14 Critically Bad Movies With Good Actors

Movie 43 features a rather unique (and, in the right hands, fascinating) concept: rather than a single narrative it is instead composed of 14 different storylines, each helmed by a different director. In addition to boasting some fine directorial talent (including Elizabeth Banks and Bob Odenkirk) its huge ensemble cast seems to contain half of Hollywood, with names like Kristen Bell, Uma Thurman Halle Berry, Gerard Butler, Richard Gere, Hugh Jackman, Chris Pratt, Emma Stone, and many more - it's one of the most star-packed movies out there. 

Although this multi-director concept is innovative, there's a good reason why films aren't usually made this way, as its 4% score on Rotten Tomatoes abundantly signifies. As is too often the case with films of this type, it assumes audiences will tolerate a seemingly endless parade of scatological jokes, rather than making good use of the sheer amount of talent within the cast.

During the 1980s and into the 1990s, certain stars elevated themselves into the ranks of the truly great comic actors, and Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, and John Candy were three of the best of their generation. Thus, it must have seemed like putting all three in a movie together - and getting one of them, Aykroyd, to both write and direct it - was the perfect recipe for an uproariously funny movie.

Unfortunately, the result, Nothing But Trouble, is anything but funny, as its 12% score on Rotten Tomatoes evinces. Even the addition of Demi Moore to the cast isn't enough to save this strange concoction of a film, which focuses on a pair of yuppies who get arrested after running a stop sign. What is supposed to be a horror-comedy ends up being mostly boring, and not even the remarkable talent involved can keep the film from  becoming a very expensive waste of time.

Will Smith was at the top of his game in the late 1990s, having established success as both a singer and an actor. Unfortunately, his steampunk western Wild Wild West was a significant flop, its lackluster box office performance all the more damaging because of its heavy price tag. The abysmal 16% Rotten Tomatoes score adds insult to injury. 

There's no question the film has a talented cast, because Smith is supported by the likes of Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, and Salma Hayek. Even this elite group isn't enough to elevate the material. While the special effects are enough to be dazzling, none of the jokes really seem to land. Given the genre and the actors involved, this is really a shame, and it’s a reminder of how even a big budget and fancy CGI aren't enough to save a film from its own excesses.

Few films have been as aptly titled as Brian DePalma's The Bonfire of the Vanities, based on Tom Wolfe's book of the same name. Its failure at both the box office and among critics - it currently has a meager 15% score on Rotten Tomatoes - is all the more remarkable when one takes a look at the cast list, which is rife with ‘80s and ‘90s stars, including Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Morgan Freeman, and Kim Catrall.

The story of a bond trader (Hanks) and his lover (Griffith) who accidentally run over a young African American man in the Bronx could have been insightful and bitingly ironic (as is the case with the original book). Unfortunately, none of the novel's insights make it to the screen, in part because Tom Hanks just seems so miscast in the role. The Bonfire of the Vanities ultimately becomes little more than a colossal Hollywood mistake.

The Counselor seems to have all of the makings of a great film. It's directed by Ridley Scott, who can always be counted on to turn in an entertaining film, and a script by acclaimed writer Cormac McCarthy. It also has an all-star cast including Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, and Javier Barden. What's more, its story, which focuses on a lawyer (Fassbender) who gets ensnared by drug cartels, seems tailor-made for good drama.

As its 34% Rotten Tomato score reveals, however, The Counselor doesn't quite make the most of its potential. It ends up not being particularly thrilling or suspenseful, and it ultimately ends up feeling very much a soulless approximation of the film it clearly aspired to be. It is, moreover, deeply cynical - which writer McCarthy is known for, but doesn't work so well here.

The first Zoolander managed to be both hilarious and an insightful satire of the excesses and lunacy of the fashion industry. Given this, it must have seemed as if the sequel would be more of the same, particularly considering how well-cast it was. In addition to Ben Stiller (who plays the over-the-top main character), it also featured such heavy hitters as Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Christine Taylor, Penelope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, and several others. 

Unfortunately the sequel proves the extent to which there can be too much of a good thing. Stiller's directorial abilities seem to have been expended with the first film, and the second is far too hit-and-miss to be successful, relying too much on cameos and not enough on good performances or strong writing. At the end of the day, a 22% Rotten Tomatoes score is nothing to brag about, especially compared to the first movie's 65%.