Last week I shared my Top 20 films of 2020 (you can check out that list HERE). In keeping with tradition, this week I’m looking the other way. More specifically, today I’m sharing my picks for the 5 worst movies I had the displeasure of seeing. I almost skipped it this year considering we had enough bad news out of 2020 as it is. But who takes these things seriously anyway? So here we go. Enjoy….I guess.
Before I get into 2020’s five biggest stinkers, here are a few of the year’s bigger disappointments:
“Palm Springs” – After hearing so many positive things I eventually convinced myself to watch “Palm Springs”. What I got was a fairly cool idea draped in the same old Andy Samberg routine. No thanks. [REVIEW]
“The Personal History of David Copperfield” – Dev Patel starring in this Charles Dickens classic? How could it go wrong? Well, this good-looking but incessantly chatty adaptation rushes through the story often glossing over details and characters. It left me exhausted. [REVIEW]
“Wonder Woman 1984” – While I still gave this a positive review (barely), I can’t overstate how let down I was by this sequel. It was such an erratic mess and fell short of its predecessor narratively, visually, tonally and so on. Sigh. [REVIEW]
Now on to the worst movies I saw in 2020:
#5 – “Love Wedding Repeat”
Netflix had a lot of really good movies last year. This mind-numbing “romantic comedy” isn’t one of them. This mess plays like an R-rated Lifetime Original flick and a “Four Weddings and a Funeral” knock-off. The movie does sport a very handsome cast and they try their best. But some spotty chemistry and dreadfully uneven humor undermines everything else. Its not romantic and it’s certainly not funny. It’s kind of like a wedding cake – beautifully decorated but bland and tasteless. [REVIEW]
#4 – “The New Mutants”
Many people wondered if “The New Mutants” would ever see the light of day. Might have been better if it hadn’t. The film is a perplexing and frustrating slog that lacks all of the energy and thrills of the superhero genre. It plays around with horror but you can’t scrape together a single scare or the slightest bit of tension. Instead it’s more akin to a bland YA drama turned into a mediocre television pilot for The CW. Even the visuals are boring and uninspired. [REVIEW]
#3 – “Artemis Fowl”
This $125 million Disney disaster was clearly intended to launch a franchise. Well, it’s safe to say you can rule that out. “Artemis Fowl” lacks every bit of the awe and wonder a fantasy adventure needs. It’s full of bland cookie-cutter characters and woefully bad dialogue. And if you like dry, cold information dumps then this is the movie for you. Nothing stands out or leaves a meaningful impression. And while young children may get a kick out of it, it’s not a world I ever want to revisit. [REVIEW]
#2 – “Disturbing the Peace”
I love Guy Pearce and will watch pretty much anything he does. That’s why it pains me to put “Disturbing the Peace” on this list. But this small indie action flick absolutely earns its spot. I can completely buy Pearce playing a small town marshal, but he seems bored and totally uninterested. It makes sense. I’m sure the cheap production, the cliche-riddled script, the appallingly lame dialogue, and the embarrassingly bad ‘villains’ was tough for him to endure. It certainly was for me. [REVIEW]
#1 – “The Wrong Missy”
I have to admit, I knew going into “The Wrong Missy” that I wasn’t about to see an Oscar contender. But I wasn’t expecting something so abysmal. This stunningly bad David Spade flop features everything I hate about these kinds of comedies: dumb juvenile ‘humor’, off-putting raunch, lazy punchlines, and dense unpleasant characters who quickly wear out their welcome. This really is bottom-rung comedy that’s content with regurgitating the same junk that Sandler, Spade, and their buddies have given us time and time again. [REVIEW]
So there they are. What do you think of my list? I’d love to hear your thoughts and your picks in the comment section below.
You finally give us some pictures worth taking a peek at.
Moving pictures, right?
With the exception of Wonder Woman 1984 which I did like though I am aware of its flaws, I haven’t seen any of these films. That top 5 worst films… yeah, it’s likely I won’t see them. I’m just glad you didn’t watch Stardust because watching that film right now on Elvis Bowie day is just sacrilege. No Bowie fan would watch that piece of shit to celebrate what would’ve been his 74th B-Day. I’ll take Elvis’ worst movies over that shit. Plus, the King would probably shoot the TV if he saw that shit with Bowie, Graham Chapman of Monty Python, and Stephen Hawking laughing their ass off over Elvis shooting the TV.
You are incredibly fortunate. Skip all of them. You aren’t missing a thing!
Palm Springs came to me a little before the first wave of the pandemic here and it was just such a dark time that it gave me hope. Can never hate that movie! The rest I can see… even though I’ve seen only The New Mutants from the Top 5. Wonder Woman 1984 was indeed a disappointment.
WW84 is so frustrating mainly because I love the first movie so much. I love Gadot and Jenkins. But that movie was such a mess. As for Palm Springs, I bet more people will be with you than me. It seems to have a big following.
THE WRONG MISSY – 0/10
ARTEMIS FOWL – 3/10
THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD – 4/10
THE NEW MUTANTS – 5/10
PALM SPRINGS – 8/10
I know a lot of people who really liked Palm Springs. Definitely wasn’t for me. We certainly agree on The Wrong Missy.
SCOOB is still one of the Best Films of 2020 💜💙🧡💚🤎
Artemis Fowl is on my worst list as well. The New Mutants just missed. Thankfully I haven’t seen your other picks. (I did like Palm Springs and WW84 though)
Stayyyyyy away from those other picks (LOL). I liked WW84 also. My only beef is that I wanted to LOVE it. It left me a little bummed.
Love WW84 💜
Luckily….I only saw two out of the five movies on this list!!!
Luckily indeed. And by the way it sounds, you aren’t a big fan of the two you’ve seen?
Yeah, exactly. I saw Artemis Fowl and New Mutants.
I’ve been hearing lots of bad things about Artemis Fowl. I can’t believe that movie bombed so hard.
It’s awful. Truly bad in nearly every sense. And a pretty expensive misfire.
Luckily, I’ve seen none of these. I’ll be sure to avoid them. 🙂
You’re lucky! 🤣