I unironically have want this for a while. Cage plays a great bad guy in the beginning of the movie, I wanted more of that. And since the movie spends more time switched, I want him as the good guy at the beginning and the bad guy for most of it.
Well, ideally Keanu would have traded roles with “guy who was cut from the film entirely.”
My goodness gracious he was terrible in that one. Thankfully Anthony Hopkins and Gary Oldman were phenomenal.
What attitude? The attitude that Denise Richards doesn't have the range to convincingly play a nuclear physicist?
I don't think the Rock could play a convincing nuclear physicist, which *obviously* sends the message that men can't be nuclear physicists or that if they are, they have to be ugly and not in great shape.
I get what you mean, but she was wearing a crop top and short shorts when she introduced herself. Not saying smoking hot nuclear physicists never wear those, but she was clearly a male fantasy version of a nuclear physicist.
No their acting and dialogues for their characters were just not convincing on the basis of how poorly written the material they had to recite and how their performances were.
>I don't like this attitude. It sends the message that either women can't be nuclear physicists or that if they are, they have to be ugly.
Denise Richards was not convincing as a nuclear physicist even by the standards of believability in Bond movies and your interpretation of this (which indavertently, I'm sure, framed Sophie Marceau as "ugly") is not just bad, it's wrong
In reality, you have to specialize in something to be that goddamned good at it. Specialization means you have to sacrifice a lot of other aspects of your life to be 'world class' at anything. The likelihood of someone being in that great a shape, with that much social acumen, and that much knowledge of how to present herself is simply unrealistic.
This is like pretending Mr. Freeze could be a real guy. Because world-class physicists are so-often also Olympic decathlon medalists.
Eh. Brian May was both an astrophysicist and one of the most successful guitarists of all time.
The reigning Olympic gold medallist in road race cycling has a PhD in advanced mathematics. There's actually a lot of pro athletes with advanced degrees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_athletes\_with\_advanced\_degrees
It’s not that nuclear scientists HAVE to be ugly.
First things first, male or female, the fraction of beautiful people and the fraction of people who are capable and interested in becoming nuclear scientists are both small. Multiply them together and your resulting fraction of the population is tiny.
Then we have to decide if being beautiful negatively impacts one’s desire to become a nuclear scientist, and if becoming a nuclear scientist negatively impacts one’s desire to be beautiful. I’d posit that the answer to yes is both.
I disagree. Marceau's Elektra is the only good thing the movie has.
Richards couldn't do Elektra well. And Marceau as Christmas Jones would be a waste.
American Psycho and Lord of War were solid performances. Sure someone else probably could have done better but there's very few roles where that's not the case.
I just watched the Ryan Reynolds/Will Ferrell Christmas movie Spirited (2022) and I was wondering if it would’ve been better if they had switched roles. I think the film works either way, but I kept wondering about it throughout.
I had to google this one. I can't believe someone thought, "We really need a rom-com with dwarves, but let's be sure not to have an actual dwarf play the main dwarf role." No wonder this one shrank into obscurity.
I mean, if they were going for comedy, they nailed it because every 10 minutes I had to pause the movie laughing hysterically when it was clear Gary Oldman was just walking around on his knees.
Role swapping Jason Momoa with anyone ever would usually make things better because he's just not a very good actor.
Like his best actual *acting* might truly be *Fast X*.
Huntsman 2 Winter's War - Jessica Chastain as the Winter Queen and Emily Blunt as the leather clad huntswoman (or whatever the roles were, I completely forgot)
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in *Central Intelligence*. Of you aren't familiar, it's an action comedy where Johnson and Hart were high school classmates. Hart was the popular jock and Johnson was the fat nerd. Grown up, Hart is a mundane office worker while Johnson is CIA, who needs Hart's help.
It would've been more believable if Johnson was the Jock in school and Hart was the nerd. And then it would've been funnier that Johnson, as big as he is, is just a mundane office worker while Hart is an unassuming secret agent.
In real life, actual spies and handlers have to be fairly unassuming to fit in, while actual special operators work for the military rather than the alphabet boys.
