Top 10 Worst Movies of The Last Decade

Well, at least these movies kept the Razzies in business. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst Movies of the Decade. For this list, we’re taking a look at movies released between 2010 and 2019 that reached the bottom of the barrel . . . as well as a few that are below the bottom of the barrel. A spoiler alert is in effect, regardless.

After “Talladega Nights” and “Step Brothers,” we were all ready for another Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly collaboration to be a laugh riot. The only mystery in “Holmes & Watson” is how so many funny people produced such a clueless – not to mention elementary - comedy. The movie basically follows the same formula as every other Will Ferrell star vehicle: an egotistical buffoon needs to learn the value of humility and friendship. This time, however, the formula is devoid of anything resembling charm, humor, or effort. In 2018, did the filmmakers seriously think that people would laugh at jokes about fake mustaches, the Titanic, and women being doctors? The fact that Sony couldn’t even pawn this inevitable bomb off on Netflix says everything.

Congratulations, John Travolta, you’ve made your silliest movie since “Battlefield Earth.” The script for this crime biopic reads like it was written by an A.I. bot that gathered all of its data from Italian-American stereotypes and gangster clichés. “Gotti” hits all the familiar mob movie beats, but it’s completely deprived of any humanity. When all is said and done, what do we really learn about John Gotti by watching this movie? Well, he was a mob boss, he had a family, he swore a lot… that’s about it! There’s no real insight into what made Gotti such a fascinating figure. The only thing more confused than the movie itself is the soundtrack, which includes the musical stylings of Pitbull and the theme from “Shaft.”

We guess you could say that Nick Swardson was this decade’s Rob Schneider, i.e. the guy who frequently pops up in Adam Sandler movies. Where Schneider had a few star vehicles back in the day, though, Swardson was given one shot to prove that he could carry a movie. If “Bucky Larson” proves anything, it’s that Swardson wasn’t born to be a star. Centering on a buck-toothed mouth-breather who learns his parents were adult film stars, Bucky Larson sets out in pursuit of fame. It’s basically a poorer version of “Orgazmo,” which didn’t exactly set the bar very high. Throw in Pauly Shore and you’ve got a movie that clearly not even trying.

In 1914, Winsor McCay premiered his animated short “Gertie the Dinosaur,” launching a groundbreaking art form into the mainstream. 103 years later, this art form was used to turn Sir Patrick Stewart into a taking piece of poop. McCay would be so proud! “The Emoji Movie” doesn’t even feel like a real animated feature, but rather a satire of one. Come to think of it, if smarter writers were involved, maybe this could’ve been a clever satire about product placement and Hollywood’s creative bankruptcy. Since this is a movie about a society that inhabits a device, however, it’s nothing more than a commercial, really. As Rotten Tomatoes will tell you, the whole movie can be summed up with a general prohibition sign emoji.

The religious book series that started it all may be polarizing, but everyone can agree that this film adaptation is an unholy piece of cinema. Bringing a whole new meaning to the disaster genre, “Left Behind” isn’t merely an awful movie. It’s a boring movie, which is perhaps the greatest sin of all. When a film revolves around the Rapture and stars Nicolas Cage, it should at least be entertainingly bad. Those who went in expecting the next “Wicker Man” were sorely disappointed to find just how bland, uneventful, and dull “Left Behind” is. So, it couldn’t even please audiences who ironically enjoy bad movies. We never thought we’d say this, but bring back Kirk Cameron!

“Loqueesha” is the tale of a white man who can’t get a job in radio. So, he impersonates a sassy black woman to get on the airwaves. Right… because we all know how hard it is for white males in the workforce and how women of color have everything handed to them. Honestly, how did a movie like this get made in the modern world? It’d be one thing if this was intended to be in poor taste, but the film actually tries to seriously tackle themes likes cultural identity, gender inequality, and suicide. Adding insult to injury, our protagonist is portrayed as a “wise, gentle, and kind” individual who has all the answers. Writer/producer/director/star Jeremy Saville has made the modern equivalent of 1986’s “Soul Man.”

Helmed by Peter Farrelly, who’d ironically go on to direct a Best Picture winner only five years later, “Movie 43” was supposed to be “Kentucky Fried Movie” meets “Funny or Die.” Instead, we got “the ‘Citizen Kane’ of awful,” as Richard Roeper put it. Comprised of several sketches, this anthology comedy enlisted a cornucopia of gifted actors and filmmakers. The selling point was a skit where Kate Winslet goes on a date with Hugh Jackman, who’s given… err, a unique neck abnormality. From there, more and more stars signed up for a comedy that ultimately produced few laughs, but plenty of groans and cringes. We dare you to you to find a movie released this decade that flushed more talent down the toilet.

Given how over-the-top E. L. James’ books are, the “Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy could’ve been so bad it’s good, not unlike “Showgirls.” By removing Anastasia Steele’s ridiculous narration, though, we’re left with a vanilla romance that doesn’t even deliver the eroticism the trailers promised. When you really think about it, there isn’t that much BDSM in these movies. Most of the run time is instead dedicated to beautiful people driving fancy cars, sailing yachts, flying in private planes, and essentially indulging in the one-percent lifestyle. Then when we do get to the sensual stuff, it’s kept relatively tame. It all builds to arguably the dumbest ending of the decade in which Ana and Christian live happily ever after. Fitting?

We’re glad that Adam Sandler is closing out the decade with an Oscar-worthy performance in “Uncut Gems” because he kicked off the decade with a Razzie-winning performance in “Jack and Jill.” Actually, he gave two Razzie-winning performances, playing adman Jack and his unbelievably obnoxious twin sister Jill. The film even managed to win a Razzie in every category, an unprecedented… um, “achievement.” Even in a decade that brought us “Pixels” and “Grown Ups 2,” “Jack and Jill” is Sandler’s crowning achievement of lazy anti-humor. Al Pacino says it best in the final scene where he orders Jack to “burn this.” In the story’s context, he’s talking about a commercial, but it just as easily could be applied to the movie we just endured.

Before we get to our topic pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions:

“FANT4STIC” (2015)

“United Passions” (2014)

“Dirty Grandpa” (2016)

“Saving Christmas” (2014)

“I, Frankenstein” (2014)

“The Last Airbender” lived up to its title, but not in the way that director M. Night Shyamalan intended. Shyamalan built up this film as if it was going to kick off Hollywood’s next epic trilogy. Between its rushed plot, wooden acting, over-produced special effects, unnatural dialogue, and accusations of whitewashing, though, a sequel naturally never saw the light of day. The good news is that there’s already an epic trilogy: the three-season-long animated series that inspired this cinematic travesty. That being said, the fact that “The Last Airbender” derived from such a brilliant show is what truly gets under people’s skin. A terrible movie is one thing. A terrible movie based on promising source material is just shameful.