Netflix’s 20 biggest critical flops, from Persuasion to Emily in Paris

For those with a masochistic streak, few things are more fulfilling than watching hate terrible movies and TV shows.

And there are many of them: Ben Wheatley‘s lavish but oddly empty adaptation of Rebecca horrified critics and fans in 2020, as did another historical drama adaptation conviction.

When Emily in Paris hit screens, it provoked deep hatred from critics who condemned “caricaturing” the French as “disgusting snobs”.

But fans were still inhaling both of these abominations within hours of their arrival on the internet.

Rebecca and Emily in Paris were both brought into the world by Netflixso it seemed only fitting that we compile a list of the platform’s top 20 flops here…

TV

Emily in Paris

in one One Star Rating, The IndependentCritic Ed Cumming listed seven groups of people who would not like this series, and it’s hard not to fall into one of those categories, one of which is “anyone who’s eaten a croissant.” He also described the titular lead – played by Phil Collins’ daughter Lily – as “obnoxious” and her banter as “slightly excruciating”.

Hollywood

Ryan Murphy’s big-budget, all-star ode to the golden age of cinema should have been a hit, but was panned by almost universal critics when it was released earlier this year. The Independentis Ed Cumming called the show a “big, shiny mess,” which reads, “Hollywood can never decide whether it wants to be an aspiring alternate reality fantasy or a nihilistic dark comedy, and its conflicting tones sit uneasily together.”

space forces

This satirical show starring Steve Carell didn’t have enough comic book content to make an entire series The Independent‘s critic Ed Cumming who wrote that the show “struggles to come out under the biggest joke of all, which is that it’s based on a real U.S. government agency. It’s more sketchy stuff than a series, and it would be funnier if it weren’t true.”

Insatiable

One of the most controversial Netflix Originals of all time, Insatiable was accused of fat-shaming before it was even published, with over 100,000 people signing a petition demanding its cancellation. The show didn’t fare much better with critics when it finally aired, either The Independent‘s read review: “Insatiable is more than happy to label itself ‘satire’ without understanding what it actually means.”

one way

in one One Star Rating to the The IndependentEd Cumming wrote of this sci-fi series: “Hilary Swank is admirably committed to her role, frankly beyond what the script intended her to achieve, but not even her shoulders and the rest of the Atlas crew are.” wide enough to carry us away.”

What happened if

This gendered version of Unmoral offer with Renée Zellweger received a lukewarm critical reception upon its release in 2019. While Zellweger’s performance was praised, the show struggled to make a splash The Independentby Clarisse Loughrey Write that “in the end a deep and meaningful premise is undermined by all the melodramatics”.

Marco Polo

This drama about the Venetian merchant and adventurer was torn apart by The Atlantic‘s Lenika Cruz, who said, “A big budget, high hopes, and good intentions don’t seem to have been enough to give a boost to a boring protagonist and a limp story.” The series scored an unfavorable 66 percent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes – ​​but her viewer rating was an impressive 94 percent, making her the perfect hate watch.

gypsy

Starring Sam Taylor-Johnson as director and Naomi Watts as manipulative psychologist. gypsy had all the hallmarks of a hit but received poor reviews upon its release in 2017. IndieWireis Ben Travers wrote of the series: “Intended as an exploration of the unbridled desires of a middle-aged woman, [Gypsy] never elevates his drama to something thematically challenging or narratively delightful.”

Hemlock Grove

This horror series scored a pitiful 38 percent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The supernatural show about what goes on in a Pennsylvania steel town was rated “idiotic, boring and often offensive”. the geekis Sarah Dobbs.

crazy people

Australian comedian Chris Lilley may have had success with it summer highs high and Ja’mie: private school girl, but the joke was considered worn out when crazy people was released in 2019. In the comedy series, Lilley dons a heavy suit, plays a six-foot-tall college student, and taunts and leads the transgender community The guard‘s Luke Buckmaster in his writing One Star Rating: “[Lilley’s] Approach has never felt so tedious, formulaic or unimaginative.”

Movie

conviction

With Dakota Johnson, Henry Golding and Richard E Grant at the helm, Netflix is ​​taking on conviction should have been a hit right? Not correct. The film was poorly received by critics and Austen fans alike The Independent‘s Clarisse Loughrey writes that “at no point during Carrie Cracknell’s directorial debut does it ever get the feeling that anyone is actually reading conviction“. Amanda Whiting, on the other hand asked how the streamer could “so horribly misunderstand Jane Austen”. Ouch…

The kissing booth

Netflix has branched out into the world of teen movies and romcoms with varying success, some receiving critical acclaim (To all the boys I’ve loved before, always be my maybe), while others were panned. One such flop is The kissing boothwhich was judged to be both cliche and misogynistic The Independent‘s Clarisse Loughrey writes in her Two star rating of the 2020 sequel that the follow-up was “at least not as aggressively problematic as its predecessor.”

Rebecca

in one Two star rating to the The IndependentCritic Clarisse Loughrey described this adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic book as “bleak and garish” and starring Armie Hammer and LilyJames than behaving like “two planks of wood”. She concluded, “That Rebecca du Maurier is reduced to an airport novel.”

The ridiculous 6

This Adam Sandler parody western was Branded “unobservable” by critics. Film co-stars Terry Crews, Taylor Lautner and Luke Wilson have been hastily put together with some dodgy CGI, and most of his jokes revolve around donkey poo.

The Cloverfield Paradox

The third installment in the Cloverfield franchise, this JJ Abrams-produced film was a surprise Netflix release in 2018. However, reviewers generally agreed that it was by far the weakest of the trilogy and struggled to make its connection recognizable from the original films The Independentis Jacob Stolworthy Write: “This latest entry has turned the once-burgeoning series into a farce.”

Polar

Action film in neo-noir style Polar was given a star through The guardCritic Stephen Snart. He said the film, which stars Mads Mikkelsen as a pre-retirement hitman, is full of “distracting explicit violence” and “drowning in blood and stupidity.”

brain on fire

Based on Susannah Calahan’s memoir of the name, brain on fire Chloe Grace Moretz stars as a journalist who has been diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that affects the brain. But despite a star-studded cast that included Tyler Perry and Jenny Slate, the film has been accused of slipping into the hackneyed clichés found in movies like The fault in our stars and Five feet apartWith diversityis Peter Debruge Write that Moretz’s character was “the kind of role the Razzies were invented for”.

death notice

This horror film revolves around a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook that gives him deadly powers. The edgeis Megan Farokhmanesh said it was “weightless and unnecessarily gory,” adding, “The movie focuses more on cyberpunk-esque visuals and crunchy synth than any sort of substance.”

The silence

Clearly inspired by A quiet place but not the same effect as birdhouseNetflix The silence could not be rescued by stars Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka and was accused of having a poor script and slow pacing. “The silence is hardly a horror film, and that’s its biggest problem,” Brian Tallerico by Roger Ebert wrote. “A horror film needs a cue, and you just never feel that here.”

Secret Obsession

This movie has a fucking 29 percent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, but NPR’s Linda Holmes hinted that it might be perfect for a hate watch. “It’s a pretty bad movie,” she said wrote, “but it appears to be as bad as it is badly meant. It’s happily trashy, and if that’s your thing, do it.”