2. Sofia Coppola - The Godfather Part III
After several name actors (including Julia Roberts and Winona Ryder) dropped out of playing the much-coveted role of Mary Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's finale to the epic Godfather saga, he decided to cast his own daughter, a terrible decision that has haunted both the director and fans of the series ever since. Though perhaps not too controversial sight-unseen at the time, post-release, Sofia Coppola's performance has become an infamous blotch on an already pretty questionable sequel, an early indicator that her life's work would be behind the camera rather than in front of it. Her line delivery, her inflexions, her tone - it is all wrong, and ruins what should be an affecting climax to the series. In the years since its release, her terrible performance remains a key talking point of the film, even for those who actually like the picture on the whole. It is a perfect example of nepotism clouding a director's judgement; could he
really not find another willing, more experienced actress to take the role? It goes to show that even the most talented directors can be blinded by love sometimes...