During the film awards season, we are always subjected to an endless stream of superlatives directed at actors, films and filmmakers. Everyone you hear about is "extraordinary," "amazing," "incredible," or a "genius." Actors "transcend." Directors are "visionary." Writers are "timeless." Each year those words mean less as they are attributed to this year's crop of less than great work. That's not to say that there aren't great films being made, but there certainly are not enough to fill all the hundreds of nominations for the dozens of award shows.

As an antidote to that, we here at the Phat Phree have compiled the opposite group. The worst of the worst: The 50 Worst Acting Performances in a Film. You'll find this list full of athletes, musicians and even "professional" actors who have disgraced themselves, acting and the whole film industry with some of the most unforgettably bad, uncomfortable or incomprehensible attempts at acting ever committed to celluloid. Enjoy.

50.	Tom Cruise in Cocktail
	While Tom Cruise perfected his ultra-hammy acting style during the early 80s in movies like All the Right Moves and Top Gun, it wasnt until 1988 that everything came together for him in this turd of a film. As an added antibonus, this film also inflicted the pop-sensation Kokomo on the world as well.
49.	Jake Llyod in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
	Never known for his ability to direct actors, George Lucus nearly two-decade hiatus from the directors chair did nothing to improve his skill in that department. The kid is stilted and wooden throughout, and does nothing but deflate the memory of the great character that he is supposed to become.
48.	George Clooney in Red Surf
	A perennially mediocre star, Clooney made the leap from being TVs Booker Brooks on Roseanne to the silver screen in this shit pile about two drug dealing surfers. Another terrible performance in this film worth noting is submitted by rocker Gene Simmons as Doc.
47.	Ben Affleck in Daredevil
	A favorite to win this list, Affleck makes his first appearance here at #47 with Daredevil. A remarkably bad movie, this superhero flick seems even worse every moment Affleck is on the screen. At times Affleck, who plays a blind crime fighter/lawyer, literally made me wish I was actually blind... or dead.
46.	The Cast of Charlies Angels: Full Throttle
	Oh god, what to say about this two hour music video The acting in this movie is so god-awful I have to believe that it was done on purpose. There is no way that this group of Hollywood A-List actors could collectively display an absolute void of ability for two solid hours. The director, a grown-man who goes by the frat boy monikerMcG, did accomplish one impressive feat with this film. The worst way to spend 100 million dollars.
45.	Richard Pryor in Moving
	I love Richard Pryor, and it pains me to put him on this list. But he is a terrible actor- sorry Richard. He is bad even when he is funny, but in this movie he is almost never funny.
44.	French Stewart in McHales Navy
	French Stewart is an abomination. This movie is full of terrible actors, but one shines above all others. When you are the worst actor in a movie starring, Tom Arnold, David Allen Grier and Tim Curry you are fucking bad!
43.	Meg Ryan in Against the Ropes
	Meg Ryan is the epitome of Hollywoods obsession with cute blonde bimbo "actresses." There is NO reason why Meg Ryan should still be getting roles. She has never been good. Not once!
42.	Christopher Reeve in A Step Toward Tomorrow
	This film about a mother, Judith Light, with a child in a wheelchair, Kendall Cunningham- who is much more convincing as an invalid than Reeve, is pretty awful all around. It is also Reeves first film role after the accident and he is as stiff as can be. I mean, it sucks that the guy was in an accident, but when furniture is acting circles around you, it is time to hang it up- or in his, case have someone hang it up for you.
41.	Jean Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier: The Return
	In this shootem up, beatem up sequel about genetically enhanced soldiers, Van Damme brings his F-game. A total failure from every perspective, Van Damme, who is always unwatchable, drags this movie to a halt with his Swan Lake fighting style and stroke-victim speaking style.
40.	David Hasselhoff in Starcrash
	In 1979, Hasselhoff, who is certainly better known for his exploits on TV, plied his insignificant talents on the big screen. On TV, Hasselhoffs missing-link chest hair is enough to carry him, but in the movies a bit more is required. He comes up wanting in this space epic that co-stars B-movie staple Christopher Plummer.
