The movie Roger Ebert called “a waste of good electricity”
Many people consider film critics to be movie lovers who lack the creative grit to become actual directors, yet the reality is that criticism is an art in and of itself. For proof, just look at the writing of Pauline Kael, Philip French or even filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, but few critics have ever gained the recognition that Roger Ebert did in the late 20th century, with so many people listening to the writer’s opinion that he genuinely swayed box office takings.
Hosting the At the Movies TV show from 1982-1986, Ebert provided a regular rundown of the latest and greatest films alongside his partner Gene Siskel, with the pair becoming household names as a result. Retaining interest for years thanks to their feisty debates, more often than not, Siskel and Ebert recommended the best movies of the era, usually avoiding the inevitable duds.
Yet, sometimes, talking about the worst movies of any given year is unavoidable, and Ebert was known for his iconic rants that grilled a film from the inside out. Indeed, while Ebert rated every film he saw from one to four stars, sometimes a film was so awful he felt compelled to give it no stars, handing out this unwanted title to over 50 movies across the years, often to terrible horror flicks.
Included on the list are such forgettable movies as 2010’s disturbing remake of I Spit on Your Grave, the 2003 sequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the otherwise liked 2005 thriller Wolf Creek. Elsewhere, the critic also spat his venom on a number of celebrated films, including the Ken Russell horror The Devils, which is considered one of the best British genre flicks of all time.
However, one of Ebert’s most hated movies somehow managed to come away with half a star from the critic, handed out like a pity prize from the American icon. Starring Sigourney Weaver and Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Vigne’s One Woman or Two was an awful comedy that told the story of a scientist searching for an ancient woman, refusing to give any notice to any romantic prospect in front of him.
“Add it all up, and what you’ve got here is a waste of good electricity,” Ebert said of the movie, “I’m not talking about the electricity between the actors. I’m talking about the current to the projector…The light dawns so slowly that this is one of those movies you wish were on video, so you could watch it at fast-forward”.
Take a look at the trailer for the movie below and give it a watch at your own peril.
