The 15 Most Underrated Movies Of 2024

2024 has been an uncharacteristically great year for movie lovers. There's truly been something for every type of fan. Fans of Broadway got to see iconic musicals like "Mean Girls" and "Wicked" make their way to the big screen. Horror fans were satiated with original concepts like "Longlegs," "Trap," and "I Saw the TV Glow." Lovers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe waited with baited breath to see "Deadpool and Wolverine," while more discerning cinephiles made multiple trips to the theater to watch "Challengers" and "Anora." 

However, there are lots of films that did not get as much love from mainstream audiences as these blockbusters and future Oscar winners. Even though they're far from the worst movies of 2024, these incredible films were subjected to poor box office performance, mixed critical reactions, and in some cases, controversy that overshadowed their releases. Hopefully, future generations will come to appreciate these 15 movies much more than the audiences of today, as each and every one of them deserves more attention than they unfortunately got. 

In hindsight, it's not that much of a surprise that "Lisa Frankenstein" performed poorly at the box office. The comedy film comes from Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda, in her directorial debut, with a script penned by Diablo Cody of "Jennifer's Body" fame. "Lisa Frankenstein" was practically designed to become an underappreciated future cult classic, which is certainly what those who favorably reviewed it think will happen.

"Lisa Frankenstein" stars Kathryn Newton as an eccentric teenager who falls in love with a resurrected zombie from 1937, played by Cole Sprouse. The antics that ensue are as absurd as they are campy, so while the film may not appeal to all audiences, there's still a lot to love. As Bloody Disgusting noted in its review, it's "a cute, quirky, disjointed and harmless dark comedy" with a strong central performance from Newton, who is quite charismatic in the role of a weirdo with more than a few loose screws. If you have any affection for '80s horror movies, you need to watch "Lisa Frankenstein" for this adorably modern take on young love. 

Ethan Coen is notable for the iconic films he's written and directed with his brother Joel, including "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski." However, with the brothers splitting off to do solo work in the 2020s, you can see the comedic influences Ethan had in his previous filmography also surface in "Drive-Away Dolls," a crime comedy he co-wrote with his wife, Tricia Cooke, which had been in the works since the early 2000s. However, "Drive-Away Dolls" is far from the most accessible film on this list, given how indebted it is to B-movies and the 1970s exploitation genre. 

"Drive-Away Dolls" mostly excels thanks to the chemistry of its two stars, Geraldine Viswanathan and Margaret Qualley, who play lesbian best friends whose road trip to Tallahassee is derailed when they become involved in a complicated web of crime involving a respected U.S. senator (Matt Damon), a mysterious briefcase, and, to put it gently, a collection of NSFW plaster molds. Despite bombing at the box office, there's a lot of contagious fun in this flick, making it one of the best comedy movies of 2024 for those who give it a chance. 

It could be easy to mistake "Love Lies Bleeding" as just a romantic drama starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brien, but there's more to uncover as the film goes on. Directed by Rose Glass, the film was distributed by A24, but didn't have much of a theatrical presence for its early March release, maxing out at only 1,828 theaters in America before dramatically falling off by the end of April. It's a shame, because with more attention and marketing behind "Love Lies Bleeding," it had the potential to be one of the most talked-about thrillers of the year. 

Stewart stars as Lou, a gym manager who starts a deeply intense romantic relationship with homeless bodybuilder Jackie. However, it turns out that Lou's family has a dark history in organized crime, which as one can expect, doesn't pair nicely with Jackie's increasing rage from steroid usage. Despite its lackluster theatrical presence, the film has seen glowing reviews from critics, with Marist Circle highlighting it as an "overlooked and underrated gem in the beginning few months of 2024," while citing both Stewart and O'Brien for their performances.

Has there ever been an actor more underrated than Dev Patel? After a breakthrough role in "Slumdog Millionaire," the actor has been doing great work in the indie space, from an Oscar-nominated turn in "Lion" to Armando Iannucci's "The Personal History of David Copperfield." However, Patel's directorial debut, "Monkey Man," in which he also stars, might have been his greatest challenge yet, given the numerous disasters production faced, including not only on-set injuries, but a lack of funding that required scenes to be shot on Patel's phone.

Thanks to the support of "Get Out" director Jordan Peele, "Monkey Man" got a theatrical release by Universal Pictures and successfully grossed $35 million against a measly $10 million budget, even while opening against "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire." Plus it's easily one of the best action movies of 2024, with Patel playing an underground fighter plotting his revenge against his mother's killer. This film certainly has the potential to stand next to blockbusters like "John Wick," with a lot more to say regarding India's caste system, and positions Patel as a director to keep your eyes on. 

It might seem surprising that "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" bombed at the box office, but it's far from an outlier in the "Mad Max" cinematic universe. Its 2015 predecessor, "Mad Max: Fury Road," has been called one of the greatest action films of all time and won several Oscars, but was hardly a financial gain for Warner Bros. And even though "Furiosa" starred Anya Taylor-Joy, the young A-lister was simply not enough of a box office draw to attract audiences to a two-and-a-half-hour origin story for a character who looked like Charlize Theron the last time audiences saw her. 

