Worst movie with the most famous actors in the cast.

[dead-ced-dead]

I'm watching The Big Year on Disney+ and it's not terrible but it's just so bland. What's weird is how good the cast is for such a bland film.

After the three leads - Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black - you have:

John Cleese
Rosamund Pike
Kevin Pollock
Joel McHale
JoBeth Williams
Diane Wiest
Brian Dennehy
Anthony Anderson
June Squibb
Jim Parsons
Angelica Huston
Rashida Jones
Tim Blake Nelson

It's produced by Ben Stiller so it makes sense. He pulled in favours and opened his wallet, but it's weird to see such famous people in nothing roles in a nothing comedy.

[Inspector Norse]

Has to be the infamous Movie 43, surely? Here are the most famous names from the cast list, though there are plenty more names in the "seen him in something" or "oh it's her off the telly" category:

Dennis Quaid
Greg Kinnear
Common
Seth MacFarlane
Hugh Jackman
Kate Winslet
Liev Schreiber
Naomi Watts
Anna Faris
Chris Pratt
JB Smoove
Kieran Culkin
Emma Stone
Richard Gere
Kate Bosworth
Justin Long
Jason Sudeikis
Uma Thurman
Bobby Cannavale
Kristen Bell
Leslie Bibb
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Chloë Grace Moretz
Gerard Butler
Johnny Knoxville
Seann William Scott
Halle Berry
Stephen Merchant
Terrence Howard
Elizabeth Banks
Josh Duhamel
Julianne Moore
Tony Shalhoub
Bob Odenkirk
Anton Yelchin

[ImmaculateClump]

I watched "the dead don't die" a few weeks ago and at the start, the big names kept flashing up, people I recognised and I kept thinking "woah, what are these people doing in this presumably low budget horror film?".

Bill Murray
Adam Driver (star wars cunt)
Tom Waits
Steve Buscemi
Danny Glover
Caleb Landry Jones (the ginger lad from antiviral)
Tilda Swinton
Iggy Pop!
Selena Gomez

It was dogshit.

[Shit Good Nose]

"woah, what are these people doing in this presumably low budget horror film?".

I liked it more than you, but regardless of that the answer is - Jim Jarmusch.

I think it's FAR more Jarmuschian than most people seem to think.

Also it's a VERY big budget for a Jarmusch film, even allowing for the probability it didn't cost anywhere near its rumoured $100+million.

[Egyptian Feast]

My dad always used to complain that the worst film he'd ever seen at the pictures was Pepe (1960), a 3-hour all-star musical vehicle for Mexican comedian Cantinflas, which failed so badly it appears to be difficult to see nowadays. I've always been mildly curious to see it as he hated it so much it really stuck with him decades later, but the list of cameos makes it even more tempting: Jimmy Durante, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Bobby Darin, Judy Garland, Zsa Zsa Gabór, Bing Crosby, Maurice Chevalier, Edward G Robinson, Debbie Reynolds, Kim Novak, Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon in drag as Daphne from Some Like It Hot, etc.

My dad revised his opinion when we took him to see The Last Action Hero and he complained it was even worse than Pepe the whole way home. Made me want to see it even more.

There was a local horndog called Pepe in the late 80s who knocked up our dog when I was distracted talking to mates. I used to chuckle at the idea of an all-star mega-budget musical about him.

[Ignatius_S]

I watched "the dead don't die" a few weeks ago and at the start, the big names kept flashing up, people I recognised and I kept thinking "woah, what are these people doing in this presumably low budget horror film?".

Bill Murray
Adam Driver (star wars cunt)
Tom Waits
Steve Buscemi
Danny Glover
Caleb Landry Jones (the ginger lad from antiviral)
Tilda Swinton
Iggy Pop!
Selena Gomez

It was dogshit.

Further to what SGN said, at least six of those have worked with Jarmusch on other films - Waits, Buscemi, Murray and Pop had done a couple of films with him before and pretty sure Swinton has as well.

He tends to have a reputation of people like working with him and being nice guy (although the latter was dented by Dead Man being so influenced by Zebulon, whose script had been doing the rounds). Given how critically well received Down by Law and Broken Flowers were, it's not too suprising that Waits and Murray would work with him again on very modest budgets.

[mothman]

Making Mr. Right (1987, dir. Susan Seidelman)
John Malkovich
Ann Magnusson
Glenne Headly
Laurie Metcalf

It's bad. It's REALLY bad.

[Shit Good Nose]

Further to what SGN said, at least six of those have worked with Jarmusch on other films - Waits, Buscemi, Murray and Pop had done a couple of films with him before and pretty sure Swinton has as well.

He tends to have a reputation of people like working with him and being nice guy (although the latter was dented by Dead Man being so influenced by Zebulon, whose script had been doing the rounds). Given how critically well received Down by Law and Broken Flowers were, it's not too suprising that Waits and Murray would work with him again on very modest budgets.

