5 Movies So Bad, They Had to Get Lawyers Involved
The phrase “they can’t all be winners” is presumably etched in every mirror on the Warner Bros. studio lot. It can be impossible to know a movie is going to suck until you make it, so all that’s left to do is move on (or write it off for a tax break). Sometimes, though, a movie is so bad that those subjected to it have no choice but to seek justice. Such as…
Don’s Plum
In 1995, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire claim they filmed Don’s Plum, a fairly plotless day in the life of a group of young jackasses, as a short film. When it was edited for distribution as a full-length feature, they used that claim as grounds to legally block its release, though one producer insisted it was because the largely improvised film made them look insufferable, which it absolutely does. Not even their star power can beat back the forces of YouTube, however.
Theodore Rex
After it bombed so hard with test audiences that New Line Cinema didn’t even try to recoup their costs with a theatrical release, 1996’s Theodore Rex became the most expensive direct-to-video movie ever made at the time. Whoopi Goldberg must have had a hunch which way the wind was blowing because she tried to back out of the film, but producers took her to court to enforce an oral contract they claimed she made four years earlier, essentially forcing her to appear in their stupid, stupid movie. It just cost them more in the end, as the case was only settled after Goldberg agreed to a 50 percent salary bump, so at least she made it worth her while.
Yesterday
No matter how creative those Netflix plot-describers get, stumbling into a movie that isn’t what you thought it was going to be is just a fact of life that most of us are willing to let go. The same can't be said for the two Ana de Armas fans who were so mad that they had to sit through Yesterday only to find that, despite her appearance in the trailer, she wasn’t actually in the film that they sued Universal for their money back. The case was dismissed, but only because they couldn’t prove that most people who watched the movie felt misled, so can someone check the statute of limitations on Downsizing?
Camp Hell
For his part, Jesse Eisenberg got out ahead of any fans who might have felt ripped off by his paltry appearance in 2010’s Camp Hell. Back in 2007, he’d essentially donated a few minutes of screen time to the project as a favor to friends. By the time of the movie’s release, however, Eisenberg became a huge success, and his face and name were mysteriously emblazoned on all the movie’s promotional materials. As a result, Eisenberg sued the producers, claiming they were “perpetrat(ing) a fraud on the public” who “should be protected” from two-star horror movies.
The Cat in the Hat
If you wondered why the Dr. Seuss empire would waste a talent such as Benedict Cumberbatch in a voice-only role after making Jim Carrey suffer through the Grinch makeup 20 years earlier, blame it on Mike Myers. We might have thought our national nightmare that was 2003’s Cat in the Hat was over once the film left theaters, but it was the straw that broke the camel’s legal back for Dr. Seuss’ widow. After being horrified by Myers’ performance, she’s issued a blanket copyright denial for any live-action adaptation of her husband’s work. The Cat in the Hat is actually currently in the works for a 2026 revival starring Bill Hader, but no matter how lanky that man might be, you bet your ass he’ll be animated.