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The Worst Movies Based on True Events

The Worst Movies Based on True Events

When filmmakers say a movie is based on true events, they are trying to give the motion picture a stamp of legitimacy. For the most part, moviegoers understand that they are going to see a story based on a real event and not a documentary, and they are willing to allow some creative latitude.

Even so, the public knows when a film is crassly exploiting what really happened, particularly when the event involves the dark side of humanity.

To determine the worst movies based on true events, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on several measures from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. The index is a composite of the movies’ IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. 

Many of the films on the list explore immoral actions as well as tragedies. Some of these films such topics as murder and homicide. Others are haunting tales based on alleged incidents.

Not all of these failed true-event treatments are grim. Biopics are a Hollywood staple, but many do not find favor with audiences and critics alike, despite A-list actors in the main roles and award-winning directors behind the scenes.

Some bad movies, of course, attain a kind of iconic, ironic “so bad, it’s good” status. People watch them just to laugh at them or bask in their deficiencies. These are the 25 absolute worst movies of all time.

To determine the worst movies based on true events, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on several measures from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. The index is a composite of the movies’ IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. All ratings were weighted equally. Only films with at least 20,000 reviews on IMDb and 2,500 audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were considered. Data was collected mid-March 2021. Supplemental data on domestic box office and production budgets by movie came from industry data site The Numbers.

Source: Courtesy of STX Entertainment

50. Free State of Jones (2016)
> Directed by: Gary Ross
> Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali
> IMDb rating: 6.9 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 47%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64%

“Free State of Jones” is based on the true story of a white Mississippi farmer Newton Knight who led a rebellion against the Confederacy during the Civil War. He declared Jones Country, where he lived, to be part of the Union. The county was known as the Free State of Jones. Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus describes the movies as a “stilted treatment of a fascinating real-life story.”

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

49. Hollywoodland (2006)
> Directed by: Allen Coulter
> Cast: Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 68%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 48%

“Hollywoodland” was inspired by one of Hollywood’s most infamous mysteries — the death of George Reeves, the man who played Superman in the 1950s TV show. It was ruled that he took his own life, though the circumstances have been the subject of much controversy. Some critics described the movie as a whodunit that has little mystery and as a film that settles for the middle instead of shooting for the stars.

Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

48. Hysteria (2011)
> Directed by: Tanya Wexler
> Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 59%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54%

“Hysteria” is based on the eyebrow-raising story of the invention of the  by 19th-century British physicians. Just over half of critics and viewers who reviewed the film gave it a positive review. “Hysteria has an amusing subject but its winking, vaguely sarcastic tone doesn’t do the movie any favors,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

47. The Soloist (2009)
> Directed by: Joe Wright
> Cast: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 57%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 56%

“The Soloist” is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a Los Angeles violin virtuoso who developed schizophrenia and became homeless. Though critics praise the performances of Jamie Foxx, who plays Ayers, and of Robert Downey Jr, who plays a journalist writing about the musician, they were not impressed with the plot and its lack of narrative.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

46. Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
> Directed by: Penny Marshall
> Cast: Drew Barrymore, Steve Zahn, Adam Garcia
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 49%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66%

The 2001 Drew Barrymore comedy “Riding in Cars with Boys” is based on the autobiography of writer Beverly Donofrio. Many critics felt that the movie didn’t quite pull off its mix of comedy and darker elements.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Corporation

45. Marie Antoinette (2006)
> Directed by: Sofia Coppola
> Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 57%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 56%

Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” is a historical drama that won an Oscar for its costume design. Audiences were lukewarm with regard to the full product, however, as was reflected in its middling box office returns.

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

44. Hidalgo (2004)
> Directed by: Joe Johnston
> Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif, Zuleikha Robinson
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 46%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64%

“Hidalgo” tells the legend of American cowboy Frank Hopkins and his mustang, Hidalgo. The two travel to Arabia in the late 19th century to compete in a challenging cross desert horse race. The plot is based on the real Hopkins’ memoirs, but some of the claims in them have been proven false.

Source: Courtesy of Manuel Salvador

43. Hoffa (1992)
> Directed by: Danny DeVito
> Cast: Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Armand Assante
> IMDb rating: 6.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 52%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59%

“Hoffa” is one of several movies about the notorious labor union boss Jimmy Hoffa. The 1992 movie centers on Hoffa’s life — from his rise as a public figure to his disappearance in 1975. Just over half of critics who reviewed the movie liked it. Some, however, described it as disappointing and exaggerated.

