Whether it be poor casting choices, bizarre plots, or potential political uproar, here of some of the most controversial films to hit our screens in recent memory.
The Wolf of Wall Street
When Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo Dicaprio and director Martin Scorsese collaborate on a film, it's guaranteed to get people talking. The 2013 film "The Wolf of Wall Street" was no exception. However, unlike their previous collaborations, what people were saying wasn't entirely positive.
Jordan Belfort, a real-life white-collar criminal who defrauded ordinary people out of millions of dollars, served as the inspiration for the film. The issue? Viewers felt that the film glamourized Belfort's behavior and the chaotic corruption running rampant on Wall Street and shed no light on the victims.
The Exorcist
"The Exorcist" is one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Linda Blair's demonically possessed head-spinning has been terrorizing audiences since 1974! While the film is an undisputed icon of horror royalty, a plethora of controversy surrounded it.
Cinema audiences of the film reportedly had horrific physical reactions upon seeing the film, including throwing up and passing out. Along with its graphic gore, it was alleged that the film employed subliminal messaging to incite those negative physical reactions from audiences. The cast and crew weren't spared either! Two main actors were seriously injured during filming, not to mention a freak fire destroyed the set! Creepy!
Justice League
Ah, the 2010s. Superhero film franchises were at their peak. DC Comic fans were overjoyed to learn that beloved director Zach Synder would be at the helm of the "Justice League" film. However, their hopes were soon dashed when Synder left the production before its completion. Joss Whedon stepped up to replace Synder, however, his efforts turned out to be in vain. Fans hated Weadon's take on the film!
DC fans were so upset that they formed their own justice league! Their mission? To have director Zack Snyder's cut of the "Justice League" released. Finally, in 2021, the 4-hour "Synder Cut" was unveiled. To say that it received a far warmer reception is an understatement.
Nina
The iconic musical talent of Nina Simone has reverberated through the decades. It was only fitting that her story and rise to musical greatness be portrayed on film. This is exactly what filmmakers attempted to do in 2016.
The Achilles heel of the film turned out to be the choice to cast actress Zoe Saldana in the leading role of Nina Simone. Saldana had to don prosthetics and make-up as she is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, while Nina Simone was African American. Many questioned why filmmakers didn't just hire an actress of similar descent and skin tone to Nina, especially in light of the fact that roles for such actresses are already few and far between.
The Tree of Life
It wasn’t just the ending of "The Tree of Life" that was a little confusing—it was the whole movie. It centers primarily on a family living in a Texas town, though their lives are intercut with other scenes that represent everything from the dawn of time to the afterlife.
Director Terrence Malick never specified exactly what the movie was about. However, film critics have suggested that the movie prompts you to reflect on all the good and bad in your own life and how it fits into the bigger picture. Viewers were split, some adoring the abstract nature of the film while others couldn't stand it!
He's All That
A day doesn't seem to pass by without a new teen movie packed with Gen-Z stars dropping on Netflix. "He's All That," a rather unremarkable remake of the 90s classic "She's All That," was panned by critics because of TikTok star Addison Rae's atrocious acting ability.
However, the main controversy of the film centered around its puke-worthy product placement. These days, product placement in film and television is, unfortunately, the norm, but it's usually fairly subtle. "He's All That's" product placement was so explicit and in-your-face that even Addison Rae's loyal TikTok following couldn't stomach it.
The Silence of the Lambs
This Oscar darling certainly sings for its supper. For animal lovers out there, don't fret! No lambs were involved in the making of the film. Instead, the true terror is focused on unlucky humans. Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee and the protagonist of the film, takes us on a quest to catch a serial killer with the help of none other than...Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who's himself, a serial killer.
Clarice gets up close and personal with the skin-crawl-causing cannibal. The film appears on various "greatest films of all time" lists, so not only will it frighten you, but it will also impress your cinephile friends. The controversy surrounding the film stemmed from how LGBTQI+ characters were portrayed. Queer-rights activists have since criticized the film for perpetuating negative stereotypes associated with the community.
Mother!
The mind of director Darren Aronofksy is delightfully dark! Think "Requiem for a Dream" and "Black Swan." It's almost no surprise, then, that Aronofsky's film "Mother!" was released in 2017 by polarized audiences.
The psychological horror was praised by some for its complex narrative and high production value, while others found it to be overly pretentious and grotesque. Not even Hollywood darling Jennifer Lawrence in the leading role could quell the controversy.
Simpsons Movie
It's no stretch to say that "The Simpsons" show has ruffled a few feathers in its 30+ (and counting) year run. The animated show is a mix of satirical and toilet humor, which has always kept audiences and censors on the edge of their seats.
So it was no surprise that the film adaptation was a massive success. However, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening has since said that since the same team was used to create the film and the series, the labor-intensive process and financial costs of the film "almost killed" the show. Yikes! This may be one of the reasons we haven't seen a sequel to the box-office hit.
The Fountain
With three separate timelines included in the film, "The Fountain" is bound to be confusing. This 2006 movie prompted viewers to demand an explanation for the many bewildering elements when they first saw it.
However, director Darren Aronofsky refused to ruin the symbolism of the film by giving a clear answer. He stated, “It’s a film that’s a journey, and it’s a trip, and it’s an experience throughout the meditation of a lot of these questions.” If you look at the movie through that lens, you can see that it’s about the process of coming to terms with one’s mortality.
Titanic
James Cameron's epic romance had...titanic...success when it was released in 1997 and still stands today as one of the most beloved films of all time. Not to mention it instantly shot Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet into the Hollywood royalty realm.
The film's record-breaking success didn't mean it was free from controversy behind the scenes. Not only was it six months behind schedule, but it also reportedly went $100 million over budget. Yes, you read that correctly. $100 million! Even worse, over 60 crew members fell severely ill after having their lunch spiked with PCP. While the culprit has never been caught, it's assumed that it was a disgruntled crew member in response to the difficult working conditions Cameron created on set.
A Clockwork Orange
Both Anthony Burgess's novel and Stanley Kubrick's subsequent adaption of "A Clockwork Orange" are not for the faint-hearted. The film was shrouded in controversy, and it's no wonder why. The plot centers around Alex DeLarge, a violently twisted criminal who commits horrific atrocities.
Not only was the subject matter and depictions of violence offensive and disturbing to audiences, but the film reportedly inspired "copycat criminals" who sadly committed similar crimes following the film's release. The real-life violence even prompted Kubrick to pull the film from cinemas.
The Room
Most of you don’t need an introduction to "The Room." It’s widely considered to be the "Best-worst film ever made," full of convoluted plotlines, incredibly bad editing, horrible music, and some of the worst acting you’ve ever seen. While many believed that it was a parody, it was actually a completely serious film made by and starring the mysterious Tommy Wiseau.
The film has gained a cult following since its abysmal release and is now one of the most popular bad films of all time. Many theaters in the United States have an annual theatrical showing of the film, and it’s always sold out with roaring and laughing fans. The 2017 film "The Disaster Artist" chronicles the bizarre behind-the-scenes shenanigans of how the film was made.
Prince of Persia
Movie adaptations of video games have a pretty rough history, much rougher than that of comic books. The odd choice to make the "Prince of Persia" series into a big-budget Hollywood flick came with Jake Gyllenhaal as the title character. They gave him all the long hair and scruffy beard they could, but it's just not that easy to turn Donnie Darko into a Middle-Eastern prince.
We're seeing more and more examples of opportunities to cast an appropriate actor squandered by Hollywood who wants the biggest name attached to their project. While we're sure Jake and the filmmakers were disappointed with the criticism, Taylor Swift fans must have reveled in it!
Rosemary’s Baby
This cult-classic horror expertly depicts a petrifying paranoia-fueled pregnancy. The film's artistic genius and subliminal themes of women's liberation earned it a place in the United States National Film Registry.
Mia Farrow shines as the film's young protagonist, terrified under constant threat from her creepy cult-member neighbors and by her own growing belly. The film builds to a climax where Rosemary realizes that she's given birth to none other than Satan's son. We've heard that pregnancy can be tough, but this is just ridiculous! The film's pregnancy-paranoia plot was taboo at the time n which raised many eyebrows upon its release.
My Sister's Keeper
While it's rare that a film fully lives up to a novel, "My Sister's Keeper" is a prime example of a movie completely butchering the plot and message of the book. Jodi Piccoult's novel of the same name follows a family dealing with their daughter's struggle with cancer and the role each member should play.
The novel's shocking ending perfectly portrays the messages of the randomness and fragility of life. However, for some bizarre reason, the filmmakers decided to completely shift the ending and instead kill off another character. It not only made the film predictable but lacked any real substance or thought. Leaving Piccoult and her fans deeply disappointed.
Apocalypse Now
We all know the saying "life imitates art." Well, Francis Ford Coppola's film "Apocolypse Now" (an adaption of Joseph Conrad's novella "Heart of Darkness") is a great illustration of it. The making of the film turned out to be pure chaos.
The film was grossly over-budget and behind schedule causing Coppolla to suffer a nervous breakdown and an epileptic seizure. The cast and crew were also subjected to intensive and dangerous shooting conditions. Lead actor Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack while a crew member lost his life on set. To top it all off, the set was hit by a typhoon AND a hurricane. Coppola later admitted that "little by little we went insane."
Dallas Buyers Club
While there's no doubt that Jared Leto's performance as a trans woman in the film “Dallas Buyers Club” was Oscar-worthy, there's since been a slew of criticism surrounding his casting.
In light of the fact that there is already a disparity in the representation of trans people on screen, many questioned the choice to cast Leto, a non-trans person, in the role. His tone-deaf casting is yet another example of how Hollywood is in dire need of greatly increase its representation of roles and actors of people from all walks of life.
Brokeback Mountain
Ang Lee's 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain" was widely regarded as a monumental moment for "New Queer Cinema" at the time. The gay romance between two cowboys was not readily accepted by all audiences, some countries even banned the film from its shores.
While the film was the favorite to win the Academy Award for "Best Picture" in 2006, many believe it was snubbed due to its "controversial" subject matter. Regardless, it remains a hallmark of queer representation in cinema.
Cannibal Holocaust
"Cannibal Holocaust" is one of the most horrifying controversial films produced during the time. Its content was so graphic that audiences were convinced the deaths were real.
The actors reportedly signed a contract saying they would disappear. They did so to keep up the appearance of the film being a documentary. The 1980 Italian film isn't as well known in America, and maybe that's for the best? Viewer discretion is seriously advised with this one.
Sausage Party
You'd think that an animated film about a talking sausage and other grocery store items would be a family-friendly flick. Well, with "Sausage Party," you'd be wrong! While the film has explicit sexual themes and visuals, it's not where the controversy lies.
Since the film's release in 2016, numerous animators have come forward and exposed the poor working conditions and unfair treatment they experienced while working on the film. To make matters worse, many of the animators weren't even credited for their labor!
