10 Actors Who Were Brilliant In Terrible Movies

#1. Bill Murray – Larger Than Life

It's the ‘done thing' at the moment to proclaim your love for the legend that is Bill Murray and rightly so. Able to inject an unrivalled level of pathos into comedic roles while delivering enjoyably irreverent performances, there's no one quite like him. Unfortunately, not every movie can be a Lost In Translation or a Life Aquatic but that doesn't mean Bill himself is any less watchable.

Somehow this remains true in a movie about a motivational speaker who is forced to go on a road trip with an elephant. The 90s were a simpler time. Murray plays Jack Corcoran, who through a series of wacky circumstances inherits Vera (the aforementioned grey behemoth) and must travel across the country so that she can be flown to Sri Lanka with a herd of other elephants.

Despite casting the usually hilarious Janeane Garofalo and having Matthew McConaughey play a paranoid trucker, the film would have fallen flat if not for Murray's performance as Corcoran. Utilising his mastery of understated characterisation, he somehow manages to ground the ridiculous plot while also introducing the right amount of levity to the situation. If nothing else, it proves that Bill Murray is great no matter what he's in unless you count his inexplicable decision to star two animated Garfield abominations.

#2. Paul Giamatti – Ironclad

Ironclad would most accurately be described as siege porn. When King John decides that he probably shouldn't have signed the Magna Carta, he hires an army of Danish mercenaries and marches on Rochester only to be met by resistance from a rag-tag group of free men. What follows is a film made up entirely of repeated attempts to storm a castle with lots of limbs being lost in the process.

With a cast including Charles Dance, Brian Cox and Derek Jacobi (not to mention James Purefoy and Kate Mara) you'd be forgiven for thinking that Ironclad would be a gripping tale of medieval warfare and feudal politics but instead, audiences are offered a shallow action film with swords fights. The only real reason to watch the movie is Paul Giamatti's entertainingly irate take on King John.

As the film's main antagonist, he has a lot of heavy lifting to do; mainly in the form of rousing maniacal speeches. Giamatti is no stranger to villainous roles but he really goes above and beyond to make the audience despise his character. It take a real skill to create a persona that people love to hate but Giamatti excels and if not for his performance, viewers would have little to no motivation to root for the film's heroes who are as forgettable as they are dull.

#3. Jack Nicholson – Anger Management

In the long forgotten days just before Adam Sandler became a joke in his own right (circa 2004) his movies were already beginning to get stale. There are only so many times you can play the same angry-yet-loveable character before people begin to realize that they're being conned. His last honestly funny movie (except for the downbeat, yet sincere Funny People released in 2009) was only lifted beyond mediocrity by an entertainingly manic performance from the legend that is Jack Nicholson.

Bringing with him a Jack Torrance level of insanity, his character Dr Buddy Rydell is an anger management therapist with a knack for causing more problems than he solves. It helps that Nicholson appears to be having a great time in the role, devilish glee dripping from every line he delivers. His aptitude for comedy is obvious and no matter how funny Sandler tries to make his voice, they're just not in the same league.

There's a reason Jack Nicholson is so revered, he seems incapable of giving a poor performance and the effort he puts into an Adam Sandler vehicle, making the character of Dr Rydell so loveable despite the fact he's seemingly ruining a man's life speaks volumes about his dedication to the craft.

#4. Viggo Mortensen – Psycho

If ever there was a film that didn't need remaking, it was Alfred Hitchcock's horror masterpiece Psycho. The fact that they did so by casting Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates is as inexplicable as the scene where you're forced to both watch and listen to him get his rocks off to a showering woman. So with the main villain and central character being by far the least enjoyable aspect of Gus Van Sant's Psycho, where are the audience to find joy in this cynical cash-in?

The answer lies with Viggo Mortensen's stoic hero Sam Loomis, the boyfriend of Norman Bates' first onscreen victim. Not knowing that his significant other has been stabbed to death by a man with mommy issues and a love of floral dresses, after being contacted by her concerned sister he decides to track her down. Mortensen gives what could have been a very one-note character a thoughtful intensity, he may be a flawed character but when it comes to it he's willing to place himself in danger to do the right thing.

You really find yourself rooting for Mortensen's Loomis in a way that no other character manages throughout Psycho's runtime. Something definitely went wrong somewhere when the rugged alpha male became more layered and interesting than the cross dressing psychopath.

#5. Susan Sarandon – Mr Woodcock

How Mr Woodcock evolved from a lazy dick joke into a fully-fledged cinematic release is a total mystery. This is a movie that the entire cast have subsequently disowned, Sean William Scott and Billy Bob Thornton having openly discussed how terrible it was even while they were filming it. How do you salvage any positivity from such a train wreck of a movie? Add in some Susan Sarandon of course.

The always enjoyable Sarandon is never short of work with small parts in (usually naff) movies in which she outshines the main cast. However, she's front and centre in Mr. Woodcock and that's no bad thing as her performance is the only thing which gives the film an iota of quality. She plays Scott's mother who has, unbeknownst to him, began a relationship with the gym teacher that bullied him as a child.

With Scott playing Stiffler again and Thornton putting in the least effort possible, it falls to Sarandon to give the film its emotional centre. You really do feel for the woman stuck in the middle of this ridiculous (and slightly oedipal) conflict and in the end she resolves it by somehow managing to be the most sensible character, and delivering the film's most touching moment, despite the fact she does so while wearing a pink fluffy pageant dress.

It's as if the crew were seeing how far they could push her before she gave up but nobody puts Sarandon in the corner.

