5 Stinkers From 2001
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Written by: Ryan McNally
Unfortunately, there was plenty of crap at the cineplexes this past year. As late as early December, this was shaping up to be one of the worst years in film history. The requisite late rush of Oscar hopefuls has helped 2001 avoid that ignominious label, but that doesn't change the fact that the studios released 95% crap during the first 11 months of the year. Not including the obvious stinkers that littered this movie year, here are five films that had the talent and/or the money, but still came up painfully short. |
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| 1. |
America's Sweethearts
Despite an all-star cast including Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Billy Crystal and Catherine Zeta-Jones, this wanna-be comedy falls painfully flat. The satire of Hollywood isn't nearly as sharp as it needs to be, the dialogue isn't as witty as it should be, and Roberts is woefully miscast. Only a wonderfully bitchy Zeta-Jones emerges unscathed from this dud.
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| 2. |
Gosford Park
A classic example of why many filmgoers hate and distrust critics. Stiff, overlong, painfully slow and just flat-out boring, Gosford Park has inexplicably drawn rave reviews. Fact is, writer/director Robert Altman stuffs so many pointless characters and so many subplots that go nowhere into this alleged comedy/murder mystery/social critique that it never gets off the ground. As a comedy it's rarely funny, as a murder mystery it's rarely compelling, and as a social critique it lacks sufficient bite.
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| 3. |
Hannibal
Nearly a decade after the classic The Silence of the Lambs, Anthony Hopkins returns to reprise his legendary role as Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. Unfortunately, flawed source material, questionable script revisions, and surprisingly lackluster direction from Ridley Scott (Gladiator) turn this once-classy, scary franchise into a campy, hammy disaster. (For a full review, click here.)
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| 4. |
Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
In perhaps the most disappointing development of 2001, the once-great Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy) delivers this stunning misfire, which has neither heart nor laughs. The sex and fart jokes seem tired, and Smith's trademark witty dialogue is non-existent, making his repeated potshots at critics ring hollow. With a few exceptions, the desperate cameos and in-jokes involving Hollywood celebs come off as pretentious and self-important as the directors Smith has trashed.
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| 5. |
Pearl Harbor
All effects, little emotion. From the start, it was clear that this mega-budget pic starring Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett did a poor job of conveying the heartbreak of Pearl Harbor. And Cuba Gooding Jr.'s throwaway storyline seemed like a shameless attempt to court the African American audience. But after experiencing the atrocity of September 11, the hollow, slick nature of Pearl Harbor is all the more evident. Sure, it has great special effects, but it lacks heart.
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