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Who Thought THAT Was a Good Idea? When Bad Movies Happen to Good CastsYou know those movies you go to see simply because of the cast, telling yourself, "with Meryl Streep and Claire Danes, it has to be good, right?" And how sometimes you discover that no amount of good acting can make up for terrible lines, a boring plot, or bad directing?
This week on Who Thought THAT Was a Good Idea?, Lori and I count down the five most god-awful movies we were innocently duped into watching because of the cast, only to end up feeling burned, wishing we had those two hours of our life back (not to mention the $20 we forked out for the DVD/movie ticket). Who Thought THAT Was a Good Idea? When Bad Movies Happen to Good Casts
Download from Veoh / Watch on DailyMotion Now let us know in the comments which movies with good casts made you want to throw something at the screen. Talking about it will help you heal! Submitted by on December 10, 2007 - 7:02pm. |
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Whoa...
Love the Beatles t-shirt Lori.
The only one I tried to watch was The Black Dahlia and I couldn't even get through the whole thing. What a disappointment.
Diane Keaton sounded like a characature of Katharine Hepburn or had a voice problem in that clip. I hope she wasn't like that the whole movie.
Looks like I am not going to get into any other of those films.
...
nah she had larangitis, the point of which being she went to live with mandy moore and they bonded, made up yada yada lmao
...
I was thinking of watching Evening, Black, and Because. Not any more, thank you.
Lori- Loved your miming action and egging on Sarah.
Sarah- I kinda want to make a bad movie just so you can rant more.
Poor Karman.
"Bad jokes are us, ur me."
Good subject of discussion
On top of my head I would say:
Aeon Flux: Charlize Theron, Jonny Lee Miller, Frances McDormand and Sophie Okonedo
Hide and Seek: Robert DeNiro, Famke Janssen, Elisabeth Shue, Amy Irving and little Dakota Fanning
Red Dragon: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Mary Louise Parker and Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Those movies had a superb cast and the movie was still a total flop.
!
They really should have left it at Silence of the Lambs, anyway. Especially when you're fully aware of the crappy sequels and prequels they came up with. Luckily Jodie Foster was smarter than that.
And as a sidenote, is there anyone else in here who absolutely adores the life out of Amy Irving?
I agree on all of the
I agree on all of the ranting, and love Sarah's Women Studies rant. Its sad but true that there has to be mutiple hook-ups to get a great cast together.
Poor Karman, thats 2 hours of her life she'll never get back(LOL). I couldn't even watch the end of the clip, Diane Keaton's shrieking was driving my cat crazy. I wanted to see it but haven't had time. Guess thats 2 less movies for me. (Black Dahlia, and Because)
?
Lori - what are you drinking? Have you been to Folsom Prison recently? Yellow water, what?
PS - Piper Perabo cannot be counted/assumed that the respective movie will be good. In fact, i can't say that I have ever *liked* her in anything. Either I don't like her at all, or I don't mind her. But I NEVER like her.
Another bad script w/ Diane Keaton/other decent cast?
Hanging Up (2000) ... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162983/
I smile, I grin, when the gal with a touch of sin walks in
I hope, and I pray, for Hester to win just one more "A"
Yes!
Oh Hanging Up was painful as was Because I Said So. The problem with Black Dahlia, in addition to those Sarah and Lori listed, was its obvious attempt to be David Lynch-esque. They not only announced it but tried to shove it down your throat. When filmmakers do this, it inevitably fails.
It also looks like The Golden Compass could fall under this category, from what the critics are saying. I was never a Nicole Kidman fan, but the cast looks pretty good in the Peter Jackson-directed piece. Oh well.
Ocean's 12 hit that unfortunate second-film-in-a-triology wall, I think. And Alexander had a great cast (Angelina Jolie in a toga - meow), but holy crap, enough already Oliver Stone, we get it.