Source: Courtesy of Alcon Entertainment

42. The 33 (2015)
> Directed by: Patricia Riggen
> Cast: Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche
> IMDb rating: 6.9 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 48%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59%

“The 33” is the story of 33 Chilean miners who in 2010 were trapped inside the gold and copper San Jose Mine for 69 days. The film “offers an appropriately inspirational account of real-life heroism, but its stirring story and solid performances are undermined by a flawed focus and an overreliance on formula,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

41. Chasing Mavericks (2012)
> Directed by: Michael Apted, Curtis Hanson
> Cast: Jonny Weston, Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue
> IMDb rating: 7.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 32%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70%

“Chasing Mavericks” is based on the true story of surfing legend Jay Moriarty. The movie tells the story of 15-year-old Moriarty training with local surfing legend Frosty Hesson. Mavericks is the name of a famous surf break near Santa Cruz, California. Critics point to several problems with the movies, the biggest being the bad script.

Source: Courtesy of Millennium Entertainment

40. Puncture (2011)
> Directed by: Adam Kassen, Mark Kassen
> Cast: Chris Evans, Mark Kassen, Vinessa Shaw
> IMDb rating: 6.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 52%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54%

“Puncture” tells the story of a highly functioning drug-addicted lawyer who takes a giant medical supplies company to court while managing his heroin addiction and other personal problems. Critics did not like the movie’s many cliches and formulaic storytelling. Some, however, were impressed with Chris Evans’ performance as the lawyer.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

39. Wyatt Earp (1994)
> Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan
> Cast: Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 46%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61%

“Wyatt Earp” is a biographical Western. The film tells the story of an idealistic sheriff, Wyatt Earp, who, along with his brothers, wages war on two local gangs. The movie is described as “undisciplined and overlong,” in Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus. Film critic Roger Ebert described it as lacking tension and drama.

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

38. Heaven Is for Real (2014)
> Directed by: Randall Wallace
> Cast: Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Thomas Haden Church
> IMDb rating: 5.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 51%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66%

“Heaven Is for Real” is based on the story of 4-year-old Colton Burpo who becomes unconscious during an emergency surgery. After he wakes up, he tells the story of how he was in heaven and describes events he could not have possibly seen in person. The movie “boasts a well-written screenplay and a talented cast, but overextends itself with heavy-handed sequences depicting concepts it could have trusted the audience to take on faith,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

37. Ned Kelly (2003)
> Directed by: Gregor Jordan
> Cast: Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 55%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53%

“Ned Kelly” is based on a novel about the life of the 19th century Australian bushranger. Kelly and his gang are always on the run from local authorities. Some critics describe the film as bordering on parody.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

36. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
> Directed by: Justin Chadwick
> Cast: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 43%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62%

Mary Boleyn was the sister of the more famous Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. Mary was rumored to have been one the mistresses of King Henry VIII. “The Other Boleyn Girl” tells the story of how Anne convinces the king to marry her while Mary is pregnant and confined to bed. “This is cliché heaped on cliché and hopelessly artificial,” writes Deporah Ross of The Spectator.

Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

35. The Iron Lady (2011)
> Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
> Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant
> IMDb rating: 6.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 52%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 51%

“The Iron Lady” is the story of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, told from her perspective as an old lady plagued by dementia. Thatcher was the first female British prime minister. She resigned after 11 years in office. Meryl Streep’s performance as Thatcher earned her an Oscar. Critics disliked just about everything else about the movie.

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

34. Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
> Directed by: Josie Rourke
> Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden
> IMDb rating: 6.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 62%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 41%

“Mary Queen of Scots” tells the story of the 16th century Scottish monarch, focusing on the rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, her cousin, who tries to overthrow her. Even the positive reviews by critics have plenty of criticism about the historical drama. “It’s too bad the narrative machinations bog down what otherwise is a fine tale of political manoeuvring,” writes film critic Richard Crouse.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

33. Fire in the Sky (1993)
> Directed by: Robert Lieberman
> Cast: D.B. Sweeney, Robert Patrick, Craig Sheffer
> IMDb rating: 6.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 42%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57%

Whether or not the supposed alien abduction at the heart of this movie is true is besides the point as while more than half the audience reviews recorded on Rotten Tomatoes were favorable, the critics nudged the site’s Tomatometer only up as far as 42%.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

32. In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
> Directed by: Ron Howard
> Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson
> IMDb rating: 6.9 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 42%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53%

“In the Heart of the Sea” is based on a novel about one of the most infamous maritime disasters. In the movie, a whale sinks the whaleship Essex, leaving its crew to drift for more than three months at sea on three small boats. Some critics have criticized the movie, saying it is flawed, confused, and bland.