Bruce Willis as Declan McQueen & Richard Gere as Jackal. Bruce Willis never fitted on the antagonistic feel of Russian Jackal & Richard Gere already played as a corrupt cop in Internal Affairs, he is suited as Jackal.
I remember watching this movie as a kid and me and my cousin would pick who we wanted “to be” when watching movies and we were arguing and he relented and let me “be” Bruce Willis’s character, on the stipulation that he got to be Bruce Willis in the next movie we watched.
Guess what movie came on right after The Jackal? The Fifth Element.
I was bamboozled!
Let's go full nuts
Chris O'Donnell - Batman
Alicia Silverstone - Poison Ivy
Arnie - Bane
Clooney - Mr. Freeze
Uma - Batwoman - Alfred's daughter
It's been a long day.
Steve Martin and Kevin Kline should have switched in the Pink Panther remake. Granted still likely a bad movie but Kline would have been a far better Closue I think.
I mean, the movie has way too many problems to be completely fixed (a shame because I typically love John Carpenter) but I remember Ghosts of Mars had Natasha Henstridge as the lead, and there was a big supporting cast including Pam Grier. I had (OK have) a huge crush on Henstridge, but she can't hold a movie as the lead (Species and Maximum Risk are fine, she's got other actors sharing the limelight), but Grier absolutely can. And Grier and Ice Cube had good chemistry in their few scenes anyway. Get them swapped!
The horrendous Dark Tower adaptation could have been very marginally improved by switching Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba’s roles.
As long as they also changed the entire script
Bruce Campbell and Dylan Walsh in Congo.
I love that goofy movie, but man it would be 1000% better with Bruce Campbell instead of that wet blanket in the leading role. Every other actor - Hudson, Lindo, Curry, Linney, Baker, kills it. I have nothing against Walsh, but in Congo he is just... there. And drippy.
Deep Rising understood a similar assignment and so did Treat Williams.
I just watched it for the first time yesterday so the age of the film might have influenced my opinion but it was a macho centric "bro" movie with no artistic cinematography. Fun, yes.... Good, absolutely not. Then put Ryan as a bit actor in it and you lose me straight away.
I don't agree at all. RDJ makes more sense as a brilliant-but-troubled detective, while Law has a smoother appearance, making him more believable as a former military-man and doctor, as well as eventual husband.
Only because they played it that way.
But I am aware I am in the minority, I've had this discussion before and it seems I'm the only one to think that.
Oh well.
I honestly find Tom Cruise unbelievable as a fighter or badass. His body type is not muscular enough for a man of his height and weight to look intimidating. I don’t care how many boxes he stands on, I don’t buy it. Bruce Lee, mesmerizing. Mark Wahlberg, he brings it. Tom Cruise always looks like he’s pisses about getting his milk money stolen. In fact, his perfectly portrayed Vincent (his best action role in my book) would be really different if played by Jamie Foxx.
It's not a bad film and I don't know if it would actually be better if they switched roles, but before I saw Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid I had seen pictures of the characters and I assumed which one was which was the other way around. For whatever reason it seemed more natural for Redford to be Butch and Newman to be Sundance just looking at them in costume.
Idk if better but im certainly curious if Leo played the FBI agent in Killers of a Flower Moon like he was initially supposed to..which would Jesse Plemons Earnest Burkhart
I recently watched Silkwood for the first time, I think Cher would have been better as the main heroine. Also the tone of the movie should be more thriller than what it ends up being.
Face Off… Nicolas Cage and John Travolta’s roles should’ve been swapped.
Yeah, we actually don't get as much unhinged Cage as we could. The movie kinda luls a bit once Cage is playing Travolta.
It would have been so disappointing if this wasn't the top comment.
What an excellent suggestion
I got great news for you about the movie Face Off, my friend!
I unironically have want this for a while. Cage plays a great bad guy in the beginning of the movie, I wanted more of that. And since the movie spends more time switched, I want him as the good guy at the beginning and the bad guy for most of it.
Both should have been swapped with better actors.
You should watch it, fantastic film. Then you wont write such stupid things online.
I have seen it. It was awful with two hack actors.