Finally, The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Jude Law (Jack Black and Cameron Diaz too) was awful. I think saying "I wanted to pluck my eyes out with a shrimp fork" would be putting it mildly. Kate Winslet, what were you thinking?! I can't believe I actually sat through that without jumping through a plate glass window.
The Holiday
Oh, now this one I disagree with. I own and loved The Holiday. The only real downside to the movie was Jack Black but I found him tolerable in his role here. Of course, I'm a huge chick flick fan so...
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I loved it...
The Golden Compass
"The Golden Compass" was directed by Chris Weitz, not Peter Jackson. I saw it yesterday, and you can add it to your list of Bad Movies with Great Casts. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, and Sam Elliott were totally wasted. The whole movie is CGI special effects. The story, what little story there is, is boring and extremely predictable. Don't waste your time or money.
Thanks!
Mona Lisa Smile
Mona Lisa Smile wasn't THAT bad, but it did leave me feeling, "'eh"...I wanted something more from a boomtastic cast like that one!
I have to agree with y'all on Evening...disappointing, indeed.
Holy crap...
... the complete, sheer look of terror on Lauren Graham's face when she's forced to stand there listening to that high-pitched rant.
Poor Karman! ;)
FlightPlan - Jodie Foster and Peter Sarsgaard.
Aeon Flux - Charlize Theron, Jonny Lee Miller, Frances McDormand and Sophie Okonedo.
The Ring 2 - Naomi Watts and Sissy Spacek.
In The Cut - Jennifer Jason Leigh and directed by Jane Campion. I was majorly dissapointed, but not because of Jennifer, who never fails to deliver. She was just wasting her time doing that film, is all.
She's So Lovely - Robin Wright Penn, Sean Penn, Harry Dean Stanton.
And I could go on for a little lifetime. But I won't :) And hey, I, for one, absolutely love depressing films.
This clip scared me!
Good to know, I'll never try to see these movies! I was actually considering renting The Black Dhalia the other day.
But Diane Keaton was just really frightening in that clip! How am I gonna sleep after that?
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"The opposite of church is sperm!" - Sarah P. - The Lo-Down
My additions:
My additions:
The Stepford Wives (2004) Why Nicole Kidman? Why?
Maverick (1994) What was Jodie Foster thinking?
2 Movies That Made Me Scream...
OMG! I don't care!
No matter what movie I am watching...whether it be a thriller or a romance...it has to pull me in and make me care.
These 2 are the first to come to mind that caused me to realize before the mid-point of the movie...just how much I didn't care about the story and the characters.
The Upside of Anger (2005)...Joan Allen, Keri Russell, Alicia Witt, Evan Rachel Wood, Erika Christensen. Also starring Kevin Costner but him being in the movie didn't sell it for me. Great female cast...totally wasted...sucky movie...with a stupid ending (yes I watched it to the end...it was like checking out a train wreck). Written and directed by Mike Binder who wrote and directed and starred in The Sex Monster opposite Mariel Hemingway...which sucked except for Ms. Hemingway. Had I known he was the one behind the movie, I would have at least had fair warning.
Mortal Thoughts (1991)...Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Glenne Headly, and Harvey Keitel. A murder mystery told in a series of flashbacks. I never saw the movie through to the end as I simply didn't care what happened, who died and who did it. Very bad.
I am sure there are others. lol
The Good Shepherd
I saw this film on the strength of the cast - Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro (who directed) even William Hurt. And the plot sounded great - the mysterious, cloak and dagger origins of the CIA - How could it go wrong?
Oh man... it was a trainwreck. Perhaps if they had hired a competent editor, Matt Damon's character had more charisma than pond scum, and Angelina had more to do than play a hysterical housewife, things would've been different. I almost walked out, and this is coming from someone who routinely powers through 8+ hours of student films in one sitting.
Great/Good or interesting Cast, Bad movies..so true
I agree with the comments, add to that the Bonfire of Vanities...Tom Hanks, Bruce Willie, Melanie Griffith...
BloodRayne, and only cos Ben Kingsley was in it..bleh.
8mm...Nic Cage...
