The TV movie Ode to Billie Joe came up in another thread, and I mentioned my opinion that Robbie Benson, who played the title character in that “film,” delivered perhaps the worst fake southern accent in movie history.
I want to be fair and consider all of the contenders, though.
Any other nominees?
Gary Oldman’s inexplicable Southern accent in “The Fifth Element”.
The Cajun accents in “The Big Easy” were horrific. Also, anyone’s who has been to New Orleans, knows that the people there have a completely different sound.
Amen! I was wondering who in the hell he was trying to sound like. Like the movie otherwise.
Opal, character on one of those Soaps. Supposed to be from the south, but I’ve never heard an accent that horrible all my life.
I couldn’t stand Kevin Costner’s attempt in JFK. Did that sound bad to anyone else?
I thought Keanau Reeves in The Devil’s Advocate was pretty horrible.
Nicholas Cage, Con Air.
These are all worthy choices. (And yes, Costner’s accent was particularly egregious. I’m considering changing my vote.)
And why do they keep giving Keanu Reeves parts which require him to do an accent? Memo to casting directors everywhere: Keanu can’t do accents!
A couple of other nominees have occurred to me: [list][]Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. It’s odd, because his fake southern accent in The Green Mile wasn’t so bad. The Gump accent was a mess, though.[]Vivian Leigh in Gone With the Wind. Sorry. I know she’s an icon and all, but the attempted accent was atrocious.
Although, I have to say I thought Oldman’s attempt at a Southern accent wasn’t too bad. It did seem a bit out of place though. I’m not sure why. Heck, we rednecks have as much right as anyone to explore the vast reaches of outer space! 
Just look at all the southern-accented Apollo astronauts!
Dick Van Dyke in “Mary Poppins.”
. . . What’s that, Ike? That was supposed to be a COCKNEY accent? Oh, g’wan, you’re pulling my leg!
I second this one.
Saw “Best in Show” over the weekend (highly recommended), and I was wondering what our compatriots from the South thought of Christopher Guest’s Arkansas (I believe) accent from the movie. Personally, I thought it was pretty decent (especially considering he’s freakin’ British, and a Baron to boot - not that there’s a relation there, but I’m amused that he’s a lord), but I wonder what you gentleman and ladies from down South thought.
I’ll second Vivian Leigh in GWTW. Unfortunately it seems that a lot of actors look at GWTW as a textbook on Southern speech.
A few years ago, a movie about some poor Mississippi family came out. It starred Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood. Whoever played the sister/daughter in that film just had an atrocious fake Southern accent. I still cringe at the thought of her saying “memoirs.”
I know I’m sort of breaking the rules here, but one night, I decided to watch “Savannah” to see if it was any good. I didn’t make it through the opening narration before I changed the channel. Fake Southern accents are like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.
I haven’t seen Con Air, but I am surprised. I thought Cage did a reasonably good approximation of a Southern accent in Raising Arizona (though why he had a southern accent in that film, I don’t know). Maybe being around Holly Hunter’s genuine Southern drawl made it easier for him to pick it up.
JosephFinn, I plan to see Best in Show soon. I’ll give you a rating on the accent after I hear it.
I third it.
Dan Akroyd in Driving Miss Daisy. Jessica Tandy’s accent, in contrast, was excellent.
This is the first one that came to my mind after reading this thread title. He’s got an accent, wait, no he doesn’t. Oh, yes he does. Wait, no he doesn’t. Repeat ad nauseum.
I saw a program about the making of Forrest Gump, and Tom Hanks imitated the accent of the boy who played the young Forrest (can’t recall his name at this moment), which was a real southern accent. There is a lot of variety in the way southerners talk, I have heard people that you would have sworn were doing a bad fake southern accent, and that was just the way they talked.
Badtz Maru, I have lived and traveled all over the South. Not to hold myself out as the ultimate authority, but I have heard just about every variation on the Southern accent. I’m especially familiar with Alabama accents, since I grew up just across the border in Georgia, and have many friends and relatives scattered all over Alabama. (Forrest Gump is set in Alabama, you’ll recall.)
I defy anyone to find an accent anywhere in the South that matches what Hanks did in Gump.
(If Hanks was imitating the boy, it must have been a lousy imitation.)
Sally Field, on the other hand, turned in a pretty good accent as Forrest’s mother. I will give credit where credit is due.
Consider it fourthed. Little Nicky Cage should be a hands-down winner for that feeble attempt at an accent.