The Lone Ranger
Nothing beats Johnny Depp as an interesting character, but this casting choice was a bit too interesting for most people. "The Lone Ranger" was a huge box office bomb for Disney, losing them almost two hundred million dollars, and Depp's casting was a primary issue. Tonto is a Native American character, and it would have been a great way for a Native American actor to show his skills. Instead, we got Captain Jack Sparrow – and his costume for the film also raised some eyebrows.
Depp's acting wasn't the problem, but his "redface" is the leading storyline when most people talk about this movie.
Fifty Shades of Grey
Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson star as the...lovers...of this steamy "romance" film, which attempted to capitalize on the fame of the novel of the same name. Yet the movie couldn't even reach the low bar of the book; since the two primary actors had so little chemistry, the relationship came off as creepy and predatory rather than...whatever it was supposed to be in the book.
It had none of the passionate tension or interesting power dynamic of the literary version we're, uh, told. In fact, Johnson and Dornan are reported to have hated each other. That makes a romantic film tough, probably.
Snow White and the Huntsman
There was one point in history when Bella and Edward were everyone's favorite couple, even if they were fictional characters. "Twilight" fans went wild when actors Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson set the world on fire with their off-screen relationship.
Director Rupert Sanders managed to pull together an all-star cast for "Snow White and the Huntsman," but there was one actress he couldn't keep his eyes (or hands) off of. Stewart and Sanders had an affair, which led to the break up of Pattinson and Stewart amidst the rumors.
Ghost in the Shell
Nobody can decry Johansson's acting chops, but this was another misstep by casting white actors in Asian roles. "Ghost in the Shell" is a classic piece of anime history, and it was a great opportunity to give a big role to a smaller name. But the producers went with the hot hand, and Johansson starred instead.
Plenty of people wanted the role recast, and thanks to this bad press – and, we have to assume, being not a very good movie – the film became both a commercial and critical flop.
The Hobbit Trilogy
So firstly, let’s just remember that it would be nigh impossible to follow "The Lord of the Rings" with a trilogy that would even come close to the Academy Award-winning franchise. But some of the fans were at least hopeful that at least they’d be able to be transported once again to the world of Middle Earth.
Maybe there was a lack of likability among the band of hobbits or the fact that they drew out what should’ve been a maximum of two films into three. Overly long and a little bit of a slow story, these films got the overrated badge from viewers and critics alike.
Raging Bull
The film follows the ascent of a middleweight boxer (with an added love interest from the Bronx) who gets so far and then finds his lack of emotional availability is a hindrance in the ring and in his life. With director Martin Scorcese and Robert De Niro at the helm, it's considered a classic.
However, De Niro's "method acting" approach to the character of the violent Jake LaMotta resulted in a lot of discomfort from the cast and crew. This included an unplanned real physical fight that occurred during one of the scenes between De Niro and Cathy Moriarty.
Nymphomaniac
Based on the title alone, you can likely guess what "Nymphomaniac" is about. The explicit “adults only” subject matter of the film would usually be enough to stir up enough controversy to get people talking, however, there's more to the story here!
Rumors have swirled around this film ever since its release, including on-set affairs and unsimulated intimate scenes between the actors. The film has been so controversial that it was only released in a few select cinemas.
Aloha
Nobody liked "Aloha." Not even Emma Stone herself, though she only joined the "this is whitewashing" crowd after she had been paid. Allison Ng is a Chinese-Hawaiian, two cultures that Stone is not, which was one of the biggest criticisms the film garnered. Overall, the film was a big flop for director Cameron Crowe, though there were plenty of poor reviews and a lack of interest to add on to casting mistakes that buried this film.
Stone told the Los Angeles Times: "I've become the target of many jokes. I've learned a lot about the insane history of whitewashing."
The Avengers
Sean Connery and Uma Thurman star in this remake of the long-running British spy series based on Marvel’s comic books. Both are titled “The Avengers.” One was epic; the other has been called the worst movie ever.
The movie registered a 5% on the Tomatometer. “The Avengers” tanked royally. It did not even clear its $60 million budget. On Rotten Tomatoes, it was called “inept” and a “woefully miscast disaster.” This summer release was a summer bummer. With nine Golden Raspberry nominations, it won “Worst Remake or Sequel” as well as “Worst Resurrection of a TV Show.”
Black Swan
Black Swan follows professional ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman), who tries to be the best she can be when cast as Swan Queen for a ballet company. Throughout the film, Nina struggles with her role, fighting not only herself but also Lily (Mila Kunis) – a talented ballerina cast as the Black Swan.
Natalie even won an Oscar for her performance. Well, that's where the controversy lies! Many have criticized her win because the majority of her character's screen time was performed by an actual ballerina, leading many to question how much of the performance can be credited to Natalie.
Basic Instinct
We all know why "Basic Instinct" is so infamous. Yep, it's that Sharon Stone scene. That rather...exposing...scene would usually be enough to keep fueling the controversy around this film for decades to come.
Well as it turns out, Stone herself has been outspoken about the scene. She alleged that she was not informed by filmmakers that she would be exposed in that manner and was given alternative reasons as to why she had to film this scene with no underpants. Filmmakers have denied her claims. It certainly makes an already infamous film even more so.
Death Proof
The Grindhouse film brings all the action and horror possible. The Tarantino-directed film stars Kurt Russell as stuntman Mike McKay, and his evil pursuits of taking young women's lives in staged car accidents in his "death proof" car. Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), Kim (Tracie Thomas), and Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) try to survive the attack from the madman in this new-wave exploration thriller.
Tarantino fans are no strangers to watching films that push the boundaries of gore and violence, however, this film seemed to take it too far. This film made even the most die-hard fans feel uneasy and queasy at the excessively violent scenes in the film.
Jaws
It's the film where two musical notes gave audiences around the world chills down their spines. We're talking about Speilberg's 1975 mammoth horror hit "Jaws." It was nearly impossible to not develop the shark-scaries after watching the film.
However, marine biologists and activists have blasted the film for inciting mass public fear and hatred toward sharks and incorrectly depicting them as savage killers. There have been various links to the release of "Jaws" and the unnecessary mass culling of sharks worldwide.
Batman v Superman
Lex Luthor is one of the iconic comic book villains, up there with the Joker and Magneto. Plenty of people were hoping for a powerful actor who has already stunned as a bald villain – like Bryan Cranston in "Breaking Bad" when he says, "I am the one who knocks" – but instead, we got Jesse Eisenberg. He's certainly not a bad actor, looking at his previous outings, but he just didn't have the power to play this unforgettable villain.
Superman's arch-nemesis needs more, and Eisenberg just didn't have it in him. Many found his character too manic, too loud, and too wild for what a good Luther should be – a little bit too close to the Joker for a lot of people's liking. It left many fans hating the film due to its questionable casting choice.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Unfortunately, we don't live in a world where everyone gets along. This is true on movie sets as well. While two characters may be friends or lovers, the actors that play them may very well despise one another. This was certainly the case on the set of "Mad Max: Fury Road."
The film was a smashing success and received positive critical reviews upon its release at the time of the film's release. However, a few years later, it came to light that not only did the two leads, Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy not get along, but Charlize felt that she was in danger. She even requested protection from Hardy during filming. It certainly douses the highly saturated film with a grey cloud, knowing how difficult on-set relations were.
The Descent
The story of this film is simple and straightforward — Sarah loses her family, and in order to help her cope, her girlfriends take her to explore caves together. Yeah, we don't understand how this is supposed to help either. The movie manages to make us feel claustrophobic even though we are watching it from the comfort of our roomy home.
While it's usual to see some blood gore in a horror film, it's safe to assume that it's fake...right? Well, those with weak stomachs look away! Rumor has it that director Neil Marshall opted to use actual skeletal remains as opposed to fake ones, unbeknownst to the unfortunate cast members. Hey, we're all for realism, but this is taking it too far.
Natural Born Killers
Many films have been criticized for glorifying bad behavior, however Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" is the quintessential example. The film centers around an (arguably very cool) loved-up couple turned mass criminals.
The film's mix of romance and violence has been credited to have inspired several "copycat crimes" including the horrific Columbine High School tragedy.
Hellraiser
The 1987 British film "Hellraiser" is based on a story called "The Hellbound Heart." At the center of the movie are extra-dimensional creatures who enjoy hurting others and can't tell pain from pleasure.
The film's gory content was so vile that it was banned in Canada due to its brutal, graphic violent scenes that left no room for imagination.
Godfather Part III
Hollywood is no stranger to nepotisim. However, Francis Ford Coppola's decision to cast his daughter Sofia Coppola in the highly anticipated third installment of his classic and beloved "Godfather" trilogy was a mistake to say the very least.
While Sofia is a talented filmmaker in her own right, acting is not her strong suit which made her all-too-convenient casting all the more frustrating for audiences. Given how well-received the first two "Godfather" films were by critics and audiences alike, the third film had big (shiny) shoes to fill and did not deliver. This film is likely sleeping with the fishes!
The Beach
Leonardo Dicaprio's infamous post-"Titanic" film "The Beach" (2000) was shot at the magnificent Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands, Thailand. This picturesque paradise was the backdrop for the aptly named film about a group of tourists trying to start a new life. Unfortunately, in order to shoot the film in paradise, the film crew landscaped and destroyed the beach. This prompted several environmental lawsuits against the film studio.
Additionally, the film boosted the popularity of this location so much so that the intense thoroughfare following eventually led to Maya Bay having to close its doors to tourists for a few months to allow the ecosystem to bounce back.
Blue Is the Warmest Colour
French actresses Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos star in "Blue Is the Warmest Colour," an intimate and riveting romantic drama.
While the film has received international critical acclaim, both actress and crew members have since spoken out about the poor treatment and unreasonable working conditions they experienced on set. Complaints ranged from unpaid overtime work to unnecessarily uncomfortable love scenes.
Catwoman
No plot? No dollars. No dollars? No film studio. What does that mean? Don't make another film, Hollywood, except if it’s a la Christopher Nolan in "The Dark Knight Rises" and you're actually a director who knows what they're doing.
While Halle Berry did her character justice, the writers just didn’t seem to make it work for the comic-book hero. The “lone bright spot” had a tough time carrying the film, and for that reason, it won 2004’s Golden Raspberry for Worst Picture.
Psycho
Perhaps Alfred Hitchcock’s most widely known and recognized film, "Psycho" is a classic horror thriller that still gets played today around every Halloween. The film stars Anthony Perkins as a mentally unstable owner of a hotel who has a ton of dark secrets hidden within the building where he works.
"Psycho" became the pioneer title when it comes to the genre of horror films. However, at the time of its release, the film was shrouded in controversy for its depiction of taboo content at the time. The "shocking" scenes included, an unmarried couple sharing a bed and a bare derrière...GASP!
The Blair Witch Project
Talk about spooky set conditions! The whole cast of "The Blair Witch Project" suffered a great deal of trauma while filming the horror flick. When the director sent these kids into the woods, the poor actors didn't really know what they were in for. They were taunted and terrified throughout the duration of the shooting.
