Off beat: The worst films starring musicians

During the mid-to-late 1970s, Kiss was the "hottest band in the land," but that didn't mean they should have agreed to this made-for-television fiasco (produced by cartoon kings Hanna-Barbera Productions). Sure, a good chunk of KISS classics of the time can be heard, but the idea of each member sporting superpowers to thwart the efforts of a maniac amusement park engineer to exact revenge on her wrongdoers is just too hokey. Not even Gene Simmons' growling or Ace Frehley's one-liners can't save the day.

Perhaps there's a cult-classic, guilty-pleasure reputation associated with Caveman. Still, Ringo's shot at being a leading man post-Beatles, was quite forgettable. A puny caveman, who gets picked on and fancies a pretty, but dim, female acquaintance, Starr's Atouk paves the way for a comedy spoof that's not too funny. That said, he's in a position to become "King of the Stone Age," which doesn't really bode well for human progression, and civilization as a whole. Starr was criticized for lacking acting range, even though he was the goofiest of the Fab Four.

Not sure what the great Bob Dylan was thinking about signing on to essentially...play himself, in this lost picture from the late 1980s. A reclusive rock star, Billy Parker, is trying to help a young musician stay on his game. The musical drama picture played to limited release and was consistently panned from a critical standpoint. Unless it comes to concert films, Dylan has never been meant for Hollywood. Though, there were some reviewers who thought he held his own in this project that even some of his more devoted fans probably forgot he took part.

Let's be clear, Jett's performance in this middling drama about a Cleveland brother-sister rock duo who make up The Barbusters, is likely the main reason to devote any time to the movie. Michael J. Fox  starred as the brother of Jett's Patti Rasnick, who is just trying to get by through any means necessary while raising her young son and pursuing those dreams of rock stardom. It's a solid screen effort from the legendary rocker, however, there are too many flaws to the overall film that tend to overshadow her performance. 

In the early '90s, one Robert Van Winkle conned rap and hip-hop fans into believing had a rough upbringing, thus leading to his credibility as a rapper. While mainstream music listeners ate up the act, there was no reason to showcase him in on-screen -- as Johnny Van Owen, a rapper who drifts from town to town. And, of course, he falls in love with a good girl. To no real surprise, the romantic comedy bombed at the box office, making just $1.2 million, and cast Vanilla Ice as the poser he was/is all along. 

Madonna can certainly captivate an audience, whether on stage or screen. She's shined in films like A League of Their Own, Desperately Seeking Susan, Evita and even Dıck Tracy, to name a few. However, Body Evidence is not one of her better movie moments. Perhaps trying to build on the success of Basic Instinct from a year earlier, the hope was that Madonna's sensuality would be on display in this erotic thriller. She's rarely clothed for a good portion of the film, and the script and overall story never seemed to allow her character, murder suspect Rebecca Carlson, to be taken seriously. 

Wahlberg has done a nice job branching out beyond New Kids on the Block. He's been lauded for roles in Southie, The Sixth Sense, Band of Brothers, the Saw franchise and, of course, Blue Bloods. That said, his early years as an actor weren't always kind. Take Body Count, a crime movie about a ring of thieves whose gig of robbing an art gallery goes horribly wrong. Wahlberg starred alongside Hollywood veterans Forest Whitaker, Ving Rhames, John Leguizamo, Linda Fiorentino and David Caruso, but test audiences weren't fans, and the movie was released straight to video.

When it comes to renowned pop stars with a dynamic voice, Carey is certainly music royalty. And, like most other musical artists on this list, that's apparently reason alone to attempt to turn them into movie stars. Carey, here playing aspiring singer Billie Frank, looking for her big break, while also finding love, proved there was no crossover success as an actress in her future. Glitter, released 10 days following the attacks of September 11, was ripped by critics and essentially passed over by fans. Meanwhile, Carey received worst actress honors at the 2002 Golden Raspberry Awards.

The late R&B pop star drew raves with her role in 2000's Romeo Must Die. However, while she was serviceable in this film based on Anne Rice's famed novel The Queen of the Damned, the movie was a bust with critics and fans. Aaliyah was certainly right for the part of Akasha, the female vampire awakened by music, but the story was unstilted and the characters modest at best. Reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes called the project a "campy MTV-styled vampire movie with lots of eye candy and bad accents." That's pretty spot-on, and an obvious shame considering it was released following her death from an airplane crash in 2001. 

It's still quite amazing that this friendship comedy-drama made more than $61 million. Then again, it was produced by MTV, which made Spears an international superstar through seemingly constant video play. The truth is, anyone who has any experience watching movies should know that this is not a good movie. And, Spears is not a good actress and brought nothing to the table with this project. Her musical moments are tolerable, but Spears rightfully won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress. The best part of the movie is Zoe Saldana's supporting effort as long-time friend Kit, to Spears' Lucy. 