Batman and Robin ..the ones with George Clooney and the rest of the cast like Uma Thurman, Arnold Swazhherererdennerzg, Tommy Lee Jones, ...omg..
EDtv...Ellen Degeneres, Matheew McCog..something.. please...
Planet of The Apes...Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Walhberg..even Charlton Heston! I felt abused with this movie... I had to watch the first Planet Of the Apes all over again like asking for forgiveness..."I will never do it again! Im so sorry!" ...I so want my pesos back!
Event Horizon...Sam Neil, Laurence Fishburne...terrible..
Mars Attack...with a constellation of stars! Jack Nicholson, Glen Close, Pierce Brosnan, Natalie Portman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Anette Bening, Pam Grier, Michael J. Fox, Christina Applegate...I was like huh!? I heard that some ppl liked this movie...but why??
Yeah..
I'm one of them. I absolutely love Mars Attacks. :)
And I swear I'm not that crazy :)
Really?
LOL!
If u saw it 3 times, how bad can it be? I have a friend who stopped talking to me for a week after I conned her into watching it with me. Believe me, some people literally can't stand the movie.
Anyway, see, I'm a sci-fi geek which means I've pretty much seen most sci-fi movies & TV shows; and have read most sci-fi books/magazines, etc. Some are excellent, some not bad, and some are truly terrible. For me, the fun thing about Mars Attacks is that the movie never took itself seriously and I sincerely think it has The best aliens ever created. They were smart (their 1st killing was to get rid of Congress), sarcastic ("don't run, we are friends" while doing a massacre, lol), had a great sense of humor (remember them serving as back-up dancers for Tom Jones?), were fair (remember the boxing fight with Jim Brown instead of just shooting him?), and hated that horrible song so much, their heads exploded. I mean, what's not to like? :)
Ok ok LOL
I do admit it has it fun moments, and its like a parody of War of the Worlds, the original one...but...gawd I think I was more mortified watching all those movie stars in that movie...now that I think about it, it was like watching a SNL sketch...LOL
I do like Sci-fi movies...I guess I really like the good ones, and I admit that Starship Troopers, I don't know if its bad or not, but I can sit and watch it anytime, again and again...I don't get tired of it lol.
I thought Event Horizon -
- was just brilliant, actually. The best American horror film I had seen in a long long time. Like someone decided to take the best ideas from the Hellraiser series, and actually craft a good film around them.
You do, however, paint an ugly but accurate picture of the worst of Tim Burton. Smart of Mr. Depp to keep away, sometimes...
Event Horizon...
I don't get the Mars Attack thing myself, frankly.
It is just one of those
I will...
...and I am so respectful that you are going to do this! It's how I try to react when something comes into question, but I don't know that I always do it so gracefully.
I am, in a very small way, in the business, so I would be VERY interested to hear what you have to say, as you seem exactly the type of open, curious audience whose opinion I most respect.
The Clearing
Actually..
I totally agree with you 2 as far as Evening & The Story of US are concerned. I saw them strickly because of the casts, hated them and it's not because I don't like depressing movies (one of my fav movies of all time is The United States of Leland). But, unlike you, I'm still trying to get my monies back. :)
Ironically enough I kinda saw The Black Dahlia on cable this week-end; and I only gave it a chance because of this site. I wish you guys had put your vlog up on Saturday, now I'll never get back those 2 hours of my life....
I can't believe you 2 saw The Taylor of Panama. Even straight and bored housewives with a crush on Pierce Brosnan stayed away. Honestly, what were you guys thinking?!? :)
I've never been impressed with Diane Keaton, IMO she's been in 2 many bad movies: The First Wives Club - The Other Sister - Hanging Up - Town & Country......); and she always plays the same 'character'. So, I never intended to see Because I Said So. My question to you: did you show us that clip because misery indeed loves company? :)
Anyway, another movie that came to mind is Simply Irresistible with Sarah Michele Gellar. I rented and watched it solely because Buffy was in it. Boy, did I regret that!
