Overrated Directors - Past & Present

[Bill Carson]

hola amigos - so, before I begin, just want to make it clear that this is in NO way an attack on anyone's taste or choice of film-maker. here are some Directors whose work I think is... well OVERRATED!

Stanley Kubrick

Alfred Hitchcock

The Coen Brothers

Cameron Crowe

Kevin Smith

Quentin Tarantino (he's good but he ain't THAT good)

George Lucas

Francis Ford Coppola

Sofia Coppola

Woody Allen

.... to name a few. any additions? disagreements?   

[Johny_Exhale]

wow, thats a pretty impressive list

quite frankly, i consider you mentally insane for calling Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock & Quentin Tarantino overrated, but maybe that's just me

i agree on Woody Allen

others: James Cameron (Aliens & T2 were great but the rest is utter shite), Kevin Costner (simply overrated, the guy stole the best director award from goddamn martin scorsese! can you beleive that shit?) and ofcourse: Michael Bay (if you're a filmgeek .. you hate Michael Bay, it's one of the base rules, hes just an annoying little kid who makes annoying little kid films, i want him to die)

[Bill Carson]

hola Johny - I like your feedback. there was a time when I didn't mind Michael Bay but not anymore. I hope he doesn't completely screw up TRANSFORMERS....

[redyred]

Robert Rodriguez...

[Nobody]

SERGIO LEONE

Kidding.

Spielberg is overrated in my book. Today he is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He's made some great films, several good, quite a few mediocre, and some crap. He surely isn't one of the all time greats in my book.

Also, Ron Howard has never made a particularly good film IMO. Way overrated.
I agree on Sofia Coppola, but I still think her father deserves all the credit he can get, eventhough he made Jack.

[Tim]

  I agree with your comment on Tarantino.  He's good but his movies are a combination of several different genres, so not necessarily original.

  On the other hand, I'm going to disagree with you on several on your list.  FF Copolla isn't overrated.  How about Godfather I and II?  Because they were so good, I'll give him a pass on III.  Kubrick too.  How about Spartacus, Paths of Glory, Full Metal Jacket, and Dr. Strangelove?  Not one of my favorite directors, but the man has made some great movies.

[Groggy]

Can't say I agree with all of the above, but a few of my own:

M. Night Shymalan - What the frick is so great about this guy?  His movies wouldn't make good "X-Files" episodes.

James Cameron - A few good movies, but not any great ones.

Coen Bros.: - His movies are mildly amusing, nothing more.  "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the exception; it completely, utterly SUCKED!

George Lucas - Except "The Empire Strikes Back" (not directed by Lucas), none of the "Star Wars" films IMO deserve their place as American classics.

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez - Semi-talented guys who made careers off of ripping off other directors.

[Sackett]

I believe Humphrey Bogart said he didn't believe in the Oscars because to be fair, "everyone would have to play Hamlet".    I understand his point.  Are you actually selecting the best acting job, or selecting your favorite movie of the year?
Perhaps it should be the same with Directors.  All should direct the same movie, then we could judge who was the best.

[dave jenkins]

Actually, by the very nature of entertainment promotion and its attendant hype, aren't ALL directors overrated? That's just the nature of the business.

More interesting (and much shorter) lists would be those of directors who are NOT overrated. I wonder how many names a majority of posters could agree on....

[HEX]

WOW CARSON U GOT BOLAS OF STEEL

OR AS ALEC BALDWIN WOULD SAY IN GLENN GERRY-
A PAIR OF BRASS BALLS.

TOO SAY DIRECTORS LIKE THAT ARE OVERATED(THOUGH I AGREE ON ALLEN AND LUCAS AINT WHAT HE USED TO BE)

PERSONALLY I THINK U PUT SOME NAMES IN JUST TO CAUSE A STIR AND DIDNT REALLY MEAN IT(COUGH*KUBRICK*COUGH).


AND HITCHCOCK! COME ON I DONT BY U.


SO WHO DO U THINK IS NOT OVER RATED? ED WOOD PERHAPS?

[grandpa_chum]

Robert Rodriguez...

THANK YOU!

yeah obviously kubrick and hitchcock are overrated, they are still some of the best, but they are not worship material... I don't agree with woody allen or cameron crowe, i always thought crowe was underrated, most people don't even know who he is or what he's directed and woody allen is fantastic, maybe if i was around in the 70's i'd have a different opinion on his possible overrated status.... couldn't agree more with kevin smith, other than clerks(which is amazing) the guy sucks ass... and coppola is worshipped for no good reason and tarantino is in the same boat as hitchcock and kubrick, it's hard to call him overrated but his superfans are just too crazy.

[Groggy]

How 'bout Brian De Palma?

[Nobody]

Personally, I love de Palma, so I'd say no. I can't really see how you can call him overrated. At least in America, critics hate pretty much every non-mafia film he has ever made. Only in France is he considered a genius. Look through his filmography on imdb, quite a few of his films are rated lower than 6.

[Groggy]

Well, I like De Palma, I just don't think he's a great director.

[Johny_Exhale]

 De Palma is great, hes a legend, i dont care how people rate his films on imdb, carlito's way is classic, carrie is classic, blowout is classic, the untouchables is classic