Celebrities are just like us, especially because they have off days just like the rest of us. The unfortunate truth is that when people like George Clooney or Scarlett Johansson have those moments, it’s more visible than when the rest of us encounter them. Especially when those sour notes become the lowest rated movie from major Hollywood stars like them. How many of these acting performances in notable disasters -- based on the critics freshness scores on Rotten Tomatoes -- do you remember?
Meryl Streep - Lions For Lambs (2007) - 27%
If a movie like Lions for Lambs is the lowest rated film in your canon, you’re probably a legend like Meryl Streep. And that just so happens to be the film that ranks in the last slot on her history with the Tomatometer. Then again, the also iconic Tom Cruise co-starred in this picture, and his lowest ranked film scored even lower on the same scale.
Tom Hanks - The Bonfire Of The Vanities (1990) - 15%
One of the most infamous box office disasters in history is still Brian De Palma’s adaptation of The Bonfire of the Vanities. There are many reasons that it flopped, and Tom Hanks has shared thoughts on the matter on occasion. He’d certainly know the subject inside and out, as even he called out his own miscasting, in this supposed lowest point of his filmography.
Angelina Jolie - Original Sin (2001) - 12%
How bad could a movie be that pairs Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas in a torrid love affair? Well, it can apparently be horrific if you’re going by Jolie’s RT resume. 2001’s Original Sin sits as her lowest ranked film, with not even its unrated cut able to generate a sizzle around the picture.
Denzel Washington - Heart Condition (1990) - 10%
Try this on for size: Denzel Washington once haunted Bob Hoskins, as a lawyer whose donated heart goes into Hoskins’ hard living detective. That was an actual plot for the ‘90s comedy Heart Condition, and you can see why critics weren’t exactly kind to this one; even with the charms of Washington and Hoskins involved.
Amy Adams - Serving Sara (2002) - 4%
Some stars are collateral damage for other stars’ failed starring vehicles. When Matthew Perry and Elizabeth Hurley’s rom-com Serving Sara crashed and burned, it took Amy Adams along with it. Well, in the context that it’s her lowest rated film on Rotten Tomatoes. Other than that, Ms. Adams seems to still be riding high, as she totally should be.
George Clooney - Grizzly 2: The Revenge (1983) - 8%
On one hand, Grizzly 2: The Revenge is a campy horror movie that looks like it’s earned its 8% RT score. At the same time, it’s kind of unfair to Clooney, as well as co-stars Laura Dern and Charlie Sheen, to be lumped in with the film’s failings as their characters are a classic case of disposable young teen victims.
Viola Davis - The Architect (2006) - 11%
The Architect couldn't have possibly been someone's attempt at cashing in on Crash's Best Picture win, could it? It sure seems like it, and critics weren't biting at writer/director Matt Tauber's adaptation of this stage drama. Actor Viola Davis survived this metaphorical wreckage though, and two years later she'd find herself in Doubt, with her first Academy Award nomination to show for it.
Matt Damon - Suburbicon (2017) - 28%
Suburbicon had a lot going for it: an all-star cast that included Matt Damon, Oscar Isaac, and Julianne Moore, a script with Coen Brothers involvement, and George Clooney in the director’s chair. And yet, this attempt at pitch black satire of the idyllic ‘50s collapsed under its own ambitions, acting as the rock bottom of Damon’s resume.
Taylor Swift - Valentine’s Day (2010) - 18%
Sorry Swifties, but Taylor can’t always win. Case in point is her role in the ensemble rom-com Valentine’s Day; which acts as the lowest ranked project she’s racked up as an acting talent. Though if you count the record-breaking Eras Tour movie, that’s the absolute tops. It may be apples and oranges, but it's something fun to keep in mind.
Ryan Reynolds - R.I.P.D. (2013) - 12%
Admit it: you probably thought X-Men: Origins - Wolverine was going to be Ryan Reynolds’ lowest rated movie. As it turns out, that’s not even in Reynolds’ bottom 10 movies. What did happen to be the Deadpool star’s lowest rated film was the misguided comic book romp R.I.P.D. That’s right folks: it’s rated even lower than Green Lantern!
