# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/61 "2007-06-01T19:35:22Z")
[QUOTE=Nature’s Call] [How to tell if you’re watching a bad Nicolas Cage movie](http://www.thejay.com/2007/02/09/bad-nicolas-cage-movie/) [/QUOTE] I could have shortened that - How to tell if you’re watching a bad Nicolas Cage Movie: Nicolas Cage is in the movie. ---
**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, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/62 "2007-06-01T19:48:00Z")
[QUOTE=Solfy] I could have shortened that - How to tell if you’re watching a bad Nicolas Cage Movie: Nicolas Cage is in the movie. [/QUOTE] Hey now, he was great in _Werewolf Women of the SS_! ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/63 "2007-06-01T19:56:57Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] You can’t exactly say that about Britney Spears. She’s made a grand total of three films where she appeared on camera. In one, she played “Britney Spears, Music Video Performer”. In another, she played “Flight attendant”. The remaining one is her actual movie, _Crossroads_, made in 2002. If “they” keep giving her films, “they” are doing a pretty crappy job at it. [/QUOTE] By “them” I mean “pretty pop princesses.” And they do keep giving them movie roles. Jessica Simpson was filming another film a few months ago. While I’m speaking about attractive singers that shouldn’t have been handed movie roles, I reluctantly have to add: \*Elvis Presely ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/64 "2007-06-01T20:59:15Z")
[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] Preach it. Someone mentioned Kim Basinger. So true. LA Confidential was a real shitty movie. And of course Tom Cruise – Risky Business, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Magnolia, Born On the Fourth of July, were all pure shit too. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/65 "2007-06-01T21:06:32Z")
With the possible exception of Steven Seagal-- though I found _Executive Decision_ a tolerable thriller–I can think of good movies, often great movies, featuring any of the actors listed so far. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/66 "2007-06-01T21:29:18Z")
[QUOTE=kevja] Preach it. And of course Tom Cruise – Risky Business, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Magnolia, Born On the Fourth of July, were all pure shit too. [/QUOTE] I put Tom Cruise on my list. And to be fair, I should have said "Anything after “Eyes Wide Shut.” (I didn’t see “Magnolia.”) That’s the time that he seemed to lose his golden touch for picking good movies. And maybe I’m harder on him because he SHOULD be making better movies because I believe he’s a good actor. Unfortunately “Mission Impossible IX” and the laughable “Last Samurai” are a far cry from his earlier body of work. ---
**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, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/67 "2007-06-01T22:15:57Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] With the possible exception of Steven Seagal-- though I found _Executive Decision_ a tolerable thriller–I can think of good movies, often great movies, featuring any of the actors listed so far. [/QUOTE] Name one with Pauli Shore. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/68 "2007-06-01T22:41:04Z")
[QUOTE=kidchameleon] Name one with Pauli Shore. [/QUOTE] I enjoyed “Pauly Shore is Dead.” But I don’t know if it’s considered a good movie. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/69 "2007-06-01T22:49:03Z")
[QUOTE=RandMcnally] I enjoyed “Pauly Shore is Dead.” But I don’t know if it’s considered a good movie. [/QUOTE] Gotta give it points for having a great title. ---
**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, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/70 "2007-06-01T22:52:58Z")
[QUOTE=PunditLisa] I put Tom Cruise on my list. And to be fair, I should have said "Anything after “Eyes Wide Shut.” (I didn’t see “Magnolia.”) That’s the time that he seemed to lose his golden touch for picking good movies. And maybe I’m harder on him because he SHOULD be making better movies because I believe he’s a good actor. Unfortunately “Mission Impossible IX” and the laughable “Last Samurai” are a far cry from his earlier body of work. [/QUOTE] I thought **Mission Impossible 3** was a better-than-average popcorn action movie (and easily the best of the 3). Cruise was fine, although the movie was stolen by Philip Seymour Hoffman. **Minority Report** was, if a tad overambitious and 10% too weird-for-the-sake-of-being-weird, overall fascinating and enjoyable. And **War of the Worlds** is a movie that I think the SDMB in general vastly underrates. It had its flaws (in particular, the extreme _deus ex machina_ nature of the defeat of the invaders, followed by the too-happy final ending), but it also had some incredibly gripping and mesmerizing moments, and Cruise was (I thought) actively good in it. The scenes where he’s just trying to be a dad to his kids in the midst of this incredibly incomprehensible disaster were totally believable. Dakota Fanning is certainly overexposed, but there’s a reason for it… she really can act. I guess my point is that about none of those three movies would I say either “well, that would have been an extremely good movie, except that the terrible acting of Tom Cruise dragged it down”, or “that movie was exactly like every other Tom Cruise movie… you’ve seen one you’ve seen 'em all” (which, must as I hate to make broad statements of that sort, could certainly be directed towards your Rob Schneiders and David Spades\*). \*Not to be confused with your Jim Carreys, Adam Sandlers, Will Ferrells and Ben Stillers, who, although they each have an obvious “style” of predictable commercially-successful comedy that they often make, have branched out and done truly different, and I’d say high quality, work. (ie **Man in the Moon** and **The Truman Show** ; **Punch Drunk Love** and **Spanglish** ; **Stranger than Fiction** ; and **Permanent Midnight** and (arguably) **Mystery Men**. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/71 "2007-06-01T23:41:45Z")
[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] Hey, waitaminnit! _OFOTCN_ is anything but forgettable! (Though Lloyd’s contribution to it probably is.) ---
