According to my count I’ve seen 650 films from the last decade, which is more or less an accurate count. I was particularly anxious to cover the “worst of” list, because looking at the worst is even more subjective than looking at the best. I have a feeling I may step on some toes, but it’s all done in good faith.
Of the films I remember seeing (yes, I tabulated a list) I’ve given 45 Fs. I’m unsure if that’s too much or too little. Here they are, alphabetically…
Big Momma’s House (2000) /
Anger Management (2003) /
Are We There Yet (2005) /
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) /
Big Fat Liar (2002) /
Big Momma’s House II (2006) /
Blades of Glory (2007) /
Boat Trip (2003) /
Cats & Dogs (2001) /
Cinderella Story (2004) /
Daredevil (2003) /
Dukes of Hazzard (2005) /
Duplex (2003) /
Elektra (2005) /
Fred Claus (2007) /
Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties (2006) /
High Crimes (2002) /
House of Wax (2005) /
I Love You Beth Cooper (2009) /
John Q (2002) /
Josie & the Pussycats (2001) /
Kangaroo Jack (2003) /
Like Mike (2002) /
The Lizzie MaGuire Movie (2003) /
Love Don’t Cost A Thing (2003) /
Mad Money (2008) /
Marley & Me (2008) /
Material Girls (2006) /
Men In Black II (2002) /
Nacho Libre (2006) /
Next (2007) /
Norbit (2007) /
Not Another Teen Movie (2001) /
Rat Race (2001) /
The Ring (2002) /
Scary Movie II (2001) /
Scary Movie III (2003) /
Scooby Doo (2002) /
Seven Pounds (2008) /
Shallow Hal (2001) /
Stuart Little II (2002) /
Stuck On You (2003) /
Swing Vote (2008) /
Wild Hogs (2007) /
XXX (2002)
The above 45 films are those eligible for my own personal awards of “Worst”. The biggest offender was 2002 with a whopping ten titles emerging from it. 2000 and 2009 (the book ends) only got one a piece.
The Worst PerformancesRunners Up (Paris Hilton in
House of Wax, Fred Willard in
Scooby Doo, Ben Stiller in
Blades of Glory, Ben Stiller in
Duplex, Jack Black in
Shallow Hal)
#10: Ben Affleck in Daredevil A performance so monotonous that I can’t believe this is the same man who played the electric Ned in Shakespeare in Love. Perhaps, he’s only good in small doses.
#9: Jack Black in Nacho LibreI’ve covered this
before – let’s just leave it at bad, bad, bad.
#8: Eddie Murphey in NorbitAn atrocity, and probably the lowest point in his career (and there have been other low points); so disgusting it fails to be humorous and just becomes sad.
#7: Martin Lawrence in Big Momma’s HouseIt’s strange how this managed a sequel, but then it seems sequels have nothing to do with the predecessor being
good. What’s more it has the feel of being improvisation: horrible improvisation.
#6: Jerry O’Connell in Kangaroo JackO'Connell seemed to show at least an average amount of competence in
Crossing Jordan. Thus, I wonder if he's really that talent-less or just not talented enough to make this drivel work. It's painful to watch at times, and I think he knows.
#5: Hayley Duff in Material GirlsSure, she'll never be as big as her sister (and by big I mean terrible), but she does give her a run for her money in the shrill acting department.
#4: Hayden Panetirre in I Love You, Beth CooperPerhaps it's unfair to single her out as the film's worse offender, but then again - no.
# 3: Hilary Duff in Material GirlsIt's one of the oddest performance I've seen. She manages to overact and underact at the same time, and still manages to annoy me with her shrill platitudes (the script's fault as much) on life. What a bore.
#2: Will Ferrell in Blades of GloryThere has been one occasion where I have not loathed Will Ferrell, in
Stranger than Fiction. Other than not, his talent eludes me. but this is just too horrible for words.
#1: Anthony Anderson in Kangaroo JackI can't speak of this objectively because its very existence offends me. Suffice to say, it's not very good.