Sandra Bullock - Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) - 4%
When a movie like Speed becomes a breakout hit, you’d be crazy not to try and make a sequel. That’s not a guarantee that you should make that next movie, as we saw with 1997’s Speed 2: Cruise Control; the movie that is the low water mark for Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock’s Rotten Tomatoes scores.
Tom Hardy - This Means War (2012) - 26%
How does a romantic action-comedy where Tom Hardy and Chris Pine fight over Reese Witherspoon lose? If you’ve seen This Means War, you might have an answer to that question already handy. Tom Hardy’s lowest ranking effort on his own personal Tomatometer, it’s one of his rare losses when it comes to the world of movies.
Julia Roberts - Mother’s Day (2016) - 8%
Actors, be careful when accepting roles in all-star ensemble rom-coms. It’s a genre that’s given us Love, Actually, but also gave us Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, and Mother’s Day. Taylor Swift can count that first film as her lowest RT score, and Academy Award winner Julia Roberts has the last one in that line as hers. So live and learn.
Ben Affleck - The Last Thing He Wanted (2020) - 5%
What’s the last thing Ben Affleck wanted? A mid-profile flop like The Last Thing He Wanted. This is the absolute bottom of Affleck’s Rotten Tomatoes scored films, which may or may not surprise some film fans. Your range of shock probably depends on how you feel about Jersey Girl and/or Gigli. Which is saying something, as Gigli was disowned by its director.
Scarlett Johansson - The Spirit (2008) - 14%
After Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City and Zack Snyder’s 300 became surprise hits with audiences, author Frank Miller’s work seemed poised to take off. And then The Spirit came along, and cratered those hopes along with Scarlett Johansson’s Rotten Tomatoes scores. You Lucy apologists out there just scored an important victory for the next time someone questions your taste in movies.
Robert Downey Jr. - Johnny Be Good (1988) - 0%
Even at the height of his powers as a young performer, Robert Downey Jr. had his fair share of unsuccessful films. None of those flops had the power to counter the absolute 0 that 1988’s Johnny Be Good scored. To his credit, the movie was more of a starring vehicle for Anthony Michael-Hall, but this one still has to sting.
Jennifer Lawrence - House At The End Of The Street (2012) - 12%
A survivor of many threats thrown at her on the big screen, Jennifer Lawrence can battle some tough forces and still come out the victor. Just look at her 2012 output, which saw her score her lowest RT result with the horror film House at the End of the Street; but also saw her on the road to winning her first Oscar in Silver Linings Playbook.
Dwayne Johnson - Tooth Fairy (2010) - 17%
The failure of Black Adam was a humbling that some probably believed Dwayne Johnson had coming. Longtime fans of The Rock would know better though, as looking back a bit further in his career, you start to run into movies like Tooth Fairy. That practically makes Black Adam look like Batman vs. Superman if you think about it long enough.
Anne Hathaway - The Last Thing He Wanted (2020) - 5%
While Anne Hathaway's career highlights are abundant -- including The Devil Wears Prada, Interstellar, Rachel Getting Married (for which she was nominated for an Oscar), and Les Miserables (for which she won an Oscar) -- like every other actor on this list, she's not immune to the occasional poorly-received movie. In her case, it's a very low rating for the 2020 movie The Last Thing He Wanted.
Henry Cavill - Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005) - 0%
We’re not going to say that Henry Cavill’s part in Hellraiser: Hellworld is part of his tough luck with James Bond. If an actor can star in a movie like this and still be invited to audition for Casino Royale, then maybe their acting chops were honed enough to be a part of the James Bond movies after all.
Charlize Theron - The Last Face (2016) - 8%
A lineup like Jared Harris, Javier Bardem, and Charlize Theron is something a movie would kill for. Adding a director like Sean Penn just sweetens the pot if you’re a certain type of moviegoer. Well, that combination did work on 2016’s The Last Face, and it was a result so abysmal that it came in as Charlize Theron’s worst rated film on Rotten Tomatoes.
Bradley Cooper - Brother’s Justice (2010) - 0%
There was a time when Dax Shepard decided to co-direct a mockumentary where he pretended to try and become an action star. That movie was Brother’s Justice, and good luck remembering it ever existed past it being mentioned here and now, as Bradley Cooper’s lowest rated movie of his career.