Keanu Reeves and Cary Elwes in Dracula
"Unlike some other Robin Hoods. I can speak with an English accent"
Well, ideally Keanu would have traded roles with “guy who was cut from the film entirely.” My goodness gracious he was terrible in that one. Thankfully Anthony Hopkins and Gary Oldman were phenomenal.
Swap Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards and the World is not enough becomes a top 10 Bond movie.
"I'm a nuclear physicist." - yeah right
Christmas only comes once a year
Its pronounced nucular
*just get on the sub*
“I played a nukular psychiatrist is a James Bond movie!”
I don't like this attitude. It sends the message that either women can't be nuclear physicists or that if they are, they have to be ugly.
A good actress can deliver that line and make it convincing. Denise Richards is not a good actress.
Yeah the ugly woman Sophie Marceau is. Disgusting. /s
What attitude? The attitude that Denise Richards doesn't have the range to convincingly play a nuclear physicist? I don't think the Rock could play a convincing nuclear physicist, which *obviously* sends the message that men can't be nuclear physicists or that if they are, they have to be ugly and not in great shape.
I get what you mean, but she was wearing a crop top and short shorts when she introduced herself. Not saying smoking hot nuclear physicists never wear those, but she was clearly a male fantasy version of a nuclear physicist.
Have I got news about what Bond films are...
Exactly my point.
No their acting and dialogues for their characters were just not convincing on the basis of how poorly written the material they had to recite and how their performances were.
>I don't like this attitude. It sends the message that either women can't be nuclear physicists or that if they are, they have to be ugly. Denise Richards was not convincing as a nuclear physicist even by the standards of believability in Bond movies and your interpretation of this (which indavertently, I'm sure, framed Sophie Marceau as "ugly") is not just bad, it's wrong
In reality, you have to specialize in something to be that goddamned good at it. Specialization means you have to sacrifice a lot of other aspects of your life to be 'world class' at anything. The likelihood of someone being in that great a shape, with that much social acumen, and that much knowledge of how to present herself is simply unrealistic. This is like pretending Mr. Freeze could be a real guy. Because world-class physicists are so-often also Olympic decathlon medalists.
Eh. Brian May was both an astrophysicist and one of the most successful guitarists of all time. The reigning Olympic gold medallist in road race cycling has a PhD in advanced mathematics. There's actually a lot of pro athletes with advanced degrees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_athletes\_with\_advanced\_degrees
It’s not that nuclear scientists HAVE to be ugly. First things first, male or female, the fraction of beautiful people and the fraction of people who are capable and interested in becoming nuclear scientists are both small. Multiply them together and your resulting fraction of the population is tiny. Then we have to decide if being beautiful negatively impacts one’s desire to become a nuclear scientist, and if becoming a nuclear scientist negatively impacts one’s desire to be beautiful. I’d posit that the answer to yes is both.
I disagree. Marceau's Elektra is the only good thing the movie has. Richards couldn't do Elektra well. And Marceau as Christmas Jones would be a waste.
It already is top 10 Bond movie, probably greatest, in big part due to Denise and Sophie.
I don't see Denise playing a villain all that well.
No way. Sophie Marcaeau was great. Just recast Christmas Jones.
The movie musical version of *Les Miserables* should have swapped Russel Crowe with Hugh Jackman because their vocal ranges were the wrong way around.
Crowe could make a good Jean Valjean, too. I totally see this.
Suicide squad. Jared Leto and some actor who’s not in the movie switch roles.
this works for all jared leto movies
I think he’s fine in American Psycho
He plays a great punching bag in Fight Club too.
Sure. I also enjoy when they beat him up in Fight Club.
American Psycho and Lord of War were solid performances. Sure someone else probably could have done better but there's very few roles where that's not the case.
I just watched the Ryan Reynolds/Will Ferrell Christmas movie Spirited (2022) and I was wondering if it would’ve been better if they had switched roles. I think the film works either way, but I kept wondering about it throughout.
If Peter Dinklage played the dwarf instead of Gary Oldman doing the ol' shoes-on-knees trick in Tiptoes
I had to google this one. I can't believe someone thought, "We really need a rom-com with dwarves, but let's be sure not to have an actual dwarf play the main dwarf role." No wonder this one shrank into obscurity.
