Are Alexandra Daddario's Worst Movies Still Worth Watching?
She may have been nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2022, but Alexandra Daddario's enormous eyes just weren't enough to carry many movies she was in before she appeared in The White Lotus. But are they still worth watching?
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00:00She may have been nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2022, but Alexandra Daddario's enormous
00:05eyes just weren't enough to carry many movies she was in before she appeared in The White
00:08Lotus. But are they still worth watching?
00:11While Dwayne The Rock Johnson has starred in his fair share of over-the-top disaster
00:15movies, 2015's San Andreas has a more realistic premise than most, centering on a real-life
00:19tectonic split that has affected California for almost 200 years. Johnson plays a helicopter
00:24pilot who teams up with his ex-wife to save lives after a massive 9.1-magnitude quake.
00:29And Alexandra Daddario plays his daughter, who tries to survive on her own after being
00:32abandoned in the chaos.
00:34Despite the strong box office performance of San Andreas, reviews criticized its unoriginality
00:39and scientific inaccuracy. But despite its many flaws and a 49% score on Rotten Tomatoes,
00:44some felt that it was still a fun popcorn movie, even though it was all spectacle and
00:47little substance. To Daddario's credit, some reviewers of the film complimented her charming
00:51performance. But San Andreas isn't a disaster movie you need to see before you die.
00:57One genre Alexandra Daddario has appeared in more frequently than most is horror. Unfortunately,
01:01some of those were during the 2000s and 2010s, when some of the worst horror movies ever
01:06were made.
01:07Not the bees! Aaaaaaah! I don't have my eyes!
01:12While it's far from the bottom of the genre, 2010's Bereavement, a successor to Steven
01:16Mena's indie slasher flick Malevolence, sits with a low 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
01:21In Bereavement, Daddario plays Allison, a teen who gets kidnapped by a serial killer.
01:25Although Allison shows more smarts than the average indie horror film lead, critics panned
01:29the film's over-reliance on violence, with The New York Times' Paul Brunick writing,
01:33"...I'd sooner touch a 9-volt battery to my tongue than sit through this film again."
01:37On the other hand, some reviewers felt that it would appeal to fans of Malevolence. Many
01:41reviews of the film from 2010 credit Daddario, not for her performance, but for the overabundance
01:46of skin on display throughout the film. It's not the most encouraging audience response
01:50for a young actor, but thankfully, Daddario has been in much better horror movies since,
01:54with less discourse surrounding her body.
01:57When We First Met isn't exactly a fresh take on the Groundhog Day time loop narrative.
02:01But thankfully, it has a lot more going for it than reviewers at the time seemed to recognize.
02:05Released on Netflix in 2018, the film stars Adam Devine as Noah, a single man hopelessly
02:10in love with his friend Avery, played by Daddario, who's about to get married. Noah ends up sent
02:14back to the night he met Avery and is given the opportunity to replay their meeting over
02:18and over again in an effort to win her over. It doesn't go well.
02:22I'm sorry my bones hurt. Ruin your magical evening and have a great life.
02:24In a positive review from Decider, Devine's leading man chops were credited, as was Daddario,
02:29for being, quote, "'gorgeous and lovely' here." Some reviews criticized the film's unoriginality
02:33and style of humor, and it currently sits at 43% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, When We
02:38First Met definitely deserves more appreciation than that. In fact, it might be one of the
02:42best romantic comedy movies you probably haven't seen yet.
02:46Few roles were as life-changing for Daddario's career as playing Annabeth Chase in 2010's
02:50Percy Jackson and the Olympians, A Lightning Thief. The movie grossed over $200 million
02:54at the box office and earned moderate reviews, with some praising its cast while others panned
02:59its script. But it was only natural that Hollywood would follow it up with a sequel. That sequel,
03:03Percy Jackson's Sea of Monsters, came and went in 2013, with Daddario reprising her
03:08role as Annabeth. Many reviews likened the franchise to a Harry Potter knockoff.
03:12But Sea of Monsters wasn't without its favorable notices, with ScreenCrush writing,
03:16By keeping the plot straightforward and the storytelling clean, it's an odyssey the intended
03:19young audience will be glad to take. Sea of Monsters currently sits at 42% on Rotten
03:24Tomatoes. The reviews indicate that there's a lot to appeal to casual viewers and young
03:28audiences in this film. Sadly, it'll probably be a grueling watch for any Percy Jackson
03:33fans, especially with a far more book-accurate Percy Jackson and the Olympians show, which
03:37later appeared on Disney+.
