Most well known and beloved actors and actresses in Hollywood have worked hard for their A-List status. But what types of mundane, low budget movie dues did these famous faces have to pay in their past?
Tom Cruise – Cruise and Brooke Shields made “Endless Love” in 1981. If the title isn’t corny enough, the reviews will surely keep you away. Variety says, “’Endless Love’ is a manipulative tale of a doomed romance which careens repeatedly between the credible and the ridiculous.” In 1983 Cruise made “Losin’ It” – a teenage rebel film where 4 friends travel to Mexico to party and are joined by a woman seeking a quickie divorce. One review says, “This doesn’t sound like much and it isn’t…” Luckily, “Risky Business” was Cruise’s next movie.
Viggo Mortensen – 1987’s “Salvation!: Have You Said Your Prayers Today?” stars Mortensen as a controlling husband questioning the credibility of his wife’s favorite television evangelist. The tagline is great, “SEX. POWER. MONEY. It’s all in the name of God!” Siskel & Ebert describe it as “boring,” “cliché,” “uninteresting” and state the performances are “wooden.” “Fresh Horses” (1988) is about a college educated engaged man that falls for a country girl who is supposedly 20 year old. Its tagline – “Love doesn’t have to last a lifetime.” And it doesn’t for “Horses” also staring two brat packers and Ben Stiller.
Joe Pesci – “Moonwalker” made in 1988 is a Michael Jackson film. Pesci plays the villain wanting to get kids hooked on drugs. Filled with kids (eek!) and dance sequences, this movie does not add credibility to Pesci’s resume. Another flop is “Betsy’s Wedding” where three very different families are brought together to plan a wedding for Betsy. Roger Ebert says, “…there’s nothing compelling here.”
Kirsten Dunst – Her first credited movie was “The Bonfire of the Vanities” which also starred Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis and Melanie Griffith. Don’t let that fool you, a critic from Variety says, “The Bonfire of the Vanities is a misfire of inanities.” The only nominations it received were Razzies. “Greedy” is another big name film that flopped. A Washington Post reviewer states, “Their best hope is that “Greedy” will vanish quickly from public view.” Fortunately, Dunst’s next film was “Interview with the Vampire.”
Sandra Bullock – 1987’s “Hangmen” is the first movie credit for Bullock. The film’s tagline is terrible – “In this world no one is innocent, and if you want to live, you’ve got to beat the Hangmen.” It’s practically untraceable, which is not a good sign. 1989 brought “Religion, Inc.” about “Seeing God on TV inspires a New York adman to form a new religion based on greed, with a janitor.” One IMDB user states “Perhaps the worst movie ever made. “The Vanishing” (1993) is about a boyfriend’s search for his abducted girlfriend. Grossing a little $14,543,394, a Washington Post critic says the film, “merely leaves us stupefied, gasping for relief.”
Julianne Moore – Her first movie credit is “sLaughterhouse II.” And then “Tales from the Darkside: The Movie” described as “a lame effort.” “The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag” is said to be “Death by Mediocrity” by the Washington Post, “Stupid title, stupid movie,” by the Austin Chronicles, receives a 3.6 out of 10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes and only grossed $3,721,911. “Body of Evidence” (1993) receives a half star from the Chicago Sun Times, 1 star from ReelViews, and a 2.3 of 10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It gets worse. The tagline is “An act of love, or an act of murder?” This one should just be locked up and forgotten about it seems.
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