- 5 months ago
Hollywood’s biggest names aren’t immune to misfires. From paycheck-era gambles and nostalgia cash-grabs to baffling studio flops, we spotlight acclaimed actors who keep signing on to questionable projects despite clear talent. Expect surprising career turns, cringe-inducing choices, and moments where performances outshine the movies around them. Names like Nicolas Cage, Adam Sandler, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp and Sydney Sweeney pop up — who needs a better script next?
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00:00I didn't come to this planet to cower behind walls.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:05And today, we'll be looking at 10 high-profile actors
00:08who rarely ever accept good roles these days,
00:11despite their talent.
00:13How did you steer?
00:14Well, we didn't.
00:15How'd you stop?
00:17You just smashed into something.
00:18That was the fun part.
00:20Sydney Sweeney.
00:22You might recognize Sydney Sweeney from the series Euphoria
00:25or The White Lotus, which earned her widespread acclaim.
00:28My mom could have gotten really hurt.
00:32Something bad could have happened.
00:37Something bad did happen.
00:39Since Euphoria, she's been a huge name in Hollywood,
00:42but the quality of her roles has steeply declined.
00:45For instance, in 2024,
00:47she was in the critically reviled Madam Web.
00:49It was so poorly received,
00:51she even threw shade towards it on SNL.
00:54You might have seen me in anyone, but you were Euphoria.
00:57You.
00:58You definitely did not see me in Madam Web.
01:02She also featured in the highly controversial
01:05Great Jeans commercial in 2025,
01:08which was famously criticized for appearing like eugenics propaganda.
01:12She's had hits like Anyone But You,
01:14but when Sweeney got the script for Echo Valley,
01:16she probably should have said anything but this.
01:19I don't even know what's real anymore.
01:22Everything I do just feels like a mistake.
01:25Johnny Depp.
01:26Johnny Depp starred in many acclaimed movies during the 90s and 2000s.
01:31You will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow.
01:36Since then, though, he's been attached to hardly any interesting projects.
01:43His biggest role in the 2020s has arguably been Johnny Puff,
01:47a Puffin from the Puffins franchise.
01:50Depp also voiced Sherlock Gnomes in the Gnomeo and Juliet sequel.
01:53On the live-action front, he starred in 2014's Transcendence,
02:04a film so confusing that even Depp seemingly struggled to understand it.
02:08In interviews, he described it as a, quote,
02:10kind of sci-fi thing.
02:11Of course, Depp returned for the fifth Pirates movie in 2017,
02:15which few critics enjoyed.
02:17Based on what was said at the infamous Depp vs. Heard trial,
02:21we didn't think he'd be up for playing Captain Jack Sparrow again anytime soon,
02:24but who knows?
02:25A new invention.
02:27The guillotine.
02:28The guillotine?
02:29Sounds French.
02:31I love the French.
02:32Did you know that they invented mayonnaise?
02:34How bad could it be?
02:35It's French, eh?
02:36Eddie Murphy.
02:42Few will refute the claim that Eddie Murphy is a national treasure.
02:46He's easily one of America's greatest comedians,
02:48with many beloved roles from the 80s to the 2000s.
02:52Yeah, but tell me, so what's the charge?
02:53Possession of a concealed weapon and disturbing the peace.
02:57Disturbing the peace that got thrown out of a window!
02:59Since then, he's starred in Tower Heist, A Thousand Words,
03:02and several other films you instantly forgot about.
03:06Murphy gave his best performance in years in 2019's Dolomite Is My Name.
03:10You're a comedy star.
03:11You happy with that?
03:13And I want more.
03:14This set him up for a comeback in the 2020s, but it's been mostly underwhelming.
03:18Between the fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie and Coming to America,
03:22Murphy seems content with rehashing his old roles in nostalgia throwbacks.
03:27We want to see him grow as an artist, though.
03:29Give us something fresh.
03:30Just not you people or Candy Cane Lane.