More than work colleagues, Murray, Waits, Buscemi, Pop and Glover are all mates with Jarmusch as well.

[Ignatius_S]

My dad always used to complain that the worst film he'd ever seen at the pictures was Pepe (1960), a 3-hour all-star musical vehicle for Mexican comedian Cantinflas, which failed so badly it appears to be difficult to see nowadays. I've always been mildly curious to see it as he hated it so much it really stuck with him decades later, but the list of cameos makes it even more tempting: Jimmy Durante, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Bobby Darin, Judy Garland, Zsa Zsa Gabór, Bing Crosby, Maurice Chevalier, Edward G Robinson, Debbie Reynolds, Kim Novak, Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon in drag as Daphne from Some Like It Hot, etc...

Yeah, that's one I would like to see. The first time I read about it was in a book about the films of Jack Lemmon - from what I remember, it said that Lemmon be dressed as himself but then appear as Daphne greatly confusing Cantinflas. Just had a quick check and it says that this segment is pretty amusing - also, that the film isn't that bad. It also points out that all the actors will either on studio contracts at Columbia or starring in one of its television shows. According to the write-up, the film films more like a variety show, with each spot doing their speciality with Cantinflas - with the reviews quoted, it did some positive ones.

[Ignatius_S]

More than work colleagues, Murray, Waits, Buscemi, Pop and Glover are all mates with Jarmusch as well.

Interesting - I assumed some of them must have been.

[Shit Good Nose]

Interesting - I assumed some of them must have been.

Pretty sure Murray and Glover are occasional golfing buddies as well.

[Egyptian Feast]

Yeah, that's one I would like to see. The first time I read about it was in a book about the films of Jack Lemmon - from what I remember, it said that Lemmon be dressed as himself but then appear as Daphne greatly confusing Cantinflas. Just had a quick check and it says that this segment is pretty amusing - also, that the film isn't that bad. It also points out that all the actors will either on studio contracts at Columbia or starring in one of its television shows. According to the write-up, the film films more like a variety show, with each spot doing their speciality with Cantinflas - with the reviews quoted, it did some positive ones.

I'm sure it would at the very least be a fascinating watch, especially sixty years down the line. My dad seemed to really hate that kind of 'spot the star' mega-budget extravaganza - another was The Story Of Mankind (1957) which may or not be the disaster it's cracked up to be, but I've always wanted to check it out. Any film featuring Ronald Colman, Hedy Lamarr (as Joan of Arc), Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead, Peter Lorre (as Nero!), Dennis Hopper (as Napoleon!!) and the last appearance together of the Marx Brothers has to be worth seeing, even if it is a stinker.

[ImmaculateClump]

the answer is - Jim Jarmusch

Yeah, just I like to go into stuff as blind as I can, so all I really knew was the title.
I had a sneaking suspicion that it might have zombies in it, and I hadn't heard of it so I was expecting it to be pretty low budget.
I've got that other film someone recommended by him, I haven't written him off!

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

The Expendables films managed to bring together every single 80's action movie star you can think of, while all being absolute shit. Goes to show that people liked all those old Arnie/Stallone films partially because of their engaging plots, not just because you got to see them snap some cunt's neck.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Making Mr. Right (1987, dir. Susan Seidelman)
John Malkovich
Ann Magnusson
Glenne Headly
Laurie Metcalf

It's bad. It's REALLY bad.

Two and a bit famous actors. You win the thread

[Egyptian Feast]

The Expendables films managed to bring together every single 80's action movie star you can think of, while all being absolute shit.

They really were absolute shit. The only things I remember about the first one were cunty jokes about Jet Li's height, Terry Crews exploding some people with a fuck-off gun and Dolph Lundgren going bananas & leaving the movie way too soon. I can't remember anything about the sequels, though I'm sure I've seen at least one of them.

[Ignatius_S]

I'm sure it would at the very least be a fascinating watch, especially sixty years down the line. My dad seemed to really hate that kind of 'spot the star' mega-budget extravaganza...

Thinking about it, that kind of approach with a flimsy plot providing to get lots of acts together was something really associated with the 1930s. There's a couple of ones that WC Fields was in, like International House - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_House_(1933_film) - and as that Wikipedia entry says, it provides a look at the type of radio and stage entertainment that was popular at the time, which is interesting in itself.

With Pepe, it feels a little odd that it's a star vehicle for a brilliant performer, but they threw as many big names as possible to be in it. Still would like to see it!

... another was The Story Of Mankind (1957) which may or not be the disaster it's cracked up to be, but I've always wanted to check it out. Any film featuring Ronald Colman, Hedy Lamarr (as Joan of Arc), Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead, Peter Lorre (as Nero!), Dennis Hopper (as Napoleon!!) and the last appearance together of the Marx Brothers has to be worth seeing, even if it is a stinker.

