10) The Ladykillers
The Ladykillers was a film that showed all signs of success before hitting the theater. Not only is the black comedy written, produced, and directed by the masterful Coen Brothers, but it sports an impressive cast that includes Tom Hanks, J.K. Simmons, Irma P. Hall (A Family Thing, Soul Food), Stephen Root (Office Space, O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Tzi Ma (Red Doors, The Dance and the Railroad), Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy), and Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie). Okay, Wayans is a bit of a wildcard there, but he can be quite good with the right material.
Unfortunately for all involved, The Ladykillers is certainly not the right material, which is a shame when you consider that the original 1955 film starring Alec Guinnes has a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, nearly double the dismal 55% score that the Coens’ remake walked off with. While it’s arguable that the actors themselves are fine in their roles, especially Hanks, the film falls completely flat and is one of the few stains on the Coens’ remarkable filmography.
Funnily enough, they almost didn’t even direct here, and were originally only hired to write it. Their former cinematographer, Barry Sonnenfeld, was in line to direct but backed out of the project. The Coens then took over, but perhaps this is a project they should have left in someone else’s hands instead.
9) Nine
Daniel Day-Lewis is often regarded as the best actor of our time and is known to be extremely selective with his projects. My question for you, Mr. Day-Lewis, is what the hell were you doing in Nine?
On paper, Nine looked like a surefire hit. With Day-Lewis in the lead (going full-on-method as usual, learning Italian for the role) and Chicago director Rob Marshall at the helm, this live-action re-imagining of the Maury Yeston musical (which itself is based on the classic Federico Fellini film 8 1/2) should have been a home run. Marshall wowed audiences seven years previously with Chicago, which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and was fully expected to do so again.
Nine, however, is no Chicago, as the dismal 37% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes will tell you. It’s a shame, too, because Marshall managed to surround Day- Lewis by an excellent cast that included Academy Award winners Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Sophie Loren. If anything, Nine proves that even the pickiest and most awarded actors and actresses make terrible movies.