The funny thing is -
Dahlia could have been - maybe not good; the book is actually unfilmable - but a lot better than it was. But oddly, they lost it in the casting. I like Ms. Johansson, in some things, quite a lot. She was great Lost in Translation, for example. But in this, despite her old school look...the best way I can put it is to paraphrase something I read somewhere else - between she and Hartnett it was like watching a high school drama club try to put on a production of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" . Just so wrong.
And the really ironic part is, they had the makings of a better cast, at least for the women, right at hand. All they needed to do was give the Dahlia part to Rose McGowan, who's completely wasted as it is, and bump Mia Kirschner (wasted in her tv soap opera, but a revelation here) up to Kay. Heck, for that matter, you could have left Johansson, wrong as she was, given Kirschner the Swank part - and then the actress in the Swank part would actually have resembled the Dahlia! Rather than everyone going on and on about a "resemblance" that went no further than a black dress. As I said, it still doesn't get good; the script isn't there, and the male lead's all wrong. But it would have been better than it was...
umm..
You confuzzled me there...are you trying to make me rent the Dahlia movie again to understand what you said? LOL....I am actually thinking about it now...damn..
Oh no...
...THAT'S certainly not worth renting again. And any confusion is only the result of my admittedly potentially confusing prose. No. I just - let's say I wasn't convinced by the performances of Mr. Hartnett or Ms Johansson....nor was I convinced that the character played by Ms Swank resembled "the Black Dahlia" - Ms Kirschner - although many characters in the film insisted on the resemblance.
Spoilers follow...
No, the only things worth seeing in the picture are Ms Kirschner's performance, Ms McGowan's brief appearance, and the De Palma trademark swooping camera sequence where the body of the Dahlia is first discovered. Total screen time? About 15 minutes...the rest of the picture is an opportunity missed, at best.
If you're into it, you might read the book...which is incredible, for those with a taste for that sort of thing. And much better written than these missals...please, I'll be happy to clarify if you point out where I've got too obscure...I see too many movies...
Dahlia etc.
In my opinion, if you can make L.A. Confidential, then there's a chance that The Black Dahlia will be a good film. I don't think it's unfilmable. But I agree that the casting wasn't the best: Josh Hartnett is too boring to play the lead. Granted, Bucky Bleichert isn't a very colorful character but he is the first person narrator of the book, and he needs to stand out a little. (Like those thirties and forties detectives.) I actually love those films that portray that particular period. While I was sitting through the movie I kept asking myself whether I liked it or not. I let myself get fooled by the glossy cinematography. As Sarah and Lori said, the last part of the film wasn't good, and it was kind of confusing, too. I read the book later and loved the forties cop lingo and the period feel it brought to the whole thing. Of course, the portrayal of the bisexual women is the same in the book. But - without defending it - I think it's got a pulp novel feel to it and it fits the time it's set in. (I see the bigger picture, too. And the general portrayal of lesbians and bisexual women in film and tv...)
And other films with supposedly good casts I found awful include Hannibal (but that was also one of the worst books I've ever read), People I Know (2002, Al Pacino), almost everything with Anthony Hopkins post-Silence of the Lambs (especially Meet Joe Black, yuck), except maybe The Mask of Zorro, oh yeah, White Oleander (Michelle Pfeiffer, Robin Wright Penn, et al) and Friends with Money (I just didn't get it, it was boring and depressing, I went to see it for Jennifer Aniston and Frances McDormand). Also Flight Plan which could have been great but ended up being really stupid. And Jodie Foster running back and forth on a plane was just not enough, although it was what got me through it.
The Hours is one of my favorite films. Loved the book. But I give you the "depressing". You have to be in a good place to watch it. Otherwise it might drive you to dire actions.
