Some critics try to meet movies halfway, and then there was Roger Ebert. He believed films deserved to be taken seriously, whether they were high art or multiplex releases, and he never pretended otherwise. When a movie worked, he treated it like a small miracle, and when it didn’t, he treated it like a failure worth examining. Thanks to his clarity and willingness to say this matters or this absolutely doesn’t, his voice still feels present in the industry today.
By the time he published his “Most Hated” movies list in 2005, Ebert had already spent decades shaping how audiences talked about movies. He championed filmmakers before awards season made it mainstream and defended misunderstood movies. His criticism always felt less like judgment and more like a conversation. Revisiting those 56 movies now is all about testing them against time. Some of these movies remain borderline unwatchable. Other movies Ebert loathed have gained cult status, become ironic, or genuinely earned positive reputations. A few are still divisive for reasons Ebert saw coming from a mile away.
‘Battlefield Earth’ (2000)
John Travolta’s passion project, adapted from L. Ron Hubbard’s novel, became an example of how not to stage a blockbuster due to its camera angles, muddy visuals, wooden acting, and dialogue that felt like parody. Travolta and Forest Whitaker are buried under heavy makeup, giving performances that unintentionally entertain in the wrong way. Critics tore the movie apart, audiences stayed away, and its box office collapse sealed its fate.
‘Baby Geniuses’ (1999)
The idea of toddlers secretly speaking, scheming, and karate‑kicking adults might sound like harmless family fun, but the execution of Baby Geniuses is horrible. Directed by Bob Clark, who once gave us A Christmas Story, the movie is packed with CGI tricks that make babies look like possessed dolls, which evoked nervous chuckles from audiences. Ebert argued that babies are only cute when they’re allowed to be babies. He was right, this was one of the creepiest family comedies ever made.
‘North’ (1994)
Rob Reiner’s career was riding high in the early ‘90s, but North was the crash landing. Elijah Wood played a boy who divorces his parents and auditions replacements around the world. The premise would have worked as satire, but instead, the story becomes artificial sketches. Ebert famously declared that he “hated hated hated hated hated” this movie, and he wasn’t alone.
‘Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever’ (2002)
It’s rare for a movie to score a perfect zero on Rotten Tomatoes, but this action movie starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu managed to do it. Despite its star power and a hefty budget, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is a mess of explosions, incoherent plotting, glossy visuals, and no chemistry between its lead actors. The action sequences, theoretically the film’s selling point, are edited with what appears to be a blender, making it nearly impossible to tell who’s shooting whom or why anyone should care.
‘Caligula’ (1979)
Conceived as a serious historical epic with a script by Gore Vidal and a cast including Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren, Caligula was hijacked by Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione, who stuffed it with graphic sex and exploitation. The result is a bizarre clash of Shakespearean ambition and R-rated indulgence. Critics loathed it, audiences were too stunned to speak, and its reputation as one of cinema’s most notorious fiascos has endured.
‘An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn’ (1997)
Hollywood loves satire, but this one tripped over its own dark humor. Created as a meta-comedy about a director disowning his movie, An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn ended up being so bad that the real director, Arthur Hiller, actually disowned it and ironically lived out its premise. Ebert saw it as proof that being in on the joke doesn’t make a joke funny. He added that the “only way to save this film would be to trim 86 minutes.”
‘One Woman or Two’ (1985)
Gérard Depardieu and Sigourney Weaver star in a French-American comedy about a prehistoric skull and advertising, which should tell you everything about how well this worked. (Or didn’t.) The culture clash isn’t between French and American aesthetics, but between a script that thinks it’s sophisticated and the actual boring mess on screen.
‘Mad Dog Time’ (1996)
Richard Dreyfuss, Jeff Goldblum, Ellen Barkin, Diane Lane, Gabriel Byrne, and Burt Reynolds all showed up for this all-star mobster comedy that thinks it’s Tarantino but plays out like a community theater production where everyone forgot what they’re supposed to do. The plot involves nightclub owners, mob hits, and some kind of love triangle, but it’s assembled so poorly that you start wondering if you’re watching the scenes in the right order. Ebert compared watching the movie to “waiting for the bus in a city where you’re not sure they have a bus line.”