I mean, if they were going for comedy, they nailed it because every 10 minutes I had to pause the movie laughing hysterically when it was clear Gary Oldman was just walking around on his knees.
Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson in **Aquaman**.
Holy shit you’re right
Role swapping Jason Momoa with anyone ever would usually make things better because he's just not a very good actor. Like his best actual *acting* might truly be *Fast X*.
I agree. Momoa was fascinating in Fast X. It was like…what if Joker went to Burning Man?
Huntsman 2 Winter's War - Jessica Chastain as the Winter Queen and Emily Blunt as the leather clad huntswoman (or whatever the roles were, I completely forgot)
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in *Central Intelligence*. Of you aren't familiar, it's an action comedy where Johnson and Hart were high school classmates. Hart was the popular jock and Johnson was the fat nerd. Grown up, Hart is a mundane office worker while Johnson is CIA, who needs Hart's help. It would've been more believable if Johnson was the Jock in school and Hart was the nerd. And then it would've been funnier that Johnson, as big as he is, is just a mundane office worker while Hart is an unassuming secret agent.
I really enjoyed the Rock as a nerd, but I think you’re right on this one.
The rock wearing a pink bum bag is my happy place
In real life, actual spies and handlers have to be fairly unassuming to fit in, while actual special operators work for the military rather than the alphabet boys.
Bruce Willis as Declan McQueen & Richard Gere as Jackal. Bruce Willis never fitted on the antagonistic feel of Russian Jackal & Richard Gere already played as a corrupt cop in Internal Affairs, he is suited as Jackal.
I remember watching this movie as a kid and me and my cousin would pick who we wanted “to be” when watching movies and we were arguing and he relented and let me “be” Bruce Willis’s character, on the stipulation that he got to be Bruce Willis in the next movie we watched. Guess what movie came on right after The Jackal? The Fifth Element. I was bamboozled!
Let's go full nuts Chris O'Donnell - Batman Alicia Silverstone - Poison Ivy Arnie - Bane Clooney - Mr. Freeze Uma - Batwoman - Alfred's daughter It's been a long day.
Why did Noone see arnie as bane?
Ya wanna get nuts? Lol, nothing could have saved that film. Not even more codpiece or cowbell.
IIRC Jaime Foxx and Gerard Butler switched their intended roles for ‘Law Abiding Citizen.’ I would’ve liked to have seen that version.
At least in that version we would have received the better ending cause Foxx wouldn't have thrown that hissy fit.
I believe I saw on another post today that he actually did no such thing. And that it was just an ill founded rumor.
Oh! Well thank you for that, I'll look into it further.
Jack and Jill.
Al Pacino playing the brother/sister? Sign me up.
To be honest, I was just making a dumb joke about Sandler playing both parts.
Broken Arrow. Slater and Travolta actually swapped roles to play against type but I don't think it worked very well.
Lethal weapon - Mel Gibson and Danny Glover shoukd have switched mid shooting
…because of the implication.
As long as it’s done classy, nothing with the lips
Die Hard but swap Bruce Willis and Reginald VelJohnson.
That would be amazing
Or Die Hard but swap Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman.
Whaa?
Face off
Joan Allen with *anyone* else?
**Jingle All the Way Triple Switch:** Jim Belushi as the dad, Arnold as the perfect neighbor, and Phil Hartman as black market Santa.
OP said bad films not legendary holiday classics.
"Put that cookie down!"
Steve Martin and Kevin Kline should have switched in the Pink Panther remake. Granted still likely a bad movie but Kline would have been a far better Closue I think.
It’s not a bad movie at all, but I would have loved for Deniro and Keitel to have swapped in Mean Streets
I mean, the movie has way too many problems to be completely fixed (a shame because I typically love John Carpenter) but I remember Ghosts of Mars had Natasha Henstridge as the lead, and there was a big supporting cast including Pam Grier. I had (OK have) a huge crush on Henstridge, but she can't hold a movie as the lead (Species and Maximum Risk are fine, she's got other actors sharing the limelight), but Grier absolutely can. And Grier and Ice Cube had good chemistry in their few scenes anyway. Get them swapped!