03:40Director Joe Dante has developed a powerful reputation for making fun movies, from the
03:44iconic cult classic Gremlins to 1989's The Burbs. His output has been much less consistent
03:50in the 2000s, but 2014 saw him cast Alexandra Daddario in Burying the Ex as Olivia, opposite
03:56Anton Yelchin's Max. Max's manipulative ex, played by Ashley Green, is killed in an accident
04:01and rises from the dead as a zombie to interrupt the happy couple. Despite having a strong
04:05premise that seems tailor-made for Dante, its 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes suggests
04:10otherwise. Some reviews called Burying the Ex a career low for Dante, with Daddario's
04:14likability unable to save what The New York Post called a thudding, sexist screenplay.
04:20Other reviews, however, credited the film for being right up Dante's alley. It may not
04:23be the most appealing film to the average mainstream movie lover, but for fans of B-horror
04:27and Dante's previous work, it may be a hidden gem. In fact, it might actually be a perfect
04:31watch for a Halloween movie night, especially if you prefer supernatural romantic comedy
04:35over a violent slasher film.
04:37What do we do now?
04:39Bury your ex?
04:42Can You Keep a Secret was released straight to video-on-demand in 2019, so it's very likely
04:47that even hardcore fans of Alexandra Daddario's work might have missed it. Reviews at the
04:51time weren't exactly complimentary, earning it a 29% score on Rotten Tomatoes, though
04:55the film is not without its strengths. The movie is a rom-com centered on Daddario's
05:00Emma and Tyler Hoechlin's Jack, who meet on an airplane after she gets drunk and spills
05:04her guts to him. He remains enigmatic even after she discovers he's the CEO of the company
05:08she works at.
05:09Variety's review outlined one of the film's biggest strengths, Daddario herself, calling
05:14her universally likable and long overdue for strong material in this particular genre
05:18and revelatory as a quirky comedic lead. Sadly, Can You Keep a Secret is not without its flaws,
05:24as evidenced by reviews criticizing its supporting cast and generic humor. However, it's worth
05:28checking out just for Daddario's committed, energetic performance alone, and might even
05:32bring comfort to rom-com lovers on a rainy day.
05:36The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most iconic slasher films of all time. Released
05:41in 1974, it introduced horror movie audiences to Leatherface, a backwoods cannibal who attacks
05:46a group of teenagers. While the franchise has seen many spinoffs and sequels over the
05:50years, it wasn't until 2013 that it got a direct follow-up with Texas Chainsaw 3-D.
05:55The continuation stars Alexandra Daddario as Heather, a woman who discovers her familiar
05:59relation to the original Leatherface murders, putting her and her friends in grave danger.
06:03As far as horror classic cash-ins, Texas Chainsaw 3-D plays by the franchise's rules, featuring
06:08a lot of cliché moments that happen in every chainsaw movie. In one of the more kind reviews
06:13of the film, one critic for Vulture wrote,
06:15"...despite its many clichés and generic indulgences, you want to give it some points
06:18for trying."
06:19Vulture also commended Daddario's commitment to playing a scream queen who does more than
06:23just scream. But unless you're on a mission to marathon the entire Texas Chainsaw Massacre
06:27franchise, Texas Chainsaw 3-D probably isn't worth your time. There are better slasher
06:32movies out there, but more importantly, there are far better Texas Chainsaw movies out there,
06:37too.
06:38By all accounts, having a starring role in a film reboot to the iconic Baywatch TV series
06:42should be an enjoyable experience for any actor. Sadly, Baywatch did more harm than
06:46good for Daddario. For a film so aggressively light-hearted, how did it end up with a 17
06:51percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes?
06:53For one, it's a tough act to follow one of the biggest shows in television history. Though
06:56the film did decently at the box office, critics pulled it apart, with Rolling Stone writing,
07:01"...think of yourself sitting down for a big two-hour wallow in Instant Stupid with a vat
07:05of popcorn slathered in baked butter and possibly a mound of melted M&Ms on top. It
07:09feels great chugging it down, then your stomach hurts. That's Baywatch in a nutshell."
07:14Daddario would later cite Baywatch as a reason for her career hitting a dead end prior to
07:18being offered the White Lotus. The film still has its positives, like the chemistry between
07:22the cast and some decent, if crude, jokes here and there. However, none of it may be
07:26enough to make it worth the nearly two-hour runtime.
07:30There have been many, many reinterpretations of Romeo and Juliet throughout the history
07:34of entertainment, including things like West Side Story, Gnomeo and Juliet, and Warm Bodies.