‘Catwoman’ (2004)
Superhero movies were booming in the early 2000s thanks to big releases like X-Men, Spider-Man, and Batman Begins. But Catwoman came in and derailed the momentum. Halle Berry, fresh off an Oscar win, was saddled with a nonsensical plot that had little to do with the DC character fans loved. The CGI is cartoonish, the dialogue is cringeworthy, and the basketball scene has become a meme. However, occasional defenders argue it’s “so bad it’s good.”
‘B.A.P.S.’ (1997)
B.A.P.S. is loud, colorful, and bursting with personality. But it’s also unsure of what to do with either its character or its humor. What could have been a fun little movie about class and ambition settles for a skeleton of the same due to exaggerated stereotypes. Critics panned it as offensive and shallow, even though a small fanbase loves it because of its fashion sense and energy.
‘The Hot Chick’ (2002)
Rob Schneider and Rachel McAdams swap bodies in The Hot Chick after some cursed earrings get involved, and the result is just as terrible as that sentence sounds. The joke in the movie is clear within minutes, and yet the movie keeps telling it. Louder, broader, and with diminishing returns, resulting in 104 minutes of jokes about how weird it is when dudes act feminine. McAdams has diplomatically avoided discussing this one in interviews, which tracks for someone whose career improved dramatically since.
‘Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo’ (1999)
Sequels often exaggerate what worked the first time, and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo pushes that instinct to a breaking point. Everything here is cruder, louder, and more desperate for laughs. Ebert gave it zero stars, prompting screenwriter Patrick Goldstein to mock Ebert for never winning a Pulitzer. In an iconic clapback, Ebert wrote, “as chance would have it, I have won the Pulitzer Prize, and so I am qualified. Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your movie sucks.”
‘Joe Dirt’ (2001)
In Joe Dirt, David Spade played a mullet-wearing janitor searching for the parents who abandoned him at the Grand Canyon, and the movie can’t decide if it’s mocking him or celebrating him. Some may consider the character a cult figure, but the movie itself is a mixed bag. On one hand, it has a scrappy underdog energy and a few quotable lines. However, it’s weighed down by juvenile humor, a plot that’s forcefully strung together, and a disgusting scene involving what Joe thinks is a meteor.
‘She’s Out of Control’ (1989)
In this late ’80s comedy, Tony Danza played an overprotective dad who loses his mind when his daughter gets contact lenses, a makeover, and suddenly attracts boys. That’s the whole plot. The “comedy” mines the idea that a father objectifying her daughter is hilarious rather than problematic. Every joke operates on the assumption that Danza’s increasingly unhinged behavior (stalking her dates, sabotaging her social life, treating her like she’s betrayed him by growing up) is sympathetic and not pathological. Even by the standards of its era, She’s Out of Control is creepy.
‘Sorority Boys’ (2002)
Disguises, misunderstandings, and broad stereotypes power a movie that does everything wrong. Sorority Boys follows three frat guys dressing themselves as women to infiltrate a sorority, but the movie simply features too many jokes about gender roles without offering anything witty or insightful. Unlike classics like Some Like It Hot, this one doesn’t rise above its gimmick and has aged poorly.
‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ (2005)
The TV show was silly and funny as it was built on fast cars, Southern charm, and goofy antics. The 2005 movie adaptation is just Johnny Knoxville and Sean William Scott driving around while Jessica Simpson stands next to them looking confused. The plot, if you can call it that, involves saving the family farm from a corrupt politician. However, mostly it’s an excuse for General Lee to jump over things. Overall, it’s loud, dumb, and proud of being both.
‘Freddy Got Fingered’ (2001)
Tom Green’s directorial debut is legitimately one of the most divisive comedies ever made. He plays an aspiring animator who moves back in with his parents and proceeds to torment everyone around him, including delivering a baby in a parking lot and swinging a newborn around by its umbilical cord. It’s unwatchable, but also weirdly singular. Whether that singularity reads as genius or nonsense depends entirely on your tolerance.