Evening
Hi Sarah and Lori,
I couldn’t agree more regarding Evening, The Black Dahlia and Because I Said So. The other 2 I was fortunate enough not to watch. I have to say my biggest disappointment came with Evening because it had an absolutely brilliant cast and as soon as I heard about it I didn’t even hesitate. But the story was indeed lame, I don’t think the issue was that it was depressing, I disagree with you there, sometimes depressing movies can be good and films don’t always have to fulfill an uplifting mission or teach a lesson. The problem with this movie is that the scrip is bad, the story revolves around one or two main facts and it never really challenges the actresses or the audience. It refuses to explore anything. It’s a pseudo-scrip in the sense that it tries to masquerade as a good story using a lot of clichés and déjà vús and never really offering anything original. It was a complete waist.
Because I Said So could have been a really great movie exploring the power struggles that some mothers have with their children (and they do exist) but it ended up being a disaster and I think the script is again mostly to blame. I think Keaton tried to bring some comedy/drama acting into the movie, something that she usually does very well, but it just didn’t work here.
One movie that really disappointed me recently was Lions for Lambs, the cast is amazing (Strip, Cruise, Redford), and they are trying to market the movie based on the cast, the story’s premise is very interesting but the movie fails completely and is unable to deliver. I was really disappointed and this is one of the reasons why I try to watch my fair amount of independent films because there are always other perspectives and most of the time much better scripts.
Thanks for another great vlog
All the best from your Portuguese fan
Decisions, decisions
Eh...I think I like the idea of "gorging" my eyes out instead of simply gouging them. Mmmmm, tasy! That would be a nice snack after watching that travesty otherwise known as Diane Keaton's latest acting effort. Seriously, that was friggin' embarrassing to watch.
I have to show a little
I have to show a little dissent here ( surprise!)
I actually kind of liked "because I said so" But I do agree on the overacting of Dianne Keaton. Much as I am impressed with her as a person I never understood the admiration for her as an actress! As far as I have seen she always overacts....it's just that sometimes it works in a movie!
Anyway...good vlog! It definitely makes me grateful for my talent for forgetting bad movies I have seen. ( with the exception of "Dune" that is)
"call me old fashioned but I prefer feminism that leaves a little something to the imagination!"
Oh man.
For Your Consideration - the cast of Best In Show and A Mighty Wind try to send up the Oscar race. And make it boring.
The Family Stone - Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Luke Wilson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Craig T. Nelson. Ugh.
Rachel McAdams...
Agreed!
Mr & Mrs Smith
The Legend of Bagger Vance
Did I spell that right. I just totally hated that movie.
"I don't kiss girls who wear doilies"
Any film with Robert Deniro in the last 10 years...
I counted. I'll give him Wag the Dog in 1997 - barely...
Someone mentioned a Nicholas Cage film earlier, and I just had to put in my vote for The Wicker Man. The cast included NC, of course, but also Ellen Burstyn, Frances Conroy, and, for the younger set, Leelee Sobieski.
The reason I mention it? It is the worst film I can remember watching in my known memory - as opposed to my unknown memory - (thank you brain!!). Horrifying bad. I try not to be overdramatic, but I spoke to my television, in a raised voice, of incredulity, for the entire 97 agonizing minutes.
My vote for worst movie EVER.
And what a waste of the talented and versatile lead actresses. BTW, most of the rest of the cast were women too. Which makes sense cuz the film was about some bizarre witches coven/bongo circle group thingy that hated men with a murderous passion.
Yuck
As much as I love DeNiro
Ocean's Thirteen
Ocean's Thirteen has an awesome cast, but I found myself losing interest. I thought it sucked and it shouldn't have. How dare you waste the Pacino, the Izzard, and the Barkin? How evil. My recommendation? Rent Ocean's Eleven!
I actually liked Mars Attacks! too! lol
I award a WTF bunny to Highlander 2: The Quickening. There is no forgiveness for that. None.
gasp! gasp gasp gasp!
But Evening is nothing like The Hours. The Hours is inspiring, encouraging, and insightful. Not to mention gorgeous and lyric. And the actors were able to explore their talents to the fullest -- Toni Collette and Meryl Streep are breathtaking in it. Plus, Meryl and Allison Janney as a couple? Come on!!
