5 Ensemble Casts That Worked & 5 That Surprisingly Failed
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VOICE OVER: Samantha Clinch
WRITTEN BY: Joe Shetina
From star-studded successes to surprising flops, we're exploring the world of ensemble casts in cinema. Join us as we dive into the movies that perfectly utilized their talented teams and those that failed to live up to expectations. Our list includes beloved hits like "Love Actually" and "Pulp Fiction," as well as disappointing entries like "Valentine's Day" and "Cats." We'll examine how these films managed to shine or stumble despite their impressive lineups. Which ensemble cast was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the movies that let their star-studded ensembles shine and the ones that couldn’t match their cast’s combined talents.
It may be a holiday romcom, but it’s no Hallmark movie. “Love Actually” features some of the most esteemed British actors of the era, and it even throws in a few token Americans too. Starring Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and many, many, many more, “Love Actually” follows a group of Londoners as they experience love and heartbreak at Christmas. This electrifying and star-powered ensemble ensures that there’s not a dud among these vignettes. If you want to see something cute and light, you can’t go wrong. If you need something raw and devastating, there’s a story and performance for that too.
This 2010 romcom has too many balls to juggle, and it ends up dropping them all. Using the title holiday as a backdrop to tell some bland love stories, it’s clearly trying to recapture the magic of charming movies like “Love Actually.” “Valentine’s Day” isn’t just a retread. It’s a stark reminder of how chaotic a movie like this can be when it’s done this badly. Julia Roberts may be the queen of romantic comedy, but neither she, nor the rest of the famous cast, can make this a worthwhile watch. Still, its poor quality didn’t stop it from making enough at the box office to inspire two unofficial sequels.
A bracing, non-linear caper about a group of interconnected criminals was a breath of fresh air in the early 90s. Writer-director Quentin Tarantino weaves between several different stories in a shared universe. Presented out of order, our perspective shifts with each extended sequence, and so does our point of view character. A strong cast is essential to keep us invested for the entire runtime, and everyone gets an iconic moment. From Uma Thurman and John Travolta’s now-famous retro-inspired dance to Samuel L. Jackson’s monologue of biblical fury, “Pulp Fiction’s” cast is given a meal and they leave zero crumbs.
Ridley Scott directing a Cormac McCarthy story with some of the biggest stars of the 2010s should’ve been a home run. The fact that a lot of people probably don’t even remember it should tell you how that went. An ensemble crime drama about drug cartels, “The Counselor” was taken to task for being a thriller without any thrills. Scott chalked up the lack of love to the movie’s dark tone. Considering it has the talents of Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, and Cameron Diaz, it’s a shame and a shocker it isn’t well-regarded. Guess some people involved in the production could’ve used some “counsel.”
While all three movies are successful, the very first installment of Peter Jackson’s first Tolkien trilogy has the biggest hurdle to clear. It has to make sure we become familiar with each and every one of its key characters. And there are a lot of them. With over a dozen principal characters, “The Fellowship of the Ring” is written and performed with so much specificity that it’s hard to get lost. Despite the sprawling narrative, we come to understand the personality differences between the Hobbits, the Elves, and all the other Middle-earth denizens with minimal confusion. The exceptional ensemble having chemistry “to rule them all” certainly doesn’t hurt either!
In the mid-2000s, it seemed like you couldn’t go wrong with a cast that included Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law. Even Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins, and “The Sopranos” star James Gandolfini got in on the action. “All the King’s Men” was a remake of a movie that had already won the Best Picture Oscar in 1950. There was an awards pedigree built into this thing from the jump. So, how did it manage to bomb and then disappear from the greater culture completely? No one wanted a bite of this Oscar bait. The few people who did come to see it absolutely hated it. It remains a largely forgotten disaster thanks to its slow pace and overly complex storytelling.
