Top 10 Amazing Casts WASTED on Disappointing Movies

Top 10 Amazing Casts WASTED on Disappointing Movies

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were counting down our picks for the most notable instances where pitch-perfect casting couldnt save bad films.

#10: North (1994)

Forget north, south, east, and west. All signs here point to this movie being a complete and utter waste of time. But, thats through no fault of its impeccable cast. Elijah Wood is as captivating as ever in the title role. Throughout his journey to find perfect parents, he meets a total whos-who of acting talent, including Kathy Bates, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Ritter, and even a young Scarlett Johansson. Sadly, the revolving door of stars is the only part of North worth the price of admission. The story lacks focus, momentum, comedy, and characterization. By the time the credits roll, the resounding feeling is North shouldve spent more time on the script, and less on casting.

#9: Gangster Squad (2013)

Theres not a single movie that wouldnt benefit from Emma Stone showing up in a breathtaking red dress. In the case of Gangster Squad, though, her flawless scene work can only go so far. She isnt alone in giving her A-Game; Josh Brolin is incredibly compelling as a veteran turned cop. The rest of the cast is rounded out by Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, and Anthony Mackie, each of whom get a moment to shine. Sadly, Gangster Squad is significantly more interested in shootouts than character development, stranding both its cast and story in a sea of mindless action. If the movie had given its thespians a little more to work with, we mightve gotten a classic thriller instead of yet another forgettable flop.

#8: The Avengers (1998)

Not to be confused with the spandex-clad heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 1998s The Avengers is a spy parody with more star power it knows what to do with. After all, pairing Uma Thurman and Ralph Fiennes against a madcap turn from Sean Connery is an amazing pitch. But, somehow, The Avengers managed to screw it up, anyway. After poor test screenings, the studio mandated the two-hour feature be trimmed down to a scant hour and a half, leading to a scattered final cut devoid of anything resembling cohesive storytelling. Its a shame; Thurman, Fiennes, and Connery are definitely capable of making a great movie. But, it wasnt The Avengers, thats for sure.

#7: Nothing but Trouble (1991)

Despite the herculean efforts of its talented ensemble, Nothing but Trouble lives up to its name in all the wrong ways. Its a tonal mish-mash of horror, humor, and hubris that fails to come together in any entertaining way. The worst part is the performances are actually pretty great! Youve got Dan Aykroyd and John Candy each in dual-roles, Chevy Chase chewing on scenery like he hasnt eaten in days, and even Demi Moore imbuing the classic love interest role with electrifying screen presence. And yet, it didnt matter. Nothing but Trouble is a doomed farce from the very beginning. Maybe thats why the movie got such a critical bashing. It isnt just bad; its wasted potential.

#6: The Big Wedding (2013)

Okay, first off, Robin Williams as a priest is absolutely inspired casting. Oh, and the couple is Ben Barnes and Amanda Seyfried? And the parents of the groom are Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton? Sign us up! Fair warning, though, this wedding doesnt give out any party favors, even to its star-studded cast. In actuality, The Big Wedding is a mind-numbing affair that will have you checking your watch more than a few times before it's over. Its honestly kind of offensive to put so many hilarious comedians in a room, only to give them so little to work with. Heres hoping at least some of these actors can rejoin down the line for a project that actually makes use of their talents.

#5: All the King's Men (2006)

Remaking a best picture winner is no easy task, and this movie is a good case study as to why. At the very least, the 2006 take of All the Kings Men assembles quite the team. Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Anthony Hopkins? Say less. However, its esteemed talent pool just makes the films shortcomings all the more apparent. If Anthony freaking Hopkins cant make a scene work, no one can. Then again, you get the impression that most of these performers are only here to fish for Oscar gold. Look, All the Kings Men is clearly a worthwhile story, and the repertoire of talent involved is sky high. So, its still baffling how putting them together led to such dismal results.

#4: Valentine's Day (2010)

Love is in the air! Unfortunately, so is bad writing. Valentines Day was set up to be the romantic comedy of all romantic comedies, and it had the stacked cast list to prove it. You want to see Bradley Cooper? Done. How about Julia Roberts? Shes there, too. What about Taylor Swift, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, and Jessica Biel? Yeah, this cast is insane - and thats not even all of them! Yet, somehow, Valentines Day cant seem to find anything interesting for its actors to do. Its maddening since, a year after, the similarly-themed New Years Eve made the exact same mistake. Heres a tip; dont cast A-Listers unless you have A-list material.

#3: The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)

Tom Hanks is the epitome of a classic Hollywood Leading Man; charming, handsome, and capable of tugging on the heartstrings at just the right moment. However, all of that is the precise reason why hes unfathomably miscast in The Bonfire of the Vanities. We arent supposed to root for Sherman McCoy, but that message gets lost in translation when its played by Hollywoods quintessential everyman. Then theres the Bruce Willis side of things, a studio-mandated casting after the success of Die Hard. He reportedly wasnt too pleasant on set, and you can tell. Did we mention Morgan Freemans in this, too? A movie with this cast shouldve been a slam-dunk. Instead, this bonfire is a confused, smoldering mess.

#2: Amsterdam (2022)

How can you possibly mess up a leading trifecta of Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington? When you throw in supporting roles for Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Zoe Saldaña, it seems like Amsterdam shouldve written itself. Maybe then it wouldve been watchable. The bloated period piece spends entirely too much time on wacky hijinks, and not nearly enough on engaging filmmaking. The cast is great in a vacuum, but here, they all seem completely lost in the material, a fact thats made abundantly worse by the distinct lack of chemistry between the leads. Lets just say there's a good reason Amsterdam allegedly lost its studio over $100 million dollars.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Heaven's Gate (1980)

How Did a Western With Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken & Jeff Bridges Go So Wrong?

Town & Country (2001)

The Movie Was So Bad, It Allegedly Sent Warren Beatty Into a Full-on Acting Hiatus

This Is Where I Leave You (2014)

Not Even These Comedic-All Stars Can Spin a Laugh From This Tired Script

Be Cool (2005)

Very Cool Casting for a Very Uncool Heist Comedy

Mars Attacks! (1996)

Its Impressive to Make Jack Nicholson & Glenn Close Fighting Aliens Feel So Boring

#1: Movie 43 (2013)

Across an arduous, unfunny hour and a half of interconnected sketches, the only intriguing question to come from the truly awful Movie 43 is how on Earth it got so many big names. This is a true heavy-hitter cast, featuring the likes of Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Emma Stone, Kate Winslet, Chris Pratt, and so many more. That none of them could turn in a good performance goes to show this was an issue with material, not talent. Rumor has it cast members like Richard Gere even tried to wiggle out of their contracts by making absurd production demands. The only stars who emerged unscathed were Julianne Moore and Bob Odenkirk, and thats just because their segment was cut from the final edit.

Have great casts saved any bad movies for you? Let us know in the comments below!