# Actors whose mere name in the credits will pretty much guarantee a shitty movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2007, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315 "2007-06-01T07:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/41 "2007-06-01T13:40:41Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] I’d have to disagree. I can watch _Street Fighter_ or _Timecop_ without actually being in pain. Seagal’s ugly mug is enough on its own to send me into convulsions. [/QUOTE] I also disagree. Van Damme at least \*tries \* to bring a little intensity to his acting work (I’m not saying it’s effective…). Seagal just shows up, bloated and mumbling, and walks through his scenes. Plus Van Damme’s physical expoits were actually impressive. A lot of these lists seem more like “actors who irritate me” lists rather than lists in line with the OP. Seeing names like Tom Cruise (_Rain Man_, _Born on the 4th of July_), and Kate Winslet (_Sense and Sensibility_, _Heavenly Creatures_, even _Finding Neverland)_ makes me scratch my head. I can see not caring for them (although I like Kate Winslet a lot), but they’re far removed from Pauly Shore territory. My own list would be anchored by [William Fichtner](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001209/), who is actually a committed and solid performer. He’s almost always cast in likable B movies and big-budget badfests like Armageddon and Pearl Harbor. Although he was in\* Black Hawk Down\*… ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/42 "2007-06-01T13:47:20Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] I can watch _Street Fighter_ \ without actually being in pain. [/QUOTE] I understand these words individually, but taken as a whole they make no sense. That movie killed Raul Julia, for Pete’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/43 "2007-06-01T14:02:19Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] I see that Steven Seagal has already been mentioned. Doesn’t matter. This thread should have consisted of two words - “Steven” and “Seagal” - followed by a closing because the matter had been thoroughly exhausted. The guy isn’t just a crappy actor, a liar and a self-deluded self-aggrandizing bullshitter; he’s like a black hole for talent. Has he ever made a single movie that wasn’t actually unpleasant to watch? [/QUOTE] [Above the Law](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19880408/REVIEWS/804080302/1023) is a good movie - one of the better karate action flicks around. **Under Siege** was a good movie. Had Seagal continued to make movies of that quality, he could be a big star. Instead, he turned into a useless buffoon. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/44 "2007-06-01T14:05:13Z")
-Kris Kristofferson -Corey Feldman (post Lost Boys) ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/45 "2007-06-01T14:20:10Z")
I humbly submit Steve Guttenberg. I think it’s a shame; he’s a likeable fellow and doesn’t appear to be a bad actor (_Cocoon_), but GAH I see his name and hear **Police Academy 12: A New Beginning**. Barf. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/46 "2007-06-01T14:36:39Z")
Hey let’s not forget the guy we were dscussing a few weeks ago … **Burt Reynolds**. Oh yeah, he had some early success but his later movies “Sharky’s Machine”, “Stick”, Stroker Ace", “Malone”, etc all were pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/47 "2007-06-01T14:41:07Z")
[QUOTE=Hampshire] -Corey Feldman (post Lost Boys) [/QUOTE] Was that before or after _Stand by Me_? Because I ADORED that movie. Hmmm, how about: -Joe Don Baker -Kirk Cameron -Tom Cruise -Jim Carrey -Kirstie Alley -Kim Basinger -Mel Gibson -Carrot Top ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/48 "2007-06-01T15:33:40Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] Was that before or after _Stand by Me_? Because I ADORED that movie. [/QUOTE] It was after. Same here, by the way, one of my favourite movies of all time. Corey Feldman was in _The 'Burbs_ after _The Lost Boys_, though, and provided you ignore the tacked-on idiotic ending, that was a perfectly fine film. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/49 "2007-06-01T16:00:13Z")
[QUOTE=Seven] Lou Diamond Phillips Leonardo DiCaprio Kate Winslet Jude Law Haley Joel Osment (I can’t stand that guy) Richard Gere Julia Roberts (Stop lip-syncing in all your damn movies) [/QUOTE] The only one on your list that I agree with is Lou Diamond Phillips. All the others are great actors in great movies. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/50 "2007-06-01T16:22:16Z")
