Hall of Shame: Ten Terrible Films by Good Actors

By Ben Widdicombe Posted May 4th 2010 08:00PM

We've always liked Brendan Fraser. Okay, he's not Marlon Brando, but his career has combined fun films with serious work like 'Gods and Monsters,' where he got to display some real dramatic chops.

But -- Brendan -- 'Furry Vengeance'? Really? This junky job-of-work squeaked into fifth place at the weekend box office with a $6.5 million opening, but if Hollywood had career guidance counselors, they'd advise him to leave it off his resume.

At least he's in fine company. Good actors often phone-in roles in terrible movies just to make a paycheck, and in honor of Mr. Fraser's recent performance, after the jump is a list of the top ten.

Orson Welles in 'Transformers: The Movie.' What, you didn't know the 'Citizen Kane' legend was in 'Transformers'? That's because you're not thinking of the 1986 animated version, which also starred Judd Nelson and Leonard Nimoy. Welles, who was infamous for his bulk at that stage of his career, aptly voices a mechanical planet called Unicron.

Cuba Gooding Jr. in 'Daddy Day Camp.' "Didn't this guy win an Oscar," was the comment from a man in the row behind me when this trailer first hit cinemas. Here, Gooding reprises a character first played by Eddie Murphy in 'Daddy Day Care,' a film whose terrible reviews seemed like plaudits compared to the dismal reception its sequel received.

Sean Connery in 'Zardoz.' In 1974, after a string of successful James Bond films, the Scottish hunk inexplicably donned a red halter-top diaper to play the hero of this surreal sci-fi adventure. The film is actually quite a trip, but unfortunately Connery's outfit is all anyone remembers.

Robin Williams in 'August Rush.' Mork has made a number of bad films to balance out his good ones, but none more mawk-ish than this sentimental clap-trap about a musical prodigy orphan trying to find his parents. (Who actually really love each other, but have been separated by fate -- until the orphan's music brings them all together!)

Ben Kingsley in 'BloodRayne.' With 1982's 'Ghandi,' the future Sir Ben looked like he was on course to become the greatest actor of his generation. We'll even forgive his campy-villain turn in 'Thunderbirds,' where at least he looked like he enjoyed the joke. But there's just no excuse for this 2005 vampire melodrama, or Kingsley's awful wig in it.

Robert De Niro in 'The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle.' Choosing this great actor's terrible work is as difficult as going to his IMDb.com page, closing your eyes and jabbing the screen at random, but let's pick this 2000 animated clunker, where he plays a character called "Fearless Leader." You'll wince during the trailer when he parodies his famous "You talkin' to me?" speech from 'Taxi Driver.'

Samuel L. Jackson in 'Snakes On A Plane.' Memorable catch-phrase (NSFW), brilliant Internet buzz and a fantastic theme-song (also NSFW, owing to the catch-phrase) couldn't save this airborne disaster. Maybe they should have cast Chesley Sullenberger instead?

Jeremy Irons in 'Dungeons and Dragons.' Hollywood has a mixed record with the sword-and-sandal fantasy genre, and this 2000 adaptation of the popular '80s role-playing game was probably 20 years too late. Putting the guy from 'Brideshead Revisited' in it didn't help!

Hugh Jackman in 'Van Helsing.' It's painful to put Jackman, that rare actor whose range stretches from a gay cabaret singer on Broadway to Wolverine himself, on this list. But the Aussie icon looked more like Inspector Gadget than a brooding nightspawn slayer in this Bram Stoker knock-off. It's the vampires who are supposed to suck, Hugh!

Michael Caine in 'Jaws 4: The Revenge.' Dude, 'Jaws 4'? Sir Michael actually couldn't accept the first of his two Oscars (for 'Hannah and Her Sisters') in person because he was on a boat somewhere filming this dreck. Needless to say, by the third sequel, you were rooting for the shark.

Tags: Brendan Fraser, furry vengeance

Comments

(32)

Wednesday 05 May

By anita

Vote down Vote up Report this

dont forget some of the bombs tom cruise has been making lately he couldnt leave bad enough alone with mission impossible 3?

By DramaMom

Please let's not forget Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty in "Ishtar." I actually paid to see that awful movie. I deserve a refund!

By Judy Follett

How in the world did you forget ISHATAR? Worst film ever! I love Dustin Hoffman.

By footballartie

No mention of the worst movie made Al Pacino in GODFATHER 3

By loreli47

How could they forget Basic Instinct 2 or anything with William Baldwin in it.

Godfather 3? Are you kidding? It was excellent. Love Al.

By Jan

They have forgotten the most hideous film of all "Ishtar" with Dustin Hoffman (oscar winner) and Warren Beatty (oscar winner). Also George Clooney in "Three Kings", Bill Murray in "What about Bob" and oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss in the same movie.

By karrie

You guys are pretty right on some of these...but Van Helsing was a great movie!!! I thought he did a great job and of course, Kate Beckinsale is amazing!!

By LadyTygerEyez

This is a response to DramaMom. THANK YOU. My cousin dragged my sister and me to see Ishtar. I definitely demand a refund AND an apology.

By shiloh2000

C'mon, Red Planet with Val Kilmer has to be on any list of the worst movies ever made. Though I will admit, August Rush and Battlefield Earth give it a close run.

Saturday 07 August

By Breezy

What? Cuba Gooding, Jr. has made some great movies! And my all-time favorite movie w/Brendan Frasier is 'With Honors'.

Thursday 30 September

By liz

i think de caprio in man in the iron mask was awful too

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