A mystery writer dies under mysterious circumstances, and his spoiled relatives have their hands out for their inheritance. Inspired by classic whodunits, the first Benoit Blanc mystery is old-fashioned in all the best ways. Elite actors in their prime and fresh-faced newcomers share the screen here. The great thing about “Knives Out” is how horrible everyone gets to be. No matter how much these murder suspects try to hide their true nature from Blanc, it all comes out as the detective puts the screws to them. It’s great fun to watch everyone sink their teeth into a script that’s as fun, stylish, and truly suspenseful as this one.
This DC offering boasted an incredible cast. With an ensemble that included Oscar winners Viola Davis, Jared Leto, and Will Smith, it’s hard to say what went wrong here. Was it that weird press cycle about Jared Leto’s method acting only for most of his performance to end up cut from the film? Was it the story, which was just too muddled to come together? Outside of a few memes, “Suicide Squad” was poised to be a major event. It made money, but the reviews were pretty devastating. Even more surprising than its failure is that it received a 2021 sequel that garnered much better reviews. Regardless, these stars playing villains out to do good couldn’t save their own movie.
Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson has demonstrated his deftness with lots of characters. In “Magnolia,” we follow multiple characters across Los Angeles. With themes touching upon reconciliation and trying to find one’s purpose in life, the movie makes some big swings and has its actors volleying back and forth between comedy and drama seemingly with little notice. Tom Cruise scored an Oscar nomination for “Magnolia,” but it’s chock full of performances that could’ve easily shared that honor. From Julianne Moore to John C. Reilly, William H. Macy to Philip Seymour Hoffman, there’s no one here bringing down the curve. It’s a movie full of actors doing some career-best work.
The original Broadway production is one of the most successful shows of all time, but can the spectacle of the live show and its threadbare plot carry over to the big screen? The answer is a resounding no. Unfortunately, “Cats” can’t be saved by a truly luminous cast. Pulling some big names from movies and pop music alike, its ensemble is a veritable “who said yes.” “Cats” is a dirty litter box that not even Judi Dench, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, and Taylor Swift can clean. Between baffling creative choices, some truly awful musical numbers, and controversial special effects changes, it’s safe to say that no one in the cast was set up for success.
What are your favorite (and not-so-favorite) movie ensembles? Get together in the comments to tell us!
#5: Worked: “Love Actually” (2003)
It may be a holiday romcom, but it’s no Hallmark movie. “Love Actually” features some of the most esteemed British actors of the era, and it even throws in a few token Americans too. Starring Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and many, many, many more, “Love Actually” follows a group of Londoners as they experience love and heartbreak at Christmas. This electrifying and star-powered ensemble ensures that there’s not a dud among these vignettes. If you want to see something cute and light, you can’t go wrong. If you need something raw and devastating, there’s a story and performance for that too.
#5: Failed: “Valentine’s Day” (2010)
This 2010 romcom has too many balls to juggle, and it ends up dropping them all. Using the title holiday as a backdrop to tell some bland love stories, it’s clearly trying to recapture the magic of charming movies like “Love Actually.” “Valentine’s Day” isn’t just a retread. It’s a stark reminder of how chaotic a movie like this can be when it’s done this badly. Julia Roberts may be the queen of romantic comedy, but neither she, nor the rest of the famous cast, can make this a worthwhile watch. Still, its poor quality didn’t stop it from making enough at the box office to inspire two unofficial sequels.
#4: Worked: “Pulp Fiction” (1994)
A bracing, non-linear caper about a group of interconnected criminals was a breath of fresh air in the early 90s. Writer-director Quentin Tarantino weaves between several different stories in a shared universe. Presented out of order, our perspective shifts with each extended sequence, and so does our point of view character. A strong cast is essential to keep us invested for the entire runtime, and everyone gets an iconic moment. From Uma Thurman and John Travolta’s now-famous retro-inspired dance to Samuel L. Jackson’s monologue of biblical fury, “Pulp Fiction’s” cast is given a meal and they leave zero crumbs.