Halle Berry - Dark Tide (2012) - 0%
Even in the presence of infamous trash fires like Catwoman, there’s a movie that reigns even higher in Halle Berry’s not-so-greatest hits. 2012’s Dark Tide is the deep end of the pool for the X-Men alum, being thrashed by critics upon its release. Want to know what happens to a flop that’s struck by lightning? The same thing that happened to Dark Tide.
Will Smith - After Earth (2013) - 12%
“Wild Wild West was less painful than After Earth.” Will Smith’s dig at this infamous bomb is admittedly more entertaining than the movie itself, even if his slam of the M. Night Shyamalan directed picture unfairly slams Wild Wild West as anything but a silly fun house of comedy. Your mileage may vary on that gigantic spider adventure, but we can all agree that at least it isn’t After Earth, which is Smith's lowest rated movie.
Nicole Kidman - Grace Of Monaco (2014) - 9%
Going into its release window, Nicole Kidman’s Grace of Monaco looked like an awards season darling waiting to happen. But a last minute shift that robbed the movie of a domestic theatrical release, plus an infamous difference between the theatrical and “writer’s” cut changed those fortunes oh so quickly; and with an RT score to prove it.
Morgan Freeman - Just Getting Started (2017) - 4%
You can’t help but want to root for a movie like Just Getting Started. A comedy where Rene Russo, Tommy Lee Jones, and Morgan Freeman collide sounds like a fun night out on paper. Alas, that recipe doesn’t always cook up a winner, and this absolute stinker proves it, marking the tail end of the spectrum of films Freeman has starred in.
Emma Stone - Movie 43 (2013) - 4%
Considering how many big ticket stars were suckered into making Movie 43, it’s surprising that it hasn’t cropped up as the nadir of more of the filmographies on this list. Which may be a compliment to Emma Stone, as if this is the movie that’s supposed to represent her “worst,” then maybe Aloha wasn’t as big of a misfire as we thought.
Tom Cruise - Cocktail (1988) - 9%
Out of all the movies that Tom Cruise is known for, Cocktail seems to be one that people rarely talk about. A dramedy digging into the highs and lows of being a hot shot bartender, it feels like Top Gun with a liquor license. This flick might hold its liquor, but its Tomatoes are scattered on the floor, resulting in the worst hangover on Cruise’s resume.
Natalie Portman - Planetarium (2016) - 15%
A Natalie Portman period drama can be hit or miss, and in the case of Planetarium, it apparently was the latter. You're probably wondering how you haven't heard about a movie where Portman and Lily Rose Depp play sisters that can see ghosts during the '30s. Well, this is the same year that Portman starred in Pablo Larrain's Jackie, and that film was the clear winner of the Black Swan star's year in 2016.
Brad Pitt - Cool World (1992) - 4%
How bad do you have to screw up to land a movie named Cool World with an insanely cool Brad Pitt all the way at the bottom of his filmography? If you really want the answer, you should see the film for yourself. Some bombs of great infamy just have to be experienced firsthand to truly understand the failure they brought upon their stars.
Jennifer Aniston - ‘Til There Was You (1997) - 5%
The “stable friend” is a character that can still provide a breakout hit for an actor, as even the balanced party of a movie like ‘Til There Was You gets some laughs. But not even a gag involving Jennifer Aniston and a kitten could save the film, which seems like a surefire formula that’s hard to pass up. Even in 1997, this movie’s response seems particularly harsh.
Chris Hemsworth - Red Dawn (2012) - 15%
Remaking a Patrick Swayze classic like Red Dawn seemed like a match made in Hell since day one. Even though Chris Hemsworth was already the god of thunder in Thor, that didn’t make up for a movie so dubious that even the horribly photoshopped posters didn’t seem to care about selling it.
As you can see with the films we've just recalled, it didn't exactly crush the careers and dreams of these heavy hitters of the movies. At the same time, we'd recommend not mentioning them in polite conversation, unless you're absolutely sure that the situation is ripe for a fun story about some bad times.
