AV Club's 'My Year Of Flops': 15 Notorious Cinematic Failures Worth Revisiting

Flops. Failures. Disasters. Fiascos. John Travolta's filmography. No matter what you call them, box-office bombs are almost invariably the scourge of studio executives, audiences and critics alike. But what about films unfairly slandered by history? What about misunderstood masterpieces that had the misfortune of being ahead of their time?

Those strange, underappreciated little orphans, and less deserving filmic fiascoes, are the subject of my new book, "My Year of Flops: The A.V. Club Presents One Man's Journey Deep Into the Heart of Cinematic Failure." Adapted from my long-running column for The AV Club, it's a funny, empathetic and insightful exploration of the kaleidoscopic, sometimes surreal world of cinematic failures, beautiful and otherwise. With that in mind, enjoy this slideshow of fifteen notorious flops you might just want to consider adding to your Netflix queue.

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The Rocketeer

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Before there was Iron Man, handsome actor Billy Campbell traversed the sky as The Rocketeer, an all-American hero in this gorgeously made homage to the gee-whiz, fresh-scrubbed world of 1930s and 40s serials. The film was supposed to spark a franchise but plans for sequels were abandoned due to anemic grosses. A pre-starvation Jennifer Connelly is the most radiant creature in the history of the world as Campbell’s love interest, an aspiring actress modeled, in the comic books that inspired it at least, on pin-up legend Betty Page.

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Before there was Iron Man, handsome actor Billy Campbell traversed the sky as The Rocketeer, an all-American hero in this gorgeously made homage to the gee-whiz, fresh-scrubbed world of 1930s and 40s serials. The film was supposed to spark a franchise but plans for sequels were abandoned due to anemic grosses. A pre-starvation Jennifer Connelly is the most radiant creature in the history of the world as Campbell’s love interest, an aspiring actress modeled, in the comic books that inspired it at least, on pin-up legend Betty Page.

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playon said on 21 Thursday 2010 pm31 5:46 pm: Pennies From Heaven was a good film. Interesting how many of these movies are from the cocaine era...

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This Flop

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Comments

[malachi8]

09:07 AM on 11/19/2010

I also have a soft spot for 'Heavens Gate' although it requires 2 intermissions for me every time I watch it. I had 'The Rocketeer' on laser disc back in the day and used to love to watch it. The effects looked quite nice and I loved the little cameos by veterans like Paul Sorvino and Alan Arkin.

I'll remember this list and look for the films I haven't seen.

[Kremlink1]

11:36 PM on 10/28/2010

I don't care what people say, The Cable Guy is one of Jim Carrey's best films. It was a shock to alot of people naturally. It's like if Moe Howard would be cast as Norman Bates while still doing comedy in Psycho. Carrey's character was suppose to be an uncomfortable and pathetic menace.

[tomasino]

01:17 PM on 10/26/2010

The preview copy at books.google.com states that "Actor-turned-director William Powell" directed "The Conqueror". That is incorrect, it was Dick Powell.

[Reyeshawk13]

02:30 AM on 10/24/2010

Joe vs the Volcano is the slowest movie I've ever seen. It's half the length of Gandhi or Reds and seems twice as long. I liked Ishtar, though. It just wasn't a $40 million movie. It should have and could have been made for less than half that, if Beatty and Hoffman had taken less money.

I used to know a guy who was in Heaven's Gate (you can't see him, he's covered by dust, but you can hear him). He said the shoot was as confusing and disastrous as the movie.

[FPhoebe]

01:57 PM on 10/23/2010

I left halfway through Scott Pilgrim. It was terrible, and I have never left before a movie was over before.

[bob tomato]

03:35 PM on 10/22/2010

LOVE Joe versus the Volcano... the moment where the moon rises above the Pacific and Joe offers thanks to "god whose name I do not know" for the the life he was given is absolutely fabulous

[yellowdog71]

02:06 PM on 10/22/2010

Another absolute fave that was a box-office bomb? The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

[Thad McIlroy]

06:24 AM on 10/22/2010

You've got two kinds of movies here. Most are BOTH box office AND critical bombs. Two were very well-received critically, but still bombed at the box office. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World scored 79 with the top critics at rottentomatoes.com; Grindhouse scored 78. The average for the bunch was a 43 rating; Freddy Got Fingered was the loser with only 7.

[blastocyst]

08:20 AM on 10/22/2010

"If this were Pakistan, you'd have been sewing soccer balls when you were four years old."

Referencing a quote as Rip Torn's character, Jim Brody, addresses his son, Gord Brody (ably portrayed by Tom Green) his son's perceived shortcomings and Gord's seemingly aimless, meandering, path in life.

I roll-out "Freddie Got Fingered" several times a year just for the eye-watering absurdity, the good-natured crudity, of Tom Green's opus.

[lifeofthemind]

09:27 AM on 10/22/2010

Freddie Got Fingered is one of my all time favorite comedies. Very rewatchable, to be sure. All of the rabid criticism seemed to be a bandwagon thing or a complete refusal to see what Tom Green is about.

[Rachel O]

05:14 AM on 10/22/2010

Love the AV Club and the Onion!

[Rigs-in-Gear]

04:36 AM on 10/22/2010

Looks like the only one you missed was "Howard the Duck".

[Leigh Pfosi]

03:40 AM on 10/22/2010

These are all wonderful movies!

[Polkcat]

03:02 AM on 10/22/2010

When I click on the "Book" page, I'm disappointed to see a post that is only an advertisement from a web-site about movies. Add some content. Otherwise, any post about anything under the sun could be on the "Book" area of this blog site.

[kudzumaster]

02:23 AM on 10/22/2010

Joe Versus the Volcano is one of my favorite flicks.

[Razzer]

02:18 AM on 10/22/2010

"Pennies From Heaven": pleased the heck out of me in the theaters. What world was I born into, I felt (and still feel): that could not appreciate such a brilliant film?

You want dreck? Try watching Steve Gutenberg and Bruce Jenner ham their way from scene to scene in the universally panned "You Can't Stop the Music." (Which - by now - oddly holds up, musically, as a time capsule of the era as well and a strangely hypnotizing cult film.)

[Quinny]

01:54 AM on 10/22/2010

"The Devil made this picture..." classic.