Watching Bad Movies

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in the dreadful Gigli (2003)

To date, I've seen over 2,500 films, so it would be natural to assume that I have seen some downright bad ones. Maybe a few here and there anyway. Upon browsing my IMDb ratings recently, I noticed something that astounds me even now: I've watched some really bad movies. I don't mean bad as in campy, or so bad it's good. I mean films that I can in no way defend and that are just embarrassing to admit watching. See some that I've actually watched (in their entirety) after the cut.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008, Raja Gosnell)

Disney and a talking dog. What could go wrong? Plenty, it turns out.

Bratz: The Movie (2007, Sean McNamara)

To be honest, I don't remember how or why I watched this. I vaguely remember that Jon Voight was the principal of the girls' school, but that's all I care to revisit.

Daddy Day Camp (2007, Fred Savage)

Yes. I saw this of my own free will. Needless to say, I can't recommend it.

Material Girls (2006, Martha Coolidge)

The Duff sisters are not the greatest actresses of this generation. It was news to me.

Meet the Spartans (2008, Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer)

This film is an absolute skip. Unfunny and completely unnecessary. Of course, I saw it anyway.

The Police Academy sequels (1985-1994, multiple directors)

I actually saw the first five films. I stopped halfway through Police Academy 6: City Under Siege and haven't looked back.

When I'm asked to name the worst film I've ever seen, I typically name Popeye (1980) or Twilight (2008). But Bratz: The Movie? I think that just might surpass those. The last film I really found this bad would be The Iron Lady (2011), which was cringe-worthy. New Year's Eve (2011) is very much in contention, but it was watchable at the very least.

Though I've seen many bad films (who hasn't?), I should point out that I saw the films mentioned above years ago. Fortunately, time has been kind, and I have forgotten a great many of the bad movies I've seen. Why watch bad movies? Could they be wasted hours? Perhaps. But at least I have some reference as to what bad is, which is why I now steer clear of many films I would've seen in the past.

I don't watch many movies like these anymore. I don't think I could stomach it. If a film disappoints me, so be it, but I want to avoid a train wreck if I can. In some way, I owe these films a debt of gratitude for showing me what I don't want to see. (Granted, these films don't exactly scream "award-worthy" or "art-house".) While I can't entirely avoid bad movies, I hope I don't encounter anything like Bratz: The Movie or Daddy Day Camp ever again.

What are some bad movies you've seen?