Heather Donahue especially had a hard time as she had to pretend that the whole experience was real, which even involved faking her own death. While this behind-the-scenes information certainly made the film controversial, it also just added to its horror hype.
The Layover
Young and hormonal guys were extremely excited when they heard that the beautiful Alexandra Daddario and American model, Kate Upton, were joining forces to play in a 2017 sex comedy called "The Layover". The film was severely panned by critics who overwhelmingly disliked it. "The Layover" received a measly 18% rating from 17 critics, mostly criticizing the film for being about two women fighting over a guy.
The movie was the worst offender of all time when it came to the Bechdel test, which measures the representation of women in fiction. The test simply asks whether there are two named females in a piece of fiction that are ever talking about something other than a man. Needless to say, feminists and film journalists did not like this movie at all. It seems that regular moviegoers also hated the film to a large extent, as they gave it a sad 22% rating based on almost 1,500 user reviews.
Avatar
When James Cameron's epic "Avatar" hit our screens, it was heralded as a technical masterpiece due to its unmatched CGI use.
Well, what the film had in visuals, it lacked in its content and plot. Once audiences got over the "wow" factor of the film, many pointed out that "Avatar" glorified problematic themes of colonization and white-saviorism. Some have even argued the film is a copy-paste of the classic (and equally problematic) "Pocahontas."
Peeping Tom
Director Michael Powell's violent voyeuristic film captures the age-old fear of being watched by a stranger. Mark Lewis, aka "Peeping Tom" gets his fix from filming and then murdering unassuming women in their own homes. Nowadays, where cameras can be found in everyone's pocket at all times, this film is particularly relevant and poignant.
While "Peeping Tom" has since cultivated a cult status among movie buffs it was regarded as highly controversial when it was first released in 1960. This was due to the film's novel depiction of sexual taboos and violence.
The Shining
Stephen King's novel "The Shining" revolves around Jack Torrance (played by the inimitable Jack Nicholson), caretaker of the Overlook Hotel who slowly descends into madness.
Although Stanley Kubrik's film adaption is regarded as a classic, it's not without its controversies. Not only did King hate the depiction of his story on screen, but the working conditions on set were infamously harsh for the cast and crew. This was especially true for Shelley Duvall who has said that her time on that set was “almost unbearable." Yep, that's what happens when you make your actors perform the same scene over 127 times!
Ghostbusters
Successfully remaking a classic Hollywood film is no easy feat. While the all-female 2016 remake of "Ghostbusters" was fairly well-received by film critics, it was audiences who "ghosted" the reboot. It just didn't meet the mark.
Audiences didn't warm to the idea of an all-female ghostbuster squad, some even calling the casting a "gimmick." However, most of the distaste targeted towards the film was rooted in divided politicized opinions as opposed to the film itself.
In Fabric
This movie is enough to give even the most style-savvy of people some fashion phobia. "In Fabric" answers the question (you likely never thought to ask), "What would happen if my dress was haunted?" The answer? Well, it wouldn't be pretty.
Wearers of the firey (pun very much intended here) red frock face horrific fates. As the pages of "Vogue" will tell you, fashion is pain! The most frightening part of the film is finding out what the fabric of the dress is made out of. That we'll let you discover on your own...The film's rather off-beat plot and sadistically-surreal scenes have made it a polarizing film even for the most cinema-obsessed.
The Revenant
Leonardo DiCaprio is known for being a method actor, completely committing to his roles in every film he's been a part of, and 2015's "The Revenant" was no exception. DiCaprio played Hugh Glass, a tough frontiersman that is badly injured by a bear attack and abandoned by his crew to survive in the wilderness on his own.
To fully embody the character, DiCaprio decided to stick to a purely raw meat diet (which was especially hard, considering he's a vegan) and sleep in animal carcasses. Not to mention the almost unbearable icy weather conditions while shooting and an almost endless barrage of quitting crew members, it's safe to say the blood, sweat, and tears went into the role that eventually landed him an Academy Award. Was it worth it though?
The Birds
Alfred Hitchcock's famous horror-thriller “The Birds” not only filled audiences with fear and dread but the film's lead actress Tippi Hedren as well! Hitchcock and Hedren's on-set relationship was infamously strained, which stirred up controversy around the film.
It was reported that Hitchcock used real birds in the film, which meant that Hedren had to spend days on end being attacked by birds. The continuous feathered onslaught left Tippy almost seriously injured and mentally exhausted.
The Prom
Ryan Murphy's film adaption of the musical "The Prom" answers the age-old question, "how do you make a film so bad that not even Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman can save it?" The answer? Cast straight entertainer James Cordon to play a queer character!
However, even without audiences' ruthless critique of the film's tone-deaf casting choice, there was little else about the film that could save it.
Twilight
Unless you were living under a rock from 2008 until 2021, the "Twilight" saga will ring a bell(a) for you. The vampire love story set in high school not only ruffled feathers due to it's its cross-species canoodling but also because it romanticized the...massive...age gap between Bella and Edward.
Ahem, a rather worrying 87-year age difference to be precise. This was particularly troubling since the franchise's main target audience consisted of screaming tweens.
Sex and the City 2
Fans of the show "Sex and the City" are used to their beloved characters Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha's indulgence in overpriced fashion and cocktails around New York City. However, the show's second feature film's grotesque obsession with wealth left fans underwhelmed.
Not to mention the film's rather bizarre and condescending portrayal of the people of Abu Dhabi and their culture. The film's star Sarah Jessica Parker has agreed with the criticism of the film stating "I can see where we fell short on the movie."
The Scarlet Letter
“The Scarlet Letter” has been adapted to the screen many times. But only this production has earned seven Golden Razzie nominations, including “Worst Remake or Sequel,” which it won.
This film veers too far from Nathanial Hawthorne’s 1850 novel about a 1660 Puritan colony. The 1995 movie comes off as ignorant. It was greeted with the dreaded movie critique, “unintentionally funny.” During this era, Demi Moore’s name on the marquee was like a jinx. In short, her portrayal of Hester Prynne proved accidentally humorous.
The Interview
When Seth Rogan and James Franco teamed up to create the 2014 film," The Interview," no one could have predicted the political firestorm it would create.
Now we've all read a bad review of a film, but North Korea's critique of "The Interview" takes the cake. The North Korean Government found the film so offensive that they threatened military action against the USA if the film wasn't scraped! We can all agree that "The Interview" was not worth starting a war over.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Who doesn't love to see Spock and Captain James T. Kirk venture into space and take on the mysteries of the great unknown? The famous TV Series "Star Trek" had a recent reboot which fans flocked to see.
The controversy centered around a scene in the second installment of the rebooted franchise "Star Trek Into Darkness" in which Dr. Carol Marcus appears in her underwear for no apparent reason. Fans criticized the film for its unnecessary sexualization of the female character. Maybe it times for filmmakers "to boldly go" into their next film without including unnecessary female sexualization!
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The "Fantastic Beasts" franchise has been dubbed "the most cursed franchise in Hollywood." Yikes! The film follows Newt Scamander on his mission to save and protect the whimsical creatures only found in the wizarding world. Sounds magical right?
Well, there doesn't seem to be any magic to stop the controversy behind the scenes. Two of the film's main actors, Johnny Depp and Ezra Miller, are in the midst of their own personal controversies while the story's creator, J.K. Rowling, has come under fire in recent years for her anti-trans comments.
Memoirs of a Geisha
“Memoirs of a Geisha” was a best-selling novel by Arthur Golden. Filmmaker Rob Marshall, director of Oscar-winning “Chicago,” took on remaking it into a film.
Filmed in California, the movie was criticized for being inauthentic. “Memoirs of a Geisha” won three Academy Awards, but it received mixed reviews and was scrutinized for using Chinese actresses to portray Japanese women. Both the Chinese and the Japanese were offended. But even the book was controversial, as the geisha who inspired the author sued him for breach of their contract of anonymity.
Cloud Atlas
The time-bending plot of the novel "Cloud Atlas" is confusing enough as it is. There's no need to add to the confusion with a film adaptation and the use of bizarre and offensive casting.
The film was denounced for its ethnically-insensitive portrayal of Asian characters. Namely by using make-up and prosthetics to make white actors appear Asian.
Jennifer's Body
It's no surprise that the audiences initially found the plot of the horror/comedy "Jennifer's Body" to be controversial given that it's about Jennifer Check — a flesh-eating demon cheerleader. The controversy was compounded by the fact that Megan Fox, who was dealing with her own post-"Transformers" controversy, starred in the lead role.
The film is a textbook example of a sleeper hit, meaning that while it bombed at the box office when it was initially released, it's since gained cult-classic status. The film and Megan's role have even been heralded as feminist icons given the strong female-empowerment undertones depicted in the film.
Interstellar
Christopher Nolan is no stranger to creating awe-inspiring epics that make audiences question the world around them. Think "Inception" and "Tenet." Nolan's lead into space with his film "Interstellar" was met with a healthy dose of criticism.
Critics seem to agree the film fell short in its third act. Yep...we're talking about THAT rather abstract bookshelf scene. In a film that's been praised for its astrophysical accuracy, the film's pivot into the wacky and abstract fifth dimension was just too jolting for viewers to enjoy.
Borat
The infamous mockumentary stars Sasha Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev, a journalist from Kazakhstan who is tasked with traveling to America to document life there.
The film is regarded as controversial, not only for its explicit nudity and dark humor but because several participants in the film have alleged that the way in which they were portrayed was misleading. Filmmakers have since been hit with numerous defamation lawsuits. "Very Nice!"
The Danish Girl
"The Danish Girl" portrayed the real life story of the Danish artist Lili Elbe who was one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery. The film marks a momentous moment for the trans community which made the casting of Redmayne, a cis-gender male, as Elbe ill-received.
Redmayne himself has since admitted that accepting the role of the Elbe in the film "was a mistake" in light of the fact that there is already a lack of LGBTQI+ representation in Hollywood.
House of Gucci
Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” brings the scandalous story of Patrizia Reggiani to the silver screen. Lady Gaga was cast in the role of Reggiani, the socialite who quickly became rather infamous for arranging to end the life of her husband, Mr. Maurizio Gucci.
To say that the film was clouded with controversy would be an understatement. Not only were the actors' attempts at an authentic Italian accent mocked by critics and viewers alike, but the Gucci family themselves have explicitly denounced the film. Ouch! Plus, Gaga has since admitted that during filming she lived in fear of the real-life Reggiani.
Jupiter Ascending
What do you get when you give Channing Tatum a bleached beard and pointy ears? The disaster that is "Jupiter Ascending." We all had high hopes for this film seeing that it came from the wonderfully whimsical minds of the Wachowski sisters. Unfortunately, our hopes descended very quickly.
It's been dubbed as one of the worst films in recent memory, mainly due to its convoluted plot and atrocious acting. We're looking at you, Eddie Redmayne. The actor controversially won a Razzie award for terrible acting in this film, just a year after winning an academy award.