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

31. Patch Adams (1998)
> Directed by: Tom Shadyac
> Cast: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter
> IMDb rating: 6.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 22%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73%

“Patch Adams,” which stars Robin Williams in the titular role, is based on the life of a real doctor with the same name. While the movie was a financial success — it was the 10th highest grossing film of 1998 — it was liked by only 22% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes, who found the movie “syrupy.”

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

30. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
> Directed by: Shekhar Kapur
> Cast: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush
> IMDb rating: 6.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 35%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59%

Cate Blanchett was nominated for an Academy Award for this costume drama about England’s Queen Elizabeth I and her struggles with the Spanish — and the movie won an Oscar for Costume Design. The New York Times, however, found it to be “A kitsch extravaganza aquiver with trembling bosoms, booming guns and wild energy” and “distorted and deliriously far-fetched” — and its Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes is a mere 35%.

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

29. Taking Woodstock (2009)
> Directed by: Ang Lee
> Cast: Demetri Martin, Henry Goodman, Edward Hibbert
> IMDb rating: 6.7 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 48%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 47%

“Taking Woodstock” is a dramatic comedy based on the memoir “Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert and a Life” by Elliott Tiber and Tom Monte on the origin of the Woodstock music festival. Critics and audiences were generally underwhelmed by the movie, which grossed less than $10 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $30 million.

Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate

28. W. (2008)
> Directed by: Oliver Stone
> Cast: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ioan Gruffudd
> IMDb rating: 6.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 58%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 42%

“W.” is a biography of U.S. President George W. Bush. The film centers on the future president’s rise to power from a privileged alcoholic. “A surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of the 43rd American president, W. is fascinating in spots, but merely rudimentary as a whole,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

Source: Courtesy of Screen Media Films

27. Colonia (2015)
> Directed by: Florian Gallenberger
> Cast: Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl, Michael Nyqvist
> IMDb rating: 7.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 27%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61%

“Colonia” is the story of a secluded cult in Chile led by a German preacher and former Nazi soldier, called Colonia Dignidad. A young woman joins the group in order to find her boyfriend who was taken prisoner for protesting against Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet during a military coup. Critics were not pleased with the film and bashed it for lack of details. Cath Clarke of Time Out even wrote: “Read the Wikipedia page. You’ll learn more.”

Source: Courtesy of Millennium Films

26. Lonely Hearts (2006)
> Directed by: Todd Robinson
> Cast: John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto
> IMDb rating: 6.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 47%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49%

“Lonely Hearts” is the story of the detective who was tracking down the notorious and murderous couple Martha Beck and Ray Fernandez, known as the “Lonely Hearts Killers.” They were active in the 1940s in New York, targeting mostly spinsters and war widows. Debbie Lynn Elias from Behind The Lens described the movie as “emptier and more alone than the victims of Beck and Fernandez.”

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

25. Dangerous Minds (1995)
> Directed by: John N. Smith
> Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, George Dzundza, Courtney B. Vance
> IMDb rating: 6.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 29%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64%

“Dangerous Minds” is based on a 1992 book by LouAnne Johnson, “My Posse Don’t Do Homework.” A former Marine Corps officer and U.S. Navy journalist, Johnson’s book details her experiences teaching at-risk teens in Belmont, California. A mere 29% of critics gave the movie a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes.

Source: Courtesy of Relativity Media

24. Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
> Directed by: Marc Forster
> Cast: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon
> IMDb rating: 6.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 28%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62%

“Machine Gun Preacher” tells the story of Sam Childers, a former gang biker and outlaw. Childers travels to East Africa where he eventually builds an orphanage in a Sudanese territory controlled by renegade militia where he tries to rescue kidnapped children. Critics have described the movie as overly peachy, overblown, and half-finished.

Source: Courtesy of Broad Green Pictures

23. A Walk in the Woods (2015)
> Directed by: Ken Kwapis
> Cast: Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson
> IMDb rating: 6.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 47%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 48%

“A Walk in the Woods” is based on travel writer Bill Bryson’s memoir of the same name about his experience attempting to hike the more than 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail with an old friend. Most positive remarks about the movie have to do with having Hollywood legends, Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, in it.

Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company

22. Goya’s Ghosts (2006)
> Directed by: Milos Forman
> Cast: Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård
> IMDb rating: 6.9 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 30%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57%

“Goya’s Ghosts” is based on the story of a model of the Spanish painter Francisco Goya and the Inquisition, although many aspects may be historically inaccurate. Despite a strong cast featuring Javier Bardem and Natalie Portman, the film only managed to accumulate positive reviews from 30% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

21. The Libertine (2004)
> Directed by: Laurence Dunmore
> Cast: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich
> IMDb rating: 6.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 33%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 58%

Despite the best efforts of skilled scenery-chewers Johnny Depp and John Malkovich, the critics were largely unimpressed with this biographical portrait of John Wilmot, the decadent 17th-century English poet also known as the Earl of Rochester. The Toronto Star denounced it as a “bilious murk” and “a sad picture,” and to Movies.com it was a “Big dull drag of a movie.”

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

20. The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
> Directed by: Luc Besson
> Cast: Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Rab Affleck
> IMDb rating: 6.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 31%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 58%

Director Luc Besson and star Milla Jovovich filmed “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” after working on the successful “The Fifth Element” together. The movie was criticized for — among other things — being heavy handed, and it flopped at the box office, grossing $14.3 million domestically against a reported $85 million budget.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

19. J. Edgar (2011)
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
> Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 43%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 44%

“J. Edgar” is a movie about the rise to power of famous FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. The movie follows his life from a minor functionary to becoming one of most powerful men in the U.S., serving under eight presidents and through three wars. Though most critics gave a positive review of Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance of Hoover, they were not impressed with the narrative, calling it muddled and confusing.

Source: Photo by Dale Robinette - © 2013 - RADiUS-TWC

18. Lovelace (2013)
> Directed by: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
> Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone
> IMDb rating: 6.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 53%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 36%

“Lovelace” is based on the true story of adult film actress Linda Lovelace. The movie is meant to set the record straight about Lovelace, who became the poster girl for sexual revolution in the 1970s. Neither critics nor moviegoers were impressed. The film was slammed for lacking depth.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

17. 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
> Directed by: Ridley Scott
> Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Armand Assante, Sigourney Weaver
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 32%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 50%

Ridley Scott’s “1492: Conquest of Paradise” centers on Christopher Columbus, who is played in the film by Gérard Depardieu. The 142-minute epic was a flop with critics, only 32% of whom enjoyed it, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Source: Courtesy of A24

16. The Bling Ring (2013)
> Directed by: Sofia Coppola
> Cast: Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Emma Watson
> IMDb rating: 5.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 60%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 33%

“The Bling Ring” was inspired by actual events. A group of celebrity-obsessed teenagers called Bling Ring rob famous people’s homes. Though more than half of film critics enjoyed the movie, just about a third of viewers liked it. The movie “suffers from director Sofia Coppola’s failure to delve beneath the surface of its shallow protagonists’ real-life crimes,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

15. True Story (2015)
> Directed by: Rupert Goold
> Cast: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Felicity Jones
> IMDb rating: 6.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 45%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 38%

“True Story” is based on the real case of Christian Longo, an accused murderer of his wife and his three children. Critics have slammed the film as uninspiring, disappointing, and unenlightening.

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

14. Factory Girl (2006)
> Directed by: George Hickenlooper
> Cast: Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen
> IMDb rating: 6.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 20%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60%

“Factory Girl” tells the story of Andy Warhol’s muse Edie Sedgwick. The film has an abysmal 20% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, although some, like Richard Roeper, praised Sienna Miller’s performance as Sedgwick.

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

13. How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)
> Directed by: Robert B. Weide
> Cast: Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox
> IMDb rating: 6.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 36%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 42%

“How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” is a comedy based on Toby Young’s memoir of the same name. A British writer is hired by an American magazine. After moving to New York and trying to fit in, he ends up offending everyone he meets. The comedy is described as neither sharp nor satirical in the Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

12. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005)
> Directed by: Jim Sheridan
> Cast: 50 Cent, Joy Bryant, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
> IMDb rating: 5.4 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 16%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70%

Based on the life of rapper 50 Cent, who stars in the movie, this “distinctly tedious piece of work” (according to Reel Film Reviews) obviously resonated with its audience, but its Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score is an abysmal 16%.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

11. Eat Pray Love (2010)
> Directed by: Ryan Murphy
> Cast: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins
> IMDb rating: 5.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 36%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 42%

“Eat Pray Love” is based on the famous book of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert. The movie is a romantic drama that follows Gilbert, played by Julia Roberts, as she makes several life-changing decisions. Critics say the book is much better, calling the movie shallow, lifeless, and dull.

