Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Let’s agree on one thing: most movies based on TV shows are pretty crappy. The good news, however, is that every now and then a director with great vision can take the elements of terrific source material and transfer it into a completely different medium. Film adaptations of TV shows are a Hollywood staple, and it’s because of movies like these ten great films that make producers think things like, “Johnny Knoxville in The Dukes of Hazzard? Sounds good!” Let’s not hold them accountable for the crimes they inspired; instead, let’s celebrate these ten movies for being really, really awesome.
'The Brady Bunch Movie' (1995)
Director Betty Thomas redefined the genre of sitcom-to-movie adaptations with The Brady Bunch Movie‘s postmodern conceit: the Bradys still maintain their kitschy ’70s flair despite living in a modern ’90s world. With plenty of winks to the original series (as well as cameos from most of the original cast), The Brady Bunch Movie is still a gem and a perfectly executed adaptation. [Watch on Amazon Instant Video]
'The Fugitive' (1993)
Harrison Ford stars in this big-screen action film based on the 1960s ABC series. Ford plays Richard Kimble, a man who is wrongfully accused and convicted for the murder of his wife. When Kimble escapes from prison to find the one-armed man who killed his wife, it’s up to US Marshall Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones, in an Oscar-winning turn) to track him down. [GoWatchIt]
'Addams Family Values' (1993)
Addams Family Values is like The Godfather Part II of TV-to-movie adaptations. It’s inarguably better than its predescesor, and boasts an incredibly hilarious performance from Joan Cusack as a golddigging nanny who infiltrates the Addams’ close-knit family. And who can forget the classic sequence in which Wednesday and Pugsley burn down their summer camp? [GoWatchIt]
'The Untouchables' (1987)
Brian De Palma brought the early ’60s crime series to the big screen, with Kevin Kostner playing Chicago detective Eliot Ness and Robert De Niro as the legendary mobster Al Capone. It’s also notable for Sean Connery’s Oscar-winning performance as well as the classic staircase shoot-out inspired by the classic silent film, Battleship Potemkin [GoWatchIt]
'South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut' (1999)
No only is it one of the best musical films ever made, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is a perfect satire of the late ’90s puritanism and an enduring animated masterpiece that transcends its TV series roots. [GoWatchIt]
'Wayne's World' (1992)
Naturally one of the greatest SNL sketches would make a hilarious film (as well as spawn a sequel). Wayne’s World shows Mike Myers and Dana Carvey at their best — silly, weird, and working together. [GoWatchIt]
'The Blues Brothers' (1980)
The Blues Brothers was never a great SNL sketch (as my colleague Meghan O’Keefe described it, “It wasn’t a sketch. It was two guys on cocaine having fun.”), but it was perfect material for a madcap film that showcased the quiet hilarity of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s characters. [GoWatchIt]
'The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad' (1988)
Sometimes it’s fun to remember that not only did Police Squad exist, but it also inspired three (three!) Naked Gun movies. Leslie Nielson and Co. (which uncomfortably includes O.J. Simpson) turned out some wacky sight gags and one-liners in this hilarious series, but the first film is certainly the best. [GoWatchIt]
'The X-Files' (1998)
Here’s the wild card: The X-Files spawned two films — one was, like most movies based on TV shows, released several years after the series was cancelled. But the first film was released between the show’s fifth and sixth seasons, and loosely ties together the story lines between the fifth season’s finale and the sixth season’s premiere. But it also works as a stand-alone mystery, and is successful for one major reason: you didn’t have to watch the show to enjoy the film. [GoWatchIt]
'Miami Vice' (2006)
Michael Mann’s Miami Vice franchise, whether on the small or big screen, has always emphasized style over substance. You know how much style you can get with a budget of $135 MILLION? Watch this movie. Mann poured every single dollar on this troubled shoot—Colin Farrell was at the height of his drug problem and reportedly overdosed when the production was in Uruguay—into what appeared on-screen, and the results are nothing short of breathtaking. Bonus points for this scene of Farrell and Gong Li making the trip on a go-fast boat to Havana for some mojitos and shower sex. [GoWatchIt]