‘Beyond and Back’ (1978)
Beyond and Back is a pseudo‑documentary from 1978 that tries to dramatize near‑death experiences and the afterlife. It presents anecdotes from people who claim to have died and returned. But it’s only exploiting people’s genuine beliefs for profit, relying heavily on sensationalism, soft focus imagery, and emotional prompting. It found an audience among viewers curious about the afterlife, but that’s that.
‘The Devil’s Rain’ (1975)
A horror film starring Ernest Borgnine, William Shatner, and even a cameo from Anton LaVey had raised our expectations. But The Devil’s Rain is a slog of melting‑face effects and muddled satanic plotting. Released in 1975, it promised occult thrills but gave us repetitive chanting and endless scenes of people wandering around in cloaks. Today, it’s mostly memorable because of its gooey finale.
‘Cyborg’ (1989)
Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Cyborg is a post‑apocalyptic action flick with a small fanbase, but even fans admit that it’s a rough watch. Shot on leftover sets from a canceled Masters of the Universe sequel, it looks cheap, and the story (about a mercenary escorting a woman with vital information) is clichéd. However, action fans have defended it as a lean B-movie with a certain VHS-era vibe, and there’s truth in that.
‘Friends’ (1971)
Not to be confused with the beloved sitcom, Lewis Gilbert’s 1971 movie follows two teenagers who run away to the French countryside, shack up in a remote cottage, and end up having a baby together, all while looking beautiful and confused. It’s Romeo and Juliet without the tragedy or stakes; just two kids playing house in the fields. Ebert thought it was manipulative and shallow.
‘Ben’ (1972)
The sequel to Willard continues the story of killer rats, except this time the lead rat befriends a lonely boy with a heart condition. Yes, really. Michael Jackson sings the title song, which became a massive hit and is actually beautiful. Honestly, it’s the only thing about Ben that people remember. The rats are supposed to be terrifying, but mostly just look like rats doing rat things while dramatic music plays, and the whole movie tries to wring pathos out of its boy-and-rat friendship.
‘Body of Evidence’ (1993)
Erotic thrillers live and die by atmosphere, and Madonna’s attempt at genre stardom in the early ‘90s crashed hard with Body of Evidence. Opposite Willem Dafoe, she plays a woman accused of killing a lover through sex, but the movie’s mix of awkward sex scenes and courtroom theatrics feels clumsy and confusing. The film bombed at the box office and swept the Razzies, ending Madonna’s acting ambitions for a while.
‘Camille 2000’ (1969)
Intended as a stylish, modern retelling of La Dame aux Camélias, this 1969 Italian film features a lot of glossy eroticism. Director Radley Metzger fills the screen with lavish sets and sensual imagery, but the story gets lost in the haze of soft‑focus indulgence and completely neglects emotional connection. Ebert dismissed it as hollow and pretentious, a judgment echoed by critics who found that style alone can’t carry a story meant to ache.
‘The Scarlet Letter’ (1995)
Demi Moore’s 1995 adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel is infamous for rewriting history. Instead of a faithful retelling, it adds steamy romance, action sequences, and even a happy ending, which makes you wonder why they bothered buying the rights if they planned to ignore the book entirely. Ebert objected less to the liberties taken than to how little the movie seemed to understand why the story endured in the first place.
‘Christopher Columbus: The Discovery’ (1992)
Released in 1992 to mark the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery was plagued by production troubles and lawsuits. Starring Marlon Brando and Tom Selleck, it should’ve been a historical epic, but lavish production design cannot compensate for flat storytelling, awkward pacing, and a central figure rendered with little curiosity. Plus, it was overshadowed by Ridley Scott’s 1492: Conquest of Paradise.
‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ (1967)
Elvis made plenty of lightweight musicals, but Easy Come, Easy Go barely pretends to care about invention and momentum. Built around thin treasure-hunt antics and interchangeable musical numbers, the movie feels lifeless. The songs are forgettable, the plot is nonsense, and Elvis himself looks checked out, going through the motions with none of the charisma that made his earlier films work.
