# Ever seen an actor or director tell the truth about an awful movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266 "2009-01-27T19:19:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/81 "2009-01-29T21:41:29Z")
Jennifer Aniston was pretty clear in her feelings about [Rumor Has It](http://fametastic.co.uk/archive/20060323/759/jennifer-aniston-rumor-has-it-worst-experience-of-my-life/). I think she’s had some public regrets about **Derailed** as well. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/82 "2009-01-29T23:18:13Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > Automatically discounting half the box-office take to account for the studio’s cut makes no sense to me. Because the other half of that box office goes to the distributor (the theater chains) and not to the studios at all. Their calculation means to factor in the fact that not every $ that comes in in receipts automatically goes to paying back the cost of the film itself. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/83 "2009-01-30T04:41:34Z")
I read an excerpt from a book on celebrities some years ago. Dennis Hopper was talking about his role in **Mario Brothers: The Movie**. It went something like: Hopper’s son: Dad, why did you make this movie? Hopper: Well, so I could have money to you buy you shoes, and things like that. Son (after thinking about this): Dad, I don’t need shoes that badly. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/84 "2009-01-30T10:32:28Z")
Pity I could not fit this bit into the title of this thread “while the movie is in general release” ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/85 "2009-01-30T13:36:44Z")
I also saw Sylvester Stallone pull out $10 and hand it out to a few people who claimed to have seen “Stop, or My Mom Will Shoot!” on a talk show a few months ago. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/86 "2009-01-30T13:48:39Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Because the other half of that box office goes to the distributor (the theater chains) and not to the studios at all. Their calculation means to factor in the fact that not every $ that comes in in receipts automatically goes to paying back the cost of the film itself. Doesn’t matter. I have yet to hear somebody say about a live-action film “Hey, United Artists has a new film out! I’m gonna go see that for sure.” Or, “There’s a 24-hour _Gigli_ marathon at CinePlex! I hate that movie, but I’ll look for any reason to go sit in the CinePlex for hours on end, so I’m gonna go see it!” Similarly, not everyone who goes to see a film cares much about who’s in it, although that definitely has more of an impact than which studio produced it or which theatre is showing it. For those reasons, I find the entire “overpaid stars” article Forbes did ridiculous, and their formula rationalizations even more so. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/87 "2009-01-30T13:59:59Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I read an excerpt from a book on celebrities some years ago. Dennis Hopper was talking about his role in **Mario Brothers: The Movie**. It went something like: > > Hopper’s son: Dad, why did you make this movie? > Hopper: Well, so I could have money to you buy you shoes, and things like that. > Son (after thinking about this): Dad, I don’t need shoes that badly. I must really like crap films because not only did I like _Hudson Hawk_ I liked _Super Mario Brothers_ too. The casting was superb - Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as the Marios, Dennis Hopper chewing the scenery, Fiona Shaw in yet another ridiculous character (seriously - the woman is a phenomenal actress and plays nothing but outrageously OTT women on film: see also _Three Men and a Little Lady_, _Undercover Blues_ etc). It’s not good but it’s darned entertaining. On the other hand I did not, and will not ever, like _The Avengers_. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/88 "2009-01-30T14:16:03Z")
I liked Hudson Hawk too, and I went to Gigli just to see what all the fuss was about. It wasn’t good but I didn’t find it to be unbearable either. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/89 "2009-01-30T14:45:52Z")
The guy who directed American History X, Tony Kaye, reportedly hated the final cut of the movie (after Ed Norton re-edited it) so much that he wanted to use the pseudonym Humpty Dumpty in the credits, and trashed it in every interview he did. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/90 "2009-01-30T15:19:25Z")
I believe George Clooney also likes to joke about Ocean’s Twelve. At least I recall that when launching Ocean’s Thirteen, he said they couldn’t let the series end on a bad note, or something to the effect. ---