In that case, https://archive.org/details/THESTORYOFMANKIND1957....

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

They really were absolute shit. The only things I remember about the first one were cunty jokes about Jet Li's height, Terry Crews exploding some people with a fuck-off gun and Dolph Lundgren going bananas & leaving the movie way too soon. I can't remember anything about the sequels, though I'm sure I've seen at least one of them.

They all had a love interest for Stallone, but he never bonked them presumably because he was forty years older than them and it would be a bit weird. Then there was a bit at the end where they said goodbye and he probably went off for a big wank. I think Jason Statham had a wife or something in the films as well.

[dead-ced-dead]

They really were absolute shit. The only things I remember about the first one were cunty jokes about Jet Li's height, Terry Crews exploding some people with a fuck-off gun and Dolph Lundgren going bananas & leaving the movie way too soon. I can't remember anything about the sequels, though I'm sure I've seen at least one of them.

Lundgren is easily the best part of that movie.

[Egyptian Feast]

In that case, https://archive.org/details/THESTORYOFMANKIND1957....

Ooh, cheers for that, Ignatius_S!

They all had a love interest for Stallone, but he never bonked them presumably because he was forty years older than them and it would be a bit weird. Then there was a bit at the end where they said goodbye and he probably went off for a big wank. I think Jason Statham had a wife or something in the films as well.

Lundgren is easily the best part of that movie.

There was WAY too much about Stallone & Statham's tedious romances and nowhere near enough of Lundgren going bananas. He had maybe 5 minutes screentime tops, but stole the movie completely. I seem to recall he had a bigger role in the second one, but he must not have done anything that interesting.

[dead-ced-dead]

Ooh, cheers for that, Ignatius_S!


There was WAY too much about Stallone & Statham's tedious romances and nowhere near enough of Lundgren going bananas. He had maybe 5 minutes screentime tops, but stole the movie completely. I seem to recall he had a bigger role in the second one, but he must not have done anything that interesting.

I think they wrote Lundgren's role for JCVD, who has a history of going bananas in real life, so in the sequel the role was written specifically for Lundgren. So out went the drug addict going bananas stuff and in went references to Lundgren's Masters degree in Chemical Engineering.

[Egyptian Feast]

That makes a lot of sense and explains why I don't remember much about his antics for the sequel.

It's such a shame Dolph didn't become a superstar on the same level as Stallone and the like. I want to see an entire franchise of Lundgren-fronted drug addict going bananas movies. He could team up with JCVD in the sequel and go ultra-bananas on some really bad chemicals. Ahh, it'd be fucking mint.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

They could call the film "Bananas". Sequel? "Son Of Bananas".

[Egyptian Feast]

Wonder who's going to play "Bride Of Bananas"?

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Dunno. Brigitte Nielsen?

[Mr Banlon]

Skidoo (1968)
Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood

[McChesney Duntz]

Ach, Skidoo is a masterpiece and I won't hear a word against it.

Besides, I think The Phynx (1970) has it beat as lame hipsploitation flicks featuring a bunch of famous people who have no idea what they're doing there (either) go...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phynx

[mothman]

Two and a bit famous actors. You win the thread

Don't be mean. The thing is, this is basically Malkovich's Batman & Robin. The thing he said yes to, presumably tempted by the idea of being a romantic hero, but never should have done.

[evilcommiedictator]

Rat Race is pretty abominable, "who can we get for a week's filming and stitch together a homage to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, we have:
John Cleese
Rowan Atkinson
Whoopi Goldberg
Seth Green
Wayne Knight
Jon Lovitz
Breckin Meyer
Amy Smart
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Vince Vieluf
Lanei Chapman
Kathy Najimy
Brody Smith
Jillian Marie Hubert
Dave Thomas

as well as bit parts from
Dean Cain
Smash Mouth as themselves
Kathy Bates
Diamond Dallas and Kimberly Page

[Small Man Big Horse]

Rat Race is pretty abominable, "who can we get for a week's filming and stitch together a homage to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, we have:
John Cleese
Rowan Atkinson
Whoopi Goldberg
Seth Green
Wayne Knight
Jon Lovitz
Breckin Meyer
Amy Smart
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Vince Vieluf
Lanei Chapman
Kathy Najimy
Brody Smith
Jillian Marie Hubert
Dave Thomas

as well as bit parts from
Dean Cain
Smash Mouth as themselves
Kathy Bates
Diamond Dallas and Kimberly Page

I quite liked Rat Race, bits of it are dodgy but it made me laugh much more than I expected to. Though as a caveat I should probably mention I was smoking a lot of weed back then and I don't know how I'd respond to it sober.