Sometimes, even A-list actors like to let loose and have a little bit of fun, and that’s the point of this article; to highlight some of the gems that are hidden behind the veil of absurdity that are worth a look. Though we’ve seen many names on this list go on to win prestigious awards, and rightfully so, sometimes it’s fun to see them in a context that’s just downright silly, weird, and out of character for their usual filmography.
Whether we’re seeing action stars try to flex their comedic muscles, science fiction epics intended to be profound falling comically flat, or Nicolas Cage going into full berserker mode, we wanted to compile a list of all the absurd movies from A-list actors that will make you dig deeper in a search for your favorite star’s more left-of-center films.
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10Dwayne Johnson - Tooth Fairy (2010)
Of course, we all knowDwayne “The Rock” Johnsonfrom his WWE fame, as well as his heavy-weight contribution to theFast and Furiousfranchise, butnot every film he stars inis worth his weight in his gold- or in the case ofTooth Fairy,his weight in teeth. After he tells his girlfriend’s daughter that the Tooth Fairy isn’t real, he gets summoned by the high council of Tooth Fairies, and as punishment, he has to serve a two-week sentence as the Tooth Fairy.
But it’s not as easy as it looks; even though he has the assistance of memory erasing fairy dust, and is able to shrink himself down to the size of a quarter, he runs into obstacles like kids who wake up when he’s in their room, and pesky household pets. As ridiculous as it sounds, the movie actually performed well at the box office. In fact, the family comedy grossed $112.5 million on a budget of $48 million. Do you even have any idea how many teeth it would take to collect that kind of cash?!
9John Travolta - Battlefield Earth (2000)
John Travoltaonce went on record stating thatBattlefield Earthwas going to be like “Pulp Fictionfor the year 3000,”Schindler’s List,and even “LikeStar Wars,only better.”Unfortunately, the film was not received as well as he intended. Travolta Portrays Terl, a Psychlo in a high ranking government job who drinks just a little bit too much Kerbango, and often gets hoisted by his own petard in his schemes to manipulate humans (or “man animals”) in an elaborate gold mining heist in Denver, Colorado.
Plagued with Dutch angle,and over-the-topShakespearean delivery on Travolta’s part,Battlefield Earthultimately suffered from deviating too far from the source material. In fact, the original screenplay writer, J.D. Shapiro, was critical of the film after too many liberties were taken to change his draft into the final script. Though meant to be a homage to the works of L. Ron Hubbard, the film fell short in many ways, but did give us great phrases like “crap lousy!”
8Eddie Murphy - The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
Most of us knowEddie Murphyfor being the funny guyin the room, but in the case ofThe Adventures of Pluto Nash, he insisted on playing it straight. However, the film could have surely been improved by Murphy’s shtick if he decided to lean into it. In the case of this film, he wanted to be more like James Bond than the Nutty Professor, and it ultimately hurt the film.The Adventures of Pluto Nashis not without its charm, though. After all, Randy Quaid had a memorable role in this film playing an outdated android turned sidekick, and he offers a lot of comedy relief to Murphy’s playing it with a straight persona.
ButThe Adventures of Pluto Nashhas a little bit of everything. It’s got a hot nightclub setting, cool gadgets, and an elaborate plot involving clones, and embezzlement. One thing that this movie did not have, however, was a success at the box office. On a budget of $100 million,The Adventures of Pluto Nashonly pulled in $7.1 million. But if you’re a fan of Eddie Murphy, and you like science fiction adventure movies that are just a little left of center, it’s totally worth a watch. Think of it as one of those “so bad, it’s good” movies, and you’ll have a good time watching it.
Nicolas Cageis one of those once-in-a-lifetime actors who are truly a master of their craft. Though he’s had some questionable roles in the past, there’s no question thatNicolas Cage fully commitsto his job, no matter how outlandish or over-the-top. And when the stars align, and the script, direction, and cinematography hit it out of the park, so does Cage. This is very much the case inMom & Dad, a film that was once described as “Home Aloneon bath salts.”
And there really couldn’t be a more apt description of the film. The premise is a simple one, and it’s as absurd as it is amazing: for 24 hours, parents are infected with some sort of virus that makes them want to murder their children. Not only is the violence over-the-top inMom & Dad, Nicolas Cage has many of his patented freakouts that die-hard fans have grown to know and love. This includes, but is not limited to, Cage smashing a pool table with an axe while menacingly singing “The Hokey Pokey.”
6Willem Dafoe - Dog Eat Dog (2016)
Also, co-starring Nicolas Cage, 2016’sDog Eat Dogis one of those “heist gone wrong” kind of movies that is violent, but darkly funny. The central plot revolves around three ex-cons who are hired to kidnap a baby (Raising Arizona,anyone?) so they can collect a handsome ransom payment. The problem that Cage’s Troy runs into is thatWillem Dafoe’s Mad Dog is a straight-up violent psychopath who committed a brutal murder unbeknownst to Troy before signing on for the kidnapping, and it causes a lot of trouble for Troy and Diesel (Christopher Matthew Cook). Though categorized as an action thriller of film, this film is better enjoyed if you view it as a dark comedy of errors. Its violence is over-the-top, and you just stare at the screen in awe as the trio messes up every single step along the way, with disastrous results.
5Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder (2008)
One of the most controversial films on this list would have to beTropic Thunder,starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Tom Cruise, and of course,Robert Downey Jr.in blackface. What was considered a highly controversial film at the time of its release was also a resounding success. Though we live in a time when filmmakers attempt to err on the side of political correctness,Tropic Thunderdoes a beautiful job treading the line between highly offensive, absurd, and absolutely hilarious.
The premise involves a group of actors who are dropped into the jungle (filled with hidden cameras) by their frustrated director to see if they can use their acting skills to survive the very real dangers that will ultimately result in completing the film that’s way behind schedule at this point. One of the most absurd parts ofTropic Thunderwas of courseRobert Downey Jr.’suse of blackface in the film. But critics and fans gave him a pass on this one because he was only committing to his character’s character. In the words of Kirk Lazarus himself, “I’m the dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude.”
4Samuel L. Jackson - Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Samuel L. Jacksonportrays Agent Neville Flynn inSnakes on a Plane,and this film is as absurd as it gets. What starts out as a routine FBI mission to escort a murder witness to testify against his gang boss for committing the crime, his boss does everything he can to sabotage the mission, and bring the plane down. And how does crime kingpin Eddie Kim intend to accomplish this? By arranging for a time-released crate full of venomous snakes to be opened mid-flight and kill everybody on board.
As ridiculous asSnakes on a Planesounds, and is, it was jammed through the marketing machine quite aggressively, boasting one of Samuel L. Jackson’s highly quoted lines, “I have had it with these motherfcking snakes on this motherfcking plane!” The film is highly entertaining, and the best way to think of it is as a B-movie that was put out by a major studio.
There were even voice-mail campaigns online where you could fill out a form and have a pre-recorded voice of Samuel L. Jackson call your friends and colleagues, urging them to stop what they’re doing and go see the film. This is one of those movies that was super hyped up before its release in ridiculous proportions, but we’re okay with it because there was actually quite a bit of bite behind the bark.
3Jim Carrey - Me, Myself, & Irene (2000)
It’s not often that you seeJim Carreyin an R-rated comedy, but when given the opportunity to be absolutely vulgar, he truly knows how to deliver.Me, Myself, & Ireneis one such R-rated comedy. The plot follows Rhode Island State trooper, Charlie Baileygates, and we see a good-natured man with the best intentions have a psychotic break after years of mistreatment from his wife, friends, and colleagues. He succumbs to “advanced delusionary schizophrenia with involuntary narcissistic rage,” and takes on the alter-ego of Hank Evans, a foul-mouthed, and violent persona that takes charge of the situation when his buttons are pushed.
Though Charlie is prescribed with a medication that causes intense cottonmouth, he loses his pills when transporting Irene Waters to New York VIA motorcycle, and all hell breaks loose when we learn about Irene’s mob-connected ex-boyfriend.My Myself, & Ireneis both dark and slap-stick at the same time, and we can’t even quote half of the things that Charlie’s alter-ego says in this film without being shut down by the censors! But if you are a fan of raunchy comedies, this film is right up your alley.
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2Bob Hoskins - Super Mario Bros (1993)
Though 1993’sSuper Mario Bros.pales in comparison to the animated film of the same name that came out this month,it’s not without its charm. ThoughBob Hoskinswas known to be a prolific actor with some serious chops,Super Mario Bros.is a disjointed attempt at adapting the popular Nintendo game into a live-action movie. But it’s worth noting that Dinohattan was a supremely cool-looking dystopian version of New York overrun by dinosaurs.
Created by husband and wife duo Rocky Morton, and Annabel Jenkel (D.O.A.), the film was both a critical and commercial flop. One of the main reasons, according to Morton, was thatSuper Mario Bros.isn’t quite faithful to the source material. Morton has gone on record since, stating that the film was meant to be a prequel to the video game, and the scenes that drove this point home were left on the cutting room floor. In the original version of the film, Mario and Luigi meet with Nintendo executives, and tell their story. However, the Nintendo executives took creative liberties of their own, and created the side-scroller that we all know and love.
But it is worth mentioning that the originalSuper Mario Bros.movie is seeing a sort of renaissance in light of the new Chris Pratt film. On one hand, it is a vibrant exploration and interpretation of the source material. On the other hand, the original target audience forSuper Mario Bros.is now in their 30s and 40s, and they’re able to talk about the positive experiences they had while watching this film when they were kids.
1Arnold Schwarzenegger - Junior
Arnold Schwarzenegger’sJunioris basically a science-experiment-turned-fever-dream, and it’s as hilarious as it is absurd. The movie could be summed up with three simple words: Pregnant Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do we really need to get into this one? We did our research, andJunioris the only film that boasts an Austrian bodybuilder complaining about how sore his nipples are. Remember, this is the same guy that brought usCommando,andThe Terminator.
ButJunioris a solid comedy at the end of the day, and shows us that eventhe best action/sci-fi starscan have quite a bit of fun taking on comedic roles, and not taking themselves too seriously, which wasn’t necessarily common in 1994. Though this film is probably not one of Schwarzenegger’s finest hours, it’s truly a unique film that will make you laugh out loud.
