9 Famous Comedians Who Were Brutally Unfunny In Movies

3. Roseanne Barr

Much like Seinfeld, Roseanne only seems capable of playing herself, especially if the role is of any significance. She might be able to stretch her acting muscles for a few minutes here and there as a guest star on TV shows, as she did with surprisingly hilarious performances on episodes of Portlandia and The Office, but don't ask her to carry anything on her shoulders. Fresh off the moderate success of the first season of her sitcom, the boisterous, acerbic comedienne found herself playing opposite Meryl friggin' Streep in She-Devil. It was quite the coup, with the schlubby Barr acting out every rural housewife's fantasy of making it onto the silver screen some day. The result was less dream-like, however, as her acting quickly reminded everyone that there's a reason people aren't simply plucked out of obscurity and dropped into starring roles with real, legendary actors of Streep's caliber. It was embarrassing to watch a scene with both of them in it, because even though Streep wasn't especially known for her comedic chops at the time, she managed to outshine and out-joke Barr at every turn. The comedienne looked constantly out of her element. Flash forward a couple of years, and the big wigs decided it might be a better idea to use Barr's shrill, snotty voice in the highly disappointing sequel to the surprisingly funny Look Who's Talking. Somehow, Roseanne fails to deliver the one thing that made her famous, giving flat, cutesy readings instead of the brash, bratty child we would have much preferred.