Filed under: Top Tens

TOP TEN: Worst Movie Titles

Inspired by the latest Bond film I bring you the worst movie titles of all time

Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood

On top of the fact that it is 58 characters long the title Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood isn't even 1/8 as funny as the Wayans brothers would like you to think it is. Actually, it is just as stupid as just about every film these douches have made. When the title is a joke, and an unfunny one at that, what is an audience supposed to expect from the film itself?

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Building on Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood we come to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, a film that was killed not only by Warner Bros' lack of marketing but by an awful name. Yeah, I get it, the film is just as much (if not more) about Robert Ford than it is Jesse James, but that doesn't mean the title needs to directly reflect the plot in every way, The Assassination of Jesse James would have been just fine.

On top of that I must complain about the recent trend in titles that have their own sentence structure. Why all the long titles Hollywood? Let's see, we have: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (and its two sequels), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Night at the Museum 2: Escape From the Smithsonian. These massive titles are a movie journalist's nightmare.

Tyler Perry's __________________

This next complaint has as much to do with Tyler Perry and his ego driven titles as much as it has to do with director's names appearing before their movie titles more and more often now days. It's a trend I believe that came in vogue as M. Night Shyamalan plastered his name all over his films, but unlike Perry you never saw M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water and Night has a huge ego… I wonder how Tyler Perry can fit his into a room. Whether it is Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?, Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls or Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, it's ego driven mania at its most blatant (and annoying).

I ♥ Huckabees

I interviewed David O. Russell for I ♥ Huckabees and when I asked him why the heart was in the title he said, "For one thing because I like having a heart in the title, I like a picture of a heart and for another I like anything that shakes up your stable way of using your brain or your language. Third, if it annoys people I don't really care." I guess we should ask David O. Russell if he cares about directing feature films, because since the flop that was I ♥ Huckabees he hasn't directed a film in over three years. Perhaps the sequel could be I (Middle Finger) Huckabees… at least the posters would be interesting.

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Post #1
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Man that Indian Jones one is bugging me … I am getting really anoyyed at how long some titles are getting I always try to find a way to short for it like instead of saying Indian Jones and the Kindom of the Crystal Skull id say Indiana Jones. Then there are "those people" that have to come up with stupid abbreveations for every single movie. MAKE TITLES EASIER TO REMEMBER i believe that way it'll stick in our head and well go see it…Kinda like cloverfield, ever scince i saw the title of the movie i wanted to go see it.

- ranman14
( February 11th, 2008 | 1:43 pm )
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Post #2
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I'm so sick of hearing people complain about the title of the new James Bond flick. To call it the worst title in the history of film is absolutely ridiculous.

- exposed film
( February 12th, 2008 | 2:09 am )
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Post #3
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Yeah the 007 title is not that bad, I don't care for it, but calling it the worst ever is just plain silly… and dumb.

By the way, it is widely known that the worst movie title ever is BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER

- cdubya1971
( February 12th, 2008 | 12:29 pm )
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Post #4
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Come on, how can you say it is not the worst title? I have not seen a single discussion of the film that did not have to resort to the definitions for "quantum" and "solace" to explain it. This leads me to believe that no one knows what the title means without looking the words up. That alone is reason enough to call it a terrible title, let alone the fact that it sounds more like it is describing a Stephen Hawking speech rather than a British spy flick.

Quantum of Solace: A night at MIT with Mr. Hawking as the key note speaker.

I also like the comment "it is widely known that the worst movie title ever is BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER". Really? At least with that title I know what I am getting.

- bradbrevet
( February 12th, 2008 | 1:55 pm )
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Post #5
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I kind of have to agree about Ballistic, it is pretty bad, and while I don't think Quantum of Solace is the greatest title in the world it doesn't throw me into backflipping spasms of pain like it appears to be doing to you.

As for other truly heinous titles, what about last year's The Last Mimzy? That was pretty horrific. Or 1980's The Nude Bomb? Or 1982's The Call Me Bruce? Or Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone in 1983? Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling in 1986. Or how about Rambo: First Blood Part II? At least the next entry had the good sense to call itself Rambo III while the latest one just went with Rambo.

Other catchy sequels? Police Academy II: Their First Assignment, Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo, Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (followed immediately by Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (of which an "other side" wasn't seen let alone journeyed to), Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, and that's just the '80's. The 1990's were full of even more of them.

Besides, I still haven't even gotten to Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, On Deadly Ground, While You Were Sleeping, Happy, Texas, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, The Ghost and the Darkness, What Dreams May Come, Romeo Must Die, An Alan Smithee Movie, Mixed Nuts, What's the Worst that Could Happen?, Someone Like You, Riding in Cars with Boys, The Advenures of Pluto Nash, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, 40 Days and 40 Nights, K-19: The Widowmaker, The Banger Sisters, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Mona Lisa Smile, Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Loyd, The Day After Tomorrow, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D, Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium or Perfect Stranger yet.

And this isn't even including some of the best (i.e. worst) titles of all time before the 1980's. Go back even further and you will really find some amazing ones.

- SaraMichelle
( February 12th, 2008 | 4:03 pm )
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Post #6
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I, for one think the james bond title is horrible, the worst ever? i dunno. but for the time being, yes…it is.

- kima
( February 14th, 2008 | 12:26 am )
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Post #7
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the movie isn't even out yet.
QofS will be as big as the last one.

- hughdreamz
( March 5th, 2008 | 10:51 am )
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Post #8
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The amount of money a film makes and its quality has nothing to with its title. The quality of its title has nothing to do with its release date.

- bradbrevet
( March 5th, 2008 | 11:02 am )
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Post #9
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Operation Dumbo Drop
Octopussy (arrghh!)
Gigli
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Freddy Got Fingered
Big Top Pee Wee

- Romin2003
( April 6th, 2008 | 5:37 am )
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Post #10
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You forgot:

Stir Of Echoes — O, I Am So Scared!

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — Yawning Tiger, where's "One-Armed Swordsman Annihilates the Nine Disciples of Chu School" when you need it!

Octopussy — and you're complaining about Quantum Of Solace?!?!?

Smilla's Sense Of Snow — Dumb title for novel and movie!

Changeling — "That's Not My Son" would have been better!

White Hunter Black Heart — A misstep for Clint Eastwood. Did we need to know that Clint's character is white when he is in Africa?!?!?!

Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow – Loved the movie, disliked the title. "Sky Captain and Polly Perkins", or "The Perils Of Polly Perkins" would have been better! This title was warped by the need to start a Indiana Jones series.

Crimson Tide — They named this movie based on the fact that it took place on the U.S.N. Alabama. Other than that it had no relation to the movie plot!!!

Marathon Man — Another movie I love with a stupid, stupid title.

Well that's it for now…

- Art R
( November 25th, 2008 | 11:17 am )
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Post #11
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Heres four and a half words: MASSIVE SHARK VS GIANT OCTOPUS

- tom
( October 6th, 2009 | 10:53 am )
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