12 Movies That Were Dead On Arrival

A mob disaster nearly a decade in the making, this biopic of Teflon don John Gotti should have starred Al Pacino, with the veteran Barry Levinson as director. Instead, it was a showcase for the newly bald John Travolta, and behind the camera, Kevin Connolly (aka E from Entourage).

There’s no use sugarcoating it: this one was an embarrassment. Travolta’s track record is hit and miss when it comes to picking parts, but he was given bad advice here. The film portrays Gotti as a misunderstood guy, a family man and a decent, thoughtful sort, when he wasn’t commissioning murders. The producers had the temerity to take the film to Cannes, where - shock! - it was panned. Almost everyone involved has been nominated for a Golden Raspberry, with Travolta and co-star Kelly Preston in the running for “Worst Screen Combo”, which ought to be a fun conversation for the real life married couple.

More amusingly still, the creative team - including E from Entourage - took to the internet to castigate the critics, who, in a sure sign of a conspiracy, had unanimously declared the film a disaster. There could be a simpler explanation here, if they stopped to think about it.