3. Kate Hudson
This is probably the most obvious inclusion on the list. Shes also the only person here who I firmly believe has never lived up to her breakthrough: her Oscar-nominated role in Almost Famous. Since then, she did manage a relatively canonized romantic comedy (How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days). Aside from that? Raising Helen. The Skeleton Key. You, Me and Dupree. Fool's Gold. My Best Friend's Girl. Bride Wars. Something Borrowed. A Little Bit of Heaven. Only two of her films have ever really stuck with us, but I think theyve stuck with us with such strong glue that we keep seeing her movies. Itd be one thing if she was one of those actors who tries everything, but her going rate of movie making is currently about one a year. Thats not to say that she should be working herself silly, but if shes going to be that steady, you would think she would have room to be more selective. NINE was a choice on the right track, but it didnt land very well with critics or audiences. So now, here she is. Kate Hudson: Queen of the Mediocre Romantic Comedy.
Is there hope for her yet?: I have more or less given up on her, but it does look like she may be starting to notice her own track record. Of her three upcoming projects on IMDb, none of them are romantic comedies. One is a voice acting gig in a Dreamworks movie, and the other two are thrillers. Yes, you heard me correctly: thrillers! Of course, there is a chance that this could turn out to be the next Skeleton Key incident. However, I do find hope in the fact that she seems to be branching out, regardless of how the quality turns out. The jury is still out on whether we will get some more quality performances from Kate, or whether well have to just settle with our fond memories of her from years ago.
My suggestion: Honestly, just say no to romantic comedies unless theres a really good reason to decide otherwise (great director, outstanding script, etc.). Its hard to even say where Kates talents would be best served because we have seen them served so few times before. But that glimmer comes through even in her drabbest films, so Ill remain patiently optimistic. For now.