‘Staying Alive’ (1983)
The sequel to Saturday Night Fever had everything going for it. John Travolta reprising Tony Moreno, and Sylvester Stallone directing. But it was still a misfire. Instead of gritty disco realism, Staying Alive serves up Broadway melodrama, complete with over‑the‑top dance numbers and a finale that feels like a parody. While the soundtrack had a life of its own, the movie struggled with critics and audiences alike.
‘Sour Grapes’ (1998)
Larry David wrote and directed this 1998 comedy about two cousins whose relationship implodes after one hits a slot machine jackpot using the other’s quarter. That premise might have worked as a Seinfeld subplot, but stretched to feature length, it becomes an exhausting exercise in watching petty people be horrible to each other. Even fans of Larry David’s later work tend to overlook this movie.
‘Swing Kids’ (1993)
The intention behind Swing Kids is admirable: exploring youthful rebellion in Nazi Germany through music and friendship. The execution, however, is too simple. It sands down historical complexity into digestible drama. Christian Bale and Robert Sean Leonard give committed performances, and the soundtrack has fans, but overall, it’s a tonal whiplash of sorts.
‘The Skulls’ (2000)
Secret societies make for juicy thrillers, but The Skulls forgets to include any actual tension or interesting ideas and turns the plot into a soap opera. Starring Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker, it follows college students lured into a powerful fraternity with sinister agendas. The twists are predictable, the dialogue lacks emotion, the drama feels more suited to late-night cable, and the mystery resolves as soon as it’s introduced.
‘A Lot Like Love’ (2005)
A Lot Like Love is a rom-com starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet that tries to chart a relationship over seven years. However, its episodic nature makes it feel like a series of half-hearted sketches because it never captures growth, mistaking time jumps for emotional development and leaving the central relationship oddly static. Some viewers connected with its low-key ambition, but most found it forgettable, which is not a disaster. It’s something arguably worse for a rom-com.
‘Resident Evil: Apocalypse’ (2004)
The second film in the Resident Evil franchise doubles down on everything that didn’t work in the first one while ditching the claustrophobic tension that occasionally did. Milla Jovovich returns as Alice, now with superpowers because the T-virus apparently gives some people abilities instead of just turning them into zombies. The plot involves escaping Raccoon City before it gets nuked, but mostly it’s just an excuse for action sequences shot with so much quick-cut editing that you can barely tell what’s happening.
‘The Guardian’ (1990)
William Friedkin directed The Guardian, a horror film about an evil druid nanny who kidnaps babies to feed them to a magic tree, and that sentence somehow undersells how bizarre the actual movie gets. It switches awkwardly between supernatural horror and domestic drama, never committing to either. Critics found it silly rather than scary because Friedkin’s earlier work (The Exorcist, The French Connection) was so masterful.
‘Resident Evil’ (2002)
Before the franchise went fully feral, the first film, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, struggled with its identity. Resident Evil ditches most of what made the games scary (limited resources, puzzle-solving, isolated dread) in favor of action sequences and a plot about an evil corporation that video game fans already knew about. Over time, it has gained defenders who appreciate its camp value, but it remains divisive. While some think it’s fun, others find it frustrating.
‘Critters 2: The Main Course’ (1988)
The first Critters was a fun Gremlins knockoff with alien furballs terrorizing a small town. This sequel, titled Critters 2: The Main Course, brings the bounty hunters back to the same town for round two, and it’s basically the exact same movie with a slightly bigger budget. Critics dismissed it as unnecessary, and audiences largely ignored it. Ebert saw it as another example of horror sequels with more creatures, more gags, and less imagination.
‘Deep Rising’ (1998)
Stephen Sommers made this creature feature about a luxury cruise ship attacked by giant tentacled monsters, and it’s basically Die Hard meets Alien with a sense of humor. The premise is stupid, the dialogue is cheesy, and the CGI monsters look dated even for 1998, but the film commits so fully to being a fun B-movie that it almost works. The ending hints at a sequel that never happened, which is probably for the best.
