It’s a given that even the most talented actors, directors, writers, singers, and musicians are, on occasion, going to do something that ends up being–at best–rather lackluster. In the unpredictable world of entertainment, it’s just expected that the law of averages is going to bite you in the ass sometimes. Still, most performers who remain successful over a long period of time manage to shrug it off and go on to a project that hopefully will turn out better. However, there are those flops that prove so destructive that they send the career arcs of even well-established performers on into sharp downward trajectories that take years to reverse–if ever.
For example, it would be a gross understatement to say that the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie (and accompanying soundtrack) wasn’t exactly a boon to any of the performers’ careers. Still, some (like Steve Martin and Earth, Wind, & Fire) did manage to walk away more-or-less unscathed. That, however, was not the case for Peter Frampton who never recovered from the fiasco. Also, although it was likely coincidental, the movie signalled the end of Aerosmith’s first wave of success and the beginning of a dark period for the band personally and commercially that didn’t end until Run DMC unearthed them for their “Walk This Way” cover in 1986.
Anyway, that’s just one example and I’m sure you can think of some better ones. Just remember it has to be someone who had a fairly good career going at the time they did the deadly flop. It would be too easy to name one-hit wonders and highly touted/aggressively hyped newcomers who never panned out.
Actually, that just brought down an entire studio; Ishtar would be my nominee for the career of Warren Beatty, although it didn’t stop him from making many more stinkers.
The Postman marked Kevin Costner’s exit from Hollywood’s A-List (he’s made movies since then but is never the top-billed star) and a brief respite from bombastic, overlong “epic” pictures; until “Troy”, that is.
Glitter: I doubt very much we’ll ever hear the words “starring” and “Mariah Carey” put together again.
Swept Away: Production companies have finally stopped giving Madonna scripts, and she’s since resorted to making a guest appearance on “Will & Grace.”
A near-cataclysm: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues almost did in Gus Van Sant’s career. He rebounded though with To Die For.
Cutthroat Island bankrupted that studio (studio name escapes me now…New Line? Fine Line? Whatever…) although I saw it and didn’t think it was all that bad…better than Spielberg’s Hook.
John Travolta’s career has had more lives than Morris the cat. In 1978, he had starred in the #3 movie of 1977, and was starring in what would eventually be the #1 movie of 1978. Then Moment by Moment was released. It wasn’t until 1983 that he made another movie you could call a hit. Moment by Moment was about a love affair between Travolta’s character and a character played by Lily Tomlin(!). If any movie can be considered to have been hooted off the screen, this one was.
His next hit wasn’t until 1983 when he was in Staying Alive, which was the #9 movie of the year. But then his next movie was the stinker Perfect, and he sank from sight for five more years, when the Look Who’s Talking movies brought him back and then Pulp Fiction made him a big star again.
If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and rent the documentary Overnight, the story of the rise and fall of the guy that made The Boondock Saints. He’s a bartender that get a $15 deal from Miramax to make The Boondock Saints, and he goes from “man of the hour” plucky lovable guy to such an insufferable asshole that Miramax drops him, he alienates everyone in his life, and burns so many bridges in Hollywood that he’s finished.
The documentary is brutal, as you watch this guy’s head swell up and destroy his career.