07:39That meant that 2021's Dying in Gunfight already had decades of art to compete with, which
07:43might account for its abysmal reviews and 16 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
07:47Alexandra Daddario is this film's Juliet, who falls for Diego Boneta as Romeo, despite
07:52a long-running feud between their families. The film got its share of positive reviews
07:56for its stylistic direction as well as Daddario's layered performance. However, not many critics
08:01agreed, with Screen Rant saying,
08:03"...Dying in Gunfight has all the elements it could work if the film was more put together
08:06and the character relationships weren't so hollow."
08:09It might appeal to some viewers, but as a whole, there's probably not a lot going for
08:13Dying in Gunfight to set it apart from the much better Shakespeare reimaginings in recent
08:17years.
08:19It's not great news when a film changes titles between a festival premiere and wide release,
08:23but even more so when the title Nomis is exchanged for the generic Night Hunter. Nevertheless,
08:28Night Hunter should have been right up Alexandra Daddario's alley. The movie centers on a homicide
08:32detective played by Henry Cavill and a judge-turned-vigilante played by Ben Kingsley searching for a serial
08:37killer in Minnesota. Daddario plays a fellow police officer, Rachel, who becomes the target
08:42of the killer after the investigation goes awry.
08:44Unfortunately, even the earliest reviews from the Los Angeles Film Festival deemed Night
08:48Hunter derivative and convoluted, with The Hollywood Reporter writing,
08:52"...the film's starry cast will be a strong selling point, but a plot that's overly complicated
08:56rather than genuinely complex may leave audiences wishing for less incident and more clarity."
09:01The film ended up garnering a 13 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with other reviewers
09:05citing its absurd twist as all the more reason why Night Hunter can be skipped in a marathon
09:10of Daddario's filmography.
09:12Songbird is an ambitious movie from writer-director Adam Mason, conceived in early March 2020
09:17and completely written, produced, and released by December 2020 via VOD. Alexandra Daddario
09:23is one of many talented stars who lent her quarantine time to this project, alongside
09:27Craig Robinson, Bradley Whitford, and Demi Moore. Unfortunately, it was probably a waste
09:32of time for all involved. Its 9 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes probably speaks for itself.
09:37But in case that's not convincing enough to deter potential viewers, listen to Brian
09:41Tallarico from RogerEbert.com, who said,
09:43"...it's an incredibly frustrating film that feels like it's constantly getting distracted
09:47from the story it should be telling, bored by its own ineptitude. You will be, too."
09:51"...I realize now we weren't just delivering packages. We were delivering hope."
09:56Unless you're an audience member dying to relive the worst days of 2020, don't bother
10:00with Songbird, as not even Daddario's presence can save it.
10:04As its 33 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes implies, there isn't a lot to baked
10:09in Brooklyn. The film stars Josh Brenner from Silicon Valley as David, an amateur weed dealer
10:13whose newly acquired taste for the cannabis business ends up isolating him from the people
10:17he cares about most. This includes Alexandra Daddario's Kate, his girlfriend, whom he must
10:22win back.
10:23From hearing the premise alone, it's obvious that baked in Brooklyn probably doesn't have
10:26a lot going for it in terms of surprising plot twists. The film's biggest obstacle is
10:30the unlikeability of its lead, which the Irish film critic deemed was made even worse in
10:34contrast to the inherent charm of Daddario's character, writing,
10:37"...for a love story to work, it is vital that both people are appealing and engaging
10:40in order for the audience to relate to them. In the case of baked in Brooklyn, one out
10:44of two ain't bad."
10:45At the very least, some reviewers thought the actors had chemistry, even if they weren't
10:49rooting for David to get the girl. Still, baked in Brooklyn is proof that any movie
10:52can be at least a little entertaining when Daddario is in it.
10:56The Layover is one of the few films on Rotten Tomatoes with a zero percent score. Released
11:01in 2017, it has strong talent behind the camera, from director William H. Macy to co-writer
11:05David Hornsby. Daddario stars with Kate Upton as two roommates whose trip to Florida is
11:10derailed by a hurricane. They end up stranded in a motel with fellow passenger Ryan, played
11:14by Matt Barr, and subsequently battle for his affection.
11:18While it may seem like a film with a terrible Rotten Tomatoes score has no redeemable qualities,
11:22that's far from the truth here. Yes, the film is ultimately not good. The Chicago Sun-Times
11:26called it,
11:27"...an excruciating, embarrassing, profoundly unfunny, poorly shot, and astonishingly tone-deaf
11:32speech fest."
11:33Although Daddario's performance usually shines even in poorly received films, not even that
11:37could help The Layover. Ultimately, even though this film might be Daddario's worst-rated
11:41effort, her ability to succeed even if only for a scene or two emphasizes her strengths
11:45as an actor. Thankfully, there are much better films that showcase it than The Layover, so
11:50maybe spare yourself from checking it out.