Look at this list of names: Stallone. Statham, Banderas, Li. Snipes. Lundgren, Couture, Crews, Ford. SCHWARZENEGGER. Who else could you possibly add to this list to complete the collection? How about that guy from “Frasier,” Kelsey Grammer?
They actually did it, and despite the fact that Grammer’s acting was great – as always – pitting him against tough guys, musclemen, and action stars like the list above was an odd choice. The movie requires us to suspend our disbelief in reality, but Frasier beating up bad guys is a step too far for most.
Seth MacFarlane as Ted in Ted
While this is just the character's voice, that's the problem. Seth MacFarlane is the voice of everyone's least-favorite cartoon dad, Peter Griffin, and when he loaned his voice to the foul-mouthed Ted – a movie he himself wrote and directed – it was impossible not to hear Peter.
The movie had plenty of great laughs, and getting to see Mark Wahlberg as a Boston schlub was enjoyable. Still, any time Ted – the main character of the film – opened his mouth, pretty much everybody could only picture the cartoon dad from Quahog. They tried to make a meta-joke in the middle of the movie, which just drew more attention to it.
Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross in The Bourne Legacy
A Bourne movie without Jason Bourne is going to be a tough sell. “The Bourne Legacy” might have been better without Bourne's name in the title, since Matt Damon never even appears in the movie.
The film studio behind the series decided not having the title character in the movie was no big deal, switching to Jeremy Renner as a black ops agent named Aaron Cross. Renner might have done well as the least-utilized Avenger, Hawkeye, but having him as the focus of a movie that shouldn't even be starring him was a misstep.
Elijah Wood as Matt Buckner in Green Street
Picture Elijah Wood, and you'll likely imagine Frodo, the little Hobbit that saves the world of Middle-Earth. You might picture a small, mild-mannered actor, but you definitely won't picture a violent, addicted thug who goes around with soccer hooligans terrorizing people. Wood was thrilled in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but his casting in this gritty movie didn't check the right boxes.
His attempt at a cockney accent might have been the worst thing in the movie, though he might have to co-hold the award with co-star Charlie Hunnam's accent. To call the performance unconvincing is an understatement.
Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in Highlander
“Highlander” is a good watch (the first movie, at least), but there's something about Lambert's performance that drags the movie down from what could have been greatest to just “okay-ness.” He's a French man, playing a Scottish man, who is now in America, so we can understand why he might have a hard time.
The fact that Sean Connery plays an Egyptian immortal is another strange choice, especially since Connery is actually Scottish. Lambert did his best, and the movie is still fun regardless, but even the most stalwart fans consider Lambert's performance lackluster.