There's nothing funny about how bad these comedy movies were! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at anticipated comedy movies that everyone assumed would be anywhere between hilarious and passable. Yet, they weren’t even watchable.
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00:00 "Talk about a rotten day."
00:07 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at anticipated comedy movies that everyone
00:12 assumed would be anywhere between hilarious and passable, yet they weren't even watchable.
00:18 "It's the beard.
00:20 It makes me look like Santa."
00:23 Number 10.
00:24 The Hangover Part 2.
00:30 With the first film being a record-breaking breath of fresh air, fans were eager to see
00:35 the Wolfpack return.
00:37 Granted, we knew only so much could be done with this premise.
00:41 Like Home Alone 2, though, the change of scenery opened the door for new possibilities.
00:46 The film also could have taken a meta approach like 22 Jump Street would three years later.
00:51 Instead, Todd Phillips followed the same formula, right down to Alan being responsible for the
00:56 Wolfpack's predicament.
00:57 "Alan, what did you do?"
00:58 "It's not my fault.
00:59 And he shouldn't have been sharing from his bag."
01:04 "What bag?"
01:07 We'd be forgiving if the film brought the laughs, but the humour goes way beyond feeling
01:12 recycled.
01:13 It's more vulgar, mean-spirited, and downright unpleasant.
01:17 Filmmakers showed up in droves regardless, but after The Hangover 2, nobody was surprised
01:22 when Part 3 resulted in another awful experience.
01:37 Number 9.
01:38 Howard the Duck.
01:42 Just four years after hitting the silver screen, Howard the Duck remains one of cinema's easiest
01:48 punchlines.
01:49 Believe it or not, there was a time when this superhero comedy seemed poised to become the
01:54 next big thing.
01:59 Producer George Lucas was riding high on the success of the Star Wars trilogy and first
02:04 two Indiana Jones movies, bringing some of the same creative figures along.
02:09 It was based on a Marvel comic known for its sharp satire and inventive scenarios with
02:14 a highly entertaining central character.
02:16 None of the potential shined through in the final product, proving too raunchy for kids,
02:26 too juvenile for adults, and too disturbing for anyone who wasn't already wondering how
02:31 a human woman and anthropomorphic duck could consummate their relationship.
02:42 Number 8.
02:43 Norbit.
02:44 Eddie Murphy has endured various ups and downs, but the nutty professor was definitely a high
02:51 point.
02:52 Norbit seemed like a successor to the Klumps, with Murphy again playing multiple characters,
02:57 re-teaming with makeup legend Rick Baker.
03:00 Murphy's career was also on the upswing following his Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls.
03:05 If Dreamgirls was the highest of highs, Norbit was the lowest of lows.
03:14 The three characters Murphy played ranged from bland to racist to one of the most repellent
03:19 screen presence we've ever seen in a comedy.
03:23 Every aspect was unlikable, with even the impressive makeup effects enforcing a terrible
03:28 message about overweight people.
03:30 Murphy made horrible comedies before, but we didn't think he had one so repugnant in
03:36 him.
03:45 Number 7.
03:46 The Big Wedding.
03:49 Anyone who read the script for The Big Wedding would know this project was doomed from the
03:53 moment Lionsgate said "I do".
03:56 Based on the all-star ensemble though, few could have expected the film to be this uncomfortable.
04:02 This rom-com doesn't even feel like it was helmed by one person.
04:06 Characters make decisions with little rhyme or reason, as if scenes are missing.
04:20 The comedy randomly switches gears between PG-13 and R-rated material, although it never
04:26 takes full advantage of the latter.
04:32 We've seen movies squander talent before, but it's almost remarkable how little the
04:39 cast manages to salvage.
04:41 It's awful in ways that we didn't even anticipate.
04:44 Yet The Big Wedding still isn't uniquely bad enough to be a guilty pleasure.
04:49 It's just a waste.
04:57 Number 6.
04:58 The Bonfire of the Vanities.
05:05 In the late 80s, everybody and their mother read The Bonfire of the Vanities.
05:10 All eyes were on Brian De Palma's film adaptation to be a cinematic event, but people were soon
05:15 talking about this dark comedy for the wrong reasons.
05:19 As talented as the cast was, many actors felt missed cast, with Bruce Willis as a character
05:24 who was British in the book, and Tom Hanks, Hollywood's resident nice guy, as a protagonist
05:31 we're not supposed to sympathize with.
05:42 Plagued by studio interference, the film sucked out what made the novel so challenging and
05:46 humorous.
05:47 The troubled production inspired a fascinating book by Julie Solomon and a TCM podcast, but
05:53 Tom Wolfe's novel remains overdue for a faithful adaptation.
