From Rosebud To Road House

Last week the American Film Institute announced its list of the 100 best American movies, which naturally suggests the question, What are the worst American movies? We polled the experts:

JOEL SIEGEL, film critic, Good Morning America: “There are evil movies, like Triumph of the Will [1934], and incompetent ones, like Plan 9 from Outer Space [1958]. But then there are plain dreadful movies, like The Bonfire of the Vanities [1990; photo 1].”

LEONARD MALTIN, Entertainment Tonight: “Striptease [1996; 2] is an excruciating movie, though it’s based on a good book.”

GENE SHALIT, film critic, the Today show: “Encino Man [1992; 3] or Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia [1974]. I had to go to the emergency room after each one.”

JERRY SHERLOCK, director, New York Film Academy: “Pret-a-Porter [1994; 4], because they put Marcello Mastroianni, a fine actor, in that piece of s___.”

JAMES MEIGS, editor in chief, Premiere magazine: “Tarzan the Ape Man [1981; 5]. I don’t think six or seven minutes go by without Bo Derek getting her shirt wet, and it’s still boring.”

MIKE NELSON, host, Mystery Science Theatre 3000: “Twister [1996; 6], in large measure because it’s got Bill Paxton in it.”

HARRY KNOWLES, Ain’t It Cool News: “Any film with Jean-Claude Van Damme.”

PAUL GILMARTIN, host of TBS’s Dinner & a Movie: “Showgirls [1995] is the worst American movie, and the most entertaining. Also, Road House [1989; 7] is so bad it’s good, especially when Patrick Swayze says, ‘Pain don’t hurt.'”

–By Michele Orecklin. Reported by Jessica Yadegaran/New York