What are some movies you hated at first but learned to love?

[Dennis]

Mine is, and I'm ready to be torched for it: Monty Python's Holy Grail. I saw it for the first time when I was a teenager, and I don't know why, but I hated it. Maybe I was in a bad mood, maybe something else interfeering, but I just couldn't get into it. Now I regularly watch it and Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Meaning of Life, Life of Brian, And Now for something Completely Different (please let me know if there's anything else out there from them). Holy Grail must be the most quoted film ever, I hear lots of quotes from it.

In addition to peter johnson's list there is also Fawlty Towers. TV series starring John Cleese and Connie Booth, can be seen on PBS or BBC America, it's a real funny show.

[Zapranoth]

Menard is in the hating part of the process of learning to love Zardoz.

Give him a few more years and he'll just LUUURRRRRRRVE it!   He's just learning how!  

[Menard]

Menard is in the hating part of the process of learning to love Zardoz.

Give him a few more years and he'll just LUUURRRRRRRVE it!   He's just learning how!  

I forgive you; I know it's the vagina talking, and not you.

[Allhallowsday]

The Frighteners- My Dad, younger sister, and I watched this together around the time it came out on video and absolutely hated it. We were all expecting a straight horror pic at first(because that's what the TV ads made it look like). Now it is probably my favorite horror-comedy of all time.

I think Michael J. Fox offers a stunningly unexpected performance in THE FRIGHTENERS.

Having waited a longtime to finally see VERTIGO, when I finally got to see it, I was unimpressed, bored, rolling my eyes...but the score by Bernard Herrmann stayed in my mind and played over and over (mainly because of Herrmann's purposeful borrowing of a theme of Wagner) until I sought a cd of it and finally re-watched the film...and got it!!!   It's definitely in my top 20 favorite films, which is high praise from me!   

[Raffine]

but the score by Bernard Herrmann stayed in my mind and played over and over

I think we've discussed the scene where Kim Novak emerges from the bathroom bathed in green light as Herrmann's score climaxes is about the most breath-taking moment in any film.

I first saw THE MUMMY (1932) when I was about ten years old and thought it was the most boring thing I'd ever witnessed. I thought those other Mummy movies with Lon Chaney, Jr. were so much more scarier! Now I think Karloff's version is the creepiest of the early Universal horror films. "He went for a little walk! You should have seen his face!"

It still takes me several viewings to warm up to any Kubrick film, but I'd have to say DR. STRANGELOVE is still the only one I 'love'.

[ghouck]

Re.  Please let me know re. More Monty Python Movies:
Sadly, for the Full Monty, as it were, the ones you name are it --
HOWEVER, check out the numerous "solo" projects, which more often than not involve more than one of them:
"Privates on Parade"(Cleese)
"Yellowbeard"(Chapman & Cheech & Chong. Not that good, sadly.)
"A Private Function"(Palin)
"A Fish Called Wanda"(Palin & Cleese.  Skip the Fierce Creatures sequel.)
"The Minister"(Palin)
"Jabberwocky"(Palin & Gilliam & Innes.  Neil Innes did most of the music
              for Python.  He's the guy singing behind Brave Sir Robin &
              the guy who gets hit with the hammer in Hollywood Bowl.)
Also a pre-Python Cleese and Chapman in "The Magic Christian", with Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr, Christopher Lee & Raquel Welch -- to name but a few of the stars.
For that matter, check out Neil Innes with Eric Idle in "The Rutles", along with Bianca Jagger, George Harrison, etc.  That's also Neil Innes with The Beatles & Bonzo Dog Band, performing "Death Cab For Cutie" in "Magical Mystery Tour"
* * *
Aside from the numerous TV Python episodes, many fans overlook the very wonderful Michael Palin/Terry Jones TV collaboration, "Ripping Yarns".  These episodes are every bit as funny as Pure Python, and are sure to satisfy your Jones if you've already OD'd on reruns.
peter johnson/denny crane

I love Fish called Wanda/Fierce Creatures, Yellowbeard was horrible, What about Jabberwockey? I've heard opposing opinions. I'll check out Ripping Yarns. I'm surprized you don't like Fierce Creatures, I thought it was good, Especially how Kevin Klien played the kid, and his dad both, THEN, in the movie, as the kid, dressed up to look like the dad, and got it kinda close. . weird. I've never heard of private function, I'll check it out also

In addition to peter johnson's list there is also Fawlty Towers. TV series starring John Cleese and Connie Booth, can be seen on PBS or BBC America, it's a real funny show.

Yea, I used to Tivo those when they were on, I think I've seen them all, pretty good though.

[Pilgermann]

I remember thinking that Zoolander was a terrible piece of crap when I first saw it.  Then I went to see it again with one of my friends and I thought it was hilarious.

[felgekarp]

Die Hard, when Batman came out I went to see it with all my mates and we all agreed it was the best film we'd ever seen, hey we were all in our teens we didn't know better, a couple of weeks later on  one of them got hold of a copy of Die Hard and he said it was even better than Batman, this statement made me hate it immediately, we went round to watch it but I just sat and read a magazine all the way through and paid no attention to it, what a fool.

