Every now and then, a great actor will sometimes take a role that isn’t particularly good. Sometimes an actor is new to the industry and is forced to take crappy low budget films. Sometimes it’s a passion project that turns out to be a giant mess. Sometimes an actor just needs to eat and pay bills. Whatever the case is, this article lists five terrible movies that these great actors probably wished wasn’t on their filmography. No movie is off limits here, though I’ve mainly focused on live-action features. Let’s get started with our first film.
Heart Condition
Have you ever wanted to see Denzel Washington play a ghost? Well…Heart Condition will satisfy that want. Unfortunately, you’ll be wishing that you could unsee the film once the credits role. Heart Condition is about a racist cop named Jack, who has a heart attack and is given Napoleon Stone’s heart. Stone spiritually comes back to give Jack life lessons and hopes that the police officer can help solve his mysterious murder. The two-time Academy Award winner does what he can with the material, but the core issue of Heart Condition is that the film doesn’t know what it wants to be. It tries to blend a murder mystery, cheesy comedy, and serious drama all into one film but it completely fails at all three. There are intriguing elements about Heart Condition that highlight the film’s potential, but it’s drown out by a muddled mess of a story.
Get Rich or Die Tryin’
Before becoming the first black woman to win an Emmy for her role in How to Get Away with Murder, Viola Davis had thankless roles early in her career including playing the Grandmother for Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson in his biography, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The film follows Marcus after his mother is mysteriously murdered. The young boy’s rise in New York through drugs, gangs, and music is documented. There’s no denying how inspiriting Jackson’s life is, as the former drug dealer is now a big business mogul who has spawned the successful Power saga. However, Jackson’s rags-to-riches story is bland and pedestrian at best, with the biggest mistake casting the rapper to play himself in the movie. Unfortunately, 50 Cent is no Eminem, and while his story may not be the worst film you’ll ever see, its something you’ve watched a thousand times before.
Dirty Grandpa
Robert De Niro is one of the greatest actors of this generation. The veteran has starred in classics like Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casino, A Bronx Tale, Raging Bull, The Deer Hunter, and those are just SOME of his great works in cinema. However, De Niro has made some questionable film choices late in his career. While films like Little Fockers or New Year’s Eve deserve their place on this list, Dirty Grandpa takes the spot due to how crass, vile, vulgar, and worthless the overall film is. De Niro isn’t the only talented actor that this movie drags down as Danny Glover, Aubrey Plaza, and even Zac Efron take part of this “comedy”. De Niro and Efron do the best that they can with the material; In fact, the unlikely duo is the main reason that this film is watchable; however, Dirty Grandpa prefers to use its R-rating to full effect instead of letting the jokes naturally play out through a cohesive and fun story.
Valentine’s Day
Remember those string of holiday movies? New Year’s Eve, Mother’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. Remember Julia Roberts’ horrible bob cut! As fun as it is to revisit that nightmare, Valentine’s Day features five Oscar winners: Jamie Foxx, Bradley Cooper, Kathy Bates, Julia Roberts (the one without the bob cut), and Anne Hathaway. The film is a series of interconnected stories of Los Angeles residents who deal with the trials and tribulations of…Valentine’s Day! The film is a mess and none of the stories are funny or even compelling. Part of the problem is that there are too many characters in this film, so we don’t have much time to connect with everyone. What’s worse is that we’ve seen each of these stories a thousand times before. The film only works because of the talented group of actors; Otherwise, Valentine’s Day simply exists to cash in on couples looking for a romantic movie during the special holiday.
Dolittle
The first film for Robert Downey Jr. following the tragic death of Ironman in Avengers: Endgame turns out to be a tonally confused kids film. Luckily, Downey doesn’t suffer in this remake alone as four Oscar winners are apart of this movie as well (Emma Thompson, Marion Cotillard, Octavia Spencer, and Rami Malek): Granted, they’re simply voices in this misguided attempt to start another franchise, but Dolittle is bad regardless. The climax of the film sees Dolittle pull a bagpipe out of a dragon’s ass. That alone tells you the type of movie you’re dealing with. It’s a muddled mess that fails at comedy, action, and adventure. The animals are fine, but Downey’s “accent” isn’t particularly good. The definition of how production problems can ruin a film with some potential.
Follow Us
