10 Bad Movies With Good Acting

Movies don’t always end up being the sum of their parts. There are a great number of people working on set at any given time, and all of them may care immensely about the project, but that doesn’t always mean that the final product will turn out great.

However, even if the finished film isn’t great, aspects of a movie can still leave an impression on the audience. For example, there are a lot of weak movies out there with strong performances from their casts, which make otherwise forgettable films memorable. Many of these movies would likely be lost to time, but instead they stand as reminders of the importance of good casting.

10 ‘The Flintstones’ (1994)

Directed by Brian Levant

It can be hard to adapt an existing animated property into a live-action film. Many attempts have been made over the years, like 1980’s Popeye, the Alvin and the Chipmunks and Garfield movies of the early 2000s, and the live-action Disney remakes of the modern era, but most of these adaptations are missing elements that make the source material so beloved. 1994’s The Flintstones is no different, but it is a perfect example of how important casting is in these types of movies.

John Goodman was perfectly cast as Fred Flintstone. Even if Goodman didn’t enjoy working on the film, he still manages to sound and move exactly like the iconic cartoon character. The same can be said of Rick Moranis, who plays Fred’s longtime friend, Barney Rubble. While the movie in question has plenty of flaws, it is still entertaining to watch because of how these two actors manage to bring their iconic animated characters to life.

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9 ‘Tusk’ (2014)

Directed by Kevin Smith

Tusk tells the tale of Wallace Bryton (Justin Long), a podcast host who is taken prisoner by Howard Howe (Michael Parks), a man with a love of walruses and a hatred of humans. Howe intends to morph Bryton into a human walrus. This leads to a particularly visually disturbing horror film that isn’t for everyone, but part of the reason why it has earned its cult following is because of the performance of its two leads.

Parks is a wonderful villain who somehow manages to be totally believable despite having a goal that could come off as entirely comedic. Long adds to this by showing complete fear and terror every step of the way. Had either actor leaned more heavily into the sillier aspects of the concept, the horror in this movie wouldn’t work as well as it does, but because they are so fully committed to that tone, the horror in this movie sticks out despite the middling reception it received upon release.

8 ‘Scooby-Doo’ (2002)

Directed by Raja Gosnell

The live-action Scooby-Doo movies are heavily flawed. The gang from the iconic cartoon is strangely written, and both films have an odd tone that doesn’t quite line up with the source material. However, a bright spot in both of these movies is Matthew Lillard‘s performance as Shaggy.

Lillard completely embodies the iconic cartoon character. He looks like Shaggy, he moves like Shaggy, and perhaps most importantly, he sounds exactly like Casey Kasem‘s original portrayal of the character. Despite the fact that both films were poorly received, Lillard’s performance stood out enough to land him a long-term position as the voice of Shaggy after Kasem stopped playing the character. Will Forte voiced the character in 2020’s Scoob!, but Lillard continues to play Shaggy in other animated projects to this day, and it’s easy to see why.

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7 ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016)

Directed by David Ayer

The DC Extended Universe had a lot of misses. From the original box office disappointment of Justice League to Black Adam‘s financial failure, not much of it stuck with audiences. There was at least one exception though: Margot Robbie‘s portrayal of Harley Quinn.

Suicide Squad has a weak plot, unlikable characters and choppy editing, yet Robbie stuck out so positively as the big screen’s first Harley Quinn that she got to be a lead in two more films; Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad. She brings an appropriate love of chaos to the character, while also injecting enough charisma that it’s hard to root against her. This can be a difficult balance to achieve, and the fact that Robbie manages to strike it so well despite not having the best material to work with is impressive.

6 ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’ (2007)

Directed by Gore Verbinski

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise started strong, but was quickly bogged down by increasingly convoluted plots that weren’t helped by the abundance of characters present, especially in the third film. Despite this, though, there are several performances in the third Pirates movie that keep it from being a complete slog.