Directed by the great George Miller, "Furiosa" serves as a prequel to "Fury Road," examining how Theron's character rose to power as the Imperator of Immortan Joe. Taylor-Joy eats up every moment of her screen time as the titular character (even without showing up on-screen until halfway through the film), and Chris Hemsworth is an unexpected scene stealer as the delightfully deranged Dementus, but things really explode when the two actors share the screen together. In a review for RogerEbert.com, "Furiosa" was appropriately called "a big, entertaining popcorn movie, told with a sense of adventure and play," and certainly deserved to be treated as such by a theatrical audience. 

At the start of 2024, all anyone could talk about was "Poor Things." Not only did Emma Stone win a second best actress Oscar for her instant classic performance as Bella Baxter, but it cemented her on-screen partnership with director Yorgos Lanthimos. That partnership continued with "Kinds of Kindness," which also featured Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, and others in an anthology of surreal, loosely-connected stories about a man (Plemons) standing up to his boss (Dafoe), a husband (Plemons) having suspicions about his wife (Stone), and two cultists (Stone and Plemons) searching for a pair of twins (Qualley). 

Some critics were notably harsh toward "Kinds of Kindness," with Time calling it "stiff, plodding, and soporific, even as it seeks to wow us with its deadpan shockeroos," while making many comparisons to "Poor Things." It's possible that the quick succession of Lanthimos films worked against "Kinds of Kindness," although other critics commended it as a clever diversion from his previous work. Either way, it makes for a fun watch if only to see its actors take on wildly different roles and nail each and every one. 

"Sing Sing" will be a strong frontrunner at this year's Academy Awards, especially as A24 plans to re-release it in theaters in January as part of its Oscars campaign. However, the film's first go-around theatrically came and went, making less than $3 million in both a limited and wide release in July and August of 2024, respectively. While only time can tell if "Sing Sing" gets respect from mainstream audiences when awards season comes, if it does, it will be much deserved for one of the year's best and most emotional films.

Starring last year's best actor contender, Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing" centers on the titular maximum security prison, whose "Rehabilitation Through the Arts" program allows for incarcerated men to put on theatrical productions. Notably, the film's cast is loaded with former prisoners who had actually been rehabilitated by the program, including the film's standout, Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin, who plays himself in his screen debut. "Sing Sing" will likely be remembered for years to come, so if you haven't already joined the club of those who appreciate it, now's the time. 

There have been plenty of films in recent years that are similar to "Dìdi" thematically, like Bo Burnham's "Eighth Grade" or Jonah Hill's "Mid90s." However, what this film boasts more than anything else is specificity. As the feature-length debut of director Sean Wang, "Dìdi" combines an autobiographical view of Asian-American families with the struggle of growing up in the era of social media. Izaac Wang stars as Chris "Didi" Wang, an eighth grader who makes YouTube videos about skateboarding while juggling the pressures of his overbearing mother, Chungsing, played by Joan Chen. 

"Dìdi" had a very limited theatrical release in a maximum of 435 theaters, and never even cracked the box office top 10 during its run. What it does have is glowing reviews from outlets like IGN, which called it "the more light-hearted, optimistic side of Bo Burnham's 'Eighth Grade,' where the light at the end of the protagonist's tunnel is ever so clear once he gets out of his own head." Hopefully in the future, "Dìdi" will earn its spot among the best coming of age movies that should be required viewing. 

"Cuckoo" had a hard-earned arrival in theaters, after production delays involving Hunter Schafer's schedule pushed its release into 2024. The final product is far from the most talked-about horror film of the year, although maybe it should be. It didn't even make back its $7 million budget at the box office, and was gone from all theaters by the end of Labor Day weekend. But for those who did get a chance to watch it in theaters, "Cuckoo" is the exact right kind of crazy. 

Schafer stars as Gretchen, a teenager who is reluctantly dragged by her father (Marton Csokas) and stepmother (Jessica Henwick), along with her mute younger half-sister (Mila Lieu), to a secluded hotel in the Alps. While her father works with the enigmatic owner, Herr König (Dan Stevens), on a new resort, Gretchen uncovers the sinister goings-on at this locale. The mystery is best left as a surprise for those who decide to watch it, but simply listen to The Hollywood Reporter when it says that the film "might just be cuckoo enough to draw some cult attention." 

"The Bikeriders" has had anything but a conventional release. It premiered at the Telluride Film Festival all the way back in 2023, before its release was indefinitely delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. During this time, the film's distributor, 20th Century Studios, sold the distribution rights to Focus Features. That led to some notable differences in its marketing, such as promoting the presence of Austin Butler rather than the film's true star, Jodie Comer. As a result, the film bombed at the box office, only making $35 million against its budget of roughly $40 million. 

