10. Tim Allen - Joe Somebody (2001)
Remember this movie? Nope, me neither. This workplace comedy follows the story of Tim Allen's office drone, who is beaten up by a co-worker in front of his daughter in a row over a parking spot, and issues a challenge for a rematch. With hijinks (and depression) along the way, of course. Yep, that really is the plot. The title role was originally earmarked for Jim Carrey but he turned it down, allowing Tim Allen to land the part, working once again with the director of The Santa Clause and Jungle 2 Jungle (a guarantee of quality, if ever there was one). So why is it on this list of ridiculous paydays? Simple, Allen was paid no less than $12m for the job. The film was a flop, and recouped only $24.5 million of its $38 million budget. I actually watched Joe Somebody when researching this article and despite Allen's best efforts, it is most definitely not a $12 million performance. The script is bland and relies too heavily on references from better movies, and though the supporting cast are game there is a real shortage of laughs. Quite frankly, nothing about this movie justifies Tim Allen's shockingly exorbitant salary.