The 15 Worst Biopics Of All Time [Photos]
The Lifetime biopic, Aaliyah: Princess of R&B spent the better part of the weekend being panned by critics and fans due to a weak script and some poor casting choices.
photo: WENN
By now, you’ve likely already seen fans attack, and the movie may well cross into Sharknado, so-terrible-it’s-actually-good territory. Finding the mix of credible actors and qualified screenwriters to communicate someone’s life is seriously difficult work. And when it goes wrong, you end up with a contender for one of the 15 worst biopics of all time. Ponder your favorite celebrity, and see if their biopic ended up on this list.
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Photo: WENN
photo: WENN
Liz & Dick (2012)
Lindsay Lohan used to be a promising actress. Note the key phrase “used to.” She had no business playing Elizabeth Taylor.
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The Runaways (2010)
Joan Jett had a hand in this send up about her first band. Dakota and Michael Shannon held their own, but if you’re over the age of 13, any movie with Kristen Stewart in a lead role is bound to be bad.
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Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B (2014)
Given the fanatical love of the late Aaliyah, this was doomed from the start. A skinny Missy and two failed Aaliyah castings were just the tip of this bargain bin iceberg.
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Beyond The Sea (2004)
Kevin Spacey does kind of resemble “Mack The Knife” singer Bobby Darin. But this turned into a failed vanity project with Spacey unsuccessfully playing a younger Darin, singing the soundtrack, directing and co-writing the script.
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Wired (1989)
All you need to know about the 1989 John Belushi biopic Wired is that someone in charge thought it was a good idea to cast Michael Chiklis as Belushi.
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Jobs (2013)
Most of us have spent decades laughing at Ashton Kutcher in so-so movies, That ‘70s Show and Two And A Half Men. Why would we suddenly start taking him seriously as Apple magnate Steve Jobs?
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Amelia (2009)
Hilary Swank has killed some great roles in Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby. But she was given a weak script and generic dialogue covered up by some beautiful landscape scenes for this dud of a tribute to Amelia Earhart.
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Notorious (2009)
The casting in this fictional retelling of Biggie was pretty on point. But Notorious was crippled by the weakest of dialogue and a rather simple plot. Had this been adapted to the small screen instead of theaters, it probably would’ve fared better.
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J. Edgar (2011)
Writer Dustin Lance Black committed the most egregious crime a Hoover biographer could by not taking a definitive stance on the former FBI director’s hypocrisy. As such, J. Edgar was shiny on the outside but had no substance.
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Factory Girl (2006)
Edie Sedgwick may have been a complicated socialite. But when handled by director George Hickenlooper and actress Sienna Miller, Sedgwick was portrayed as a better-dressed, ‘60s version of Paris Hilton.
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Alexander (2004)
Val Kilmer, Angelina Jolie and Colin Ferrell in bad wigs and non-matching accents couldn’t save Oliver Stone’s three-hour slog through Macedonia.
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Man In The Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story (2004)
Flex Alexander did a respectable job portraying Michael Jackson—from the jheri curl down to holding Bubbles. But he couldn’t save the terrible script that came with a totally unnecessary 9/11 scene in slow motion.
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The Conqueror (1956)
The overtly racist casting of John Wayne as Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan is enough to make this a dud.
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Miss Potter (2006)
Instead of showcasing the depth and complexity of author Beatrix Potter, director Chris Noonan and writer Richard Maltby Jr. portrayed Potter as a lonely spinster in need of rescuing. Casting Renee Zellweger of Bridget Jones fame probably didn’t help in that matter.