I would say The Hours and Evening are polar opposites -- perfect examples of how to use/misuse an ensemble cast.
Otherwise, I totally concur with your rants. And so would Virginia Woolf.
and i concur squared
with the gasp and the evening/hours comparison.
"didn't i throw you out of a window? " - jessica/nikki, heroes
I must defend Lori's honor!
She wasn't saying that The Hours was a bad movie, just that it was a depressing one. We both thought The Hours was good, we've just had our fill of depressing dramas. If we did a vlog on "good movies we don't like to watch because they're depressing", The Hours would be on the list. :)
Although Allison Janney and Meryl Streep as a couple is pretty hard to resist...
If you are going to do that vlog
She wasn't saying that The Hours was a bad movie, just that it was a depressing one. We both thought The Hours was good, we've just had our fill of depressing dramas. If we did a vlog on "good movies we don't like to watch because they're depressing", The Hours would be on the list. :)
The Hours was a depressing film. I also found it pretentious. I don't even remember most of it, but again only my opinion. If you are going to that vlog (which I think you should...There would be a ton of lesbian movies on there I bet), then you would have to put Requiem for a Dream on it. Again it is a great movie, with a great cast and acting but absolutely depressing as hell.
But my choices for movies that should be good but aren't include:
The Family Stone (What is the deal with Diane Keaton lately?) This film was just so mean-spirited and awful. The only thing I liked about it was Rachel McAdams, but she just isn't enough to make me ever watch it again. I just felt angry after watching it.
Alexander. It had Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Jared Leto. Should have been good but it really really really wasn't. That was the only film that I actually walked out on in the theater.
Gray Matters with Heather Graham, Sissy Spacek, Alan Cumming, Molly Shannon, and Rachel Shelley. I really hate this movie. It was boring and the acting was terrible and the relationships struck an odd note with me. Some scenes were completely useless and I don't remember laughing once. Such a missed opportunity. A lesbian comedy with Heather Graham!? What were they thinking!
The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt...Most people say they like this film. I honestly saw no point to it. There is nothing else I can say. I just thought it was bad because of the actual characters. When I see a movie I either want mindless entertainment, or to take something from it. I didn't get either of those things after seeing this. The acting was terrific (especially Emily Blunt) but I just hated it overall.
And lastly is Adaptation. Nicholas Cage (I don't think he should be included as a great actor just because of his recent body of work...but I will list him anyway because he was the star), Meryl Streep, and Chris Cooper. I did like this movie, at least the first 2/3 of it. The ending was bad I thought. It completely went off the rails. That is all I can say about it. I just cannot watch it again.
Oh no you didn't say The Devil Wears Prada! >:-(
Wow, I just don't know what to say. Man, I absolutely love The Devil Wears Prada. I thought it had a great plot, character development and depth, antagonists, and protagonist. I loved the amount of depth Meryl Streep put into her character - You hated, but at the same time you respected and sympathized with her. The last scene with her acknowleging Andy in the street, Meryl absolutely floored me, that was really hot. But Andy and Miranda's relationship was sort of modern 'Xena-esque', I thought.
As for Alexander.. [sighs] I had such high hopes for the movie and I agree it fell flat. Historical accuracy, especially at the battle of Gaugamela was phenomenal; but the focus of the movie was just all over the place. Instead of focusing on Alexander the Great's triumphs, the movie attempted to delve too far into his psyche and portray his ambition far too much of a weakness. -Which it very well may have been, but in the movie's attempt to make it a modern day biography, the movie just missed out on his great accomplishments and instead focused on a probable flaw.
The movie should have ended with the Battle of Gaugamela -- Few realize how this battle changed the world forever and few recognize the military genius Alexander was. Few still do. Instead the audience is left with an obsessive historical figure who died due to some insatiable ambition. Again, this may be accurate, but the significance of his achievements were lost.
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