I am well aware not everyone likes the following movies. But I think they are so appealing, I'm surprised when people don't like them.
Movies where I'd be shocked if someone didn't really like them
The Usual Suspects
Amadeus
Planes, Trains, And Automobiles
Gladiator
The Matrix
October Sky
Toy Story 2
Galaxy Quest
I like this game. The key here is that movies that EVERYONE would like means that it can't really be cutting edge or quirky. So almost immediately PT Anderson movies fall of the list, Terrintino movies, Terry Gilliam movies, and maybe even Cohen brothers movies. You could possibly get stuck with a lot of Speilberg (not necessarily an awful thing). So, if we are looking for universal love, something that even grandparents would like, probably the only thing on my list of "I'd be shocked if someone didn't like this" is:
1.
Princess Bride.
There are some others, too, and others that have been mentioned. But I also think that this is where movies like
Galaxy Quest or
Back to the Future,
ET, Star Wars, or
Toy Story/Finding Nemo/Incredibles come in. It's a decent movie and enjoyable. That's exactly the type of movie that you'd be shocked if someone didn't at least like.
If I were to push the envelope a little bit, something a little quirky, I might add some of my personal favorites, that are a little lesser known (outside of this thread), like
The Station Agent,
Oh Brother How Art Thou, and
October Sky.
If we are talking men in our age demographic, then yeah, I think the above movies are solid. Gladiator, Matrix, Usual Suspects, Pulp Fiction, Lock Stock Smoking Barrels, etc.
This is a fun exercise.