The Worst WorstRunners Up: (
Big Momma’s House,
Daredevil,
Nacho Libre,
Shallow Hal,
Stuart Little II)
#10: Blades of Glory I’ve permanently been standoffish about Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller since. This is the sort of contemptible imaginings that just make me sigh at the state of “comedy” in this day and age. What a chore.
#9:
Scary Movie IIIDare I continue? Anna Farris shows burst of talent at times, but it’s never in this franchise. It just gets worse and worse and this third incarnation is just vile. To add to its badness they decide to spoof every single movie they can think of. Epic fail. Epic.
#8:
Garfield: A Tale of Two KittiesI can’t explain what prompted me to see this. I missed the original (with good reason apparently). I like the comics, but the sight of this disgusting cat makes me want to hurl and with a story that beats as much as a punctured heart I curse the day that the filmmakers realised the money to be made in anamorphic characters.
#7:
I Love You, Beth CooperIt's a distasteful “coming of age” film that reinforces all the stereotypes present in countless other teen romantic comedies – but worse. From it’s unbearably clichéd ruses to its pointless plot points and wooden acting I’m glad few people (I know) mention it.
#6:
Men In Black III remember being mildly charmed by the original; the sequel? Not so much. Will Smith aggravates me most of the time, and though I don’t despise Tommy Lee Jones I’m not a big fan of his. With this unfortunate sequel I though at least they’d stop with the pairing; I was wrong
#5:
ElektraThough I do like Jennifer Garner (a well deserved Emmy winner for
Alias) I can’t fathom what made her think that we wanted to see this movie.
Daredevil was bad, but this was even worse because we didn’t get a chance to see Collin Farrell ham it up. Ugh.
#4:
NorbitI didn’t want Murphy to win the Oscar for
Dreamgirls, and if this is what prevented it – I’m fine. That doesn’t make it any better, though. Eddie Murphy has talent, but the offensiveness horribleness of this “film” is unnerving. What a travesty.
#3:
Big Momma’s House IIWhat’s worse than the original? The sequel. I suppose once upon a time the crossdressing thing held some appeal (Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon all did it with genuine comedic ability) but this tired film is such a chore I cringe that
this is what black comedy has turned. I cringe that this is what ANY sort of comedy has turned to.
#2:
Material GirlsPerhaps, there’s just the slightest bit of folly in expecting this to be good; but I’m not one to harshly judge all teenage fodder. In the case of Material Girls, all the hate is justified. Uninspired, ridiculous and so horribly acting I can’t believe that Anjelica Huston has reached this level.
#1:
Kangaroo JackI get a headache thinking about the horror of this film. A film about two idiots who lose thousands of dollars in a jacket when the put it on a kangaroo who is not dead. The film is so abysmal I’m at a loss to how it’s
not been rated 0 on all the media outlets. Its very existence seems like an abominations to me, and I never want to see it again. Ever.
Is there any film above that you’d be willing to defend? Make your arguments. An F is more than just a bad movie; an F is a film I wish would disappear completely. What were your Fs last decade?
Prosecution, Exhibit A: Kangaroo Jack
I like Romeo Must Die. As far as Asian actors go I’d say Jet Li is one of the better ones and I’m a big fan of Aaliyah. It’s a typical action/romance/comedy but it’s enjoyable enough. Anthony Anderson doesn’t help. True, his involvement doesn’t turn the entire film into a hot mess or anything but his presence adds nothing. The only thing that makes him slightly passable is the fact that the characters in the film find him just as annoying, so there’s always the vicarious thrill of seeing him embarrassed. Call me cold-hearted, whatever. 
King’s Ransom is one of those awfully generic unfunny comedies that infuriate me to no end. It involves a running gag on kidnapping, and truly the script is awful but having Anderson as the lead makes it even worse. Usually I think that Rotten Tomatoes is ridiculous, but I can’t argue with the 0% rating for it. (I forgot to list it in my worst of the decade list, but who’d want to remember this?)
I don’t think it’s coincidental that the film where I find him tolerable is the one where he has a minute amount of screentime that’s balanced out by having Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Vera Farmiga and Leonardo DiCaprio buttressing the talent in the film and preventing any potential annoyances he may incur. He works in The Departed. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how...but he does. The only time I can admit to that happening.