**Author:** ![Rattlehead02](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rattlehead02/32/3944_2.png) [@Rattlehead02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattlehead02)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/91 "2009-01-30T15:51:42Z")
> [@cactus\_waltz](#): > > I believe George Clooney also likes to joke about Ocean’s Twelve. At least I recall that when launching Ocean’s Thirteen, he said they couldn’t let the series end on a bad note, or something to the effect. Guess that means there is an Ocean’s 14 in his future. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/92 "2009-01-30T16:00:06Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > The guy who directed American History X, Tony Kaye, reportedly hated the final cut of the movie (after Ed Norton re-edited it) so much that he wanted to use the pseudonym Humpty Dumpty in the credits, and trashed it in every interview he did. I wonder which version I saw then, because that movie was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/93 "2009-01-30T16:11:10Z")
In the early 80s HBO played an **Olivia Newton John** concert where she disses her movie Xanadu. She says something like…“I made a little movie a few years ago called Xanadu, in case you missed it which was very easy to do…etc.” She said that before introducing the song Xanadu which she liked, to distinguish it from the movie she hated. ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/94 "2009-01-30T16:14:22Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Sadly, I own _Death to Smoochy_ on DVD. I’m always too distracted by Jon Stewart’s haircut to notice his performance, but the problem with the film is that they needed to tranq Robin Williams much earlier in the filmmaking process. Sadly, I love \* Death to Smoochy \*. A lot. So much so that when I do the dishes I usually sing ‘Oh the crack can lead to smack, oh yes it can’. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/95 "2009-01-30T16:30:17Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > Similarly, not everyone who goes to see a film cares much about who’s in it, although that definitely has more of an impact than which studio produced it or which theatre is showing it. For those reasons, I find the entire “overpaid stars” article Forbes did ridiculous, and their formula rationalizations even more so. Well, tell that to the studios then, because the only reason the stars are paid as much as they are is not because they’re likeable people or great humanitarians. They are paid what they are because the expectation is that they can bring butts into the seats (and the comparison to studios or theatres is absurd; they’re not even remotely analogous). While it’s true that not everyone makes decisions based on casting, a lot of people do (both positively and negatively)–certainly enough so that the powers that be pay stars what they do because they expect to make their money make and then some based on who they pick to be in their film. As long as that expectation is there, assessing the value of those investments is fair game. ---
**Author:** ![Liddle\_Lamsy\_Divey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Liddle\_Lamsy\_Divey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liddle_Lamsy_Divey)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/96 "2009-01-30T19:50:02Z")
While it’s not a complete trashing of _The Covenant_, Taylor Kitsch does say: “I think it had the making to be something really great… It just felt like the potential wasn’t 100 percent reached… You can’t win on every single one.” [Source](http://www.avclub.com/articles/taylor-kitsch,23225/) ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/97 "2009-01-31T01:02:03Z")
> [@blinkingblinking](#): > > [Re: the amusing Dennis Hopper story:] Pity I could not fit this bit into the title of this thread “while the movie is in general release” Don’t let that stop you from trying to prevent a thread from growing organically and becoming entertaining and amusing, when you can insist it stay literal and boring. ETA: I also heard Syvester Stallone, when told someone was going to rent _Oscar_, said “Don’t bother; save your money.” But that’s wasn’t in general release either. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/98 "2009-01-31T09:36:31Z")
> [@Liddle\_Lamsy\_Divey](#): > > While it’s not a complete trashing of _The Covenant_, Taylor Kitsch does say: “I think it had the making to be something really great… It just felt like the potential wasn’t 100 percent reached… You can’t win on every single one.” > > [Source](http://www.avclub.com/articles/taylor-kitsch,23225/) In its defence _The Covenant_ had some extremely hot young guys wearing swim suits, so I give it a pass. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/99 "2009-01-31T16:38:05Z")
Whenever people tell Patty Duke “I saw you in Valley of the Dolls,” her standard response is “Oh, I am so sorry.” ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266/100 "2009-02-01T04:33:55Z")
**Shirley Ujest** you must be thinking of “The Devil’s Own”, in which Pitt costarred with Harrison Ford in an Northern Ireland themed drama. Pitt said in a Newsweek article “We had no script…It was ridiculous. It was the most irresponsible bit of filmaking I’ve ever seen”. He apparently was upset that constant script rewrites had failed to make his character better. He would quickly offer up an apology under studio pressure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-an-actor-or-director-tell-the-truth-about-an-awful-movie/483266.md?page=6)