The Golden Compass
While Phillip Pullman's book trilogy "His Dark Materials" is widely successful, the film adaption never managed to live up to its source material. During the early stages of the production of "The Golden Compass," various religious groups called for a boycott of the film due to its subject matter.
After succumbing to the pressure, the plot of the film was drastically changed, much to the dismay of Pullman's fans and film critics alike.
Alexander
"Alexander" was a 3-hour film made of flashes of half-baked ideas sewn together, riding on the hope that viewers would be thrilled to see a bleached blond Colin Farrell, who depicted Alexander The Great, and Angelina Jolie, who played his mother, together on the big screen. If anything, the general public found this to be one of the most ridiculous things about the film, besides the historical inaccuracies. Farrel was mocked for his golden locks, while Jolie fans couldn't ignore the fact that she was cast as the mother of someone only one year younger than her. Nothing about the movie was convincing or informative.
If matters weren't confusing enough, Colin Farrell's Irish accent, along with the several other dialects of his castmates left viewers wondering what era was being depicted. "Alexander" received 6 Raspberry Award nominations including Worst Actors for Colin and Jolie, Worst Director, and Worst Picture.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
It's near impossible for a Tarantino flick to escape controversy. Well, his 2019 film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is no exception. The film is a fantastical take on real Hollywood icons and the tragic Manson family murders.
Despite its critical acclaim, the manner in which action star icon Bruce Lee is depicted in Tarantino's tale sparked controversy. Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's daughter, has outwardly panned the film for its offensive portrayal of her father. Additionally, many have called about the film for its explicit objectification of women and depiction of violence against them.
The Happening
It's pretty rare for the lead actor in a film to go rouge and bash the film he is starring in. Well, it...happened here. The king of the plot twist, M Night Shyamalan's flick "The Happening" was a total blunder. What was meant to be horror is so horrifically bad that it's almost comedic. To his credit, a film about plants killing humans just doesn't sound scary.
Despite how bad it is, further controversy surrounded the film when Mark Wahlberg, the star of the film, turned his back on the director by publically berating the film. Luckily for Whalberg, Shyamalan didn't take the criticism to heart.
The Deer Hunter
This film that centered around the Vietnam war, starring Hollywood heavyweights like Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep, is regarded as iconic. However, it's not without its controversy.
The film depicts traumatic torture scenes, which have since been criticized for their gross inaccuracy. It even prompted the Vietnam Veterans Against the War to protest the film's misrepresentation of the true atrocities that were experienced by soldiers.
Suicide Squad
David Ayer was tasked with directing the off-beat anti-hero superhero movie "Suicide Squad" back in 2016. What Ayer had initially intended to be a "soulful drama" was butchered by the film studio into a soulless crowd-pleasing comedy. Despite its box-office success, critics and Ayer himself panned the film.
Luckily for Ayer, DC fans rallied together and pushed for Ayer's vision of the squad to be made resulting in a "reboot" dubbed "The Suicide Squad" in 2021.
Star Wars: Episode 1-The Phantom Menace
It's no secret that the "Star Wars" prequels are divisive, even for the most die-hard of "Star Wars" fans. However, what most people can agree on is that Jar Jar Binks is perhaps the most hated film character of all time.
Not only is the character incredibly annoying, but "Star Wars" fans saw the clumsy character's inclusion in the franchise as a blatant attempt by Disney to market the film to kids. Jar-Jar became the main bashing board for "Star Wars" fans who hate the prequel to let out their criticism and disappointment. Who knew that such a silly character could almost take down such a powerful franchise?
Back to the Future
Hollywood's darling director Steven Speilberg found great success with his 1985 film "Back to the Future." It's a time travel tale that has earned beloved icon status. It propelled Michal J. Fox to mega-fame and made audiences want to hop into the nearest Delorean and travel through time and space.
However, in the decades following its release, viewers have begun to revisit the film and question its rather disturbing plot. We're talking about the bizarre storyline between Marty and his mother. Ahem...we'll leave it up to you to Google...
Beauty and the Beast
Who could've predicted that there would be a boycott against Disney's live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast"?
Director Bill Condon took the leap and used his artistic liberties to include the first-ever gay character in a Disney film. While this move was widely appealed to, many were displeased. So much so that it prompted some countries to ban the film and even a boycott from a few states in the USA.
Rain Man
Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman star as estranged brothers in the 1988 film "Rain Man." While at the time the film was praised for depicting a man with autism, it's since been heavily criticized.
Many have cited this film for the public's general misunderstanding of autism. Hoffman's character is autistic in the film and displays savant skills which leads to a general misconception that everyone on the autism scale will share the same trait.
The Human Centipede
For your sake and ours, we are NOT going to go into the details of the film. All we can say is that it's not for the faint-hearted. It's arguably not even for gore fans with the toughest of tummies either.
The film's grotesque plot and visuals push even horror film veterans to their limits and are regarded as one of the most twisted and atrocious films to ever have been made.
Read on to learn about the films that were so bad that, received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes!
Let’s face it, nobody goes to the movie theater anymore before checking out the film’s rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In fact, most people won’t even watch a film on Netflix without first checking what the viewers and critics have to say about it. There are only a handful of films in history that were so bad, that they were actually worth a watch just to see how bad they were.
Rotten Tomatoes is a review aggregator that takes into account reviews from critics and viewers, displaying their scores side by side. It works with what they refer to as the “Tomatometer”, which basically puts films into one of two categories: ‘Fresh’, which means “you should go see it”, or ‘Rotten’, and you’ve probably already guessed what that means. These Fresh and Rotten scores add up to percentages, which give you a rough indication of how many critics thought you should go watch this film or TV show.
Batman & Robin
There was a time when nobody believed it was possible to actually pull off a great Batman film. This myth was completely shattered in 1989, when Michael Keaton took the role of Batman in Tim Burton's dark adaptation of the caped crusader. The movie was extremely successful, largely thanks to the iconic performance of Jack Nicholson as Batman's arch villain, The Joker. 1989's Batman was followed by a great sequel, Batman Returns, which also did a terrific job portraying the character on the big screen. Then in 1997, everything went down the drain.
Studios were putting pressure on producers to make the film more "family friendly". This was in stark contrast to Tim Burton's dark and grime view of the character. The result was the horrendous Batman & Robin. The film received an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, largely due to the film being completely out of touch with who Batman is. It has everything from dozens of cheeky one-liners, up to the infamous Bat Nipples on Batman's costume. George Clooney was considered a good fit for the role at the time, it’s just that the entire production was completely out of place.
Silence of the Hams
Not all film parodies work as well as others. Funny parody films that mocked famous movies were all the rage back in the '90s and early 2000s. Hilarious comedies such as SpaceBalls and Scary Movie managed to make a lot of money with a relatively low budget. One of the most popular films of the early '90s was the groundbreaking Silence of the Lambs, featuring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in a tense and thrilling psychological thriller. So, of course, somebody tried to make a parody of it.
The Silence of the Hams attempted to capitalize on that success, and also took the chance to mock popular figures such as Michael Jackson, President George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. This parody film was considered one of the worst films of all time, and received a 0% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was panned for being bereft of humor and creatively bankrupt.
Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000
This movie is often referred to as the worst film of all time. While this point may be argued, it’s definitely Travolta’s worst film of his entire acting career. The guy with the long braids that you can see on the right is none other than Travolta, who plays an alien in the convoluted sci-fi film, Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by L. Ron Hubbard, the creator and leader of the Church of Scientology.
Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 was an absolute mess of a film. Travolta starred in the film as a tribute to Hubbard, due to the actor being a long-time Scientologist. The film received a 3% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the critical consensus called it: "Ugly, campy, and poorly acted, Battlefield Earth is a stunningly misguided, aggressively bad sci-fi folly." It’s a very bad movie, but not so bad that you’ll actually want to watch it.
House of the Dead
German film director, Uwe Boll, is known as one of the worst and most hated directors of all time. He is single-handedly responsible for giving video-game films a bad name by making some of the worst video-game movie adaptations of all time. The House of the Dead was a popular, on-rails zombie shooting video-game that was mostly prominent in Arcades over the last few decades. When fans heard that it was going to receive a film adaptation, they were ecstatic, until they found out that the director was going to be none other than Uwe Boll himself.
The House of the Dead film turned out just as expected, it was a critical mess, receiving just a 3% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was ranked the 41st worst film of the 2000s, and was overwhelmingly hated by fans just as much as critics. Uwe Boll's business model does work, though, as these bad films have both the popularity of the video-games they’re based on, and the media attention from just how bad they are. From an entrepreneurial perspective, Boll is absolutely killing it with his films.
Stratton
It's hard to believe that a film which came out in 2018 with a budget of just under $20 million can get a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This is exactly what happened with Simon West's British action thriller, Stratton, a film based on the novel by the same name. The movie basically shares the same plot structure of most Mission: Impossible films. Our hero is a tough-boy British Special Boat Operative, who gets betrayed by a friend and suspects a mole, then goes out to save the world, end of story.
Stratton had one of the worst box office bombs in recent years, earning less than $100,000 worldwide against a budget of almost $20 million. It received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was almost equally hated by the few dozen people that bothered to watch and review it. The film basically ticks all the boxes that you’d expect from your average action flick, then fails to deliver on all of them.
Homecoming
2009's independent horror-thriller film, Homecoming (not to be confused with Beyonce's film by the same name from 2019), was based on a relatively simple premise. What happens when a crazy ex-girlfriend decides to take revenge on her ex's new girlfriend, and the two fight for survival. The film featured relatively unknown actors, and was made on a budget of about $1.5 million. It grossed about $8.5 million in theaters, making it a relative success for its independent studio.
Reviewers were not fond of the film, giving it a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was criticized for being a highly-predictable B-movie without the thrills or the cheese to make it worth the watch. The obsessed ex-girlfriend trope has been used quite sparingly in recent decades, mostly due to being extremely boring and predictable in most cases. The film’s director, Morgan J. Freeman (not to be confused with the actor), has since stopped making films.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror
Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds was a horror-thriller film unlike any other, even by today's standards. The film is considered a monumental achievement and was the debut role for iconic actress Tippi Hedren, who went on to dominate the big screen for decades to come. In 2010, an independent romantic horror film, called Birdemic: Shock and Terror, was released. The film was based on Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, and was done on a budget of less than $10,000.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror has some of the worst effects ever seen, and is often parodied for its horrible acting. The film has a 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a bit high when you consider just how bad it is. A sequel called Birdemic 2: The Resurrection was actually released three years later, and it was reportedly even worse than its predecessor. The creator of these two disastrous films tried to crowdfund a second sequel titled Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle, but came short of his goal of $500,000 by about $499,400.
