2016 was a busy one for filmmaking in Atlanta and elsewhere in Georgia. Some 245 feature film and television productions were shot in Georgia in fiscal year 2016, representing $2.2 billion in direct spending and an overall economic impact of $7 billion in the state, Georgia's Department of Economic Development announced earlier this year.
But a lot of those movies were terrible.
A scan of worst-of lists finds a lot of overlap, and there's widespread consensus on most of the worst. Critics hated "Allegiant," the latest movie in the "Divergent" series. There's talk that the final installment might be a small-screen project (and that star Shailene Woodley might back out).
"Dirty Grandpa" also made a lot of naughty lists. The idiotic flick starred Zac Efron as a nice guy and Robert DeNiro as his disgusting gramps. The two take a road trip right after Grandma dies. In his grief DeNiro's character says stuff like "Party til you're pregnant!" at the raucous booze fest he and his grandson end up at. Nice.
Netflix scored a big hit with "Stranger Things" but bombed with the Adam Sandler-David Spade comedy "The Do-Over." The romance "The Choice" was singled out by one critic; I'd forgotten all about it.
"Office Christmas Party" and "Mother's Day" both made several lists and both starred Jennifer Aniston. Incidentally she was also "awarded" the actress most in need of a new agent by a film association .
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
The only pick I disagree with is "Ride Along 2." It wasn't "Citizen Kane" but come on. The movie reuniting Kevin Hart, Ice Cube and Tika Sumpter was fun. I watched in the movie theater and have since watched in on a few airplane trips. It's an amusing enough way to spend a flight.
Here's a look at who hated what:
Rolling Stone included "Office Christmas Party" and "Allegiant."
Yahoo and MLive dinged "Allegiant" as well.
MLive also included "Mother's Day," the Netflix bomb "The Do Over" and "Dirty Grandpa."
The Chicago Tribune chose "The Do Over," "The Boss" and "Mother's Day."
The Playlist tagged "Allegiant," "Mother's Day" and "Dirty Grandpa."
The Telegraph hated "Dirty Grandpa," "Allegiant" and "Mother's Day."
Business Insider's roundup included "The Fifth Wave," "Allegiant," "Ride Along 2," "Boo: A Madea Halloween," "The Choice," "Dirty Grandpa" and "Mother's Day." (Note: unlike most sites that posted their top 10 or 20 worst picks, Business Insider's piece was a compilation of 25 terrible films as chosen by a variety of critics).
