Attributed toG. K. Chesterton.
good-bad (comparativemoregood-bad,superlativemostgood-bad)
- (film, literature) Enjoyablyschlocky, poor in quality but nonetheless compelling.
1945 November 2,George Orwell, “Good Bad Books”, inTribune[1]:The existence ofgood bad literature—the fact that one can be amused or excited or even moved by a book that one's intellect simply refuses to take seriously—is a reminder that art is not the same thing as cerebration.
1989 May 19,Roger Ebert, “Road House”, inRogerEbert.com[2]:“Road House” exists right on the edge between the “good-bad movie” and the merely bad. I hesitate to recommend it, because so much depends on the ironic vision of the viewer. This is not a good movie.
2014, Sarah Nilsen,Projecting America, 1958, McFarland:Touch of Evil is not a good movie, but it is agood bad movie, which is more fun than the mediocre or even the adequate.
2015 July 6, David Fear et al, “25 Best Modern Exploitation Movies”, inRolling Stone:IsShowgirlsgood-bad or just bad-bad?
2019 November 29, Donald Clarke, “The Two Popes: one giant leap of faith”, inThe Irish Times:The Shoes of the Fisherman is agood-bad film that owes no duty to history or to what were then current affairs.