The Things With Two Heads
Some studios choose to go with subtle movie names that hint at the film's main premise, while others movies are called after their main hero or heroine. In this case, director Lee Frost decided to just ditch common sense and call his 1972 science fiction film The Thing with Two Heads, which should tell you as much as you need to know about how deep this movie is. The film's tagline is somehow even worse than its title. It reads: They transplanted a WHITE BIGOT'S HEAD onto a SOUL BROTHER'S BODY!"
The Things With Two Heads was considered quite imaginative and creative at the time, but was harshly criticized for being a weird blend of comedy and horror that nobody could really seem to figure out. The film has received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but has gained a cult following among fans of this '70s low-budget exploitation film. It’s considered one of those movies that are just so bad you have to watch them.
Deadfall (1993)
Speaking of Deadfall, the crime drama 1993 film by the same name was even worse than the one that came in 2012. This film stared Michael Biehn, Charlie Sheen, James Coburn, and Peter Fonda. Its true main star though, is none other than Nicolas Cage. Cage appeared in a few highly successful films, such as Leaving Las Vegas and 2003's Adaptation. Other than these and a few other honorable mentions, his career is mired with some of the worst, most unintentionally hilarious films of all time.
Nicolas Cage took the role of Eddie King in 1993's Deadfall, a role which would proceed to be mocked for decades to come. The film was one of the worst box-office failures of all time, making a measly $18,369 against a whopping $10 million budget. It holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was described by film critic, Kevin Thomas as "a hopelessly callow, leaden-paced attempt at film noir." Warning - Nicolas Cage swears more in this film than in all his other roles combined.
National Lampoon's Gold Diggers
The premise behind Gary Preisler's 2003 black comedy film, National Lampoon's Gold Diggers, was quite a sound one. Two gold-digging friends marry two senior sisters to inherit their fortunes when they die. It's a simple, funny and elegant idea, similar to many other comedies of its kind. Unfortunately, the film was a horrible mess both critically and commercially, causing it to get pulled off theaters after just one week of screening.
National Lampoon's Gold Diggers received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 44 reviews, which means that 44 independent film critics had to all choose to recommend viewers to avoid this film entirely. It's considered one of the worst films of the last decade, with its criticisms ranging from looking cheap to being ultimately unfunny. Audiences almost hated the film as much as film critics, as over 6,500 people gave it a score of just 20% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
Another case of a fourth sequel that almost ruined an entire franchise, is Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. The movie featured the iconic Steve Guttenberg in his last time playing as the beloved Carey Mahoney. While the two previous sequels had both received quite low ratings, they were not nearly as bad as the fourth film in the franchise. This one got an abysmal 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed about half what the original first film had made.
Despite the horrible reaction from critics, these films are extremely low-budget when compared to their revenue. This meant that more sequels were underway, and eventually the franchise had a total of seven films in its lineup. Police Academy 4, 5, 6 and 7 all received 0% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, which is quite an achievement when you consider that they brought in a combined total of more than $150 million against a budget of just $50 million total. This means that someone actually made $100 million through four films that all got 0% ratings.
The Ridiculous 6
While many of Adam Sandler's fans swear by the actor and approve of just about everything he does, there's no doubt that The Ridiculous 6 isn't one of his strongest films. It received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 33% user ratings from over 3,000 user reviews. The film was extremely criticized for being offensive and lazy. Critics accuse it of being a movie for Adam Sandler's fans that any other sane person should probably avoid. Much of the film's low score comes from racial insensitivities for its portrayal of the Apache Indians.
The New York Daily News reported that out of over 100 Native American actors, only four remained by the end of production because the rest were offended and left. Unless you’re an Adam Sandler fan or are specifically looking for the most offensive Western comedy you can find, it would probably be best to skip this one. A much better alternative is the hilarious Western comedy, A Million Ways to Die in the West.
Dream a Little Dream
Wacky comedy films have tried almost every ridiculous idea you can think of when choosing a premise for their story. We've seen everything from a father who accidentally shrinks his kids, all the way to the many variations of people switching bodies. One fairly disgusting idea that we thought nobody was going to try, was a film about two senior citizens who switch bodies with a couple of high school students. Marc Rocco, a relatively unknown film director decided in 1989 to adapt this idea, leading to the creation of Dream a Little Dream, a film which clearly should never have been made.
The film had a terrible box-office opening, losing about 50% of its ticket sales by the week after opening. It also received terrible reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, scoring it a rare 0% based on 9 critical reviews. For some reason, a sequel starring the two lead actors from the original was made just a few years later. This time it was a direct-to-video film, which meant that critics didn't even get a chance to berate and destroy it.
Manos: The Hands of Fate
One of the older films on our list is also one of the weirdest ones. Meet Manos: The Hands of Fate. This limited budget horror film was made by an inexperienced film crew and became a very poorly-received film. The film was relatively unknown until the early '90s, when it was revived. It later gained a cult following and became known as one of the worst films to ever have been made.
Manos: The Hands of Fate had everything you could want from a spectacularly horrible film — it was technically deficient, had countless editing and continuity flaws, included many superfluous scenes and generally gave a sense that the production team had no idea what they were doing. The movie was so beloved for its awfulness that it was even turned into a mobile video-game back in 2012. The movie holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, against a 20% rating by over 8,000 of the site's users. Critics were a lot less favorable towards the film.
American Anthem
You'd think that a sports drama film would make a decent amount of money, or at least get average reviews and ratings, but this was not the case with 1986's American Anthem. The film starred Janet Jones, wife of the legendary Hall of Fame ice hockey player, Wayne Gretzky. It also stars the Olympic gymnast and gold medalist, Mitchell Gaylord. The film was universally panned by critics, who called it the worst film of 1986.
American Anthem lost a few million dollars in the box office, and currently holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences have been far more favorable of this film and bestowed it with a 65% rating based on over 1,300 user reviews. Gaylord himself went on to have an excellent sports career, and was named the seventh best US gymnast of all time in 2007. It seems that he learned his lesson, as he never appeared in a Hollywood film again.
Madhouse
1990's comedy film Madhouse was Orion Pictures' attempt at making a film about a couple who's lives get turned upside down when they find unwanted guests in their new home. The film's tagline reads "The bad news is you have houseguests. There is no good news." Unfortunately for the film's studio and cast, that was entirely true. There was no good news about the film, which was apparent from its low box-office revenue to an abysmal 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was panned as being a below average disaster comedy, and all of its critics unanimously suggested that you avoid it entirely.
There was some silver lining to the film though. Madhouse starred Kirstie Alley and John Larroquette, two old timer actors who were big in the '80s. The duo provided a bit of nostalgic incentive for fans of Star Trek or the popular sitcom, Night Court, to watch the film. Regular viewers, though, have rated it at 45%, referring to it as a callback to early '90s humor.
Gotti
Some of the best and most iconic films of all time have been crime drama films that center around a mob family. You have movies like The Godfather, Goodfellas, Scarface, the recent The Irishman, and even TV shows like The Sopranos winning awards left and right. John Travolta also tried his luck in playing the notorious Italian-American criminal, John Gotti. Unfortunately for him, Travolta's portrayal of the man is just about the worst punishment that a criminal gave throughout the film, torturing us, the audience, more than anyone else in the movie.
Gotti was a commercial failure, and ended up losing a few million dollars. It's one of the only films to ever get a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, especially when you consider that it came out just a year ago. There was a strong disparity initially between critic reviews and user reviews, with regular viewers giving the film an 80% rating. It's widely speculated that this was the doing of thousands of Scientologists, who are fans and fellow members in the Church of Scientology with John Travolta.
The Layover
Young and hormonal guys were extremely excited when they heard that the beautiful Alexandra Daddario and American model, Kate Upton, were joining forces to play in a 2017 sex comedy called The Layover. The film was severely panned by critics who overwhelmingly disliked it. The Layover received a measly 18% rating from 17 critics, mostly criticizing the film for being about two women fighting over a guy.
The movie was the worst offender of all time when it came to the Bechdel test, which measures a representation of women in fiction. The test simply asks whether there are two named females in a piece of fiction that are ever talking about something other than a man. Needless to say, feminists and film journalists did not like this movie at all. It seems that regular moviegoers also hated the film to a large extent, as they gave it a sad 22% rating based on almost 1,500 user reviews.
Atlas Shrugged III: Who Is John Galt
Ayn Rand was the author of one of the world’s most popular books, Atlas Shrugged. The book allegedly sold as many copies as the bible, and remains one of the most successful books of all time in the United States. A three-part film series was made based on Atlas Shrugged, mostly by conservative actors who wanted to voice support and promote her ideology and fiction.
The first and second part were relatively well-received, but suffered from a constantly changing cast and varying levels of acting and editing. The third part, however, was an absolute disaster, and was universally panned as one of the worst films of all time. It received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for the Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel award at the 35th Golden Raspberry Awards.
Dark Tide
Halle Berry has had mixed success over the years when it comes to her acting. While she has had some excellent award winning films, such as 2002's Monster's Ball, many of her films ended up being hopelessly panned by critics and viewers alike. Despite her awful record, the actress usually manages to grab at least a moderate amount of commercial success in most of her projects. 2012's action thriller, Dark Tide, was perhaps the first example of the actress's charm beginning to quickly run out and get pulled from under her feet.
The movie tells the story of a shark expert, played by Halle Berry, who agrees to take a thrill seeking millionaire and his teenage son on a dangerous shark dive due to her poor financial situation. Dark Tide made a sad $432,000 during its run at the box office, which means there's a good chance that the star actress literally got paid more than the film even grossed. It received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 critic reviews, and was ironically summarized as a "shallow" film that's best skipped by audiences.
Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star
One of the truly most awful comedy films ever made is, without a doubt, Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star. The film was directed by Tom Brady, who is responsible for various films starring popular comedy actor, Rob Schneider. The film was released on September 9, 2011, just two days before the annual 9/11 memorial day. It received a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was viscerally hated by most critics and moviegoers.
The film has a 24% rating among the site's users, based on almost 13,000 user reviews. It's described by many critics as one of the most boring, awkward and humorless comedy films ever made. The film was co-produced by Adam Sandler, which puts a huge stain on his resume. Its main "star" (if you could call him that) is Nick Swardson. The actor defended Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, claiming that he thinks journalists and film critics are just "negative morons" and attributed that as the reason the film received such low ratings.
A Thousand Words
Eddie Murphy's comedy film, A Thousand Words, had quite an interesting and unique premise. It featured an incredibly selfish literary agent who uses his ability to manipulate people to get what he wants, in both his terrible career and dysfunctional relationship. The idea behind the film is that the protagonist gets cursed and is left with only 1,000 words to speak before he dies. The film was caught in various delays and near-cancellations due to troubles with the movie's production company. When it finally did come out, it received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics panned A Thousand Words for taking away Eddie Murphy's voice, which many consider to be his greatest comedic asset. The film also lost about half its budget, making only slightly more than $20 million against a budget of $40 million. A Thousand Words was also nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards, but failed to win any one of them. It seems that even when it comes to being the best failure, this film ends up coming short.
