Best Directors' Lowest Rated Titles

by Pictoris | created - 21 Nov 2017 | updated - 17 Apr 2018 | Public

All the following directors have received the Academy Award for Best Directing but not all of their movies have been so well received by critics and spectators. This list present their lowest rated titles (minimum: 10,000 votes/max. rating: 6.5).

Which of these movies do you like the most despite bad reviews? or, if you haven't seen any, which one interests you the most?

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1. Blue Steel (1990)

R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Drama

54 Metascore

A rookie in the police force must engage in a cat-and-mouse game with a pistol-wielding psychopath who becomes obsessed with her.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Peña

Votes: 17,738 | Gross: $8.22M

Kathryn Bigelow's lowest rated title (Best Director in 2010 for The Hurt Locker (2008))

2. A Life Less Ordinary (1997)

R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime, Fantasy

37 Metascore

Upon being fired, a desperate guy kidnaps a daughter of his former boss. Two angels are sent to Earth to check if love is possible in this case.

Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Cameron Diaz, Ewan McGregor, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo

Votes: 37,171 | Gross: $4.27M

Danny Boyle's lowest rated title (Best Director in 2009 for Slumdog Millionaire (2008))

3. The Ladykillers (2004)

R | 104 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller

56 Metascore

An eccentric, if not charming Southern professor and his crew pose as a classical ensemble in order to rob a casino, all under the nose of his unsuspecting but sharp old landlady.

Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans, Irma P. Hall, J.K. Simmons

Votes: 108,872 | Gross: $39.80M

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's lowest rated title (Best Directors in 2008 for No Country for Old Men (2007))

4. Hulk (2003)

PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Sci-Fi

54 Metascore

Bruce Banner, a genetics researcher with a tragic past, suffers an accident that causes him to transform into a raging green monster when he gets angry.

Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas

Votes: 278,422 | Gross: $132.18M

Ang Lee's lowest rated title (Best Director in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and in 2013 for Life of Pi (2012))

5. The Rookie (1990)

R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama

41 Metascore

A veteran detective is assigned a rookie partner after his previous partner is killed by a car theft gang. He is determined to apprehend those responsible for his friend's death but his new partner isn't really up to the task.

Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Charlie Sheen, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga

Votes: 29,301 | Gross: $21.63M

Clint Eastwood's lowest rated title (Best Director in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby (2004))

6. The Dilemma (2011)

PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama

46 Metascore

A man discovers that his best friend's wife is having an affair.

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly

Votes: 56,838 | Gross: $48.48M

Ron Howard's lowest rated title (Best Director in 2002 for A Beautiful Mind (2001))

7. The Girlfriend Experience (2009)

R | 77 min | Drama

66 Metascore

A drama set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl meeting the challenges of her boyfriend, her clients, and her work.

Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, Philip Eytan, Colby Trane

Votes: 17,211 | Gross: $0.70M

Steven Soderbergh's lowest rated title (Best Director in 2001 for Traffic (2000))

8. 1941 (1979)

PG | 118 min | Action, Comedy, War

34 Metascore

Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Treat Williams, Nancy Allen

Votes: 36,231 | Gross: $31.76M

Steven Spielberg's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1999 for Saving Private Ryan (1998))

9. Piranha II: The Spawning (1982)

R | 94 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

15 Metascore

A scuba diving instructor, her biochemist boyfriend, and her police chief ex-husband try to link a series of bizarre deaths to a mutant strain of piranha fish whose lair is a sunken freighter ship off a Caribbean island resort.

Directors: James Cameron, Ovidio G. Assonitis, Miller Drake | Stars: Tricia O'Neil, Steve Marachuk, Lance Henriksen, Ricky Paull Goldin

Votes: 9,902

James Cameron's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1998 for Titanic (1997))

10. Breaking and Entering (2006)

R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

56 Metascore

A landscape architect's dealings with a young thief cause him to re-evaluate his life.

Director: Anthony Minghella | Stars: Jude Law, Robin Wright, Vera Farmiga, Martin Freeman

Votes: 23,228 | Gross: $0.93M

Anthony Minghella's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1997 for The English Patient (1996))

11. Beowulf (2007)

PG-13 | 115 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

59 Metascore

The warrior Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel, who is terrorizing Denmark, then Grendel's Mother, who begins killing out of revenge.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover, Angelina Jolie, Robin Wright

Votes: 174,076 | Gross: $82.16M

Robert Zemeckis's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1995 for Forrest Gump (1994))

12. Ricki and the Flash (2015)

PG-13 | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

54 Metascore

A musician who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom returns home, looking to make things right with her family.

Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer, Sebastian Stan

Votes: 24,796 | Gross: $26.82M

Jonathan Demme's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1992 for The Silence of the Lambs (1991))

13. The Postman (1997)

R | 177 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

29 Metascore

A nameless drifter dons a postman's uniform and bag of mail as he begins a quest to inspire hope to the survivors living in post-apocalyptic America.

Director: Kevin Costner | Stars: Kevin Costner, Will Patton, Larenz Tate, Olivia Williams

Votes: 78,245 | Gross: $17.63M

Kevin Costner's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1991 for Dances with Wolves (1990))

14. Envy (2004)

PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy

31 Metascore

A man becomes increasingly jealous of his friend's newfound success.

Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Rachel Weisz, Amy Poehler

Votes: 32,296 | Gross: $12.18M

Barry Levinson's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1989 for Rain Man (1988))

15. Little Buddha (1993)

PG | 123 min | Drama

After the death of Lama Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monks find three children - one American and two Nepalese - who may be the rebirth of their great teacher.

