Top 10 Worst Hollywood Directors

directors, movies, films, Hollywood, worst directors, bad movies, Uwe Boll, Brett Ratner, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, M. Night Shyamalan, Michael Bay, John Whitesell, Renny Harlin, Brian Levant, Tyler Perry, Steven Brill, worst directors ever, crappy directors, terrible directors, terrible movies, bad movies, crap movies, horrible movies because of directors, terrible direction, bad production, bad producers, bad leaders, terrible leaders, bad hollywood directors, laughable directors,

Script written by Niki Neptune.

Top 10 Worst Hollywood Directors


They’ve directed some of the worst big budget Hollywood films around, and somehow they’re still getting work. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 worst Hollywood directors.

For this list, we’re looking at the directors who may’ve had some hits but also have an overwhelming number of misses under their directorial belts and are generally considered terrible.

#10: Steven Brill

With his filmography including such cinematic flops as “Without a Paddle” and “Little Nicky,” Brill’s movies have been universally panned. Horrible scripts are punctuated by horrible direction, making for a unique combination of awful. While Brill has written and acted in some okay films – including everyone’s favorite hockey movie – his attempts at directing fall short. He has more movies set for future release, ensuring the world hasn’t seen the last of his movie failures.

#9: Tyler Perry

He may’ve found a way to fund his stage-to-screen films without the use of major studios, but it doesn’t mean his movies have been any good. With his slew of “Madea” films and “woman, thou art loose” plot themes, Perry’s films have continuously toed the line between boring and predictable. More often than not, they’ve seemed like an excuse for him to dress in women’s clothing. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

#8: Brian Levant

In spite of the fact that he’s never made one decent film, he still seems to find a way to make more. As the director of such gems as “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas” and “Snow Dogs,” Levant seems to excel at making truly dreadful movies disguised as family films. He even manages to miss the mark of his movies being so bad that they’re good, with most just being shockingly terrible.

#7: Renny Harlin

Although some of his films have been moderately successful, with “Rambling Rose” even landing him some critical acclaim, one can’t forget the man who brought us “The Adventures of Ford Fairlaine” and “The Covenant.” He even managed to set a world record for the biggest box office failure of all time with 1995’s “Cutthroat Island.” When you’ve made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for how badly your films do, something is wrong.

#6: John Whitesell

He’s responsible for “Malibu’s Most Wanted,” “Deck the Halls” and the “Big Momma’s House” sequels. Suffice it to say, Whitesell is not aiming for quality filmmaking. While there may be room for feel-good entertainment and blue-collar humor, he seems to be secretly in a lifelong competition for “Director of Least Funny Comedy.” If so, he’s definitely a strong contender.

#5: Michael Bay

It seems as though he’s been making different versions of the same movie for the last 15 years. While Bay’s movies tend to be financially successful, his penchant for explosions, slow-motion, and gluttonous special effects is overwrought. Plus, his heavy-handed approach to brain candy visuals leaves much to be desired in the way of actual direction. Big-budget blockbuster flicks don’t have to be mindless, but Bay seems to find a way.

#4: M. Night Shyamalan

He wowed us with “The Sixth Sense” and then proceeded to disappoint us with a string of colossal plot-twist failures. Shyamalan has struggled to follow up the critical acclaim of “The Sixth Sense,” choosing to maintain a supernatural element to his films but failing to deliver on quality plots. His movies seem desperate to trick their audience, making his plot twists seem forced. And let’s not forget what he did to “The Last Airbender.”

#3: Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer

These two have mastered the art of taking a joke and running it into the ground. Their spoof films of movies like “Scream” and “300” are painfully unfunny, with cliché jokes and cringe-worthy punchlines. Friedberg and Seltzer movies have somehow managed to become parodies of themselves, with their awfulness being the constant theme throughout. It’s almost as if they’re trolling the movie industry, and succeeding.

#2: Brett Ratner

Apparently, being a douchebag comes with directing credits. Ratner has choked out some pretty lame films, including “Money Talks,” “Rush Hour 3,” and “Tower Heist,” but it’s his antics off-camera that have made him unbearable. Between using homophobic slurs, claiming to “bang and forget” actresses, and his contempt for his audience, Ratner seems to have cornered the market on sleazebag directors.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Paul W.S. Anderson
- Dennis Dugan
- Rob Zombie
- Joel Schumacher
- Brian Robbins

#1: Uwe Boll

Boll has made some of the worst Hollywood movies on record. Known for turning video games into major motion pictures, including “Blood Rayne” and “House of the Dead,” Boll creates box-office bombs religiously. He’s regarded as the “Ed Wood” of the modern age, eliciting an online petition for him to retire from filmmaking. Boll likes to challenge his critics to boxing matches, but he should probably be thinking about another line of work.

Do you agree with our list? Who do you think is the worst Hollywood movie director? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.

Have an idea you want to see made into a WatchMojo video? Check out our suggest page and submit your idea.

Step up your quiz game by answering fun trivia questions! Love games with friends? Challenge friends and family in our leaderboard! Play Now!

Related Videos