10 Awful Films The Office Actors Want Us To Forget
5. Curly Sue
John Hughes was a legendary filmmaker whose movies helped to define the ‘80s and the teen comedy aesthetic to this day. His final directorial effort, 1991’s Curly Sue, also coincided with Steve Carell’s big screen debut, and unfortunately it would turn out to be one of the worst projects associated with either man.
Curly Sue stars Jim Belushi as a kind hearted, cunning homeless man who cares for the titular ragamuffin and runs ploys on the streets of Chicago. While it’s not an aggressively bad film, it’s cloying and heavy handed in a manner Hughes’ work often can be, lacking the charm that salvages The Breakfast Club et al.
Carell’s performance is little more than a cameo - he was on the Chicago improv scene at the time, and local actors were hired for bit parts - but even without speaking he manages to convey his role as a snooty waiter remarkably effectively. He also looks almost exactly the same as he would in 2006, which is downright unnerving.
It’s not quite the worst film Carell has been involved with, but it’s certainly not putting your best foot forward.