03:33I had no idea that this would actually happen.
03:36I know, honey.
03:37It's like we're in the Twilight Zone.
03:38I don't know.
03:39How do we fix this?
03:41Daddy!
03:42I'm gonna keep it real.
03:44Worst Christmas ever.
03:47Jennifer Lopez.
03:48Lopez is a woman of many talents, known for her singing, dancing, and of course, acting.
03:54The latter talent is something she hasn't had the opportunity to flex for years.
03:57What do you think?
04:00Me either.
04:02Excuse me, miss.
04:03Excuse me.
04:05We don't need the dress.
04:08Thanks.
04:09In the 90s, she had a handful of praised roles like the titular singer in Selena,
04:14or Karen in Out of Sight.
04:16In 2003, she released Gigli, which marked a decline in her acting career.
04:21It's turkey time.
04:22It's not like she has to worry about maintaining her acting career,
04:32since she's such a highly praised musician.
04:34Between Hustlers and Kiss of the Spider Woman, though,
04:37we know that she can do better than Atlas and Shotgun Wedding.
04:41Stop thinking so much!
04:43Jump!
04:46Tyler Perry.
04:47Did you know that Tyler Perry's character, Medea,
04:50has an expansive cinematic universe composed of movies, TV shows, and plays?
04:54The comic character is based on Perry's aunt and has a highly divisive reception.
04:59With a nice, good, balanced weight on it.
05:02You understand?
05:02And as you do it, you swat.
05:05Do it and swat.
05:06You hear me?
05:07Do it and swat.
05:08Venus and Serena.
05:10That's called grit ball.
05:11Director Spike Lee has criticized it for reinforcing stereotypes.
05:15Somehow, he's acquired a net worth of around a billion dollars.
05:18Yet, the majority of his movies are critically slammed.
05:22Lord, have mercy.
05:24Among the only universally praised films he's been in are Gone Girl and Star Trek.
05:29He's barely in the latter, so we're not even sure that counts.
05:32It's no surprise he's been nominated for over 20 Golden Raspberry Awards.
05:36Well, if Basha's stock is any indicator, then we don't have to worry about the peer review.
05:40It is going gangbusters.
05:42And listen, full disclosure, I bought as many shares as I could, and I would advise you to do this.
05:46Oh, you are such a shameless capitalist.
05:47Jennifer Aniston.
05:49You likely know Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green.
05:52Since her career-defining sitcom's conclusion, she's become one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood.
05:57Oh my god, did she get off the plane?
05:59Did she get off the plane?
06:03I got off the plane.
06:09This is probably due to her friend's fame, because her movie roles generally haven't been on the same level.
06:15While a lot of her comedies are commercially successful, like Bruce Almighty, they're not exactly critically adored.
06:20Hi.
06:21Wow.
06:22Oh!
06:23Never seen the moon that big.
06:25Yeah.
06:26Oh, see.
06:26Oh.
06:27We really shouldn't waste it.
06:28The majority have mediocre reviews at best.
06:31And she's even been nominated for multiple Golden Raspberry Awards, but hasn't won any.
06:37While she's made a small-screen comeback with her award-winning work on The Morning Show,
06:41we wish Aniston were offered better film roles.
06:44Congratulations on being honored tonight.
06:47How does it feel?
06:47Oh, it's so meaningful to be honored by such a prestigious company.
06:51And I'm just thrilled to be here to support quality journalism.
06:54John Travolta
06:55For every high like Grease or Pulp Fiction,
06:58John Travolta's career has seen more than a few lows like Staying Alive and Battlefield Earth.
07:04Outside of playing Robert Shapiro in American Crime Story,
07:07most of his recent acting credits are in embarrassingly bad action movies like High Rollers or Cash Out.
07:14This makes him one of Hollywood's most washed-up actors.
07:16If you take a look at his IMDb page,
07:19his Capital One commercials are higher rated than many of the films he's been in.