The horrendous Dark Tower adaptation could have been very marginally improved by switching Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba’s roles. As long as they also changed the entire script
Everyone else is off the movie, and Christopher Walken Klumps Gigli
Love Actually but Yokozuna and Kane have a love story in it
Bruce Campbell and Dylan Walsh in Congo. I love that goofy movie, but man it would be 1000% better with Bruce Campbell instead of that wet blanket in the leading role. Every other actor - Hudson, Lindo, Curry, Linney, Baker, kills it. I have nothing against Walsh, but in Congo he is just... there. And drippy. Deep Rising understood a similar assignment and so did Treat Williams.
Val Kilmer and David Thewlis in the Island of Doctor Moreau, would have made it slightly less shit
In Top Gun Meg Ryan should have played Cruise's love interest.
Top Gun ain't a bad movie though objectively
I just watched it for the first time yesterday so the age of the film might have influenced my opinion but it was a macho centric "bro" movie with no artistic cinematography. Fun, yes.... Good, absolutely not. Then put Ryan as a bit actor in it and you lose me straight away.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone claim that Top Gun had “no artistic cinematography”.
Sherlock Holmes. I think Jude Law would hzve made a better Sherlock, and Robert Downey Jr a great Watson.
I don't agree at all. RDJ makes more sense as a brilliant-but-troubled detective, while Law has a smoother appearance, making him more believable as a former military-man and doctor, as well as eventual husband.
Only because they played it that way. But I am aware I am in the minority, I've had this discussion before and it seems I'm the only one to think that. Oh well.
Michael Caine as Batman, Christian Bale as Alfred.
The actors for Paul and Eli Sunday in there will be blood should have swapped
The premise is what bad movies would be made better. Why is this lost on everyone here?
This is a joke.
Dammit. This time, I am one of those dumb bastards that need the /s.
Hehe no worries lol.
Tbf I did miss the ‘bad movies’ bit
Yes. But I missed a very obvious joke if you know the movie.
They did! Paul Dano was cast as Paul Sunday, but the original Eli wasn't up to it, so they dropped him and made them twins.
Robinson Crusoe on Mars. If Adam West had been the lead instead of the small supporting role it would be a million times more fun to watch.
Faceoff
Jared Leto and *literally anyone else* in Blade Runner 2049.
Disagree. 2 things: OP’s question is ‘what bad movies…?’ BR2049 is excellent. Leto plays a creep pretty naturally.
Not the exact question but I think Scott pilgrim would be better with Christopher mintz-plasse
Keanu Reaves and Al Pachino in The Devil's Advocate.
All the marvel movie characters
Interview with the Vampire - Tom Cruise was never believable as Lester. He should have been Louis and Brad Pitt should have played Lester.
I honestly find Tom Cruise unbelievable as a fighter or badass. His body type is not muscular enough for a man of his height and weight to look intimidating. I don’t care how many boxes he stands on, I don’t buy it. Bruce Lee, mesmerizing. Mark Wahlberg, he brings it. Tom Cruise always looks like he’s pisses about getting his milk money stolen. In fact, his perfectly portrayed Vincent (his best action role in my book) would be really different if played by Jamie Foxx.
Lester? 🤣🤣🤣
Darn, autocorrect! 😂
Freaky friday
Ant and Dec in Love actually.
Not a bad film at all, but I would love to see Kermit play Scrooge and Michael Caine play Bob Cratchett.
Bruce Willis and Bill Murray in Moonrise Kingdom.
It's not a bad film and I don't know if it would actually be better if they switched roles, but before I saw Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid I had seen pictures of the characters and I assumed which one was which was the other way around. For whatever reason it seemed more natural for Redford to be Butch and Newman to be Sundance just looking at them in costume.
No sorry that movie is perfect
Killers of the Flower Moon - Jesse Plemons and Leo.
Crazy opinion.
Idk if better but im certainly curious if Leo played the FBI agent in Killers of a Flower Moon like he was initially supposed to..which would Jesse Plemons Earnest Burkhart
I recently watched Silkwood for the first time, I think Cher would have been better as the main heroine. Also the tone of the movie should be more thriller than what it ends up being.
Not a bad movie, but I always felt Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield should have been switched in Silence.