned, but a special mention must go to Demme’s unexpected fondness for cult classic comedy Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, which doesn’t stick out as something the mastermind behind The Silence of the Lambs would hold so dear.
Underrated movies recommended by Jonathan Demme:
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001)
- A Field in England (Ben Wheatley, 2013)
- Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (Rob Schmidt, 2000)
- Jeff, Who Lives at Home (Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, 2011)
- Limitless (Neil Burger, 2011)
- Ride with the Devil (Ang Lee, 1999)
- Robin and Marian (Richard Lester, 1976)
- Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (David Mirkin, 1997)
- The Rundown (Peter Berg, 2003)
- The Ruins (Carter Smith, 2008)
