10 Famous Actors Who Tried To Direct Movies (And Failed)

6. Crazy On The Outside - Tim Allen

With the exception of the Santa Clause and Toy Story movies, Tim Allen really hasn't had much of a big screen career despite his popularity on television. On top of that prior to 2010's Crazy on the Outside, Allen's only directing credit was a single episode of his long-running sitcom Home Improvement. So it isn't clear why producers thought he had it in him to direct and star in a movie. Needless to say, Allen didn't. This comedy about an ex-con who went to jail for movie piracy and his pathologically lying sister was hated by critics (with an 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and outright ignored by audiences. Despite some popular names - Sigourney Weaver, Ray Liotta, J.K. Simmons, Julie Bowen, and Kelsey Grammer - the movie grossed a paltry $88,335 from 75 theaters. When it was released on Blu-ray in the U.S. it was originally available at Target retailers exclusively... as if making a garbage movie "exclusive" could actually make buying it feel somewhat rewarding. Less than two years later, Allen was back to starring in a new sitcom, Last Man Standing. No word if he plans on directing any episodes of that series. Let's hope not.
Contributor
Contributor

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.