# What actors have hardly ever made a bad movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 31, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462 "2022-05-31T20:52:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/81 "2022-06-01T16:51:26Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > What about Gary Oldman? Maybe he’s only an example of an actor who always acts excellently even in bad movies (like the aforementioned Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Lemmon), but though I don’t know all his films, the ones I’ve seen in him were all outstanding in some way Please tell me you haven’t seen LOST IN SPACE. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/82 "2022-06-01T16:52:10Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I can go into a Tom Cruise movie and be reasonably sure I’ll like it. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a “good movie” of course. My son even liked Mission Impossible 2, but he is 11 and any guns shooting and motorcycle driving movies will probably cut it for him. I loved Jack Reacher(no, I have not read the books), but Jack Reacher 2 was boring as could be. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/83 "2022-06-01T16:55:25Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Please tell me you haven’t seen LOST IN SPACE. I haven’t and had to google it. At least it has a respectable 7.3/10 on imdb though. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/84 "2022-06-01T16:57:40Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I haven’t and had to google it. At least it has a respectable 7.3/10 on imdb though. Wow, that is a terrible movie to have such a high rating. Who the heck is voting on there? Wait, I think you looked up the recent TV show. The movie we are talking about is only rated 5.2/10. > **[Lost in Space (1998) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120738/reference/)** > > Lost in Space (1998) Reference View ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/85 "2022-06-01T17:01:41Z")
Ah, sorry, my bad. The series was the first match everywhere, and I thought he was in it. ETA: just looked up the imdb page for the movie, and I’ve never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/86 "2022-06-01T17:10:30Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Not completely alone - that movie _sucks_ . A boring non-plot about a human Jar Jar Binks stumbling through life doesn’t meet my minimum standards for ‘good’, no matter what sort of special effects they use to alter the footage of dead people. Co-signed. You might appreciate the [re-watch review](https://jezebel.com/i-re-watched-forrest-gump-so-no-one-else-ever-has-to-1601861903) by Shit, Actually author Lindy West. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/87 "2022-06-01T17:30:20Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > What about Gary Oldman? Maybe he’s only an example of an actor who always acts excellently even in bad movies (like the aforementioned Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Lemmon), but though I don’t know all his films, the ones I’ve seen in him were all outstanding in some way. Gary Oldman, besides being in the dire Demi Moore interpretation of _The Scarlet Letter_, starred in _Tiptoes_, where he played a dwarf. Not like John Rhys-Davis as Gimli, but an actual short human being. Furthermore, it was a film about an extended family of dwarfs, and every other one of them was played by an actual person with dwarfism, while Oldman waddled around on his knees. It was possibly the most misguided film ever made. > **[It’s Only The Size Of Your Heart That Counts Case File #154: Tiptoes](https://www.avclub.com/it-s-only-the-size-of-your-heart-that-counts-case-file-1798218880)** > > When I was young, a diminutive sports instructor named Dorf fascinated me. Dorf was no typical golf or fishing teacher: In spite of his many bestselling golf-instruction videos, he did not appear to be a very capable golfer. I found Dorf to be... ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/88 "2022-06-01T17:35:27Z")
_Lost in Space_, is a bad movie, but Gary Oldman is the best part of it. He doesn’t play your typical Gary Oldman-style psychopathic villain. He plays Dr. Smith! There is one scene where Dr. Smith and Maj. West are bickering, and if you close your eyes, you can picture the original actors doing the scene. Gary Oldman and Matt LeBlanc have the voices down pat. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/89 "2022-06-01T17:51:53Z")
Did **William Holden** ever make a bad movie? He was in several absolute classics. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/90 "2022-06-01T17:54:03Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > _Lost in Space_ , is a bad movie, but Gary Oldman is the best part of it. He doesn’t play your typical Gary Oldman-style psychopathic villain. He plays Dr. Smith! Matt LeBlanc and Gary Oldman were in a movie together. Huh. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/91 "2022-06-01T18:03:39Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Did **William Holden** ever make a bad movie? He was in several absolute classics. Casino Royale The Omen II ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/92 "2022-06-01T18:12:42Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > How about **James Garner**? A few great movies, come kinda forgettable, but I don’t know of any truly bad movies in his career. It would appear that you’ve never seen [Tank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_(film)). ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/93 "2022-06-01T19:39:58Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I haven’t seen _No Such Thing_ because it was panned Aww, but that’s a Sarah Polley movie. Love me some Sarah Polley. Make it a double feature with Guinevere for a double shot of the weird indie films she’d make in between more mainstream stuff like Go and Dawn of the Dead. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/94 "2022-06-01T19:47:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Casino Royale _Casino Royale_ is not good, but I’m not sure if I’d call it bad. It’s just a glorious example of '60s excess; throw everything at the screen and see what sticks. I don’t remember Holden having a very big part in it. > [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > It would appear that you’ve never seen [Tank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_(film)). It’s a silly premise, but I remember it being better than the idea would suggest, mostly because of Garner. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/95 "2022-06-01T20:01:57Z")
That doesn’t mean it was a crappy film. > [@silenus](#): > > Casino Royale That film went from fantastic to craptastic. I assume you are talking about the 1967 version? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/96 "2022-06-01T20:51:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > That doesn’t mean it was a crappy film. …pondering…pondering… Ok, that’s fair. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2022, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/97 "2022-06-02T00:31:53Z")
You want know an actor who I don’t think as had a “BAD” movie? This maybe seem like an odd pick but **Jean-Claude Van Damme**! I am not saying his films were cinematic masterpieces with great artistic merit but I always knew what type of movie he made and he always delivered. And even the few non-action films he was in were at least good. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/98 "2022-06-02T01:02:07Z")
No, I’m sorry, but I can’t l can’t let that stand. I like my fair share of JCVD movies, but the one with the exploding blue jeans was beyond awful. (Did I dream that? Was that an actual movie plot, where the terrorist threat was _exploding blue jeans?!_) Following your train of thought, Arnold Schwarzenegger has an impressive batting average. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2022, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/99 "2022-06-02T01:41:19Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Following your train of thought, Arnold Schwarzenegger has an impressive batting average. Does he? He’s in Escape Plan, Sabotage, Aftermath, while none of the Terminators are fully bad, the most recent couple were certainly less than great. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2022, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/100 "2022-06-02T01:43:50Z")
That one is _Knock Off_ with Rob Schneider and Paul Sorvino and I thought it was a fun entertaining movie. Personally I think JCVD’s worst film was _Cyborg_ but I even enjoyed THAT. I admit my tastes are probably a little different most. And since you mentioned Arnold I think JCVD’s body of work is far more consistent than his. my favorite action stars would rank: 1. JCVD 2. Arnold Schwarzenegger 3. Sylvester Stallone and way at that bottom would Steven Seagal who I think is horrible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462.md?page=6)