There are very few movies that can be described as completely perfect, as even a masterpiece likeApocalypse Nowis filled with historical errors and inaccuracies.However,few things are more important within the production of a film than casting good actors in the lead parts. Even if a screenwriter has a beautiful story in mind with great dialogue, it won’t be worth their efforts if the performers do not live up to what is on the page.
While some bad movies have great lines of dialogue,it can be very hard for viewers to invest in a film if one of the performances doesn’t work.One actor can single-handedly torpedo the quality of a film, and make the rest of the cast look silly or unrealistic in comparison. Here are ten great movies that were ruined by one performance.
10Marlon Brando, ‘Guys and Dolls’ (1955)
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Guys and Dollsis a terrific musical film that combines romance, gangster movie shenanigans, and a number of fun plot twists into a rip-roaring spectacle. While the acclaimed singerFrank Sinatradid a suitable job in the leading role,Marlon Brando nearly sank the film due to his terrible singing abilities.Brando may have been coming off of an Academy Award win for best Actor for his performance inOn The Waterfront, but his musical skills were severely lacking.
To make matters worse,Brando and Sinatra feuded throughout the production ofGuys and Dolls,as they both couldn’t stand working with one another. This made the film more challenging to appreciate, as they were supposed to be playing characters that were close friends and allies.Guys and Dollsis only worth watching for viewers who are able to fast forward through any scenes in which Brando attempts to sing.
Guys and Dolls
9Kim Darby, ‘True Grit’ (1969)
Directed by Henry Hathaway
True Gritwas a terrific western adaptation of an acclaimed book, and gaveJohn Waynethe opportunity togive a performance he considers to be his personal best. While Wayne finally earned an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film,the character of Mattie Ross, played by Kim Darby, is one of the most irritating protagonists in western history.Darby does little more than whine and complain throughout the film.
Darby feels completely unrealistic in the role of a traumatized child,making it harder to focus on the soulful performance that Wayne is giving. Thankfully,JoelandEthan Coenchose to castHaillee Steinfieldin the same role when they remade the film in 2010 withJeff Bridgesin the role that Wayne had played. Steinfeld’s performance was actually terrific, and earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
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8Kate Capshaw, ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doomwas a very different film compared toRaiders of the Lost Ark, as it was a prequel that took place a year before Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) got involved in the search for the Ark of the Covenant. Indy is teamed up with new love interest Willie Scott, andunfortunately Kate Capshaw had no chemistry with Ford. The film provided a much more compelling supporting character withKe Huy Quan’s role as Indy’s sidekick, Short Round.
It’s really hard to appreciate Capshaw inIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doomwhen considering how strong Karen Allen’s performance as Marion Ravenwood wasinRaiders of the Lost Ark.AlthoughCapshaw ended up marrying directorSteven Speilbergin real life, it doesn’t make her performance inIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doomany better.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
7Daryl Hannah, ‘Wall Street’ (1987)
Directed by Oliver Stone
Wall Streetis the only film in history that has won both an Academy Award and a Razzie Award. Michael Douglaswalked away with the Best Actor trophy for his incredible performance as the Wall Street business tycoon Gordon Gekko, who claimed that“greed is good” for a capitalistic society.Unfortunately,Daryl Hannah’s performance as the love interest ofCharlie Sheen’s character felt completely superfluous and inessential to the satirical points that directorOliver Stonewas trying to make about American business.
While Sheen is often a better actor than he is given credit for,Hannah does almost nothing to sell the romantic storyline in the film, which hasn’t aged well at all. Both Sheen and Douglas reprised their roles in the underrated sequelWall Street: Money Never Sleeps, but Hannah thankfully did not return to reprise her role in any capacity.
Wall Street
6Sofia Coppola, ‘The Godfather: Part III’ (1990)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
The Godfather: Part IIIfaced incredible expectations, as the first two installments inFrancis Ford Coppola’s trilogy were heralded as some of the greatest films ever made. Unfortunately, the Oscar-winning director made the mistake of casting his daughterSofia Coppolain a lead role as the daughter ofAl Pacino’s Michael Corleone. Whileshe may not have been the biggest issue in the film,Coppola’s terrible performance makes the third film easily the weakest inThe Godfatherfranchise.