Dark Crimes
Jim Carrey seems to have a tough time making his horror and thriller films work. The actor is best known for some of the funniest films of all time, and had built himself a reputation as a fantastic comedian. He was mostly relevant during the ‘90s and 2000s, but was MIA for most of this decade. The actor has made a few attempts at more serious roles, including 2007's horror-thriller The Number 23, which flopped quite hard and received an 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jim Carrey tried his hand at thrilling drama films again in 2016 with the film Dark Crimes. In the film, he plays a hard-boiled detective who investigates an author whose novel has turned into real-life crimes. The film received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 35 reviews. Critics claimed it was a "rote, unpleasant thriller that fails to parlay its compelling true story and a committed Jim Carrey performance into even modest chills." Despite Carrey’s great performance, it seems his best work will forever stay in the comedy genre.
Mac and Me
It's extremely hard for a lighthearted science-fiction comedy film to receive a 0% rating. These types of genres attract many mediocre films, but getting an absolute zero should get the director an award onto itself. 1988's Mac and Me was just such a film, as it attempted to copy the success of 1982's masterpiece, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, by director Steven Spielberg. The film was littered with product placements for McDonald's and Coca Cola, which made it even worse than it already was.
Mac and Me was a box-office flop, and reportedly lost a few million dollars after being released. It's considered one of the worst films to ever have been made, and received a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film actually won a few awards, including Worst Director and Worst New Star. It was actually so bad that it built a cult following over the years, which just goes to show that people will watch anything if it's bad enough.
The Room
Most of you don’t need an introduction to The Room. It’s widely considered to be the worst film ever made, full of convoluted plotlines, incredibly bad editing, horrible music and some of the worst acting you’ve ever seen. While many believed that The Room was a parody, it was actually a completely serious film made by and starring the mysterious Tommy Wiseau. The film has gained a cult following since its abysmal release, and is now one of the most popular bad films of all time. Many theaters in the United States have an annual theatrical showing of the film, and it’s always sold out with roaring and laughing fans.
Everything about The Room is wrong. It’s so bad that there was an entire Hollywood film made about the backstory behind its making. If you're interested in the story behind the story, you should check out The Disaster Artist, starring the Franco brothers and Seth Rogen. It's a hilarious, behind-the-scenes biographical comedy about the making of The Room, and it's worth every bit of the popularity that it received.
Staying Alive
John Travolta became one of the most popular stars in the world after his success in the legendary musical film, Grease. Since then, it seems that his career has been on a constant downhill descent, with only Pulp Fiction as his silver lining. Staying Alive was supposed to capitalize on the success of Grease, and was directed, produced and written by Sylvester Stallone. It was a box-office success, making over $120 million against a budget of just over $20 million. Despite that, it is one of the worst reviewed dance musicals of all time, receiving a sad 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Staying Alive received various award nominations, including Worst Actor, Worst New Star and Worst Supporting Actress. It was considered by many critics as one of the worst sequels ever made and was mocked relentlessly by viewers and critics alike. This nonstop mockery might just be the reason why it made as much money as it did.
Pinocchio
Roberto Benigni became known in 1997 for directing and starring in one of the most endearing and beloved films of all time, Life Is Beautiful. He had a bunch of great roles in comedy films, such as Son of the Pink Panther. In 2002, the esteemed director and actor attempted his own film version of the popular Pinocchio character, originally popularized in Disney's cartoon from the '30s. While reviews for the Italian version of the film were mixed to mediocre, the English version of the film was an absolute disaster.
The movie barely scraped enough revenue to make up for its budget, earning about $40 million, in contrast with its 40 million Euro budget. Luckily, there was also some merchandising involved, which helped the studio break even. Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio received extremely critical reviews, with a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was ranked as one of the 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s, and was considered an "unfunny, poorly-made, creepy vanity project." It was also nominated for six Golden Raspberry Awards, with Roberto Benigni winning the Worst Actor award.
Baby Geniuses and Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2
Baby Geniuses was a 1999 comedy film about a bunch of babies that are, you guessed it, extremely smart. While most people would agree that it's hard to ruin a film about cute babies, the studio behind Baby Geniuses managed to do just that. The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews, but despite a 2% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film managed to make a decent amount of money, a $36.5 million box office income.
The success of the original Baby Geniuses prompted the studios to make a sequel, Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2. The sequel also ended up being considered one of the worst films of all time. Fortunately, this one was a box-office failure, which meant that the string of horrible films had come to an end. It was directed by American director Bob Clark, who unfortunately passed away just three years later.
Surfer, Dude
Matthew McConaughey is known as one of Hollywood's best actors. The star has the looks, the voice and the charisma to carry him through almost any role. However, with the horrible premise and material he had to work with when acting in Surfer, Dude, it seems that even McConaughey couldn't live up to the challenge. This 2008 comedy film centers around a soul-searching surfer who experiences an existential crisis when there are no waves on the beach for over a month.
The film also stars Woody Harrelson, who's also a highly respected Hollywood actor. The two joked about the film being one of their easiest jobs of all time, and later went on to appear together in HBO's highly successful crime drama, True Detective. Surfer, Dude ended up making just over $50,000 against a budget of more than $6 million. It received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 26% audience rating according to over 7,000 user reviews.
Look Who's Talking Now
One of Travolta's most commercially successful films of all time came before Pulp Fiction, and was called Look Who's Talking. This romantic comedy featured Travolta and the late Kirstie Alley, with voice over from Bruce Willis as the child of Kirstie's character. The film received mixed reviews, but made an incredible amount of money at the box-office. It managed to rake in almost $300 million against a relatively tiny budget of $7.5 million, making it one of the most profitable low budget films of all time.
This sudden surprise of profitability obviously caused studios to try and capitalize on the success of the film, as it received a sequel, Look Who's Talking Too, which made less than 15% of what the original made. The studio wanted to try one last time to make a sequel, with the third film being called Look Who's Talking Now. The third movie was a box office disaster, losing more than $12 million due to low box office sales. It was also panned by critics, and received a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Megaforce
Megaforce was a 1982 passion project film made by Hal Needham, an American stuntman who began acting in films back in the late '50s. Needham decided to try his luck as a director in the late '70s, and directed a total of twelve films in his decade of directorial career. He pitched the idea of the film to audiences, claiming it was "like no other movie ever made before". The director also made sure to include himself as one of the film's actors, but was unfortunately hurt during production when he fell off a motorbike and broke several ribs.
The film was released at around the same time as Mad Max 2, the sequel to the ultra popular Mel Gibson movie that captivated audiences with a dystopian film featuring a lot of blood, guts and gore. Megaforce had poor box-office performance, and lost almost three quarters of its budget due to low ticket sales. It also received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the director later admitting that he was completely wrong about what he believed the American movie audiences wanted at the time.
Bolero
Bo Derek's romantic drama film Bolero was her attempt at producing and starring in a film about her sexual awakening. It's a self-centered, talent-less waste of time, and was treated by critics as such. Nobody at that time was interested in watching a 100 minute film about a woman who wanted to find a guy to lose her virginity to. Having received some of the worst reviews of the year, the film barely brought back its budget, making about $9 million in the United States against a $7 million production budget (not including marketing).
Bolero was rated 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 17 different critics who all thought the film was trash. It won six Golden Raspberry Awards, which are basically awards for a film being the worst of the year. It's awards include "Worst Picture", "Worst Actress," "Worst Director" and "Worst Screenplay".
Jaws: The Revenge
Steven Spielberg’s shark-horror film Jaws became a cult classic and created a massive shark panic when it was first released in the mid-70’s, the effects of which is still felt to this day. The film also contained one of the most memorable pieces of music, which starts playing every time the shark gets near. The franchise has since been bastardized and stretched beyond any imagination, with the fourth film, Jaws: The Revenge, taking the cake when it comes to ridiculous money-grabbing sequels.
This is truly one of those films that should have never been made. It starred the legendary actor Michael Caine, who probably needed the extra money at the time for agreeing to participate in such a film. The film is one of the only movies in existence to have ever received a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It's been criticized for being illogical, lacking any tension, and having some of the worst special effects you could find at the time (and that says a lot when you realize it was released in the late ‘80s).
Precious Cargo
Bruce Willis has been a darling of action flicks for more decades than some millennials have even been alive. When unknown Canadian director, Max Adams, approached the star to perform in his 2016 action film, Precious Cargo, Willis thought little about the matter and joined the production. The film was released on April 22, 2016 and was centered around Bruce Willis convincing a crime group to steal $30 million in diamonds from another crime group, in exchange for a woman.
The film was heavily berated on Rotten Tomatoes, receiving a 0% rating from 21 reviewers. Critics called it a rip-off, a lazy and sloppy film, and even a contender for the blandest heist film of all time. One reviewer went as far as to call Precious Cargo “An absolute waste of time and an insult to action cinema.” That must have hurt Willis’s reputation at the time, but as you can see, the leading action film star has managed to make a dazzling recovery.
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
Paramount Pictures' 1976 sports comedy film, The Bad News Bears, was a moderately successful movie that went on to spawn two sequels and a short lived CBS TV show. It was also remade in 2005, which goes to show how well received it was at the time. The original movie received a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's official critical consensus calling it rude, profane and cynical, while praising its honest humor. The first sequel for the film, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, received mixed reviews and was mostly remembered for just a few funny scenes.
All hell broke loose when sequel number two, The Bad News Bears Go to Japan was released, as it was cited by Jackie Earle Haley as the worst movie ever made. The film received a 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also failed to feature almost any of the original cast, which only infuriated fans of the original even more. The original film's 2005 remake received mixed reviews and even lost a bit of money, which caused the studios to promptly scrap the franchise for the foreseeable future.
The Slugger’s Wife
You'd think that a sweet and romantic comedy film about a basketball star who falls in love with a singer would turn out decently in theaters, right? A 1985 film tried out that exact premise, and it happened to fail, miserably. The Slugger's Wife was directed by Hal Ashby, who received three Oscar nominations in the '70s, and stars Michael O'Keefe and Rebecca De Mornay, who are both relatively unknown actors from the '80s and '90s. What the crew would later learn is that choosing the right male lead for a romantic comedy is just as important as choosing the right female lead.
The Slugger’s Wife was a huge commercial and critical failure. It received a 0% from Rotten Tomatoes and was absolutely berated by critics. Many of the negative reviews came from what they considered "horrible casting choices", as well as the film being extremely tame, predictable and unfunny. The film's song, "Oh, Jimmy!", was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song.
Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
As we've mentioned before, the Police Academy franchise is a great example of why profits sometimes beat common decency in Hollywood. The first film was quite brilliant and original, and the studio was excused for making a sequel to try and test the waters. After seeing that the sequel worked well, despite negative reviews, Warner Bros. decided to give the green light on yet another sequel to the franchise. This resulted in a total of six abysmal sequels, each one considered incrementally worse than its predecessor.