06:06 Number 5.
06:07 Holmes and Watson.
06:11 After Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly established their comedic chemistry in Talladega Nights
06:16 and Step Brothers, many were mystified by how painfully humorless Holmes and Watson
06:22 turned out.
06:29 Of course, a third player was just as integral to the aforementioned films, Adam McKay, who
06:35 would co-produce Holmes and Watson, but was apparently more interested in directing prestige
06:40 pictures at this point in his career.
06:43 While nobody expected the Sherlock send-up to be prestige, they expected it to strike
06:47 a balance between stupid and funny, only getting the former.
06:52 At its best, Holmes and Watson is like an SNL sketch that goes on for too long.
06:57 At its worst, this clueless comedy will make you want to throw every physical copy over
07:01 the Reichenbach Falls.
07:09 Number 4.
07:10 Gigli.
07:11 Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's real-life relationship has rebounded, but there's
07:21 a reason why Martin Brest hasn't made another movie more than 20 years after Gigli.
07:27 Much of the press surrounding this dark rom-com revolved around Affleck and Lopez's off-screen
07:32 romance.
07:33 At the time, some adored Bennifer while others were getting sick of them.
07:37 Even if you fell into the latter category, Gigli seemed to have promise with the supporting
07:42 cast including Al Pacino and Christopher Walken.
07:53 Considering that Brest also directed classic crime comedies like Beverly Hills Cop and
07:57 Midnight Run, few could have fathomed how universally hated Gigli would be.
08:03 Some say Gigli was gutted in the editing room, and while that didn't help, any film with
08:08 the line "Turkey Time" is beyond saving.
08:16 Number 3.
08:17 Zoolander 2.
08:23 The first Zoolander was a modest box office success, but became a full-blown cult classic
08:29 on home media.
08:30 Fifteen years later, fans were still referencing the "Center for Ants" and imitating looks
08:36 like Blue Steel.
08:38 The idea that Ben Stiller would deliver such a soulless sequel after all this time didn't
08:43 even feel like a possibility.
08:53 Right off the bat, Zoolander 2 leaves a sour taste in your mouth as it undoes the original's
08:58 happy ending.
08:59 That sour taste turned staler as we're treated to celebrity cameos that go nowhere, offensively
09:05 dumb comedy bits, and callbacks that only remind us how much better the original film
09:10 is.
09:11 We don't want your excuses, Stiller.
09:14 This script needed to be at least three times funnier than this.
09:29 Number 2.
09:30 The Love Guru With hit franchises like Wayne's World, Austin
09:41 Powers and Shrek, Mike Myers appeared unstoppable.
09:45 Sure, he had a slip up here and there, but it'd take a flop of astronomical proportions
09:51 to kill Myers' career.
09:53 The Love Guru is a cautionary tale about what happens when an artist becomes too successful.
10:06 With cringey stereotypes and toilet humor so lazy that you'd swear the movie was literally
10:11 farted out, the pitch should have been rejected on the spot.
10:15 When Myers is the star, co-writer, co-producer though, surely it'll all come together.
10:23 Even with Myers' track record up until this point, putting all of your eggs in one basket
10:32 is a dangerous game.
10:33 The studio paid the price, but so did Myers, who's struggled to regain his mojo since.
10:43 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions.
10:48 Your Highness A strong cast and creative setup can still
10:51 amount to an epic fail.
11:07 Bewitched A throwback so bad it's bewildering.
11:21 North Roger Ebert wasn't the only one appalled by
11:24 how South this production went.
11:39 Amsterdam David O. Russell's exercise in wasting an A-list
11:43 ensemble, $80 million, and our patients.
12:01 Aloha How could a movie with Emma Stone be off…
12:05 Wait, her character's ethnicity is what?
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12:32 Year One Jack Black and Michael Cera were just two
12:39 of the comedy titans in this prehistoric comedy, calling a modern Life of Brian to mind.
12:45 The behind-the-scenes talent was equally encouraging, with Judd Apatow producing and the legendary
12:50 Harold Ramis directing.
12:52 Year One carries a sad sentiment with the knowledge that it'd be Ramis' last directorial
12:58 outing.
12:59 Or worse, it was a biblically laughless note to go out on.
13:10 Never living up to its cast, creative team, and premise, there isn't a joke that works
13:15 or a scene that doesn't overstay its welcome.
13:17 Unwatchable is one thing, but we'd go as far to call this film unreleasable.
13:22 Alas, here we are talking about it, wondering how so many funny people could go so wrong.
13:29 What comedy did you find shockingly awful?
13:43 Vent in the comments.
14:05 (upbeat music)
14:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]