’13 Ghosts’ (2001)
The 2001 remake of William Castle’s classic is a sensory overload of glass walls, CGI spirits, and endless screaming. Tony Shalhoub plays a widowed father who inherits a glass house filled with trapped ghosts, each with elaborate backstories. The production design is genuinely impressive, but the film surrounding it is a mess of jump scares and incomprehensible plotting. It’s the kind of horror movie that people recommend more for gimmicks than for genuine terror.
‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’ (1982)
Breaking from the Michael Myers formula, Halloween III tried to reinvent the franchise with a story about killer masks and a sinister corporation. Audiences expecting slasher thrills were stunned, and critics weren’t kind. However, over time, it has developed a cult following that appreciates its weirdness and willingness to experiment. The movie’s reputation has softened, but back in 1982, Halloween III was seen as a misstep.
‘The Blue Lagoon’ (1980)
Viewed strictly as storytelling, The Blue Lagoon is clumsy, naïve and tonally all over the place, which explains why it belongs to Ebert’s “Most Hated” list. While the movie attempts to tell a story about an innocent romance, it constantly focuses on its leads, particularly Shields, in ways that feel exploitative now and probably should have felt exploitative then. Despite critical condemnation, the film made $58 million and became a cultural touchstone, largely because of the taboo appeal.
‘Flashdance’ (1983)
Flashdance became a cultural phenomenon in 1983. Here’s why: Jennifer Beals plays Alex, a Pittsburgh steelworker who wants to be a ballerina, and the film is all about fueling the fantasy. It’s not a realistic portrayal of working-class life or dance training. However, it doesn’t pretend to be. The dancing sequences, even with obvious body doubles, genuinely thrilled people. That iconic water-splash moment became instantly legendary. The soundtrack sold millions and dominated radio for months. Sure, the plot is thin, but the ‘80s aesthetic was very influential.
‘The Deathmaster’ (1972)
The Deathmaster is a low-budget horror flick about a vampire cult leader played by Robert Quarry. With its hippie aesthetic and Gothic trappings, it tries to blend counterculture with horror but ends up feeling campy and confused. Ebert found it dull rather than dreadful, which is a harsh verdict for the genre. Still, it has earned a sliver of cult attention because the ambition is visible, even if the craft isn’t.
‘The Green Berets’ (1968)
John Wayne’s Vietnam War drama was controversial from the start. Released in 1968, it presented a patriotic, pro‑war narrative at a time when public opinion was shifting. Critics, including Ebert, slammed it as propaganda, ignoring the complexities of the conflict. Audiences were divided, with Wayne’s fans embracing it and others calling it tone-deaf. Time hasn’t been kind to The Green Berets, either.
‘The First Time’ (1969)
The First Time is a 1983 coming-of-age comedy that follows three high school boys obsessed with losing their virginity, which was already a tired premise by the early ‘80s. The film tries to be sweet and earnest about teenage sexual anxiety. However, it mostly just feels creaky and dated, even for its time. There’s some attempt at exploring genuine feelings about first relationships, but it gets buried, which is why Ebert wasn’t convinced by it.
‘Last Rites’ (1988)
Tom Berenger plays a Catholic priest who hears a woman’s confession and then falls in love with her, breaking his vows and getting tangled in a murder conspiracy. The setup had potential for a serious drama about faith and desire, but the execution is a convoluted mess. It’s unclear if it’s a thriller or a romance. There are moments of decent cinematography, and Berenger does what he can, but at the end of the day, it’s a story that’s fundamentally confused about its own purpose.
‘Spice World’ (1997)
The Spice Girls made a movie at the height of their fame, and it’s both totally ridiculous and genuinely delightful. The plot follows the group preparing for a concert at Albert Hall while dealing with a documentary filmmaker, a controlling manager, and media chaos. The cameos are fun (Elton John, Bob Geldof, and Meat Loaf all show up), the girls have decent comic timing even if they can’t really act, and there’s a goofiness to the whole thing.
‘Armageddon’ (1998)
Ebert famously mocked Armageddon for its scientific illiteracy and emotional manipulation, and those criticisms still hold up. The movie is loud, messy, and allergic to holding back. But at the same time, it’s expertly engineered crowd-pleasing cinema, calibrated for maximum spectacle. Audiences loved it, and with time, the movie reads less like a failure and more like a case study of a ridiculous movie made with bold confidence.