39.	Dana Carvey in Master of Disguise
	Carvey, who poorly plays several roles in this bizarre movie, would have been better served to focus on just one part. Especially considering that he hadnt ever been a good actor and had not, on a single occasion, been funny in the decade prior.
38.	Jerry Reed in Smokey and the Bandit 3
	Thankfully the final installment of the once great Smokey and the Bandit series, this film lacked the presence of Burt Reynolds. In his place, country rocker Jerry Reed reprises his role as Snowman who is now also the Bandit. An awkward choice, Jerry Reed can hardly carry a three-minute song let alone a 90-minute movie.
37.	Jason Bateman in Teen Wolf Too
	In this sequel to the inexplicably popular Teen Wolf, Jason Bateman takes over the lead from Michael J. Fox. Aside from having the WORST title of a mainstream movie in over 100 years of movie making, this garbage movie has some of the most unintentionally funny moments ever when Bateman acts like he is transforming into a werewolf.
36.	Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in Rollerball
	While no supermodel-turned-actress has ever done a second of decent acting, Romijn- who recently dropped the Stamos- does nothing more than look hot and roller skate poorly in this blasphemous remake of the 70s classic. James Caan would be rolling over in his grave if he wasnt still alive and busy working on the maliciously vapid Las Vegas for NBC.
35.	Arnold Schwarzenegger in Hercules in New York
	Arnold, having not yet stumbled onto his trademark muscle-bound-catch-phrase-spouting-ass-kicking style that would propel him to action superstar and eventually Governor of California, plays the Greek god who comes to New York because he is bored living on Olympus. Its all downhill from there. Arnold must have dropped out of his acting class after the "pretend you are a tree" lesson because he is as wooden as a dime store Indian in this role.
34.	Eddie Murphy in Pluto Nash
	Another comedian who is completely void of acting ability, Eddie is painfully bad in this Sci-Fi Comedy bomb. Consistently unremarkable as an actor, in this film Murphy is plainly unwatchable and painfully unfunny.
33.	Bill Cosby in Leonard Part 6
	See comment for #34 and substitute Bill for Eddie and Cosby for Murphy.
32.	Shaq in Kazaam
	I think Shaq is a very entertaining man in real life. He is charismatic, funny and obviously a talented athlete. That is what makes his complete entertainment-free performance as a genie in this movie so amazing.
31.	Mariah Carey in Glitter
	Mariah Carey is an utterly talentless crazy person. The only thing that alleged five-octave range is good for would be hearing her scream while you beat her mercilessly.
30.	Jon Voight in Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2
	Let me say this for the good of everyone on Earth, talking babies are not entertaining in anyway. In fact, they are about the most obnoxious and annoying thing ever devised, and anyone associated with the continued infection of TV and movies with them should be killed in the most painful way possible. That being said, I didnt believe for a moment that Bill Biscane, the baby voiced by Voight, was actually talking, hence his inclusion on the list.
29.	Hulk Hogan in Santa with Muscles
	Professional Wrestlers are notoriously bad actors. It is part of the kitchy attraction of the sport. That is what makes it so odd they often turn up in movies. The Rock, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant and Roddy Piper have all tarnished the silver screen at one time or another, but none like the Hulkster. Hulk Hogan makes Randy Savage look like Sir Lawrence Olivier.
28.	Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini in From Justin to Kelly
	In the ultimate example of the exploitation of stupid teenage girls, this movie features two former nobodies who were made famous by a reality show, and then immediately became actors- which, in turn, reminded us why they were nobodies in the first place. Not only are these two mediocre musicians at best, they would be totally forgettable people in any situation- which isnt exactly an attribute you want in a movie star.
27.	Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder
	Welcome back Tom Cruise. Youd think strapping Tom into a five point harness and putting a helmet on his head would keep him from overacting, but no. That is the power of Tom Cruises hamminess. Nothing can contain it.