#4: Failed: “The Counselor” (2013)
Ridley Scott directing a Cormac McCarthy story with some of the biggest stars of the 2010s should’ve been a home run. The fact that a lot of people probably don’t even remember it should tell you how that went. An ensemble crime drama about drug cartels, “The Counselor” was taken to task for being a thriller without any thrills. Scott chalked up the lack of love to the movie’s dark tone. Considering it has the talents of Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, and Cameron Diaz, it’s a shame and a shocker it isn’t well-regarded. Guess some people involved in the production could’ve used some “counsel.”
#3: Worked: “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001)
While all three movies are successful, the very first installment of Peter Jackson’s first Tolkien trilogy has the biggest hurdle to clear. It has to make sure we become familiar with each and every one of its key characters. And there are a lot of them. With over a dozen principal characters, “The Fellowship of the Ring” is written and performed with so much specificity that it’s hard to get lost. Despite the sprawling narrative, we come to understand the personality differences between the Hobbits, the Elves, and all the other Middle-earth denizens with minimal confusion. The exceptional ensemble having chemistry “to rule them all” certainly doesn’t hurt either!
#3: Failed: “All the King’s Men” (2006)
In the mid-2000s, it seemed like you couldn’t go wrong with a cast that included Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law. Even Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins, and “The Sopranos” star James Gandolfini got in on the action. “All the King’s Men” was a remake of a movie that had already won the Best Picture Oscar in 1950. There was an awards pedigree built into this thing from the jump. So, how did it manage to bomb and then disappear from the greater culture completely? No one wanted a bite of this Oscar bait. The few people who did come to see it absolutely hated it. It remains a largely forgotten disaster thanks to its slow pace and overly complex storytelling.
#2: Worked: “Knives Out” (2019)
A mystery writer dies under mysterious circumstances, and his spoiled relatives have their hands out for their inheritance. Inspired by classic whodunits, the first Benoit Blanc mystery is old-fashioned in all the best ways. Elite actors in their prime and fresh-faced newcomers share the screen here. The great thing about “Knives Out” is how horrible everyone gets to be. No matter how much these murder suspects try to hide their true nature from Blanc, it all comes out as the detective puts the screws to them. It’s great fun to watch everyone sink their teeth into a script that’s as fun, stylish, and truly suspenseful as this one.
#2: Failed: “Suicide Squad” (2016)
This DC offering boasted an incredible cast. With an ensemble that included Oscar winners Viola Davis, Jared Leto, and Will Smith, it’s hard to say what went wrong here. Was it that weird press cycle about Jared Leto’s method acting only for most of his performance to end up cut from the film? Was it the story, which was just too muddled to come together? Outside of a few memes, “Suicide Squad” was poised to be a major event. It made money, but the reviews were pretty devastating. Even more surprising than its failure is that it received a 2021 sequel that garnered much better reviews. Regardless, these stars playing villains out to do good couldn’t save their own movie.
#1: Worked: “Magnolia” (1999)
Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson has demonstrated his deftness with lots of characters. In “Magnolia,” we follow multiple characters across Los Angeles. With themes touching upon reconciliation and trying to find one’s purpose in life, the movie makes some big swings and has its actors volleying back and forth between comedy and drama seemingly with little notice. Tom Cruise scored an Oscar nomination for “Magnolia,” but it’s chock full of performances that could’ve easily shared that honor. From Julianne Moore to John C. Reilly, William H. Macy to Philip Seymour Hoffman, there’s no one here bringing down the curve. It’s a movie full of actors doing some career-best work.
#1: Failed: “Cats” (2019)
The original Broadway production is one of the most successful shows of all time, but can the spectacle of the live show and its threadbare plot carry over to the big screen? The answer is a resounding no. Unfortunately, “Cats” can’t be saved by a truly luminous cast. Pulling some big names from movies and pop music alike, its ensemble is a veritable “who said yes.” “Cats” is a dirty litter box that not even Judi Dench, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, and Taylor Swift can clean. Between baffling creative choices, some truly awful musical numbers, and controversial special effects changes, it’s safe to say that no one in the cast was set up for success.
What are your favorite (and not-so-favorite) movie ensembles? Get together in the comments to tell us!