It's a shame, because there's a lot to love about "The Bikeriders," including its stellar cast of Hollywood's young blood (Comer, Butler, Mike Faist) and old guard (Tom Hardy and Michael Shannon). Inspired by a true story, Comer stars as Kathy, the wife of biker gang member Benny (Butler), whose loyalties are tested as his motorcycle gang grows out of control. Its reviews were mixed, but The Guardian declared it worth watching for Comer's "superb [performance], all chisel-sharp vowels and minxy charisma," and director Jeff Nichols' "thrillingly evocative ... film-making." 

Maybe if "His Three Daughters" has been produced as a Broadway play, it might have gotten more mainstream attention from audiences than it has as a film. It mainly revolves around the trio of Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and Elizabeth Olsen, playing sisters who reluctantly begin living in the same apartment again to care for their dying father. Over the course of their time together, the three sisters laugh, bicker, hash out grudges, and learn to accept one another. 

Although the movie premiered to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival back in 2023, Netflix purchased it but opted to not release it until September 2024, with the film barely spending any time in theaters before hitting the streaming service. What's most upsetting about this fate for "His Three Daughters" is that its reviews have been universally positive, with ScreenCrush commending Lyonne for "one of the finest performances by an actress I have seen in a while." Alas, it's unlikely that all three lead actresses — let alone one — could get well-earned Oscar nominations for their own uniquely great performances. 

At this point, we hear "Kate Winslet in a World War II period piece" and take it for granted. However, make her co-star Andy Samberg, one of the best cast members in the history of "Saturday Night Live," and you've got a recipe for greatness. "Lee" premiered at TIFF in 2023 before eventually finding its theatrical release a year later in 2024. While Winslet has received some Oscar buzz for what the BBC described as "her best ever role," other critics felt it suffered from typical biopic tropes.

"Lee" finds Winslet playing the role of Lee Miller, a prolific photographer during World War II who, along with journalist David Scherman (Samberg), captured some of the most significant photos of war-torn Europe. The supporting cast is stacked with great talent, too, including Josh O'Connor, Marion Cotillard, and Alexander Skarsgård. Some reviews, thankfully, have commended it as a powerful tribute to a fierce woman in history, with as much praise directed towards Winslet as towards first-time director Ellen Kuras. 

The heartwarming coming-of-age dramedy "My Old Ass" comes from writer-director Megan Park, whose 2021 debut "The Fallout" was praised as a nuanced portrayal of school shootings. "My Old Ass" is a departure, taking a more comedic route, with Maisy Stella in her feature debut as Elliott, a girl getting ready for college who encounters her older self (Aubrey Plaza) after taking mushrooms for the first time. 

While viewers are in for a wild and emotional ride, "My Old Ass" eschewed a wide release in theaters for yet another streaming release. Following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2024, The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Not since 'Toy Story 3' wielded its power to reduce grown-ass adults to puddles of tears has a movie been so in touch with the tender feelings associated with leaving home and saying a definitive goodbye to childhood." If you've been waiting for a film in 2024 to make you cry profusely, then "My Old Ass" should not be left unwatched on your Prime Video account. 

Coralie Fargeat may be French, but never has a director been so tuned into the pitfalls of American consumerism as she is in "The Substance." On the surface, this film might seem like an over-the-top satire of celebrity lifestyles, with Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging movie star who is fired from her hit aerobics TV show in place of a younger pair of ... erm, eyes. But below the surface, this satire turns into a bloody body horror movie that will blow everyone away. 

By taking a concerningly green serum, Elisabeth creates a younger, more beautiful clone in Sue (Margaret Qualley), who quickly assumes Elisabeth's old life. Compared to other films on this list, "The Substance" has actually performed quite well at the box office, but the body horror that takes place is sure to be a non-starter for many viewers. While some predict "The Substance" will get its flowers at the Oscars for makeup and hairstyling, a la 1986's "The Fly," it wouldn't be surprising to see it overlooked by the very people in Hollywood it criticizes. 

There are simply too many behind-the-scenes stories about "Saturday Night Live" to condense into one 90-minute movie. Fortunately, Jason Reitman's "Saturday Night" doesn't try, focusing instead on the hour and a half leading up to the very first episode of "SNL," which was rife with production mishaps, network pressure, uncontrollable stars, and uncertainty. The greatest hurdle this film had to cross? Finding a cast that could embody the iconic personas of 1970s comedy, which it finds in young up-and-comers like Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner and Matt Wood as John Belushi.

At the center of it all, "Saturday Night" stars Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, who is trying to wrangle the production of his baby while facing scrutiny from producer Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman) and NBC executive David Tebet (Willem Dafoe). Some have criticized the film for worshipping the legacy of "SNL" and perhaps being more of a thrill ride than a deep exploration into what makes any of these characters tick. Still, a crowd-pleasing thrill ride it most certainly is, which will especially appeal to big fans of "SNL" who appreciate seeing the freneticism of the show as it comes together.