Clarkson has done pretty well for herself, both as a singer and talk show host, since her American Idol days. She even survived From Justin to Kelly. Now, the same can't really be said for Idol runner-up Justin Guarini, who has managed a serviceable career on Broadway, but never gained the mainstream success as Clarkson. The idea of this musical romantic comedy was kind of a "Frankie and Annette" vibe, however, it was essentially DOA. In 2005, it won the Golden Raspberry Award for "Worst 'Musical' of Our First 25 Years." 

When we talk about the worst movies of all time, regardless who starred, Gigli quickly comes to mind. Though J-Lo is one of the biggest entertainers on the planet, her acting ability has always been questioned (since breaking through with Selena), regardless of how much success her rom-coms generate with fans. However, she'll always have the stink of Gigli  associated with her brand. This crime rom-com was hyped to the hilt because of her relationship with co-star Ben Affleck, whose performance is a big reason for the movie's failure. The plot was inconsistent, the jokes weren't funny and even the presence of Al Pacino couldn't save a movie that made just $7.2 million against a nearly $80 million budget.

Rowland did a nice job of leaving Beyoncé's shadow with Destiny's Child, then as a solo artist. However, the decision to make her big-screen debut in this critically-panned horror film from the early 2000s, has always been questioned. She wasn't even the female lead in the film (that went to Dawson's Creek bad girl Monica Keena). Now, Rowland's performance shouldn't be considered bad, but nothing really stood out with the role, aside from playing the token, good-looking girl trying to avoid two of the most infamous fictional killers. 

Essentially based on the life of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Get Rich or Die Tryin was a rather rough acting debut for the famed rapper. Now, the film's soundtrack was another story, remaining one of 50's most successful and praised musical moments. However, 50 Cent, the actor, needed some time to develop, and he's actually been quite good in performances that have followed (Home of the Brave, Escape Plan franchise). However, the tale of a drug dealer trying to go clean and become a rapper is quite common in the hip hop/rap community, and 50's story, on the screen, wasn't too captivating.

Word has it that this forgotten rom-com was intended to be a modern-day Working Girl. However, pop star Jessica Simpson, in the starring role of a small-town girl trying to make it as a business woman in New York City, hardly felt authentic. That said, Simpson's performance doesn't bomb, but the film is too simplistic and quite predictable. The movie made roughly $1.5 million, and even fans of Simpson have likely forgotten it by this point. It's safe to say, though, that she is a much better singer and reality television star than leading woman in Hollywood features.

Not everything Miley touches is gold. While Cyrus has shown she can be quite versatile when it comes to spanning into television (Hannah Montana) and film. Mostly, because she's pretty funny. However, when it was time to get serious, The Last Song didn't work. Starring opposite love interest Liam Hemsworth, this tear-jerker coming-of-age teen romantic drama is schlocky and predictable. None of the performances, notably Cyrus, as the piano prodigy with a rebellious steak, stand out, despite the serious nature of the picture. 

It didn't seem like making a movie based on a beloved board game would be a good idea. Especially when adding elements of science fiction into the mix. Now, Rihanna's performance is rather serviceable, as an intelligent and quick-witted physical therapist and admiral's daughter. However, she's also the product of a dysfunctional environment, in terms of plot, story and production. Battleship wanted to be an action thriller, big-budget blockbuster, of sorts. Instead, it fizzled, and lost $150 million for Universal Pictures and Hasbro Studios.

Taylor Swift is an exceptional entertainer, and her turn in 2010's Valentine's Day was quite memorable. On the flip side, her portrayal of Bombalurina in the movie version of Cats was quite forgettable. Perhaps because she got really into the performance, and it became cringey. Now, let's be fair. Cats was a huge failure at the box office (earning less than $80 million against a roughly $100 million budget), and might be one of the worst films of all time. And, it seemed the entire cast, which included screen legends like Judi Dench and Ian McKellen, was set up to fail.

Apparently the story of Cinderella never gets too old to tell. While there's a certain sense of originality that goes into a musical of the beloved tale made to stream, the music is truly the best part of the movie. And, Cabello, obviously, can more than hold her own when showcasing her wonderful voice. It's the non-musical moments that make for a rather dull picture. Cabello has her moments, especially in some comedic situations, but nothing to truly write home about. In fact, there are probably plenty of pop fans who didn't ever realize she made this movie. 

Styles has branched for a while in terms of proving his versatility as an entertainer. When it comes to his starring role in the likely-missed My Policeman, it's almost an indifferent approach when judging Harry Styles, the actor. The drama about Styles' Tom Burgess, a former English police officer who harbored a homosexual relationship before and while married. Critics seemed fine with the plot concept, but the writing and flow were questioned. Meanwhile, Styles is admirable for taking on such a dramatic role, but is hardly memorable.