**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 2, 2007, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/72 "2007-06-02T00:06:57Z")
:o I confess to liking _Encino Man_, if only for Brendan Fraser and Sean Astin. Shoot me now, please. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/73 "2007-06-02T00:17:34Z")
[QUOTE=minlokwat] 17 posts and no mention of **Pauly Shore**? What is _wrong_ with you people? [/QUOTE] \*We had very nearly managed to erase all evidence of the one called Pauly Shore from Human consciousness when you came along and blew if for us. We will begin again. And you will pay for this.\* ---
**Author:** ![Intravenus\_De\_Milo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Intravenus\_De\_Milo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intravenus_De_Milo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/74 "2007-06-02T05:19:12Z")
[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. [/QUOTE] True. I think people are coming form the direction of “this movie will be guaranteed not to be liked by me”, instead of “this movie will be guaranteed to be terrible.” Whether or not you LIKE people like Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, etc. that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve done some critically-acclaimed movies in their time, as opposed to critically reviled ones. Sure, I used to loathe Leo DiCaprio back when he was basically a pretty boy in every role (and I’m a hetero girl, for cryin’ out loud), but he’s done some great films since then, and has shown he has range, so he’s redeemed himself as far as I’m concerned. > [@](#): > > Christopher Lloyd – It’s hard to argue that he’s had more than his fair share of clunkers, but , even ignoring Cuckoo and BttF, he was in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Addams family movies, and others. And let’s not forget _Taxi_ - the role of Reverend Jim was considered brilliant, and largely put him on the map. I think it’s time we all tried a little harder 😉 Bringing up matinee fodder like Tara Reid and Pauly Shore is a good start. With actors like those, you generally tend to see them in movies made to harness their limited skills, and are thus lower on the totem pole. In addition to these fine thespians, I submit the following: - Carrot Top…do I really need to elaborate? - Ashton Kutcher…tried to do a serious role with _The Butterfly Effect_, which didn’t exactly do gangbusters. The rest of his resume is pretty bleak. - Ice Cube…_Anaconda_, _Friday_, _Are We There Yet_, etc. The _Barbershop_ movies were marginally good (in the same sense that most Adam Sandler films are), but that’s mostly not due to him. - any WWE “wrestler”. Exhibit A: John Cena of _The Marine_ fame. I’m still not sold on The Rock just yet. - Jamie Kennedy and Tom Green…painfully unfunny dudes whose filmographies consist mainly of lowbrow comedies. If I want to see gross-out, frat-boy-style humor, I can think of better films with other actors. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/75 "2007-06-02T05:33:04Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] 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. [/QUOTE] Wasn’t it after his “early success” that he was nominated for a freakin’ Academy Award? I believe that particular movie has a pretty good reputation. Oh, and another Christopher Lloyd classic: Clue. I cannot leave this thread without bringing up Clue. 😃 Edited to add: Maybe the reason why folks keep bringing up actors they don’t personally like is that, for them, that actor’s presence in a movie drags down the entire production irredeemably. Now, I can’t see how, based on some of these names, but it’s certainly possibl, maybe even understandable. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/76 "2007-06-02T06:25:34Z")
Anyone going to argue that Tor Johnson was ever in a movie that wasn’t a steaming pile of the best? ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/77 "2007-06-02T06:44:21Z")
OK, that’s a great list people gave of actors and actresses they don’t like. Now, has anyone addressed the OP yet? I especially like the Ben Kingsley one. WTF? I don’t think having his name in the credits brought down _Searching for Bobby Fischer, Schindler’s List, Sneakers, Sexy Beast, Gandhi, House of Sand and Fog_ and a bunch of others…sure, he made some clunkers, but “actor whose mere name in the credits will pretty much guarantee a shitty movie”? So **that’s** the reason _A.I._ was so boring… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/78 "2007-06-02T08:49:14Z")
There are few names that \*guarantee \*a pile of crap. There are many whose name is a _warning_. A few sure craptastic names: Kirstie Alley Andy Dick. (TV mainly, thank gawd) Carrot Top. Warning! Names include: Tom Cruise (recent only) Travolta (again, recent only) and many others mentioned above. But they are only names that when seen should cause one to carefully rethink spending that $10 to see that film. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/79 "2007-06-02T09:02:04Z")
I knew this thing was going to devolve into “Actors I hate.” As to the point of the thread, I was really going for the “certain character actors who appear in movies. They are not untalented, but their script choices are utter horseshit.” Poster boy for this: Lance Henriksen. Earlier in the thread, someone actually had the temerity to defend John Carradine. Good actor? I guess. But for every _Stagecoach_ there were 20 _Red Zone Cuba_s. Fuck John Carradine. He used his name to advertise utter shit. ---
**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 2, 2007, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/80 "2007-06-02T09:28:26Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Hey, waitaminnit! _OFOTCN_ is anything but forgettable! (Though Lloyd’s contribution to it probably is.) [/QUOTE] I’m afraid you misread my post. Assuming OFOTCN is, in this case, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, that’s on my list of Good Movies (any one of which would make up for all of his Forgettable Movies). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315.md?page=5)