[QUOTE=Woottonite] Bruce Campbell [/QUOTE] As a star, maybe [Evil Dead is a lot of fun, but I won’t pretend it’s a great movie]… in fact, I just looked at his filmography and I don’t know what to say except _Ewww_. However, Campbell was in the Spider-Man movies and The Hudsucker Proxy. And I liked Bubba Ho-Tep. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/51 "2007-06-01T16:48:21Z")
This thread seems to me like a listing of actors that the posters don’t like. Very few of the people listed actually come close to guaranteeing a bad movie. Most of the people listed have made excellent movies. Some may leave you cold (Adam Sandler and Steven Seagal are in that list for me), but I think they are (or in Seagal’s case, were) very good at what they do. Some make movies that are deliberately cheesy. Bruce Campbell is one of them. I love his stuff. Kate Hudson is in mostly bad movies, which is too bad, because she has a lot of her mother’s charm. Maybe she’ll get another decent script like “Almost Famous” someday, although I doubt it, since she now seems to be labeled as box office poison. The only people listed so far that I, personally, think guarantee a crappy movie are Pauly Shore and David Spade. Oh, and it’s Melanie Griffith, not Melanie Griffin. Not one of my faves, but she can be effective (e.g., “Now and Then”). ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/52 "2007-06-01T16:53:44Z")
Kate Winslet? WTF? ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/53 "2007-06-01T17:09:46Z")
[QUOTE=minlokwat] 17 posts and no mention of **Pauly Shore**? What is _wrong_ with you people? [/QUOTE] I see your Pauly Shore and raise you a Casper van Dien. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/54 "2007-06-01T17:40:50Z")
Kevin Costner Robin Williams ETA: Anyone under 4 feet in a comedic role ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/55 "2007-06-01T17:44:15Z")
I knew before opening this thread up that it would consist of people trying to prove how elite and erudite and hipper-than-thou they are by bashing everyone who is either (a) too popular (Leonardo DiCaprio), (b) a flake in personal life (Tom Cruise), or © usually-but-not-always-in-stupid-movies (Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey). And I knew it would piss me off. And I knew I would get angry and want to insult them. Grrrrrr. I should have just not opened this thread to begin with. Sometimes the SDMB is just a big stupid wankfest. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/56 "2007-06-01T17:56:29Z")
[QUOTE=MaxTheVool] I knew before opening this thread up that it would consist of people trying to prove how elite and erudite and hipper-than-thou they are by bashing everyone who is either (a) too popular (Leonardo DiCaprio), (b) a flake in personal life (Tom Cruise), or (c) usually-but-not-always-in-stupid-movies (Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey). And I knew it would piss me off. And I knew I would get angry and want to insult them. Grrrrrr. I should have just not opened this thread to begin with. Sometimes the SDMB is just a big stupid wankfest. [/QUOTE] It’s 56 posts (well, minus a few) of people going, “I, also, don’t understand the meaning of ‘guarantee’.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/57 "2007-06-01T18:05:13Z")
[QUOTE=Tengu] Sure do. I see a grand total of ONE movie that can be called shitty in there (Baby Geniuses). a handful that are entertaining enough if there’s nothing better on, and a bunch of kids movies (most of which fall into the second category, or are actively good). Plus, inevitably, a number I haven’t seen. And a LOT of TV and video game work. On the other hand, there’s One Flew, the first two BttF, the first Addams Family, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, any one of which would make up for the ‘forgettable, but not really bad’ list (which includes the third BttF and second Addams Family). [/QUOTE] I would add **The Dream Team** to your list of good Chris Lloyd movies. In fact, all the leads were good, Michael Keaton, Peter Boyle, Stephen Furst, and Lorraine Bracco. Also, let’s not leave off Lloyd’s turn as Commander Kruge in **The Search For Spock**. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/58 "2007-06-01T18:05:23Z")
[QUOTE=ftg] Freddie Prinze Jr. [/QUOTE] Agreed, but he’s been in Sarah Michelle Gellar so I’ve always been jealous of him. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/59 "2007-06-01T18:14:53Z")
[QUOTE=cochrane] Also, let’s not leave off Lloyd’s turn as Commander Kruge in **The Search For Spock**. [/QUOTE] I was going to include that one, then I foresaw an ‘even/odd’ war coming of it, so I decided to pass. \>\_\> ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/60 "2007-06-01T18:41:01Z")
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