The studio continued this line of sequels until these films stopped being profitable. Police Academy 6: City Under Siege was the second to last attempt at milking the Police Academy franchise. The film received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and performed poorly at the box office. It ended up grossing a new franchise low of $33 million, but still managed to make some money against its $15 million budget. The studios weren't even trying to hide the ball this time, as they made the film only 84 minutes long, showing that they perhaps at least had an inkling that it would be best if this horrible excuse for a film ended as quickly as possible.
The Leisure Class
One of the more recent films that have received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 2015's HBO comedy film, The Leisure Class. The movie revolves around a con-man who tries to marry into a rich family. The main actor of the movie is Ed Weeks, a relatively unknown English actor who played for five years on Fox's The Mindy Project show. The Leisure Class was hated by both critics and viewers, being cited as a complete waste of 85 minutes.
While the idea behind The Leisure Class is sound, its execution is one of the worst of all time. This is especially bad in today’s decade, where films are expected to rise to a certain minimal standard. It looks like the film's director, James Mann, who basically got the funding for the film for winning season 4 of Project Greenlight, won't be offered to do any more films in the coming lifetime.
One Missed Call
One Missed Call was a 2008 supernatural horror film that became the worst reviewed film of 2008, and received the rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomato. The film was a remake of the 2003 Japanese horror film by the same name, which received mixed reviews from critics. Usually when a studio chooses to remake a film, it's based on that movie being a top performer worthy of a remake. In this case, it seems that the decision was arbitrary.
One Missed Call managed to make around $25 million over its budget, despite having horrible reviews. It was criticized for having bland performances and predictable jump scares, and was considered the second-worst film of the last decade. 2008's One Missed Call went on to win a Mouldy Tomato Award, making it officially one of the worst films ever made.
Max Payne
Another film that proves why fans are so disappointed with film adaptations of popular video-games is Max Payne. This 2008 film is based on a highly successful shooting game franchise by the same name. It features an NYPD detective who finds his family murdered due to a secret conspiracy relating to a drug company. When fans heard that Mark Wahlberg was going to star in the film, they were excited but skeptical. By the time the movie was released and reviews were in, it was clear to everyone that this wasn't going to be a fun ride.
Max Payne was panned by critics for having an illogical plot and terrible acting, while the fans hated it because there were almost no similarities between the film and the video-games that it was supposedly based on. Even the game's maker, Scott Miller, was a huge critic of the film, citing that the film's story makes him shake his head in bewilderment. Despite terrible reviews, the movie was a box-office success, and managed to make $85 million against a budget of just $35 million.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
One of the earliest examples of just how bad films that are video-game adaptations can be, is the sequel to 1995's fantasy martial arts film, Mortal Kombat. The movie was the number one best-selling film for its first three weeks, and earned $122 million worldwide. It was a fairly decent movie, and definitely lived up to its fans' and audience's expectations. This prompted the studio to make a sequel, called Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was very different than its predecessor, and was overwhelmingly hated for having some of the worst acting and dialogue of all time. The film was much less profitable than the first Mortal Kombat, which led the studio to cancel a third sequel. It received a 2% approval rating from 41 critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Highlander II: The Quickening
The original 1986 Highlander was an iconic fantasy action-adventure film that helped turn Christophe Lambert into a worldwide star. The film also starred heavyweights such as Sean Connery and Clancy Brown. The film was initially panned by critics and received moderate financial success, but has since garnered a dedicated cult following. It also turned into a franchise and spawned several sequels, with the first, Highlander II: The Quickening, being considered one of the worst films of all time.
The sequel contained gaping plot holes and was panned by both fans and critics of the franchise. In fact, the film was so bad that it had multiple different versions of it released just to try and make up for the original release’s horrible editing. Highlander II: The Quickening received a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many calling it a joke and urging fans to avoid it and pretend it was never made.
Saving Christmas
Sometimes it’s better to leave faith and film separate. Especially when it comes to a kids' film. To give you some perspective, an IMDb user left the comment “I created this account just to give this 1 star. That’s how bad it was.” Yikes! They say Father Christmas has performed some Christmas miracles, but it seems that not even he can save a disaster like this one.
With protagonist Kirk Cameron trying to remind his family that Christmas is about the big man himself, and not about the abundant feast or the candy canes, it’s one of those films where you’re constantly shaking your head. Don't even bother watching the trailer. You’re welcome in advance. With a shocking 0% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Cameron himself blamed atheists. Now that’s hilarious.
The Emoji Movie
Sure, emojis are part of daily life, so much so that Hollywood actually thought, "why not make a movie about it? Let’s use ALL the CGI! Let’s make a blockbuster!" Unfortunately, it was a flop. Despite calling on the star power and credentials of James Corden, Patrick Stewart, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, and the fabulous Christina Aguilera, it was a case of Sisyphus eternally pushing a boulder uphill, but always falling short.
Yes, the bouncing yellow animated emojis got kids to drag their unwilling parents along, making $217.8 million at the box office, but we’ve got a feeling the next time someone suggests a film about emojis, it’s going straight into the trash. Helen O’Hara from Empire gave a review which is cutting, but most probably deserved – “it’s tempting to sum up in thumbs down emoji.”
Fantastic Four
With a review from Rolling Stone as searing as “Fantastic Four is a pile of something, too. You fill in the blank,” really, there isn’t much more to say, is there? Some films, no matter how many reboots, just aren’t going to do well. After the initial reboot in 2004, starring the likes of Jessica Alba and Chris Evans, the studio decided that “ah, 10 years have passed, people have forgotten, let’s make another one!”
Anyway, it seems that even Captain America was shaking his head at his role as the “Human Torch” – regardless, if he hadn’t signed on to the film, perhaps he wouldn’t now have been recognized as Captain America.
Movie 43
So when we went to do our research to back up Movie 43 being awarded the Golden Raspberry for 2014, it was Catherine Shoard’s headline that caught our eye: “Movie 43: why did so many Hollywood stars sign up for the humiliation?” We read no further on Google’s results – this article summed it up quite nicely.
With stars such as Halle Berry, Kate Winslet, and Aussie heartthrob Hugh Jackman, Hollywood was almost certain they’d hit a home run. Think again. With fourteen different storylines, they were certainly going for an Orson Welles type approach, however, it backfired, and that’s why the greats stay great!
Jack And Jill
Sadly, gone are the good ole’ days of Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, among a host of other notoriously funny films, masterminded by Adam Sandler. Despite his successful run, it seems that even Sandler couldn’t pull a white rabbit out of the hat in Jack and Jill. Considered “one of the worst films ever made,” Sandler took a leaf out of Eddie Murphy’s book, playing both the male and female twins.
You’d think that serious actors like Al Pacino would swat away a proposal to appear in such a film, but hey, there are things we will never understand. While a little of Pacino’s star power might have drawn in a few weary cinema-goers, this movie was nothing short of catastrophic. Of twelve nominated Razzie awards, it won ten!
The Last Airbender
Despite a cult following and a lot of hype leading up to its release, there were just a few small problems. For example, the fact that directors were trying to hire white actors to play characters written to be East Asian and even Inuit. Talk about controversial. The fans definitely didn’t like that, even if all they wanted was to see their graphic novels come to life on the big screen.
Following these glaring issues and the ensuing fan revolt, it’s unsurprising that this film was awarded the Golden Raspberry for 2010. With a sadly low 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert, an esteemed critic, salutes the film with the comment: “it was an agonizing experience in every category I can think of.”
I Know Who Killed Me
Lindsay Lohan has starred in some of the most well successful and well-known films in the last two decades or so. Apparently, she has some flops under her belt too. Starring Lindsay Lohan — this was after her career peak in the 90s and early 2000s — the film focuses on a student who is abducted and brutally tortured. After her ordeal, she assumes another identity.
The film won Worst Picture, with Lohan herself picking up a few Razzies; among them Worst Actress and Worst Screen Couple. Sometimes with child/teen stars, it’s better they make their money young, invest, and enjoy the funds because they’re set for life without needing further embarrassment.
Basic Instinct 2
Now, Basic Instinct is just one of those films you don’t mess with. It’s iconic, sexy and thrilling for a reason, and this is most likely due to the decade it was released in. Sure, they might have brought Sharon Stone back for the sequel and perhaps even her little white mini, sans underwear, but more than 20 years later, were producers truly that desperate to make some coin?
You know it’s Golden Raspberry-worthy when the director of the original film scoffed at the new script and flat-out refused to direct a film which was going to be somewhat sacrilegious. With reviews like “ludicrous” and “predictable”, it should’ve been instinctual to know not to resurrect a film from another time.
Dirty Love
Written by Jenny McCarthy, this won’t be the last time Hollywood produces a film about women and their quest to find Mr. Right. Beating films like The Dukes of Hazzard and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo in the 2005 Razzies, this film really deserved the bottom spot.
With a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, lying somewhere between a rock and the comedy graveyard, this is a film you’ll want to miss. Stephen Holden from The New York Times gave a brutally honest review: “even by the standards of its bottom-feeding genre, Dirty Love clings to the gutter like a rat in the garbage” Ouch!
Gigli
Queen of rom-coms herself, everyone bows down for the 'Maid in Manhattan', Jennifer Lopez. It seems that often, love is blind, and blinding – particularly regarding careers. Lopez should’ve left Ben Affleck on the block she picked him up from and strutted her stuff on the movie circuit solo. Why? Well, when reviews of her performance alongside her then-boyfriend make the comment that they “lack chemistry”, you know something’s up.
Mixing a mob story and a romantic comedy is the unconventional love story that Hollywood really shouldn’t have dabbled in. Our favorite review is the one by Newsweek, “after the schadenfreudian thrill of watching beautiful people humiliate themselves wears off, it has the same annihilating effect on your will to live.” Ladies and gentlemen, the 2003 Golden Raspberry hath been served.
Swept Away
2002’s Golden Raspberry goes to Guy Ritchie's film, Swept Away. Starring then-wife and musical legend Madonna, the film is a remake of the classic 1974 romantic Italian film. A fan of the original, critic Roger Ebert was unimpressed with Ritchie’s attempt, noting that Madonna didn’t do her role justice: “Striking a pose is not the same as embodying a person,” said Ebert, “a role like this one requires the surrender of emotional control, something Madonna seems constitutionally unable to achieve.”
Having the dishonor of being the Worst Picture of 2002, it really was swept away quickly from box office billboards, grossing under $600,000 in the U.S., despite a $10 million budget!
The Postman
“I’m no one’s messenger boy, I’m a delivery boy” – look, with a title like The Postman, how could we not make that reference? This film was set in the future and was probably released a few years too soon. Now that we’re in 2020, you’d realize that the “near future” 2013 that The Postman was set in was certainly nothing like the reality of that year.
With a budget that reminded us it was a Hollywood production, its box office takings paled in comparison, drawing in less than a quarter of its budget, at $17 million US worldwide. Poor Kevin Costner. Maybe they should’ve left Waterworld and the whole America-as-a-wasteland theme alone.