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

10. The Fifth Estate (2013)
> Directed by: Bill Condon
> Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Carice van Houten
> IMDb rating: 6.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 35%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 36%

“The Fifth Estate” is a movie about the news-leaking site WikiLeaks. The film movie covers the time from the early days of the partnership between Julian Assange and his right-hand man, NAME, to the explosion of the site on the world stage. The film is “heavy on detail and melodrama but missing the spark from its remarkable real-life inspiration,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

9. Domino (2005)
> Directed by: Tony Scott
> Cast: Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramírez
> IMDb rating: 5.9 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 18%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 56%

“Domino” was inspired by the life of Domino Harvey, a former model, bounty hunter, and daughter of actor Laurence Harvey. The movie failed to inspire critics, with only 18% giving it a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes.

Source: Courtesy of Screen Gems

8. Deliver Us from Evil (2014)
> Directed by: Scott Derrickson
> Cast: Eric Bana, Edgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn
> IMDb rating: 6.2 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 28%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 42%

This action-horror flick is based on a book by a real-life cop who joins forces with a Catholic priest specializing in exorcisms. The movie made money but failed to impress critics, who panned “the random, far-fetched storytelling” (Time Out) and called it “a routing procedural with unremarkable frights” (Chicago Sun-Times).

Source: Courtesy of Codeblack Films

7. All Eyez on Me (2017)
> Directed by: Benny Boom
> Cast: Demetrius Shipp Jr., Danai Gurira, Kat Graham
> IMDb rating: 5.9 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 18%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53%

This is the story of talented and influential rapper Tupac Shakur, from his early days in New York City to his tragically early death. Though more than half the audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were favorable, an astonishingly small 18% of critics found the film had merit.

Source: Courtesy of Open Road Films

6. Jobs (2013)
> Directed by: Joshua Michael Stern
> Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad
> IMDb rating: 6.0 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 28%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 40%

Only 28% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked this ironically unimaginative biopic of Steve Jobs, one of the most imaginative innovators in recent history. Critics quoted by the site call it “bland and bloated,” “the equivalent of a feature-length slow clap,” and “a missed opportunity.”

Source: Courtesy of Relativity Media

5. Masterminds (2016)
> Directed by: Jared Hess
> Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson
> IMDb rating: 5.8 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 34%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 35%

The 2016 comedy is based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery that took place in Charlotte, North Carolina. Many moviegoers and critics found the film — which has the same director as 2004’s “Napoleon Dynamite” — to be a little too wacky.

Source: Courtesy of Image Entertainment

4. Devil’s Knot (2013)
> Directed by: Atom Egoyan
> Cast: Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Alessandro Nivola
> IMDb rating: 6.1 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 25%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 39%

“Devil’s Knot” is a direct adaptation of a novel about the story of “The West Memphis Three.” The movie is centered on the trial of three teeangers accused of killing three little boys in a Satanic ritual. Critics dislike the movie for its lack of suspense, describing it as a stiff book report.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

3. The 15:17 to Paris (2018)
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
> Cast: Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone
> IMDb rating: 5.3 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 23%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 37%

The movie is based on the 2016 autobiography “The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes.” The thriller shows the events of the Aug. 21, 2015, armed attack on passengers traveling aboard a train from Amsterdam to Paris. The movie “pays clumsily well-intentioned tribute to an act of heroism, but by casting the real-life individuals involved, director Clint Eastwood fatally derails his own efforts,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

2. Alexander (2004)
> Directed by: Oliver Stone
> Cast: Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson
> IMDb rating: 5.6 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 16%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 35%

“Alexander” is the story of Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonia, who conquered much of the known world by age 32. The nearly three hour-long movie has been described by critics as emotionally and intellectually incoherent, flawed, and an excruciating disaster.

Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate

1. Winchester (2018)
> Directed by: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
> Cast: Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Finn Scicluna-O’Prey
> IMDb rating: 5.5 out of 10
> Tomatometer score: 13%
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 32%

“Winchester” is a horror film that tells part of the true story behind the Winchester Mystery House near San Francisco. The plot is based on the real-life experiences of Sarah Winchester who built a mansion for the ghosts she believed were following her. Critics have described the movie as tedious, disappointing, and a wasted opportunity to tell a good story.

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