Movies that damaged careers of actors and directors

franklinfan2 wrote:

Adam Sandler - Don't Mess with the Zohan

it really happened with Little Nicky

well actors have it better nowadays because when they ruin their careers with a bad movie, they can become voice actors. if you did some research on who were the voices for animated movies and shows over the last couple years, you would be surprised.

Yeah, i was considering adding Adam Sandler to the list but i was unsure.

Because after his debacle of a 2007-2008, with shit like Reign over me, zohan and chuck and larry. He released Funny People with Seth Rogen that didnt even make back it's budget...but then that movie Grown Ups was a hit so Sandler is still somewhat relevant in the PG-13 rating area, though he's definetly stopped being in good movies once Click hit the big screen. That does not count roles like Punch Drunk Love which i think came before Click anyway.

I'm looking for damaged careers here. Sandler jumped the shark for me years ago but the guy still makes a lot of box office money.

I'm looking for Kevin Costner- The Postman type career killers.

timthebim- i agree, although i thought Travolta's and Allen's credibility or star power had been on ice for a good ten years before Wild Hogs. Funny thing is, all of them put together made a successful movie that made big money.

Maybe i can apply the Wild Hogs factor to Grown Ups...maybe Sandler is irrelevent now but putting him in a movie with other once upon a time stars like Rob Schnieder, David Spade, Chris Rock, and Kevin James meant big scrilla like it meant for the has been line up of Wild Hogs(which also featured Ray Liotta who can probably qualify for a "whatkilledya" investigation)

Anybody who brings up LIFE with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.

Note that LIFE came out BEFORE The Adventures with Pluto Nash killed Murphy and Big Momma's House 1 and 2 killed Martin Lawrence.

That's why it was a good movie and has no need for mention in this thread as defense for Murphy and Lawrence careers being in the tank.

Oh, and bring up Eddie Murphy reminds me that Whoopi Goldberg's career was pretty much done after "Eddie"

I thought Metro was usually seen as the dagger? Maybe a one two punch. Metro was the realization that he was no longer viable as an 80s action star as the genre was dated and near death at the time, followed by a devastating Dr Doolittle Left hook.

Mel Gibson's career ending moment was "How much have you had to drink sir" "FUCK OFF KIKE"

If I, Robot wasn't what killed Will Smith, it was Hitch I am Legend Hancock three punch combo. Whatever it was, dead by Hancock.

Colin Farrell- Alexander the Great.

Kurt Russell < Debatable. Soldier was the swansong for his 80's type roles, but he returned with some epic performances in some good movies.
Vince Vaugn < Dude aint dead, critics will bash him but his movies continue to do well. He's kind of type cast though so when this genre of comedy has ran it's course he's toast
Val Kilmer < don't think one movie did it. Batman itself is a hard act to follow. He still gets decent roles.
Ashley Judd < her name
Jeff Goldblum < The fact he wasn't that good.
Ethan Hawke < Unfair, Training Day was a smash, and while Taking Lives failed, it wasn't his fault, and he has taken extending breaks. He aint dead.
Keanu Reeves < victim of that genre collapsing. The Matrix sequels didn't help his cause.
Billy Bob Thornton(come on guys, he's playing second fiddle to The Rock in some B-movie) < aint dead
Robin Williams < He took less goofy roles and played villains. Unfair.
William H. Macy < he has never been the dude
Martin Lawrence < Big momma house, but there was only so much Martian Lawrence America could take.
Tim Allen < he was never a movie actor really. His show being canceled did it. Though I don't see the Santa Claus doing him any favor
Eddie Murphy < hard to pinpoint one movie.
Kevin Spacey < Kpax maybe but like a lot of these guys, I think he's unfairly been executed because he had a hit and didn't follow it up year in year out. He barely acts. The Life of David Gale was one of the most panned movies ever though.
Helen Hunt < what Paul Riser said about her after Mad About You died.
Geena Davis
Thora Birch
Edward Furlong < Becoming an adult when he was a child actor and the fact he hasn't been cast in any major roles.
Juliette Lewis < father time turning her once quirky slutty good looks into weirdness.
Lawrence Fishburne < was he ever the guy? The role in CSI is hardly something a dead actor would take.
Ralph Fiennes < He's been involved in a lot of well recieved and stupidly popular movies. Lord Voldemort or whatever the fuck in Harry Potter, Hades in Clash of the Titans, The Hurt Locker.

freakzilla316ftw wrote:

Colin Farrell- Alexander the Great.

Came out before he was born, but Alexander didn't do him no favors. Can't tell if Homophobia or awful directing did that movie in.

Maybe i should not have narrowed it down to the headliners though this is mainly for them. This works for the guy next to the guy as well. There must be a reason why guys like Fishburne and Macy used to be in big movies with big roles but now they arent in big movies with big roles anymore.

I was testing everybody with Geena Davis. It was clearly Cutthroat Island that destroyed her career...probably Matthew Modine as well. I wanted to see if anybody remembered.


Fiennes was barely in The Hurt Locker. That's like saying Guy Pearce is not in the crapper because he was in the Hurt Locker for 2 seconds...but i guess Harry Potter a big deal, but i only saw the first one. I'll go ahead and say Red Dragon set Fiennes back, even though he was pretty good in the movie.

I want to argue that Robin Williams playing the villian didnt ruin his career, but i look at his filmography and it's all downhill after One Hour Photo...which i liked.

I agree on Juliette Lewis. Plus i guess apart from a few features she was always kind of an actress for independent movies anyway.


Kurt Russell. Definetly Soldier. I read he said like 60 words the entire movie and it was one of the biggest box office flops in history.

What did Paul Riser say about Helen Hunt?


I'm talking about features. I think going on TV is a sign that your movie career is in the pooper. When i see Gary Sinise, Jeff Goldblum, and Lawrence Fishburne on Law and Order or CSI...i think what happened? plus i think those shows are terrible.

Fiennes is a great actor, he's fine, I'd comment on other but it'd take too long

Agree. Fiennes is an amazing actor..i'm not really discussing talent here. I like just about everybody i've mentioned.

Those shows are in primetime and perennial ratings grabbers. Those are not bad roles at all. That's kind of a silly knock on an actor. Jeff Goldblum getting on that Law and Order was his biggest role since he destroyed JP II.

I don't even remember Ralph in the Hurt Locker I just wiki'd that and saw he got praised for it. I liked that movie too, what scene was he in?

Helen Hunt was in a lot of successful movies and then abruptly stopped acting a lot, and now looks pretty old compared to what she used to look like. I don't remember what Rieser said but I remember seeing something on Extra or one of those celeb gossip shows from way back in the pre TMZ days.

Some of he aforementioned actos/actresses were t, and yes some had a dapecast and eventually lost out on roles, others just the naturally faded as their age did. And yes some had a damagingole, Val Kilmer Batman being an obvious example.

Tom Cruise MI3

A lot of actors and actresses start out on primetime and leave those shows for greener pastures...movies. Good roles for those guys, don't get me wrong..but in the case of all of them, the movie roles dried up before you saw them on TV...and i am talking about movies and movies only.

I'm a littl miffed by the Goldblum hate in this thread. I think he's awesome. Jurassic Park II was solid IMO. It didnt get jump the shark for me untill III...which featured William H. Macy.

Ralph was briefly in the Hurt Locker during a scene where the main characters meet up with another unit and try to stop a bomber. I wish i could describe the scene in greater detail but it's been almost a year since i saw it and i only saw it once. I just remember that Fiennes didnt last long.

I have heard celebs get bashed for Law and Order before, but I think it's a dated premise for sure. I also love this genre of show.

First off I like "The Postman". But I am educated so that makes things different, not better, just different. An example of that is Scarface. Gangstas think it is awesome, because of the way he went out. I think it is awesome because of the way he rose to the top and then lost control.



I'm trying to locate the films that destroyed the following

Kurt Russell - I would have said "Overboard", but with age I just realized it is just a silly comedy with bad timing. Solid actor.

Vince Vaugn - "The break-up sucked" so bad, that i am turned off

Val Kilmer - I thought he was washed up after "Tombstone", his best role BTW, but I loved his character in "Felon".

Ashley Judd - I watched "Heat", do not attack her again!

Jeff Goldblum - After watching "Mr. Frost" and "The Fly", he gets a pass on everything.

Ethan Hawke - "Assault on Precint 13" remake.

Keanu Reeves - The Matrix 3

Billy Bob Thornton - He fucked Angelina and made "Bad Santa" what do you want?

Robin Williams - He won an Oscar for a good reason, unlike Denzel Washington who won for the wrong reasons. He gets a pass.

William H. Macy - You know touch Mr. Macy!

Martin Lawrence - The first one.

Tim Allen - "Santa Clause 2"

Eddie Murphy - "Dr. Doolittle". However "Bowfinger" is completely underrated!

Dennis Hopper - Considering the fact the man was in the following movies and is in the best scene I have ever watched on the big screen? Lifetime pass:?:

Cool Hand Luke
Hang Em' High
Easy Rider
True Grit
Apocalypse Now
Rumble Fish
The Osterman Weekend
Blue Velvet
True Romance
Chasers
Speed

And then thereis "Waterworld"...

dude your right they gave Denzel (and Halle Berry for that matter) the Oscars that year cause of political correctness and cause Color Purple got butt fucked at the oscars

Also Denzels Hurricane performance was so great it was only out shined by Spacey in American Beauty that Oscar was a "were sorry dick suck"

Apologies if it's already been mentioned but the biggest example of this is John Travolta in Battlefield Earth.

Bob Hoskins in Mario Bros.

Brendan Fraser had both Mummies and Crash which were all big hits and then just started making shitty movies out the ass. Not sure which one really qualifies as the killer

The Rollerball remake ruined John McTiernan's career.

Even before Crash, Brendan Fraser has pretty much been staying alive in the scene solely on the Mummy movies. I think Crash brought back Matt Dillon because i'd probably have him in this thread right now if he did not get acclaim(deserved or not) for Crash.

Maybe it was Blast From The Past the broke Fraser, but sometimes it's just people associate you with one movie for the rest of your career and for Fraser, it's probably the Mummy despite it being his big gig.

Keanu Reeves and Lawrence Fishburne may have fell victim to their big Neo and Morpheus roles, despite it being the most important work of their careers.

I think Billy Bob did fall victim to playing the crude middle aged, deadbeat drunk guy in every movie for 2-3 years.

Alicia Silverstone Excess Baggage

Michael Stephenson - Troll 2