26.	Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry McGuire
	It is inconceivable to me that Cuba Gooding won an Oscar for this role. In a totally reprehensible portrayal of selfish pro-athlete with a heart of gold, Gooding never finds a consistent emotional tone and instead plays big and over-the-top at every opportunity. He actually makes Tom Cruise seem subtle in this film.
25.	Billy Crystal in Forget Paris
	Forget this movie, it is fucking awful and Billy Crystal and Debrah Winger are the reasons why. First of all, does anyone think a woman who looks like Debra Winger would ever be attracted to a guy who looks like Billy Crystal? No. Not ever. Secondly, can anyone educate me as to when Billy Crystal was funny? Seriously, I can't remember a single time he made me laugh- not one.
24.	Dan Akroyd in Caddyshack 2
	I like Dan Akroyd. I really do, but he is astoundingly bad in this movie. This movie is diabolically unfunny and Akroyd is one of the main reasons why.
23.	Robin Williams in Patch Adams
	In what has to be on the short list of the worst movies of all time, Robin Williams gives the perfect storm of bad performances- astonishingly over-the-top, incredibly off pitch and painfully unconvincing. I seriously might rather lose a testicle to a chimp attack than sit through Williams as Patch Adams again.
22.	Matt Nover in Blue Chips
	Nover probably wasn't any worse of an actor than Penny Hardaway or Shaquille O'Neal... but unlike those two, he was also a very marginal basketball player. So what the fuck was he doing in this movie?
21.	Kevin Costner in Waterworld
	Costner, who is so in love with himself that he cant build a big enough movie to showcase his mediocre talent, plays a merman trying to find the last patch of dry land on a post-apocalyptic Earth in this mega-epic 3-hour violation of the 8 th Amendment. How do movies like this get made? Well, Costner, the producer, pitched it to Costner, the director, with the lead actor, Costner, attached- and guess what? Costner LOVED it!
20.	Britney Spears in Crossroads
	Another completely talent-less pop star takes to the big screen, and vapid teens everywhere flock to the theater. Britney Spears is such a classless hick; it is amazing to me that she was ever a star of any kind. Not to mention that her eyes are further apart than the headlights on a 74 Lincoln Continental.
19.	Lea Thompson in Howard the Duck & Ally Sheedy in Short Circuit
	I'm counting these performances as one entry because they were the same movie -- a movie that taught me that all the sexual frisson can be drained out of one of your favorite actresses by one scene of erotic badinage with a duck, or robot, respectively.
18.	Sylvester Stallone in Oscar
	Angelo "Snaps" Provolone made his dying father a promise on his deathbed: he would leave the world of crime and become an honest businessman- quite the premise. I have often said that the corpse of the actual writer of Rocky is buried in the desert somewhere between LA and Vegas, because there is no fucking way that Stallone wrote that. NO WAY!
17.	Ben Affleck in Sum of All Fears
	Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner and Robin Williams in a movie together, now that would be the Sum of All Fears. But Afflecks performance in this installment of the Jack Ryan series is timelessly bad. After seeing Harrison Ford play Ryan in three of the previous four films, watching Affleck stumble through the part like a lost autistic monkey is doubly painful.
16.	Edward Furlong in Terminator 2
	Single-handedly reducing this otherwise great action movie to a sometimes-watchable annoyance, Furlong seemingly patterned his performance after Mark Hamills turn in Star Wars. A whiney and infuriating punk kid who if there was any justice, would be killed to huge applause at the climax of the film.
15.	Kevin Costner in Thirteen Days
	That fucking accent! That appalling fake Boston accent at some point someone, perhaps a voice coach, a producer- someone told Costner that he had it. He had the accent down. I want to know who it was. I want a name!
14.	Michael Rapaport in Higher Learning
	Rapport is an insufferable ass in real life (at least what I have seen of him outside of acting roles- I have never actually met the man, knock on wood), and he is consistently an insufferable ass in his roles. That is how I know he is a bad actor. This is his bad-acting tour de force. "I'm superior to you! I'm superior to you!" (bounce, bounce). Are you fucking kidding me?
