I have a rule of thumb when it comes to movie reviews: When most of the reviews of a movie are good, I take them with a grain of salt. However, when most of the reviews of a movie are awful, I believe them.

So I don't go so those movies. The silver lining is that reviewers still have to go see them, and often they write very funny accounts of their awful experiences that I can then enjoy without sitting through the miserable movie.

The latest example of this phenomenon is The Love Guru, which is now at 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. This review in Slate by Dana Stevens was my favorite, though. Here are some excerpts:

There are good movies. There are bad movies. There are movies so bad they're good (though, strangely, not the reverse). And once in a while there is a movie so bad that it takes you to a place beyond good and evil and abandons you there, shivering and alone.

...

Some of the lowest moments involve Sir Ben Kingsley, who appears as Pitka's mentor, the permanently cross-eyed Guru Tugginmypudha. I've read that Kingsley, who was made a knight of the realm in 2001, often alienates the English press by insisting on the usage of his full title, even in casual social situations. If he's that concerned about maintaining his dignity, he might reconsider taking on roles in which people swordfight with mops soaked in their own piss.

That's good stuff.

So here's my Silver Lining of the Day (TM): Even shitty, unentertaining movies can give rise to funny, entertaining movie reviews.