The decision to focus so heavily on Coppola’s character was confusing, especially when the film introduced a compelling new anti-hero played byAndy Garcia.While Coppola ended up becoming an acclaimed director behind films likeLost in TranslationandThe Virgin Suicides, she essentially abandoned acting all together after the disastrous reaction to her strange performance inThe Godfather: Part III.
The Godfather Part III
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5Kevin Costner, ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ (1991)
Directed by Kevin Reynolds
Robin Hood is one of the most famous heroes in all of fiction, andRobin Hood: Prince of Thievesis about as good of a film about the hero of Nottingham that has ever been made. Unfortunately,Kevin Costner’s inability to deliver a compelling British accent madeRobin Hood: Prince of Thieveslaughable in scenes that should have felt epic.It became a performance that was heavily parodied, particularly byCary Elwes’ humorous version of the characterin theMel Brookscomedy filmRobin Hood: Men in Tights.
Costner is completely overshadowed by Alan Rickman’s performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham,a villain who ranks among the most evil in cinematic history. Rickman evenimprovised lines and made serious changes to the scriptbecause he was so dissatisfied with the creative direction that Costner seemed to be taking the film in.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
4Keanu Reeves, ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ (1992)
Keanu Reevesis a great action star in films likeThe Matrix, Point Break,andSpeed, but he often struggles in films that ask him to stretch his abilities. Unfortunately,Bram Stoker’s Dracularequired Reeves to have an English accent that he simply couldn’t pull off.WhileGary Oldman’s performance as the titular vampire andhis amazing makeup effects workwere awarded with serious acclaim, Reeves was heavily lambasted for his disastrous performance.
Having an unbelievable accent is one thing, butReeves also had no romantic chemistry with Winona Ryder, which made it significantly harder to invest in the characters on an emotional level. Considering thatBram Stoker’s Draculagoes further into the explicit sexuality of the original novel than any other depiction of the characters, it’s even more disappointing that Reeves simply isn’t able to add the needed sensuality to the role.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
In 19th century England, Count Dracula journeys to London, where he encounters Mina Harker, a woman who resembles his lost love. This tale weaves themes of passion and immortality as Dracula’s desires clash with those who seek to end his reign of terror.
3Katie Holmes, ‘Batman Begins’ (2005)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Batman Beginswas a terrific reboot of theBatmanfranchise that chose to revamp many ofBob Kane’s most iconic characters from a more realistic perspective. However, directorChristopher Nolanended up inserting the new character ofKatie Holmes’ Rachel Dawes, who served as a childhood friend and love interest to Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale).Holmes is completely unbelievable in the role and has no chemistry with Bale.The romantic scenes are easily the worst aspect of a film that gets most aspects of the origin story right.
Thankfully,the trilogy did not entirely waste the character, asHolmes was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel inThe Dark Knight. Gyllenhaal perfectly captured the determination and intelligence that made Rachel a compelling character; the only drawback is that she should have just been cast inBatman Beginsin the first place.
Batman Begins
2Lee Pace, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Directed by James Gunn
It’s become a cliche at this point to state that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has struggled to have interesting villains, even if their heroes tend to be very well cast. AlthoughGuardians of the Galaxyis certainlyone of the strongest installments in the MCU thus far,Lee Pace lacks any sense of menace with his performance as Ronan the Accuser.Ronan ultimately feels like nothing but a pawn within the plan by Thanos (Josh Brolin) to take over the universe.
Pace’s lack of emotion or personality stands out in sharp contrast to the Guardians, who all have very strong senses of humor. Pace ended up reprising his role inCaptain Marvel, which unfortunately did not give him much of an opportunity to give any more depth to the character. Thankfully, the second and third installments in theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy ended up introducing more interesting antagonists.
Guardians of the Galaxy
1Tom Hanks, ‘Elvis’ (2022)
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Elvisproved to be a breakout film role forAustin Butler, whose incredible performance as “The King of Rock’n’Roll” ended up earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Whileall ofBaz Luhrmann’s films are over-the-top,Tom Hanks’ performance as Colonel Tom Parker felt like a complete cartoon villainy.Hanks’ strange accent and over-the-mannerism robbedElvisof any sense of dramatic realism or emotional sensitivity.
Hanks’ performance is so strange that it prevents the film from delving into the interesting true story of Parker, whose relationship with Elvis became a topic of debate among music scholars and historians.Elvisis about as perfect of a film about the most iconic musician of all-time as anyone could possibly hope for, but it would have been a much stronger project had anyone else been cast in the critical role of Parker.