13.	Chuck Norris in Invasion USA
	If you don't think its possible for an actor to go an entire movie without changing his facial expression... watch this movie. Chuck Norris single-handedly wipes out a massive army without once moving a muscle in his cheeks. In its own way, it's amazing work.
12.	Keanu Reeves in Bram Stokers Dracula
	Keanu will forever be Ted Logan to me, and whoever decided to cast him as an Englishman should be drawn and quartered.
11.	Sophia Coppala in Godfather Part 3
	What can I say here that hasnt been said before? Not much.
10.	Nicolas Cage in Con Air
	Another bad accent, another spot on the list. This time a Southern accent as terribly performed by Cage, who cant act when he is speaking normally.
9.	Bennifer in Gigli
	In the much-maligned film pairing of Ben and Jen happened at the height of the highly publicized relationship. Amazingly, despite the real life romance the two have less chemistry on screen than Alex de Large and the woman he and his chums gang rape in A Clockwork Orange .
8.	Chris Rock in Dogma
	Rock is a funny guy, no doubt. He may even be the funniest stand-up of his generation, but he is an appalling actor. I mean just awful. Having a hack director for this film certainly didnt help, but you could substitute Spielberg for Kevin Smith and it isnt going to make Rock good.
7.	The Baldwin Brothers
	I decided to list all of the infamous Baldwin Bros. together because if I hadnt it would have been the Top 40 Worst Baldwin Brothers performances. They all suck, but Steven deserves special mention. He is the worst and that is really saying something. They ONLY reason they arent higher is because of Alecs performance in Glengarry Glen Ross.
6.	Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction
	There arent many good films on this list, but this is the exception. His turn in perhaps the best movie of the 90s is, quite frankly, a goddamn joke. Ive seen potato bugs act dead more convincingly.
5.	Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight
	Geena Davis certainly isnt the worst actor on this list, but she has done some really terrible movies. This film isnt her worst, that dubious honor belongs to Cutthroat Island, but this film does contain her worst acting performance by a HUGE margin. My biggest disappointment was that Craig Bierkos character didnt manage to actually drown her in the film... for real.
4.	Rick Fox in He Got Game
	Rick Fox plays a basketball player in this Spike Lee Joint, which shouldnt be much of a stretch considering Rick is actually a basketball player. But that doesnt stop him from having circles acted around him by two women who suck cock for a living, Jill Kelly and Chasey Lain.
3.	Cuba Gooding Jr. in Radio
	Its another appearance on this list for an actor who has made a career out of embarrassing himself on screen. In this travesty, Gooding plays a mental challenged kid who latches on to his high school football team, and in turn they find him an inspiration. This movie could have been a great Nazi propaganda film espousing euthanasia for the handicapped; because all I wanted to do for the entirety of the movie was kill Cuba Gooding Jr.
2.	Nicolas Cage in Gone in 60 Seconds
	Nicolas Cage is a completely incompetent actor. He is consistently bad, but has had the good fortune of having been in some commercially successful films. This remake of a low-budget 70s action flick wasnt one of them. In it, Nick gives one of the most over-the-top, scenery chewing, hack performances in the history of talkies. It is the low point of a remarkable bad career.
1.	Denise Richards in 007: The World is Not Enough
	And the winner is... Denise Richards! In this, the third installment of the Pierce Brosnon era, Denise Richards plays Dr. Christmas Jones. Richards is one of the worst actresses in Hollywood to begin with, but in this film she is asked to make a transformation that few great actors could pull off- from her dim self to genius doctor. You dont have to be the brightest bulb in the box to be an actor, but to play a convincing physicist you should at least be able to speak in complete sentences- a feat for Richards that would be a stretch under the best conditions.

Thanks to Jesse Lamovsky, Chris Queen, Chad Zumock, Tommy Delerio, Big Ed and Mike Martone for their contributions to this list. Written by: Charlie DeMarco