10 Movies That Deceived You Into Buying A Ticket

Experimental director, Terence Malick, is infamous for cutting huge scenes from his work. Adrian Brody's scenes from The Thin Red Line were cut so heavily, he barely made an appearance in the finished product. The same fate befell Ben Affleck in To The Wonder, even though his name was used heavily in marketing.

So, unless moviegoers were familiar with Malick's little habit, they probably assumed Sean Penn was playing a big role in The Tree of Life. Not only was Penn regularly featured in the promotions, but he also received second billing in the posters and trailers.

However, Penn's talents in this kaleidoscopic drama are gone to waste, since he has limited screen time and minimal dialogue. His presence barely feels like a cameo, since the majority of his scenes involve his character moping around without saying anything.

Stranger still, The Tree of Life contains more scenes of nebulas, galaxies, and dinosaurs (yes, really) than Penn despite the fact the two-time Oscar winner was billed as a leading man.

Sean Penn's presence feels so superfluous, it's easy to forget he starred in the movie in the first place.