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Friday, February 10, 2012

Friday's Top 5... Worst Post-Oscar Careers (Actor Edition)

#5: Halle Berry


Admittedly, Halle Berry's career has always been a little hit and miss - her pre-Oscar resume runs the gamut from Jungle Fever to The Flintstones - but her post-Oscar career is a mess of films such as Gothika, Catwoman, X-Men: The Last Stand, Perfect Stranger, Frankie and Alice and New Year's Eve.

#4: Cuba Gooding, Jr.


Now, admittedly, you've got to cut Cuba Gooding, Jr. (and Halle Berry, for that matter) a bit of slack because Hollywood is not exactly generous to actors who aren't white, but that still doesn't excuse movies like Snow Dogs, Boat Trip, Radio, Norbit and Daddy Day Camp.

#3: Kim Basinger


The only actor from L.A. Confidential to be nominated for an Oscar (let alone win), Basigner's career took a pretty steep nosedive after she took home Oscar. To wit: Bless the Child, People I Know, Elvis Has Left the Building, Cellular, The Mermaid Chair, Even Money, The Informers, and The Burning Plain. If you've even heard of half of those, I salute you.

#2: Nicolas Cage


This is, I suppose, where the word "worst" is open to interpretation. I mean, after all, Nicolas Cage is still a pretty big star and he works a lot. But look, for example, at the movies he was in last year: Season of the Witch, Drive Angry and Trespass, which I believe went straight to video. Need I say more?

#1: Renee Zellweger


Pre-Oscar, things were looking pretty good for Renee Zellweger. She starred in hits like Jerry Maguire, Bridget Jones's Diary and Chicago and delivered critically acclaimed performances in lower key movies like A Price Above Rubies, One True Thing and Nurse Betty. Post-Oscar she's starred in clunkers like Cinderella Man, Miss Potter, Leatherheads, Appaloosa, New In Town, My One and Only and My Own Love Song.