For one, casting Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa in The Curse of the Black Pearl was a genius move that created one of the franchise’s best characters. He returns in this film to team up with Johnny Depp‘s Jack Sparrow, providing some of the best moments in the franchise. Speaking of Depp, while his performances as Sparrow would grow tired with later releases, he still has plenty of energy in this installment. There’s also Bill Nighy, who turns in one of the greatest motion capture performances of all time as Davy Jones. Despite the film’s many shortcomings, it’s still entertaining to watch these actors bring life to their characters.

5 ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (2018)

Directed by Ron Howard

Solo: A Star Wars Story has been the black sheep in the Star Wars franchise since it originally released. It’s the only film in the series that ended up being a box office dud, and it wasn’t the rebound in audience reception that fans were hoping for after being disappointed by The Last Jedi.

While the film has plenty of issues in its writing and pacing, the performances of Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover elevate the movie immensely. Ehrenreich in particular nails the mannerisms of a young Han Solo, and there are many shots where he looks almost exactly like a younger Harrison Ford. Meanwhile, Glover managed to bring the signature swagger that Billy Dee Williams always brought to Lando. The fact that Solo‘s issues lie more with its plot than with its recasting of iconic characters is a huge testimony to the talent of the actors involved.

4 ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ (2023)

Directed by James Mangold

The first three Indiana Jones movies are some of the best films of all time. Since the release of The Last Crusade in 1989, the character has been revived twice to similarly mixed results. While 2023’s Dial of Destiny is a stronger film than 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it still struggles with an over-reliance on CGI and some underwhelming action sequences. It also wound up being the only film in the franchise to lose money at the box office.

In spite of all of this though, Dial of Destiny has the guts to give Indiana Jones more depth than ever before, allowing Harrison Ford’s acting to shine through in some of the franchise’s most emotionally affecting moments. One of the best examples is a scene late in the movie where Indy talks to Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s Helena about the fate of his son, Mutt. It’s one of Ford’s strongest scenes as the character, and moments like this are what elevates Dial of Destiny above Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

3 ‘Glass’ (2019)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Glass is the third movie in a trilogy that was released over the span of almost two decades. It’s a sequel to both Unbreakable and Split, intended to pit Bruce Willis‘ David Dunn against James McAvoy‘s Kevin Wendell Crumb, also known as The Horde. While its two predecessors were well-received, Glass ended up being an underwhelming finale.

However, most of the film’s issues are related to its plot. It is significantly propped up by two great performances from McAvoy and Samuel L. Jackson, who returns as Mr. Glass. The scene where McAvoy has to completely switch characters each time a set of massive lights flash at him is a true acting showcase. Jackson may not have quite as much to do, but he still plays a great villain who is given more depth than before.

2 ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (2018)

Directed by Bryan Singer

Bohemian Rhapsody was a Best Picture Oscar nominee. It didn’t win when it was nominated in 2019, but Rami Malek did win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury. A lot of the discussion around the movie when it originally released was centered around Malek’s performance, and it is strong. He fully embodies Mercury, and despite not singing the songs, he’s a great physical stand-in for the Queen singer during performances.

Looking back, it’s become clear that Bohemian Rhapsody wasn’t a great biopic. It swept many aspects of Mercury’s life under the rug, but Malek’s performance is still outstanding and makes the film worth watching. The Live Aid reenactment at the conclusion of the film is particularly incredible, with Malek perfectly mimicking Mercury’s movements from the flashiest dance moves, to the slightest of head nods.

1 ‘W.E.’ (2011)

Directed by Madonna

Not every actor can make wooden dialogue work. A perfect example is W.E., a romantic drama centered around the real-life romance of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. This film has plenty of well-known actors in it, yet most of them struggle to make the script feel authentic.

And then there’s Andrea Riseborough, who plays Simpson. Every single time that Riseborough is on-screen, the film instantly becomes more captivating. While talented actors like David Harbour and Oscar Isaac fail to obscure the shortcomings of the script, Riseborough is consistently able to deliver clunky dialogue convincingly enough that it sounds natural. It doesn’t hurt that she looks almost exactly like the real Simpson. Later, Riseborough would be able to show off her acting skills in better films, such as 2022’s To Leslie, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, but the work she does in W.E. is still impressive, especially given how weak the script is.

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