‘Hellbound: Hellraiser II’ (1988)
Jumping straight into surreal horror territory, Clive Baker’s twisted universe expanded with Hellbound: Hellraiser II, a sequel that dives deeper into the lore of the Cenobites. While the visuals are imaginative, the story isn’t because it treats Pinhead’s playground like an acid trip gone gloriously, terrifyingly off the rails. It’s not for everyone, but within the splatter and screams are boundary-pushing creative choices that hardcore horror fans still praise.
‘Stargate’ (1994)
Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi adventure about an ancient portal to alien worlds had B-movie written all over it. Kurt Russell and James Spader make an unlikely buddy duo, the premise mixes ancient astronaut theories with military action. If it all sounds ridiculous on paper, it’s also ridiculous on screen. However, it’s also kind of fun to watch. Nothing groundbreaking, just entertaining.
‘Constantine’ (2005)
Keanu Reeves’s great performance as a chain‑smoking exorcist wasn’t what comic purists expected, but Constantine carved out its own identity. The film’s moody visuals, striking set pieces, and Tilda Swinton’s ethereal presence gave it style, even if the script zeroed in on clichés. Ebert was clearly not impressed, but audiences found something compelling in its mix of noir and supernatural, with many arguing that it deserved more credit than it got in 2005.
‘Betty Blue’ (1986)
A story of passion and mental unraveling, Betty Blue is the kind of movie that asks for the total emotional investment of its audiences, and for some, that pays off beautifully. For others, the movie is too melodramatic. Ebery didn’t warm to its sweeping scope, but watching it now, it’s hard to deny the raw intensity of Béatrice Dalle’s performance. It’s uneven and self-indulgent at times, but there’s an undeniable bravery in how heartbreaking it is.
‘Taste of Cherry’ (1997)
Quiet, contemplative, and simple, Taste of Cherry sits far from most mainstream movies. Ebert’s dislike stemmed from its minimalist pacing, which can feel exhausting. But that’s also the point. The camera lingers not for aesthetic prettiness but with purpose and for reflection. The movie asks big questions without delivering obvious answers, which frustrated some but enticed others, including the Cannes jury, which awarded it the Palme d’Or.
‘The Village’ (2004)
M. Night Shyamalan’s period thriller about a 19th-century community living in fear of creatures in the woods got criticized for its twist ending, but that misses what the film actually does well. Yes, the reveal that it’s actually set in modern times and the monsters are fake feels like a cheat if you’re watching purely for supernatural horror. But the thing is, it works beautifully as a parable about fear, control, and the stories communities tell themselves. It made $256 million worldwide, which proves the audiences connected with it on some level critics didn’t.
‘Tommy Boy’ (1995)
David Spade and Chris Farley’s buddy comedy is a divisive one. Critics, including Ebert, dismissed it as dumb slapstick, but audiences absolutely loved its goofy charm. Farley’s physical comedy and Spade’s dry wit created a dynamic that fans still quote decades later. While the plot is messy and the humor is undeniably crude, the movie is genuinely funny in places. Time has been kinder to it than Ebert’s review suggested.
‘The Waterboy’ (1992)
There’s no denying The Waterboy is grating at times, and Ebert zeroed in on its repetitive gags and cartoonish accents with precision. Adam Sandler’s man-child routine is stretched to its limits here, but the movie’s broad strokes turned out to be exactly what audiences wanted. A massive box-office hit and a cable staple, The Waterboy is an underdog story that plays well with a crowd and has a fond place in Sandler’s comedy canon.
‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995)
Ebert gave Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects one and a half stars, which feels baffling in retrospect given the film’s status as a modern classic. Its twist ending, centered on Kevin Spacey’s Verbal Kint, became one of the most iconic reveals in ’90s cinema. However, in Ebert’s words, “the ‘solution,’ when it comes, solves little.” Regardless, the film won two Oscars and has remained a staple of crime thrillers. While later controversies around cast and crew have complicated its legacy, it’s widely admired for pulling off its game.
Where do you agree with Ebert, and where do you think he missed? Let us know in the comments!
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