# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/101 "2022-06-02T15:18:45Z")
Toni Collette and Emily Watson are two actors who are always fascinating to watch. Can’t say I’ve seen everything either has been in, and that’s a lot of pictures. But they are both very adaptable, can play glamorous or plain characters, and always do their best to disappear into a role, which may be why they get a lot of work, Collette especially. My own film track record has been, I’ll cheerfully admit, spotty. My reputation for being “difficult” on-set hadn’t helped, but in my defense, some of these crew people make you want to tear your hair out, and noisily stomping off into your trailer is frankly the more polite option. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2022, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/102 "2022-06-02T15:38:33Z")
> [@BigDfromLA](#): > > I have never seen Martin Sheen in a bad movie. I challenge anyone to turn me to a bad film made by his boys, Charlie and Emilio. The missus and I watched _Men At Work_ just the other night. Godawful 80s trope fest, but fun as hell. Also, I’ll put up Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor (and yes, even THOSE movies weren’t “bad”) ---
**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 2, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/103 "2022-06-02T15:44:21Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > I challenge anyone to turn me to a bad film made by his boys, Charlie and Emilio. Charlie - Grizzly II, Scary Movie V, Madea’s Witness Protection, Scary Movie IV, Scary Movie 3 Emilio - D3: The Mighty Ducks, Young Guns II, Maximum Overdrive, St. Elmo’s Fire, ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/104 "2022-06-02T15:46:01Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > His movies may not be to everyone’s taste, but I’ve never seen a movie with John Candy that I didn’t like. I’m pretty sure Summer Rental’s showing on a loop in Hell. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/105 "2022-06-02T16:15:38Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > His movies may not be to everyone’s taste, but I’ve never seen a movie with John Candy that I didn’t like. _Canadian Bacon_ and _Wagons East_ destroyed his legacy. ---
**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, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/106 "2022-06-02T16:23:59Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 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. In the context of JCVD making me think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, I put all of your listed bad Schwarzenegger movies ahead of all the good JCVD movies in terms of objective quality. (Production value, acting, cinematography, etc…) I get and kind of agree with the idea that Jean-Claude Van Damme movies are all mindless fun, and they’re pretty consistent in their quality, so if you like one you probably like them all. But even Arnold’s bad movies were better than the “JCVD line” (like the Mendoza line in baseball) plus Arnold has multiple legitimately good or possibly great ones in the mix. Edit: Commando is a tough rewatch, or at least it was for me last time I caught a bit of it, maybe 10 years ago. That one might be below the JCVD line. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2022, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/107 "2022-06-04T08:36:01Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > And the entire movie was a joke. The only people that have seen this movie recently and rated it are rabid Streep fans. > > I also find movies about dead children hilarious, can I subscribe to your newsletter? > > (I’ve personally never seen it, and it also sounds that neither have you, and you are basing opinions on parodies afterwards. I’ve always thought this was one of the films which made Streep’s name, but I’m not particularly a fan of hers. However, we appear to be walking down the “Schindlers list was a joke” pathway, which works too given Seinfeld references, just makes you want to kiss a woman). If you’re saying that _A Cry in the Dark_ (1988) was one of the films that made Streep’s name, she had many major successes from a decade before, with _Holocaust_ (1978), _The Deer Hunter_ and _Kramer vs Kramer_ (1979), and then in _Sophie’s Choice_ (1982) and _Out of Africa_ (1985). She had 5 Academy Award nominations and 2 wins by 1987. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2022, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/108 "2022-06-04T09:36:55Z")
_St. Elmo’s Fire_ was actually a pretty good movie. My first thought was a non-actor like Quintin Tarantino, who inserts himself into his own movies, who doesn’t take a lead role (like his supporting roles in _Pulp Fiction_ or _Reservoir Dogs_), but then I remembered _[Destiny Turns On the Radio](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112854/)_, which was hideously awful. And the “Adam Sandler rule” obviously disqualifies Al Pacino. What about Mark Ruffalo? Even before his Marvel venture, he’d been in _You Can Count On Me_ and _The Kids Are Alright_ and _Spotlight_. ---
**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 4, 2022, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/109 "2022-06-04T11:48:31Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > What about Mark Ruffalo? Even before his Marvel venture, he’d been in _You Can Count On Me_ and _The Kids Are Alright_ and _Spotlight_ . Well, I mean, \*_I_\* liked Just Like Heaven, but I have a weak spot for shitty rom-coms. Plus Donal Logue is always a treat. ETA: Huh, it’s got a 6.7 on IMDb. I would have guessed low 5s at most. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2022, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/110 "2022-06-04T13:22:55Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > If you’re saying that _A Cry in the Dark_ (1988) was one of the films that made Streep’s name, she had many major successes from a decade before, with _Holocaust_ (1978), _The Deer Hunter_ and _Kramer vs Kramer_ (1979), and then in _Sophie’s Choice_ (1982) and _Out of Africa_ (1985). She had 5 Academy Award nominations and 2 wins by 1987. I didn’t say anything remotely resembling that. Perhaps you meant to quote someone else. If it’s not clear, I’m saying A Cry in the Dark is a joke, and I didn’t say anything else about Meryl Streep. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2022, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/111 "2022-06-04T15:41:40Z")
@TriPolar sorry if it was not clear that my reply was meant for smid ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/112 "2022-06-04T16:56:35Z")
Hey, no problem. Happens all the time. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462/113 "2022-06-06T10:26:37Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Emilio - D3: The Mighty Ducks, Young Guns II, Maximum Overdrive, St. Elmo’s Fire, _St Elmo’s Fire_ was a good film for its time. I’d take that out and substitute the horror that was _Freejack_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-have-hardly-ever-made-a-bad-movie/965462.md?page=5)