#6. Edward Norton – Keeping The Faith

A rabbi and a priest fall in love with the same woman and far from being the set up to a terrible joke; instead it's a laughable film starring Ben Stiller and Edward Norton. What could have been an insightful look at religion and romance ended up as a schmaltzy, predictable love triangle we've all seen a hundred times before.

However, Norton's inherently likeable and earnest portrayal of Father Brian Kilkenney Finn gives the movie a dimension that would have been sorely lacking.

The role is a departure from Norton's usual role as cerebral tough guys and proves that he's as watchable as a lovelorn priest as he is when opting to punch Brad Pitt as hard as he can. Opposite Ben Stiller, who is in very safe territory and going through the motions, there's a clear disparity as Ed really puts the effort into displaying Father Finn's struggle between his religion and his feelings for Jenna Elfman's cut and paste love interest, Anna Reilly. When it turns out that Stiller has been boffing her on the down low, you really empathise with Norton's portrayal as his character unravels and reaches his breaking point.

It's not all doom and gloom though as this priest is also a total karaoke fanatic; if you've ever wanted to hear Edward Norton sing Barry Manilow's Ready To Take A Chance Again with Miles from Lost, you're in for a treat.

#7. Forest Whitaker – The Last Stand

From the phenomenal Last King of Scotland to Clint Eastwood's moving biopic Bird, there's little doubt that Forest Whitaker has the range and ability to take on some really challenging material. There was a time after his role as Idi Amin that he was being mentioned in the same breath as the all-time greats, but since 2006 something very strange has happened.

Every time Whitaker appears on screen now he plays a world-weary lawman facing his most challenging case yet. His ability to bring depth to an understated role works wonders in films like Out Of The Furnace which sees him playing off other actors of the same calibre but then there's The Last Stand. As the plot switches between Whitaker's thoughtful FBI agent and Arnie's grunting sheriff it seems as though there are two very different films going on at the same time.

It is a credit to his professionalism that Forest Whitaker is able to take a role so seriously knowing that in a few moments time there will be a snap cut to Johnny Knoxville wearing a silly hat. This dedication to parts which really don't deserve it is also the case in the latest Taken movie where he tracks an increasingly tired Liam Neeson as he kills ten people to prove that he's not guilty of murder.

It's a shame to see an Oscar winner having to fill in these roles but at least he always provides a standout performance.

#8. Ewan McGregor – Angels & Demons

There wasn't really much need to follow up the first Da Vinci Code film adaptation which remains one of the only Tom Hanks performances you want to forget. Surprise, surprise Angels & Demons also makes this list. Professor Robert Langdon (Hanks) is called in to stop some dodgy goings on at the Vatican, his expertise in symbology apparently making him more qualified than the police investigate a string of murders.

After a series of predictable twists and turns it's revealed that Ewan McGregor's character, Camerlengo McKenna, has been behind the whole thing from the start. The only thing that may have wrong-footed people is the fact that the ginger heartthrob usually plays more virtuous characters (Trainspotting aside) so his transition from pious do-gooder to snarling baddie was quite the departure. Despite being signposted by clumsy plotting, McGregor's performance ensures that you don't want to believe he's capable of such atrocious actions.

The one good choice the director made was casting such an innately likeable actor as the villain and luckily for them McGregor puts in more effort than the film deserves. He even manages to make the exchanges between himself and Hanks engaging despite Tom's insistence on acting like Langdon is a big fan of tranquilizers. If it wasn't for McGregor, Angels & Demons would have been less enjoyable than being branded with a red hot poker by Stellan Skarsgård.

#9. Kevin Spacey – Fred Claus

Heralded as one of the best actors of this generation, Kevin Spacey has the innate ability to steal any scene he's in. With a litany of classic roles under his belt: Verbal Kint, John Doe and Frank Underwood to name but a few, it's completely baffling as to why, upon receiving the script to Fred Claus, he decided to jump right in. Judging by his performance, it was a personal challenge to see if he could keep his dignity while playing a nasty man who audits Santa Claus.

There are few people who can play a villain as well as Spacey and the way he can subtly move the dial of evil from serial killer to child-friendly grouch without losing any depth or credibility to his performance is very impressive. To put this feat of acting in perspective his character, Clyde Archibald Northcutt, is an efficiency expert who wants to shut down Santa's workshop because he didn't get a Superman cape when he was a youngster. Somehow he manages to turn this dross into a compelling character.

He's snarky, underhanded and devious enough to entertain those tricked into watching a middle of the road Vince Vaughn Christmas caper. Despite playing a character who was seemingly shoehorned in because they forgot to write an antagonist that made sense, Spacey brings a level of quality and gravitas to Fred Claus that it didn't really deserve.

#10. Morgan Freeman – Evan Almighty

As soon as the words Evan Almighty are uttered the majority of people will shut off their brain for fear of remembering any of its excruciating attempts at comedy. It was the movie that somehow managed to make Steve Carrell annoying; the fact that the majority of its gags revolved around birds sh*tting in his unshaveable beard probably had something to do with it.

It only has a 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes which, to put this figure in perspective, objectively makes it a worse film than both Fifty Shades Of Grey (25%) and Failure To Launch (24%).

As hard as it is to believe, there were actually some good moments hidden amongst this abomination and all of them involve Morgan Freeman's portrayal of God. Returning to his popular role from the infinitely more entertaining Bruce Almighty, Freeman still manages to bring gravitas and prestige to every onscreen moment, something the rest of the cast seem dead-set on avoiding.

His silky smooth voice, laid back demeanour and genuinely funny delivery put the seasoned comedy vets he's starring opposite look like open mic night amateurs. Sticking with the religious theme it really is a miracle that anyone got out of this film unscathed but in the case of Morgan Freeman, he can be safe in the knowledge that his performance was divine.