- Netflix has released tons of original movies this year.
- Some films like "Father of the Year" were not a hit with critics.
- Others like "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" were instant classics.
Netflix has had a banner year when it comes to original content and it has released some films that have critics have totally adored — and ones that they've abhorred.
We rounded up some of the best and worst Netflix original movies of the year, according to critics.
Worst: "Father of the Year" is a Happy Madison Netflix original that doesn't land, according to critics.
Release date: July 20, 2018
Tomatometer rating: 0% rotten, with 0 fresh and 9 rotten ratings
Bad movies are one thing, but it's rare to see a 0% rating — something handily achieved here. Consequence of Sound's Blake Goble has an entire theory about how a movie this bad could only have been generated by an algorithm — because that's the only thing that makes sense.
"This is a movie-thing that could only be described as uninspired. Papas squaring off, crazy summer hijinks among friends, small town dreams blah blah blah. It's all been done. It's dead. Stop it. In Happy Madison terms, should you watch this, you'll beg for the days of left-field concepts like Sandler playing the son of Satan. For as cynical as it sounds, it's not hard to imagine why everyone involved could give so little of a s--- when the bar is set so low. This film is all easy beats, predictive familiarities, and absolutely zero heart, soul, or silliness anywhere to be found."
"The Open House" hit Netflix and critics were more bored than scared.
Release date: January 19, 2018
Tomatometer rating: 10% rotten, with 1 fresh and 9 rotten ratings
The fact that it stars Dylan Minnette from "13 Reasons Why" might be a big reason why some people are interested in this movie. Unfortunately, while it's not particularly offensive unless horror is completely not your thing — this movie is largely forgettable, according to critics.
As Chris Osterndorf wrote for the Daily Dot:
"I could hardly keep my eyes open watching The Open House, and that's including when the movie got to its big payoff. If it weren't for the creepy music, parts of this film would play better as a domestic drama than as a horror movie."
People thought that "The Kissing Booth" stepped over the line from homage to lazy plundering of classic rom-com genre tropes.
Release date: May 11, 2018
Tomatometer rating: 13% rotten, with 1 fresh and 7 rotten ratings
Even if you just limited yourself to Netflix Original rom-coms, many critics think you could do a lot better than this movie.
As Zoe Crombie noted for Film Inquiry:
"Allusions to The Breakfast Club in the soundtrack and the casting of Molly Ringwald certainly don't help The Kissing Booth look anything other than lazy and amateur next to other teen classics."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider