30. Merci Docteur Rey (2002)
Starring: Dianne Weist, Jane Birkin, Stanislas Merhar
Directed By: Andrew Litvack
Merci Docteur Rey is a rated R LGBTQ+ comedy written and directed by Andrew Litvack. It has a simple premise. A gay man, played by Stanislas Merhar, tells a fake psychiatrist, played by Jane Berkin, that he witnessed a murder. Off the bat, the film didn’t do too well at the box office with a measly gross of $19.6k. It is safe to assume that the film’s studio and producers were not happy with their investments. Along with its commercial failure was the string of negative reviews that the movie received from film critics. The critics’consensus states that the movie tries too hard to be sophisticated but greatly lacks the writing and coherent narrative that is greatly needed.
On the other hand, the audience reviews were much kinder. The director and cast members can take solace in that. The film received an acceptable 65% audience score, which is a great contrast to the Tomatometer of 0%.
29. A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994)
Starring: Keenan Ivory Wayans, Charles S. Dutton, Jada Pinkett, Salli Richardson
Directed By: Keenan Ivory Wayans
A Low Down Dirty Shame is the brainchild of distinguished actor-comedian Keenan Ivory Wayans. He wrote, directed, and starred in the film which revolves around Andre Shame, played by himself, a private eye who fell from grace in the police force. Andre’s life then is sparked by change when an old colleague informs him of a breakthrough with one of his old cases. He then takes action to redeem himself from past mistakes.
The Tomatometer of this film is as negative as it can get. The critics’brutal review puts Ivory Wayans to shame, stating that he is a bland action hero and the film relies on visual effects and becomes repetitive. That being said, Ivory Wayans, however, had the insurance of the positive reviews of his fans. The audience score for the movie is a considerable 71%. Whatever the reasons are for these contrasting ratings are, the film did well in the box office, grossing a little less than $30 million.
28. Bolero (1984)
Starring: Bo Derek, George Kennedy, Andrea Occhipinti
Directed By: John Derek
Bolero is a 1984 drama that has a simple premise that revolves around a 1920s English heiress, played by Bo Derek, as she seeks pleasures along with a bullfighter, who was played by Andrea Occhipinti, and a Morrocan Sheikh.
The film received widely negative reviews from across the board. Critics and the audience are in a consensus that this film fails to entertain. It tried too hard to spark the interest of the audience, which, unfortunately, resulted in boredom. It is one of John Derek’s great disappointments. He is a distinguished director and is held to such a degree, even by Rotten Tomatoes. He is responsible for films such as The Ten Commandments, Scandal Sheet, and All the King’s Men. Scandal Sheet even received a perfect rating from the Tomatometer. This is why it is a great wonder why a director of his caliber is capable of such a disastrous movie as Bolero.
27. Homecoming (2009)
Starring: Mischa Barton, Matt Long, Jessica Stroup
Directed By: Morgan J. Freeman
Homecoming is a horror mystery thriller popcorn flick directed by Morgan J. Freeman. Not to be confused by the prolific actor, this director is responsible for the relatively successful 1999 movie Hurricane. It is a coming of age movie which earned a Tomatometer of 88% and an audience score of 78%. On the other hand, Homecoming lowered his degree of success.
The horror flick, Homecoming, is about a jealous woman, portrayed by Mischa Barton, who plots revenge on her ex-boyfriend, played by Matt Long. Her former love returned to their hometown with a new girlfriend in tow. The movie had the potential of a campy popcorn thriller film, but instead, it was riddled with all the boring cliches you can expect from a thriller. This is hands down, one of Mischa Barton’s disappointing performances, considering her prolific run on television.
26. Highlander 2: The Quickening (1991)
Starring: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Virginia Madsen, Michael Ironside
Directed By: Russell Mulcahy
The Quickening is the sequel of the successful 1986 movie Highlander. To this day, the 1986 film has a cult following, which is a testament to the success and potential of fantasy genre movies. On the other hand, Highlander 2: The Quickening, was given a different reception altogether. The sequel still follows Connor MacLeod, played by Christopher Lambert, who has grown old and is losing his immortality. He is now living in a bleak future in a post-apocalyptic world. Connor later regains his strength when he kills a couple of assassins and a great battle ensues with General Katana, played by Michael Ironside. He is later assisted by a familiar ally, Juan Ramirez, played by Sean Connery.
This sequel tried to build upon the successes of its predecessor. However, it falls short and is a great disappointment to the studio and producers who shelled out valuable investments on its behalf.
25. The Disappointments Room (2016)
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Mel Raido, Duncan Joiner, Lucas Till
Directed By: DJ Caruso
As a fan of the gorgeous and talented actress that is Kate Beckinsale, this mystery thriller is a huge disappointment. The Disappointments Room revolves around Dana, played by Kate Beckinsale, and her family who moved from New York to a countryside manor. Dana then experiences nightmares and terrifying visions that are beyond her expectations. She then discovers a key that leads her to the attic of the manor where she unravels the mysteries of the manor’s dark history of its previous owners from the 19th century.
The critics’consensus for this movie hits the issue right on the head. It’s a thriller that lacks the insurance of any thrill. Despite Kate Beckinsale’s talented efforts to redeem the movie, it still falls short of the audience’s expectations. It was a commercial failure garnering a mere $2.4 million in the box office.
24. Staying Alive (1983)
Starring: John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes, Finola Hughes, Steve Inwood, Frank Stallone
Directed By: Sylvester Stallone
We all know and love the classic film of John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever. However, most of us have forgotten its estranged sequel, Staying Alive. The movie is set six years after the events of Saturday Night Fever. Tony Manero, played by John Travolta, is now working as a dance instructor in New York and is now aiming to make it big on Broadway. He later gets an opportunity to prove himself when his girlfriend earns him an audition for an upcoming Broadway show, Santan’Alley.
This sequel is the brainchild of action star legend Sylvester Stallone. Although it isn’t his first rodeo at being a director, it is a relative jump from his staple of gritty hard-hitting action-driven films. The critics’consensus for Staying Alive states that it is a shockingly embarrassing sequel and has contrastingly uninspired dance sequences from its predecessor.
23. Look Who’s Talking Now (1993)
Starring: John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, David Gallagher
Directed By: Tom Ropelewski
This film turned out to be a disappointment even though the casts are significantly popular. It’s about a growing family, with John Travolta and Kirstie Alley filling the credit roles, who have two beautiful children. They also have a couple of dogs that constantly insult humans as nobody can understand them. According to The Numbers, the film was able to gain a domestic gross of $10.1 million and has a PG-13 rating.
In Rotten Tomatoes’Tomatometer, the film gets 0%, while its audience score is 29%. Some comments might get all the people involved overwhelmed, for example, Quentin Curtis from Independent on Sunday wrote that the film’s a “… glutinous mix of all that’s worst in movies.” Yikes! However, New York Times’Stephen Holden seemed to have had a pretty good day when scoring the movie since he still gave it a 2 out of 5, which is decent, in comparison to those who scored 1 and 0.
22. Mac And Me (1988)
Starring: Christine Ebersole, Jade Calegory, Jonathan Ward
Directed By: Stewart Raffill
Many would have stated that this was an imitation of the box-office hit film E.T., and it was the worse version. Well, we don’t know who to credit for that comment, but the numbers do prove it. Mac and Me was given just 4% in Tomatometer, while the audience score was at a disappointing 38%. However, this movie garnered a total domestic gross of $5.9 million in the US when it was released in 1988.
Stewart Raffill wrote and directed the movie, while Steve Feke wrote it and R.J Louis produced it. The film is rated PG and is under the Kids And Family and Sci-Fi genre. If you’re wondering what the top critics had to say, Michael Wilmington from Los Angeles Times wrote, “It’s an amazingly bald-faced copy of E.T….”, while Peter Travers from People Magazine mentioned that this was just like a Coca-Cola and McDonald’s commercial, dressed as a rip-off of E.T.