It keeps getting easier to pen “Worst of” movie lists.
Why?
Blame a crush of new content platforms, including streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video. The rush to make every IP into a shared universe doesn’t help. (That explains one laugh-out-loud entry below.)
It’s also a by-product of the creative process. Even great artists make missteps. It’s impossible to avoid, and they often rebound from their worst efforts.
With that charitable thought in mind, consider the seven worst films of 2024. The movies below are in no particular order save the first title.
It’s so bad it deserves all the Razzies.
“Jackpot!”
John Cena is a surprisingly funny fellow. Director Paul Feig gave us “Bridesmaids,” “Spy” and the “Freaks and Geeks” TV series. Awkafina can be a hoot in small doses.
Put them together and you get the most misguided comedy in recent memory. Awkwafina plays a lottery winner who must live long enough to collect her cash in a dystopian California. Cena plays the bodyguard hired to save her skin.
The result? A tone-deaf montage of deeply unfunny action, mean-spirited twists and scenes that refuse to die. “Jackpot” might be the worst comedy of the decade.
“Madame Web”
Spoiler alert: The heroine in this Marvel misfire saves the day not once but twice by driving a car into the villain. Heck, we could ALL be superheroes, assuming there’s a car in our driveway!
What’s left to be said about this certified clunker that became the year’s cinematic punchline? Laughable dialogue. Atrocious acting. The waste of charismatic stars like Sydney Sweeney.
“Madame Web” sparked mockable memes months before it actually hit theaters. The film’s saving grace? It could become a midnight movie classic where audiences gather to laugh at it. There’s plenty of material, thank goodness.
“Blink Twice”
Hollywood’s MeToo revolution faded when stars looked the other way when Democrats behaved badly. Some still took the movement’s mission to heart, creating films that attacked The PatriarchyTM.
The worst of the lot came from first-time writer/director Zoe Kravitz. The “Batman” alum creates an impressive sense of dread early in the film. In every other way her debut fails.
Two gal pals (Naomie Ackie, Alia Shawkat) follow a hunky billionaire (Channing Tatum) to his resort island for drinking, dancing and, maybe a dash of debauchery. What follows is as predictable as it is listless. The film offers some promise early on, but by the time the third act rumbles into view we’ve lost all hope of seeing a competent story.
“Lisa Frankenstein”
The only noteworthy element here is the film’s tagline. It’s a “Coming of Rage” story. Fading screenwriter Diablo Cody deserves plenty of blame for thinking this dreck deserved the big-screen’s attention.
The charming Kathryn Newton (“Ant-Man 3”) stars as a tortured teen who finds love in the most curious place possible – the cemetery. She falls for a reanimated corpse (Cole Sprouse) who helps her get revenge on the monsters in her inner circle.
Yes, there’s a feminist edge to the story, but that’s not why it’s so hard to watch. What could have been a droll ’80s flashback (It’s set in 1989) becomes painfully unfunny and flat-out mean.
“Blackout”
Indie horror movies almost always offers something, large or small, that their bigger-budgeted peers lack. A clever scene … a wry twist … a moment of creative introspection. There are exceptions, like this DOA werewolf romp bludgeoned by progressive fingers-wagging.
Alex Hurt (son of William) stars as a loner planning to take his own life before he kills again. He’s a werewolf, you see, and he has enough of a moral compass to realize the world is better off without him.
Cinema is better off without inept stories like this, complete with awful FX and crudely-sketched characters.
“Drive-Away Dolls”
Ethan Coen declared his independence from brother Joel with this 2024 comedy. Let’s hope they reunite before Ethan strikes again.
A rebellious lesbian and her demure pal hit the road to escape their respective realities. They rent a car with a stolen briefcase in the trunk. Look inside, and you’ll see the dumbest MacGuffin in ages.
Hilarity does not ensue. Cringe-worthy lectures, random swipes at the GOP and a wildly ineffective romance do, however. You’ve been warned.
“Anyone But You”
How could a rom-com starring two beautiful stars like Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell fail? Just watch this misbegotten romance and see for yourself. Or, better yet, avoid it entirely.
Our leads play a meet-cute couple who disentangle before love has a chance to bloom. They’re reunited when their mutual friends … eh, why bother detailing the plot of this inept romance? Just know the leads will hatch a dopey plan to trick their friends into thinking one thing, while another might just happen.
Whoa.
And you thought “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” was the Rom-Com’s creative low point.
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