Some Of My Least Favorite Movie Casting Decisions

And now it's time for a Least Favorite Casting Decisions list. This one was actually harder to put together than the Favorite Casting list. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of entries to choose from...it's just that if I don't like a certain movie or a certain performer I'm not going to spend time watching them. I'm far more knowledgeable about films and actors I like than ones I don't, therefore it is easier for me to write about them.

I must also point out that I'm not going to go down the politically incorrect route. Almost all the historical and biblical epics made in the 1950s-60s featured white English-speaking performers as the main stars. To go through all of those movies and chastise those casting decisions now, in my opinion, doesn't really accomplish much. Technically one could say that 90% of all casting decisions made during the Golden Age of Hollywood were politically incorrect. If you can't put a older film in the context of the time it was made, you're going to have to severely limit your viewing choices.

I'll try not to be too snarky during this list, but I make no promises.


Marlon Brando in JULIUS CAESAR
I might as well admit now that I've never been all that much of Brando fan. His "revolutionary" style of acting looks to me now as contrived and indulgent. I'm sure having the young Marlon alongside classical artists such as John Gielgud and James Mason in a film adaptation of Shakespeare's play was a high concept idea back in 1953, but Brando here seems to be off in his own world.

Ben Affleck in THE SUM OF ALL FEARS
Honestly I could say that casting Affleck in any movie would be a bad idea....but trying to have him portray Tom Clancy's main hero Jack Ryan was particularly egregious.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in BATMAN AND ROBIN
This is a prime example of gimmick casting. "Hey! Let's have Arnold play Mr. Freeze!! It'll be great!!" Well, it wasn't....but, truth be told, it didn't matter who would have played this role, the movie still would have been terrible.

Anthony Perkins in FEAR STRIKES OUT
In this film Perkins plays Major League baseball player Jimmy Piersall in a film that details the man's struggle with emotional and mental issues. Perkins was a fine choice when it came to emotionally troubled characters...but it's fairly obvious here that Perkins didn't have much experience baseball-wise. He doesn't even look comfortable while wearing a baseball uniform.

Clark Gable in PARNELL
For some reason someone at MGM thought it was a good idea for the rugged King of Hollywood to play a 19th Century Irish statesman. Was this an early example of Oscar bait?

Grace Jones in A VIEW TO A KILL
The folks who ran the James Bond franchise tried to go the trendy route by casting Jones, who had a certain notoriety in the mid 1980s, as the main henchman in this lousy 007 outing. Ironically, due to a recent documentary, Jones is back in the spotlight again...which proves that if you just wait long enough, just about anything will come back in style.