There Will Be Blood (just nominated for a Golden Globe as best dramatic film)
What it sounds like: a death-and-dismemberment horror film
What it really is: an adaptation of Upton Sinclair's Oil

Pelle the Conqueror
What it sounds like: Arnold Schwarzenegger flexing muscles and kicking butt
What it really is: a movie about Swedish farm workers emigrating to Denmark

Can you think of any other movies whose titles don't sound at all like what they really are (and the more they sound like exploitation but deliver high literature or mega-gloomy drama the better) ?

Can I vent on movies whose TRAILERS are horribly misleading??!?!

Why does the Sweeney Todd trailer not have any singing and make it look like a straight-up slasher film? It is a CLASSIC musical by one of the great masters of the form! Just because its a little morbid does not mean you need to advertise it as a slasher movie.

Off the top of my head I can only think of these:
Slaughterhouse Five - not a slasher film
To Kill A Mockingbird
Twelve Monkeys

Yeah, and overreaching trailers burn me too.

I actually saw a Sweeny Todd trailer with Johnny Depp belting out a line or two.....it wasn't that impressive. I'm going to see it anyway since Johnny Depp AND Alan Rickman are in it. Yum!

Serenity
- sounds like a peaceful zen chick-flick
- really is a rather violent sci-fi action adventure

Kinky Boots. Ok, the title does fit, but it sounds like some porn thing with scantily clad floozies. It's a true tale of a shoe company in the UK that is going into bankruptcy and a female inpersonator is hired to help the company by designing and selling hot boots to drag queens. It is really cute and worth watching more than once. PG-13.

Reservoir Dogs: Aside from the opening credits, the film never refers to any of the characters as a "Reservoir Dog". Where did they come up with this title?

A Clockwork Orange? Another strange one

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (with the recent cases of child molestation by Catholic priests, this title immediately puts all kinds of images in my head)

The Banger Sisters(its not a porn film, but would make a good title to one)

The Last Samuri (sp) (sorry but no matter how much you like Tom Cruise, he isnt asian...lol)

SNATCH???? WTH

Kindergarten Cop (while I loved this show, it wasnt a 5 year old crimefighter..lol)

Point conceded re Slaughterhouse Five, and maybe also 12 Monkeys, but how do you figure To Kill a Mockingbird?? I'm assuming most people are familiar with the novel and know it's not about decimated songbird populations

But it is still a misleading title. I mean of course to the people who are familiar with the book it wouldnt be, but the people who watched the TV series firefly wouldnt be confused by the serenity title either.

But really....I think to assume that there is an overall literacy rate is sometimes a dangerous thing. With some of the dreck out there I am convinced of the lowest common denominator. I could see some poor slack thinking it was an instructional documentary on bird hunting techniques.

Yeah, obviously most people know what it's about - although less and less - it was outlawed in my high school, and it was never required reading in college either. It just popped into my mind as a title that doesn't clearly match the content of the book/movie. Bad example, I guess.