10 Blatant Paycheck Movie Roles (That Were AWESOME)
1. Robert De Niro - The Adventures Of Rocky & Bullwinkle
If you thought Robert De Niro's involvement with the Meet the Parents franchise was a blatant feat of paycheck-chasing, you need to see 2000's The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
De Niro not only co-produced the adaptation of the hit '50s animated series but also starred as the film's primary antagonist, Fearless Leader.
And to be completely fair to him, De Niro absolutely goes for it, donning a silly accent and subjecting himself to serious makeup and wardrobe work to resemble the villain.
As aggressively mediocre as the script and direction might be, the film justifies its existence for one reason: it gave De Niro the chance to homage his own role in Taxi Driver in the most outrageously on-the-nose yet ludicrously entertaining way possible.
Of all De Niro's many paycheck roles over the last 20 years - looking at you, Dirty Grandpa - this one at least had him firing on all cyllinders.