Somehow Alec Baldwin found the time to direct a movie in his busy schedule of yelling at photographers, writing lengthy articles about why he yells at photographers, and, oh yeah, acting. This movie was an adaptation of the short story The Devil and Daniel Webster. Though it was shot in 2001 and starred popular actors like Baldwin, Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Bobby Cannavale, Kim Cattrall, Darrell Hammond, Amy Poehler and even Jennifer Love Hewitt as The Devil, the release was delayed for years because of numerous financial and production issues. At one point, the film was even held by federal authorities as evidence in fraud case against some of the film's investors. When it was finally released under the title Shortcut to Happiness in 2007, Baldwin removed his name from the film (the credited director is Harry Kirkpatrick) and claimed it had been re-edited by the producer who bought the rights. It only played in six theaters in the U.S., but it ended up grossing just $605,294 from several foreign countries against its $35 million budget. The movie has only four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and all four of them are negative. Too bad that it couldn't just stay in the evidence vault forever. Can you think of any other actors who directed terrible movies? Share your pick in the comments below.
Chris McKittrick is a published author of fiction and non-fiction and has spoken about film and comic books at conferences across the United States. In addition to his work at WhatCulture!, he is a regular contributor to CreativeScreenwriting.com, MovieBuzzers.com, and DailyActor.com, a website focused on acting in all media. For more information, visit his website at http://www.chrismckit.com.
