Top 10 2000s Movie Moments That We Hate Watch
#10: Endless Options for Renewal “Battlefield Earth” (2000)
For a science fiction movie, this adaptation of a novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard has a lot of bureaucracy. John Travolta plays Terl, an alien who’s tired of his duties on the planet Earth. He’s told he’ll be staying there for much longer than he expected - 50 cycles in fact, with “endless options for renewal”. Director Roger Christian decided to underline Terl’s horror with a dramatic echo effect. If the grotesque makeup, cheap sets, and overwhelming blue lighting weren’t enough, the dialogue and bonkers directorial choices make this scene a modern marvel of bad cinema.
#9: Nuking the Fridge “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008)
The fourth Indiana Jones movie made a lot of bold choices. One of the boldest was the credulity-shattering opening. It begins with everyone’s favorite archeologist escaping Soviet agents in Area 51. But that isn’t the crazy part. He flees to an eerily empty town in the Nevada desert that turns out to be part of an atomic bomb test. How does Indiana get out of this one? By hiding in a lead-lined fridge that’s blown hundreds of feet into the air. Indiana has had some incredible escapes before, but this one just made everyone mad. We’ve heard of TV shows “jumping the shark”. Thanks to this film, we had a new phrase added to our lexicon: “nuking the fridge”.
#8: Turkey Time “Gigli” (2003)
In 2003, Bennifer was a cultural phenomenon, but the makers of “Gigli” seriously overestimated what audiences would suffer to watch them. Ben Affleck plays an ineffective mobster, and Jennifer Lopez an assassin who’s sent to watch him while he completes a job. It makes even less sense when you watch it. Trying to seduce him, she utters this immortal line: [“It’s turkey time. Gobble gobble.”] The fact that it was ever written, let alone filmed and left in the final cut, is a testament to the faith everyone involved had in their combined star power. We’re not even sure who’s the turkey: the one being, um, ‘gobbled’ or the one doing the ‘gobble gobble?’ Eesh. The movie bombed, but “turkey time” will haunt us forever.
#7: Juliet’s Doorstep “Love Actually” (2003)
Comparing All the Romeo & Juliet Movies
Depending on who you talk to, this movie is either a beloved Christmas classic or dated and problematic. Those who share the latter view point to this scene as a major reason. You can practically smell the cheese oozing from “Love Actually’s” most famous moment. Andrew Lincoln’s character Mark had cue cards, a boombox, and a dream. His character’s so in love with his best friend’s new wife that he treats her like dirt, and then decides to show up on their doorstep with a message on Christmas Eve. Whether it’s warranted or not, this scene gets a lot of flak. The hopeless romantics may be bowled over by it, but we’re willing to bet at least half of its YouTube views are haters.
#6: The Cat’s First Appearance “The Cat in the Hat” (2003)
Top 10 Rom Com Moments That We Hate Watch
Some people thought the live-action “Grinch” was a bridge too far, but they had no idea what they were in for with the abominable “Cat in the Hat.” Mike Myers’ first appearance as the titular cat in the hat is a thinly-veiled take on his established screen persona. It doesn’t work as well here. Watching him try to make nice with the kids just plays out like a really unfunny spoof of a home invasion thriller. What it amounts to is a whirlwind of tired, early aughts humor and the sweatiest wordplay you’ve ever heard. It’s a dizzying experience that has to be seen to be believed. Hey Hollywood, did you know that some great books can … just be books?
#5: Bella First Sees Edward “Twilight” (2008)
Top 10 Reasons Why Bella Swan is the WORST
Bella Swan’s first day at school plays out like the perfect teen fantasy. Except something about it is just … off. We’re treated to an unintentionally hilarious introduction to the Cullen Family as they make their grand entrances into the cafeteria. Thank goodness their arrivals and movements are carefully staggered to make room for expositional dialogue! What makes this scene so awkward? Is it the crescendo of music when Edward appears? Bella’s overly nervous longing? Or Edward’s smolder slash grimace in response? Our answer is: all of the above. It’s like a great big tribute to the cheesiest fantasy romance cliches ever.
#4: Talking to Plants “The Happening” (2008)
M. Night Shyamalan’s eco-horror film is a prime example of an interesting premise brought down by bad execution. “The Happening” follows Mark Wahlberg’s Elliot Moore, a high school teacher who realizes that a rash of mass violence might be caused by… say it with us, plants. That’s right. So, that’s really all the context you need for this incredible scene where he tries to make peace… with the plants. You have to hand it to Wahlberg. He definitely memorized his lines here. He even said them with a straight face. It’s a feat of acting that can’t be compared. We’ve been enjoying it on repeat ever since.
#3: Anakin Doesn’t Like Sand “Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones” (2002)
In the second “Star Wars” prequel, viewers got to watch as Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala fell in love over … sand. It took years for Hayden Christensen to live this one down, but he can’t take all the credit. George Lucas certainly had a way with words. This is exactly the kind of endlessly rewatchable moment the new trilogy was missing. Every romantic scene with Anakin and Padme is boiling over with woeful dialogue and tremendously unsubtle foreshadowing, and that’s saying something, considering it’s a prequel.
#2: Peter Parker’s Evil Dance “Spider-Man 3” (2007)
Comparing All The Peter Pan Movies
Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy could have been perfect. Then, Emo Spider-Man happened. In this notorious third installment, a symbiote fuses with Peter Parker’s spider-suit and leads him to embrace his dark side. He becomes a walking–and dancing–cliché of a cocky cool guy. Put quotation marks around the “cool” part. Apparently, this dark side also meant Parker would do a lot more dancing. And his dancing is the definition of cringe. Couldn’t the symbiote have just made him more aggressive or something? Mistakes were made, but so were countless memes, and that’s what counts.
#1: “Oh hi Mark” “The Room” (2003)
Top 10 Most Badass Mark Wahlberg Movie Moments
It’s one of the most infamously and hilariously bad movies ever made. How do you pick just one moment? Will the words “you’re tearing me apart” ever sound serious again? You could even make a case for that sudden cancer announcement. But we have to go with Tommy Wiseau’s iconic and whiplash-inducing mood shift in this rooftop scene. The writer, director, and star of “The Room” goes from an angry tirade about a fake domestic violence claim to being delighted to see his friend, Mark. In a script full of non sequiturs, this one has become immortal. But the rest of the scene volleys just as much between moods, ideas, and emotions without giving you a chance to catch up. Did we get this one right or did we nuke the fridge? Tell us in the comments.