Ghosts Can't Do It
We thought Bolero was bad, but it seems that John Derek just can’t stay away from producing bad films. Again, another film about sex from an equally perturbed place. Elderly Scott takes his own life after suffering a heart attack. He then comes back as a ghost and haunts his hot young loving wife to pick and kill someone as a new vessel for his soul. If that isn’t enough to turn your stomach, then you’re on your own!
Do we have to continue? This film is cringing enough.
Cocktail
Ah, a young Tom Cruise. Nowadays he’s a hot-shot action movie star, but the actor of Top Gun was riding the celebrity train in the 80s. Cocktail was one of the many films the young actor released during that period. Featuring the song “Kokomo”, the film focuses on the life of a college student who works as a bartender to pay for his education. He works and works and then – oh wait, that’s it.
Lola Borg of Empire remarks “Cruise oozes as much charm as in Top Gun and The Colour of Money, but the mix of bar-acrobatics and Caribbean love isn't anywhere near strong enough to get you drunk.” Cruise himself admitted a few years later it wasn’t exactly the highlight of his career. 5% on Rotten Tomatoes. Next.
Leonard Part 6
Parody films only really work if they’re done well. As for Leonard Part 6? Well, the verdict was not so good. Awarded the Golden Raspberry in 1987, the American spy parody film starred and was produced by the now-infamous Bill Cosby.
Funnily enough, Cosby himself denounced the film; just weeks before its release, he came out and basically said he wasn’t proud of it. Apparently, the reputation he had given it certainly lived up to the expectations of audiences and critics alike: the expectation that it was going to be terrible. Winning three Razzies, including Worst Picture, it’s considered one of the worst films ever made.
The Lonely Lady
Winning the Golden Raspberry for 1983, this is a disastrous film about the unraveling of a screenwriter’s starred career, revealing the truth of how she reached the peak of her fame during an awards ceremony. Some have gone as far to say that it is the “worst film of all time”– the film poster, for example, shows a couple during an intimate scene, with the caption “from the sensual world of Harold Robbins comes the story of a woman’s struggle for fame in Hollywood.”
There are so many things wrong with that situation that we don’t even know where to begin. The main character, Pia Zadora cozies up to toxic men to sleep her way to the top, basically. We’re with Ebert on this one: “If The Lonely Lady had even a shred of style and humor, it could qualify as the worst movie of the year. Unfortunately, it’s not that good.”
Inchon
Sure, the idea seemed swell. The cast seemed even better. With the cinematic presence of Laurence Olivier and the beautiful Jacqueline Bissett, all set in a war-time drama, what could possibly go wrong?
Based on the amphibious invasion of Inchon during the Korean War in 1950, the only thing that bombed was the film. With an estimated budget of $46 million, it was appallingly received, bringing in less than $2 million. As per Rotten Tomatoes, “Inchon couldn't save itself from certain death.” The 0% rating says it all.
Can't Stop The Music
Loosely based on the banding together of the Village People, it seems that this film was rather far from the truth of how the fabulous troupe came to be. Released as a musical comedy, unfortunately, there were more laughs had AT the film rather than in the film.
It’s not surprising that Wilson also found this movie to be disturbing enough to his theatrical sensibilities that it earned a Razzie. Did you know that Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Mr. Bruce Jenner, also an Olympic athlete, made a brief appearance in the film?
Catwoman
No matter how good stretch leather looks on the gorgeous Halle Berry, it just wasn’t enough to distract audiences from how bad this film was. No plot? No dollars. No dollars? No film studio. What does that mean? Don't make another film, Hollywood, except if it’s a la Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight Rises and you're actually a director who knows what they're doing.
While Halle Berry did her character justice, the writers just didn’t seem to make it work for the comic-book hero. The “lone bright spot” had a tough time carrying the film, and for that reason, it won 2004’s Golden Raspberry for Worst Picture. However, there was one good thing that came out of it: (bedroom) wall posters of Halle Berry in leather!
The Nutcracker in 3D
Not only did the “tomatometer” register a 0 for The Nutcracker in 3D, they wrote that the production was just horrible “on every level,” and that the movie is astonishing “cinematic wrong-headedness.” Parents didn't like it either. At commonsense media, a website that polices films and TV shows for “age-appropriate,” suitable content, they said that the movie is “too dark” for children. They also complained that it hardly represents Tchaikovsky’s famous “Nutcracker” ballet and “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” story.
It was either too scary, too boring, or too weird for American critics. The Nutcracker in 3D had a budget of $90 million and it lost $92 million, adjusted for inflation. At the box office, it took in $16.2 million. The film crashed, burned, and bombed during its 2010 Christmas release. There’s always Christmas season DVD sales for time out of mind… Right?
Supernova
Supernova started out as a sci-fi B-movie way back in 1990. Ten years later, MGM’s financial albatross was produced by United Artists and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Sholder, and Walter Hill. Hill was officially credited as Director, although, at one point, he became so frustrated with MGM and the film’s progress that he quit and demanded his name be removed from the project. It seems no one really wants their name associated with this movie.
Supernova hit the big screen in the year 2000 and bombed bombastically. Supernova is a science fiction, horror adventure that takes place way off in the 22nd century. When the crew of the Nightingale 229 receives a distress call from a galaxy far far away, they race off to respond to the medical emergency. Of course, on the way there they find their ship getting sucked into an enormous dying star, aka a supernova. So now they must save themselves from certain annihilation. In the meantime poor acting, gratuitous sex scenes, and dirty humor dominate. Don’t take the kids.
Seventh Son
Hop back in the time shuttle and bolt five centuries back to the supernatural realm where knights battle dragons and beasts. Sir John Gregory, (Jeff Bridges) the seventh son of a seventh son, protects the country from Wiccan atrocity. And Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore) is one wretched witch who must be vanquished.
Based on The Spook’s Apprentice series by English author Joseph Delaney, the fantasy adventure film version takes place in the 1600s. The cinematic action unfolds styled in Game of Thrones cloaks, with a little bit of the Lord of the Rings looks thrown in. Directed by Sergei Bodrov, and released by Universal Pictures, Seventh Son did poorly in the US. It lost out to the latest Spongebob movie…
R.I.P.D.
Let’s clear up the frustrated ignorance right away. It stands for Rest in Peace Department, and it comes from the comic book series of the same acronym. The cast includes Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, and Kevin Bacon, and it failed commercially and critically. Add it to ‘the books are better than the movie’ pile. Critics abhorred it. Jeff Bridges and others of the cast were commended for more than decent portrayals of already dead characters, but little other grace was found. Time magazine, for example, wondered if it was “Too Awful to Review.”
The massive production budget cost Universal $130 - $154 million, leaving box office cumulative sales infinitesimally dwarfed at $78.3 million. And, finally, the total loss was also massive: $96 - $121 million.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash
It got a 4% on Rotten Tomatoes! Seriously??? No joke. As it turns out, sci-fi comedy Pluto Nash is an infamous wipeout, crashing and burning at epic proportions. It made Time magazine’s list of the “10 biggest money-losers of all time”, placing 3rd. It’s so bad, Eddie Murphy says watching it makes him break down and cry.
The story takes place in the 2080s, on the moon, where all Earth exiles are sent. Pluto Nash (Murphy) is assaulted by lunar gangsta thugs, forcing him to defend his nightclub and the rights of all of moonkind. Nothing in the world can save this epic flop from its notoriety. It grossed merely $7.1 million at the “flop” office and it cost Warner Bros $100 million to make. That leaves the endeavor at a 95% net loss!
Problem Child
This black comedy is the first work of producer Robert Simonds, and it's honestly surprising he kept producing other films after making this horrible one. But he did, and he may have improved a little bit as his experience grew. Problem Child features Michael Oliver, John Ritter, Gilbert Gottfried, and more actors who would probably love to forget they have ever sign on to this cinematic flop.
Rotten Tomatoes calls the film an "unpleasant comedy". Sounds cringy and not at all inviting. It tells the story of a seven-year-old misbehaving orphan boy who gets adopted by a loving couple. They suffer the wrath of the boy for a while until he gets kidnapped and they go to rescue him. Since we don't recommend watching it we have no problem with spoiling the ending: the kidnapper gets arrested, the dad gets the kid back, and the mom ends up being stuck in a suitcase on a truck full of pigs. Sounds bad? That's because it is.
Folks!
Tom Selleck stars in this film as Jon Aldrich, a stockbroker who has it all. His life is perfect until his parents move in with him. Sounds like the start of a nice family comedy, but this is hardly the case here. Critics say that this film gives the elderly some really bad rep and that it tries to be both vicious and tender at the same time, which doesn't mix well and ends up producing a disappointing ending.
Nobody's perfect. Not even Tom Selleck. How else would you explain him starring in the worst movie in his career? While he is known to mostly play lovable characters which win over the viewers, this time was different. This time his performance even got him a golden raspberry nomination for Worst Actor.
A Low Down Dirty Shame
Action comedies are usually a pretty successful genre. People will normally be happy with a movie as long as it makes them laugh and has a scene or two of car chases or gunfights. Apparently, those weren't enough to save A Low Down Dirty Lane.
The story here is that of Andre Shame (honestly, when you name your protagonist Shame, how can you expect him to do well at anything?), a retired cop who turned into a private investigator and trying to solve a narcotics-related mystery. There is, of course, a romantic subplot, featuring Jada Pinkett, but even that wasn't enough to save the movie from itself and the controversial blaxploitation it displays.
Wagons East
Wagons East is a western comedy directed by Peter Markle. It tells the story of a few pioneers trying to make their way back home after giving up on the frontier life. Their journey is riddled with adventures courtesy of the crazy wagonmaster.
The film stars Richard Lewis and John Candy, and the latter might be the only reason why anyone has ever bothered to watch it in the first place. You see, Candy died from a heart attack on one of the last days of filming. The movie was released five months following his death, which made the critics very sorry to have watched it as Candy's last work.
Shadow Conspiracy
White House drama is nothing new. We get a movie with that kind of plot at least once every couple of years it has to have some serious novelty in order to have an impact on anyone, so most of those films aren't the greatest cinematic masterpieces ever made. Still, Shadow Conspiracy might be the worst of them yet.
In this film, Jacob Conrad (portrayed by Donald Sutherland) is a member of the White House staff who makes plans to assassinate the President. His plan is then revealed by Bobby Bishop (Charlie Sheen), another staff member. The plot thickens and bodies start to pile up as he tries to stop the assassination. Turns out, the film's lack of touch with reality is what turned it into the flop it is with only $2 million in the box office in the States.
Simon Sez
Dennis Rodman as an Interpol agent. Those should be all the words you need to understand what was so messed up about this movie. Rodman plays an Interpol Agent named Simon, who goes on a mission to stop an arms dealer who kidnapped the daughter of a close friend.
This action-comedy shouldn't take itself too seriously, but it does. It falls into chewed up spy movie cliches and fails to give its viewers their money's worth. This is probably why it failed so miserably. How miserably? It made a total of $292,152 in box office. That's how.