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Bridget Fonda, Ruocheng Ying, Chris Isaak

Votes: 17,935 | Gross: $4.86M

Bernardo Bertolucci's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1988 for The Last Emperor (1987))

16. Alexander (2004)

R | 175 min | Action, Biography, Drama

40 Metascore

Alexander, the King of Macedonia and one of the greatest army leaders in the history of warfare, conquers much of the known world.

Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Angelina Jolie

Votes: 176,564 | Gross: $34.30M

Oliver Stone's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1987 for Platoon (1986) and in 1990 for Born on the Fourth of July (1989))

17. Random Hearts (1999)

R | 133 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance

38 Metascore

Police Sergeant Dutch Van Den Broek (Harrison Ford) and U.S. Representative Kay Chandler (Dame Kristin Scott Thomas) lose their spouses in a plane crash, and they soon discover that their spouses were having an affair with each other.

Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Harrison Ford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Charles S. Dutton, Bonnie Hunt

Votes: 23,408 | Gross: $31.05M

Sydney Pollack's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1986 for Out of Africa (1985))

18. How Do You Know (2010)

PG-13 | 121 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

46 Metascore

After being cut from the U.S.A. softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triangle, as a corporate guy in crisis competes with her current, baseball-playing beau.

Director: James L. Brooks | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson

Votes: 54,581 | Gross: $30.21M

James L. Brooks's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1984 for Terms of Endearment (1983))

19. Dick Tracy (1990)

PG | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

68 Metascore

The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.

Director: Warren Beatty | Stars: Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Charlie Korsmo

Votes: 65,689 | Gross: $103.74M

Warren Beatty's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1982 for Reds (1981))

20. Lions for Lambs (2007)

R | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

47 Metascore

Injuries sustained by two Army rangers behind enemy lines in Afghanistan set off a sequence of events involving a congressman, a journalist and a professor.

Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Michael Peña

Votes: 52,654 | Gross: $15.00M

Robert Redford's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1981 for Ordinary People (1980))

21. Billy Bathgate (1991)

R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

In the year 1935, a teen named Billy Bathgate finds first love while becoming the protégé of fledgling gangster Dutch Schultz.

Director: Robert Benton | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, Loren Dean, Bruce Willis

Votes: 12,733 | Gross: $15.97M

Robert Benton's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979))

22. To Rome with Love (2012)

R | 112 min | Comedy, Music, Romance

54 Metascore

The lives of some visitors and residents of Rome and the romances, adventures and predicaments they get into.

Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Penélope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Elliot Page

Votes: 90,849 | Gross: $16.69M

Woody Allen's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1978 for Annie Hall (1977))

23. The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

PG | 112 min | Action, Drama, Family

36 Metascore

Ostracised villain John Kreese attempts to gain revenge on Daniel and Miyagi, with the help of a Vietnam War comrade, the wealthy owner of a toxic waste disposal business.

Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, Thomas Ian Griffith

Votes: 69,077 | Gross: $38.96M

John G. Avildsen's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1977 for Rocky (1976))

24. Jack (1996)

PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

31 Metascore

Because of an unusual disorder that has aged him four times faster than a typical human being, a boy looks like a 40-year-old man as he starts fifth grade at public school after being homeschooled.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Brian Kerwin, Jennifer Lopez

Votes: 63,775 | Gross: $58.62M

Francis Ford Coppola's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1975 for The Godfather Part II (1974))

25. Funny Farm (1988)

PG | 101 min | Comedy

50 Metascore

A couple swap city life for the country, but their picturesque new hometown turns out to be just a little bit different to what they were expecting.

Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Chevy Chase, Madolyn Smith Osborne, Kevin O'Morrison, Joseph Maher

Votes: 24,979 | Gross: $25.54M

George Roy Hill's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1974 for The Sting (1973))

26. The Hunted (2003)

R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama

40 Metascore

An FBI deep-woods tracker attempts to capture a trained assassin who has made a sport of hunting humans.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio Del Toro, Connie Nielsen, Leslie Stefanson

Votes: 51,364 | Gross: $34.24M

William Friedkin's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1972 for The French Connection (1971))

27. Eye for an Eye (1996)

R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

25 Metascore

When the courts fail to keep behind bars the man who raped and murdered her daughter, a woman seeks her own form of justice.

Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Sally Field, Kiefer Sutherland, Ed Harris, Olivia Burnette

Votes: 18,903 | Gross: $26.79M

John Schlesinger's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1970 for Midnight Cowboy (1969))

28. Wolf (1994)

R | 125 min | Drama, Horror, Romance

Publisher Will Randall becomes a demon wolf and has to fight to keep his job.

Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan

Votes: 60,264 | Gross: $65.01M

Mike Nichols's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1968 for The Graduate (1967))

29. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

G | 143 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi

50 Metascore

When an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled USS Enterprise in order to intercept it.

Director: Robert Wise | Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan

Votes: 96,513 | Gross: $82.26M

Robert Wise's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1962 for West Side Story (1961) and in 1966 for The Sound of Music (1965))

30. Annie (1982)

PG | 127 min | Comedy, Drama, Family

39 Metascore

A spunky young orphan is taken in by a rich eccentric, much to the chagrin of the cantankerous woman who runs the orphanage.

Director: John Huston | Stars: Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking

Votes: 49,436 | Gross: $57.06M

John Huston's lowest rated title (Best Director in 1949 for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948))



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