Bad movies for St. Patrick's Day

Today I had a Yes/No Films reader email me with a guest post which is highly appropriate for this time of year: the worst St. Patrick's Day films. Thanks to Katherine Pierce for the below post.

Filmmakers don't always have the luck of the Irish when it comes to St. Patrick's Day movies. Leprechauns are somehow silly and creepy at the same time, which makes it hard to put those little guys in a film without making the audience cringe. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you're the kind of person who loves movies that are so bad they're good, check out one of these titles from the St. Patrick's Day cinematic hall of shame.
Getting Lucky
This 1990 teenage sex comedy from Troma, the cheese masters responsible for the Toxic Avenger series, is something of a cult classic. That doesn't mean it's a good movie. Getting Lucky is unquestionably, wonderfully bad. The basic plot involves a nerdy teenager who finds a tiny alcoholic leprechaun named Lepky inside a beer bottle. Lepky does a little wish granting to help our nerd win the cheerleader of his dreams, but since Lepky's a drunk he pretty much screws everything up. Sounds like cinematic gold, right? If that doesn't sell you on this awful gem of a St. Patrick's Day movie, try this: the writer and director of Getting Lucky shot the movie in two weeks while homeless and living in a van.

Poor Kyle. It's hard enough being a regular kid in junior high school, but Kyle has it extra rough because he's also secretly a leprechaun. Half leprechaun, actually -- his dad's just a dude from Ohio, but his mom's a full-on leprechaun. Once Kyle loses the magical coin that allows him to look human, things start getting weird. Instead of hitting puberty, Kyle starts turning into a little mythical Irish creature, and the only way to stop his transformation is to get his coin back from an evil leprechaun named Seamus. If you can spot the metaphors for adolescence in this ridiculous script, reward yourself with a pint of Guinness.

Yes, this is a St. Patrick's Day movie about leprechauns and property tax, and it's just as bad as it sounds. Sure, everything seems great when Molly and her dad Howard inherit an Irish estate, until they learn that it's called Misfortune Mansion and it comes with a huge tax assessment. Good thing there's a leprechaun nearby to help them out, right? Unfortunately, this movie is called A Very Unlucky Leprechaun, which means Howard and Molly get stuck with a pretty lame little helper. If you're wondering why they'd want to try so hard to hold on to a place called Misfortune Mansion, you're not alone.

Don't you hate it when your future stepmother turns out to be an evil water banshee obsessed with destroying leprechauns? In this ridiculous and totally fun fantas, kids Ethel and Tommy have to stop their wicked mom-to-be from drowning the last leprechaun left in Ireland and sucking up all of his magical leprechaun powers. You know how these movies end -- the kids always win -- so just sit back and enjoy the crazy drama.

Leapin' Leprechauns!
You know a movie is going to be awesomely bad when it has an exclamation point in the title. Add in wacky hijinks, cute kids making surprised faces and some tiny leprechaun puppets and you're in bad movie heaven. In Leapin' Leprechauns, a handful of miniature leprechauns stow away in a suitcase headed for America to try to stop their home from being turned into an amusement park. There's also a strange sub-plot about the Queen of the Underworld, who's seriously into leprechaun sacrifice.

If you're looking for a tremendously bad St. Patrick's Day movie, take the easy route and pick any of the six Leprechaun movies. They're all basically about the same evil murderous leprechaun, and each one is a little more ridiculous than the last. If you're really adventurous, settle in for a Leprechaun marathon. Start with the original, made in 1993 and starring a pre-fame Jennifer Aniston in all her cheesy glory. Leprechaun 2 and 3 are equally bad, but the franchise really gets going with Leprechaun 4: In Space. Yes, in space. If you thought that was a bad idea, you're going to love Leprechaun: In the Hood, where our evil green protagonist takes his blood lust to the mean streets of Compton. Round out the marathon with the last film in the series, Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, which might be the worst -- and best -- in the series.

So there you have it, folks, it’s a list as bad as any St. Patrick's Day hangover. What do you think? Did your favorite bad movie make the cut?


About the Author
Kit Pierce loves to read classic literature and blogs about human rights. In her spare time, she writes for www.attsavings.com. She's interested in steampunk, likes watching funny cat videos, and enjoys discussions about philosophy. You can follow her on Twitter @kit_pearce.

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