10 Actors Who Appeared In Movies That Were Seriously Beneath Them

5. Paul Giamatti - Lady in the Water/Big Momma's House

Paulgiamatti Ladyinthewater Lady in the Water was only M. Night Shyamalan's fourth movie after The Sixth Sense, but the warning signs had already begun to appear: a ridiculous twist ending to The Village and a comical weakness to the aliens of Signs. So in fairness to Paul Giamatti, Shyamalan hadn't yet created The Happening, The Last Airbender, or After Earth, but there was still every reason to be a little cautious about signing on to one of the director's films. Apparently the movie is based off a bedtime story that Shyamalan wrote for his children. It's shocking that a story designed to put tired children to sleep would turn out not to be a riveting film. But perhaps even more shocking is his appearance in the Martin Lawrence, uh, classic Big Momma's House. Although it did spawn two sequels, it's basically 99 minutes of Martin Lawrence wearing a fat suit and a wig. For all of you aspiring actors out there, here's a good rule of thumb: if a movie's plot involves cross-dressing for comedic effect (and it doesn't star Dustin Hoffman) and/or a fat suit as a major plot point, you should probably steer clear.
Contributor
Contributor

Phillip has attended film school and law school, but film is much more interesting to write about. He currently resides in Houston.