07:23This is hilarious, as all he's doing there is playing Santa Claus with a Saturday Night Fever twist.
07:28What's in your wallet?
07:40Angelina Jolie
07:41In 2000, Jolie won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Girl Interrupted.
07:46She was also highly praised for her role in 2008's Changeling.
07:50Ever since, most of her performances have been in poor quality movies,
07:54except maybe the Kung Fu Panda series.
07:56Tigress, you've got to try this.
07:59It is said that the Dragon Warrior can survive for months at a time
08:02on nothing but the dew of a single ginkgo leaf and the energy of the universe.
08:07For example, she was Thena in The Eternals,
08:10an early sign that the MCU was in trouble.
08:13She was also the titular character in both Maleficent movies.
08:16The only thing critics consistently praised about those was Jolie's role,
08:20but reviews were generally mixed.
08:22Sweet Aurora, you stole what was left of my heart, and now I've lost you forever.
08:32Jolie was also Lara Croft in the 2000s movies, which, while fun, were not particularly mind-blowing.
08:38While her movies are usually lousy, she's almost always the best part about them.
08:42Well, time to save the universe again then, is it?
08:45Absolutely.
08:47Adam Sandler
08:47Few actors have as consistently bad an output as Adam Sandler.
08:52He rose to fame for doing relatively light-hearted movies in the 90s,
08:56which were all more or less the same film.
08:58I've had the blues, the reds and the pinks,
09:02one thing's for sure.
09:06Love stinks?
09:08Love stinks!
09:10They all focused on a washed-up character who ends up becoming comically successful
09:14while finding a girlfriend.
09:15Hilariously, Sandler's been in some of the worst-rated movies ever,
09:19like Going Overboard, Jack and Jill, and the absolutely disgusting That's My Boy.
09:24I'm sorry, it's fine, it's fine, let me see it again.
09:28Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, you got it back, did you?
09:33Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
09:34His career hasn't been all bad, though.
09:37He displayed remarkable talent in Punch Drunk Love.
09:40His role in Uncut Gems received universal acclaim and is considered one of his finest movies.
09:46His work in J. Kelly has also generated positive buzz.
09:49But why can't Sandler do more movies like this?
09:52What do you say to people who say you only play yourself?
09:55I think what you do is magic.
09:56Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
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10:13Nicolas Cage
10:14Few actors are as instantly recognizable as Nicolas Cage.
10:18He's earned a cult following, particularly among bad film enthusiasts.
10:23Cage pretty much accepts every single role he's offered.
10:26This is because he was millions of dollars in debt and desperately needed cash.
10:30I'd just like a room and a meal.
10:33Can you swing it?
10:34Swing what?
10:35Is that some kind of city talk?
10:39Manage.
10:40That's what he means.
10:41Can we manage to put him up?
10:43This meant that for a period, he was starring in tons of movies,
10:46sometimes up to seven in a year.
10:48Cage does occasionally strike gold,
10:51like his 2022 movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
10:55You gotta have some plot to drive it forward.
11:04That's my daughter.
11:06He even struck Oscar gold with leaving Las Vegas back in the day.
11:10Still, it's a lot more bad than good.
11:12Many of his fans would argue that not a single one of his performances isn't enjoyable,
11:16despite how terrible the film is.
11:18I'm telling you the truth, I'm a little shaky right now.
11:22I had brain surgery.
11:26Why don't I go get some lunch?
11:27And then, well, come back and take care of it then.
11:32Were there any actors we forgot to include?
11:34Leave their names down in the comments.
11:36If you could see what I see,
11:39you wouldn't be doing this to yourself.
11:41I'm not sure when I see this.
11:42What the movies were in the lamentations?
11:44Did you see it?
11:45Don't you see it.
11:47Don't you see anything.
11:52There are no secrets.
11:55Let's do this in the巻.
11:55Let's do this.
12:02Let's do this.
12:03Let's do this.
12:04Let's do this.
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