Doctor Who fans rejoiced when Matt Smith nabbed a role in Ryan Goslings directorial debut Lost River. A seasoned Hollywood star was taking the then-Time Lord under his wing, and many hoped the results would be brilliant. Sadly, the film turned out to be one of the worst examples of a great actor becoming a rubbish director. In fact, Smith's barmy performance was one of the very few good things about it. In recent years, Gosling has broken out of his rom-com pigeon hole with impressive action-tinged dramas like Drive and The Place Beyond The Pines. For his first film as a writer-director, though, he completely misfired by making the huge error of throwing out plot and pacing. Lost River, as a result, feels like an art students tribute to David Lynch there are strange landscapes and weird characters, but none of the tension and intrigue that makes Lynch a master of the filmmaking craft. Critics called it muddled, incoherent, bland and aimless. Its very hard not to agree with them. Fair play to Gosling for trying directing, but his first effort will forever be remembered as a truly naff waste of 105 minutes. It drags throughout, and doesnt even have a satisfactory pay off in the end to reward those viewers that managed to sit through the whole thing. It looks nice, but there's no substance. If Gosling steps behind the camera again, perhaps he should get someone else to write the script. Which actor-directed movie is the worst? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