[RCMerchant]

I first saw THE MUMMY (1932) when I was about ten years old and thought it was the most boring thing I'd ever witnessed. I thought those other Mummy movies with Lon Chaney, Jr. were so much more scarier! Now I think Karloff's version is the creepiest of the early Universal horror films. "He went for a little walk! You should have seen his face!"

I felt the same way! And it was just untill very recently...(like a few weeks ago!) that I rewatched it,and found it MUCH better than I remembered! Karl Freund's photography is stunning!!!  And the closeup...with Karloff's glowing eyes....WOW.

[Ash]

I'd have to say that I absolutely hated Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy when I first saw it.
No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get into its weird brand of humor.

Then I watched it a second time several months later and I loved it!
I even went out and bought it on DVD after that.
It's loaded with hilarious quotes that I use from time to time.

"Hey everyone.  Come and see how good I look!"
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrvmz_tPRk8

[zombie no.one]

^ to be honest I liked the first half of anchorman but it got a bit too O.T.T crazy and directionless 'Hollywood Blockbuster' towards the end. If anything I wanted it to be more weird/surreal. theres a few classic quotes and scenes in there even so. "I want to...be on you" etc.

[ghouck]

Another one is "The Breakfast Club", , I HATED it the first time, then later saw it and liked it alot, , ,then, , it got way to old, it's like an old, worn-out cliche. . I'm right back to hating it. . Molly Ringwald just doesn't fit the princess role, , she always looks like a dork to me. .

[peter johnson]

More Monty Stuff:
I'm squarely on the side of people who think "Jabberwocky" is great stuff -- I saw it again several months ago for I think the 5th(?) time, and it really holds up.  Neil Innes is hysterical as a very very nervous palace guard.  Palin is perfect as the clueless "man on a quest".  The thing that threw a lot of people who disliked this picture when it first came out is that it really is a Terry Gilliam film, and not so much a Monty Python film.  Gilliam made this prior to "Time Bandits (Also with Cleese and Palin -- another for the list)", and it can be considered a sort of warm-up to that.
All the castle interiors are shot in the dim gloom that castle interiors really looked like back then, not the overlit Hollywood sound stages of "Camelot", etc.  Many people didn't understand that either.
Plus, it has a stupefying amount of gore.  Literal buckets of blood and guts are thrown about willy-nilly, especially during the tournament sequence.  It's just so far over the top that the top isn't even visible!
That REALLY put a lot of people off first time out --
* * *
"Fierce Creatures" I don't like because it's so obviously cobbled together from 2 completely different films, and shows the backstage squabbling that Cleese was enduring from the producers.  Cleese wanted to make another black comedy, even nastier than "Wanda", and the studio fought him every step of the way, wanting instead something sweeter with a happy ending.  The sentimental bilge that the film is rife with, including the sappy musical score, was forced on Cleese, and essentially the film was taken away from him.  Cleese barely mentions it today, and Palin not at all.
"A Private Function" has not only Palin, but an amazing Brenda Fricker, and an even more amazing Maggie Smith, along with a basketful of those great British character-actors you always see but never know their names.
It is a comedy about meat-rationing.  We lucky Americans had rationing end the day WW2 ended -- The poor Brits had to endure almost 10 more years of coupons and ration books, as their decimated country and economy tried to get its post-war footing.  The film is a farcical account of one family's attempt to circumvent the law and have a proper meal to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's coronation.  Complications ensue.
Somethings I learned from this film:  Pig poop is a metaphor for The Human Condition.  Pig poop can also be a metaphor for Class Consciousness and Class Struggle.  Maggie Smith is the most overlooked comedic actress of our time.
peter johnson/denny crane

[Mr_Vindictive]

Here are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head:

Phantasm - Mentioned this in another post.  Hated it my first time around.  I ended up watching the sequels and buying the dvd when it was released years ago.  Fell in love it, and it's still a fun one for me.

Dawn Of The Dead - WTF!?  Yeah, I hated Dawn the first time I watched it.  I remember reading SO much about the film and it was my first introduction into the NOTLD films.  I borrowed a VHS copy of it from someone (Theatrical Cut) and I thought it was one of the biggest pieces of crap I had ever seen.  Sure the first 15 minutes were good but everything after was boring.  Ended up picking up NOTLD and Day despite my hatred of Dawn, and both worked for me.  Went back and bought Dawn and absolutely loved it my second time around.  Not sure why I hated it initially.  Now, it's one of my favorite films of all time and by far my favorite zombie film.

Blue Velvet - Hated this one when I first rented it a long time ago.  After a few more viewings, I realized just how layered and fantastic the film was.  Hopper's character is hugely entertaining as well.  Great film.

Dr. Strangelove - Someone else mentioned this earlier.  Not sure what it was about the film initially that I didn't like.  I don't think the humor sat well with me my first time around.  After watching it a few more times, I realized just how good and funny the film is.  It's one that I quote on a weekly basis. 

[Menard]

Dawn Of The Dead - WTF!? 

Although I didn't hate it the first time I had seen it, I did find it to be quite boring throughout a good part of the film. I can more thoroughly enjoy it now after having had several viewings.