Comedy is tough. Even when you get it right, the highly subjective nature of the genre means that you won't appeal to everyone. A more universal part of the human experience is pain. Every man who has been kicked in the sack and every woman who has given birth will tell you the experience was unpleasant. Similarly, every critic forced to watch these ten movies from across the decade give an overwhelming consensus that they were a torturous ordeal to sit through.
To keep things simple, only films that had some kind of theatrical release will be eligible for a place on this list. Keep that in mind as we count down the 10 Worst Movies of the Decade (According to Rotten Tomatoes.)
Holmes And Watson (11%)
There have been many takes on the Sherlock Holmes novels. From Basil Rathbone's black and white adventures, Benedict Cumberbatch's modern take, or Robert Downey Jr's kung fu fighting, each could be argued to have merit in its way. In this way at least, Holmes and Watson manage to differentiate itself from those that have come before.
Starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as the titular duo, Homes, and Watson could at least be said to not be offensively bad like some of the entries on this list. But that is only because it's far too boring to offend.
Dirty Grandpa (11%)
Robert De Niro has won two Academy Awards. Keep this in mind while contemplating the mind-boggling awfulness that is Dirty Grandpa. How he came to be involved in its development can only be speculated, but blackmail is probably a front runner.
Ostensibly a buddy comedy starring Zac Efron as grandson to Di Niro's dirty grandpa, the film crams as much sexism, homophobia, and racism as it can into its 102 minutes run time. Several critics described it as one of the worst movies they'd ever seen. Yet another example of the selfless sacrifice movie critics make on behalf of the movie-going public.
The Emoji Movie (7%)
After the Transformers movies made the kind of money indie films would ritually sacrifice their children for, it was decided that everything should have a movie. Everything. Commercials, board games, toys of all kinds, everything. Hence, The Emoji Movie.
T.J. Miller plays an emoji named Gene, who feels bad because he can make multiple facial expressions while everyone else only has one. That's it. That's all there is. Wait, no, that's technically not true. There's also lots of product placement. Arguably the worst thing a comedy can be is boring, and when the most notable thing a film has going for it is Patrick Stewart playing a talking piece of excrement, it's a boring film.
Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (5%)
No list of terrible movies would be complete without an entry from the Madea franchise, and there have been more than a few this decade. Still, even among a series famous for bad movies, Boo 2! A Madea Halloween is scrapping the bottom of the barrel.
Tyler Perry reprises the role of Madea to make the same jokes every Madea film makes, only this time it's Halloween. A premise so boring that Perry arguably forgot he had already done it, and hastily slapped a 2 on the end when he realized his mistake. It's a shame he didn't carry the thought just a little bit further and scrap the project altogether.
Movie 43 (5%)
Few films can boast the kind of cast that Movie 43 has. Unfortunately, that is where the list of positives begins and ends.
Movie 43 could charitably be called a collection of comedy sketches but is more accurately described as a 94-minute ode to bathroom humor. Any kind of bodily function you can imagine is featured as a gag at some point in this movie. The audience, however, will likely be gagging in all the wrong ways. Several of the actors appearing in this mess have since expressed regret, and one can't help but wonder what they were thinking when they signed on.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (5%)
Fat people. That is the beginning and end of Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2's attempts at humor. Slapstick comedy is attempted, but all of the gags boil down to those two words at the start of this entry. Fat people dancing, fat people on Segways, fat people attempting to exist without bumping into something or knocking things over. The film seems to think these things are hilarious, but critics disagreed.
A sequel nobody asked for, to a movie that few people liked, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 is a movie that desperately needs to understand that shaming the obese does not equal humor.
Saving Christmas (0%)
Christmas is supposed to be one of the most cheerful times of the year, so it's only natural that there are more than a few comedies about the holiday. Sadly, Saving Christmas embodies none of the good qualities associated with the most wonderful time of the year.
Kirk Cameron stars as himself explaining to his brother-in-law that Christmas is really about greed, gluttony, and materialism. Also, people saying, "Seasons Greetings," instead of, "Merry Christmas," is killing America. Cameron also expresses a strange, bordering on fetishistic love of hot cocoa. Just go watch A Christmas Story again and save yourself 80 minutes of unfunny movie.
Run For Your Wife (0%)
The title of a film is often the audience's first impression of it; so it's bad news when it starts with a lousy pun. In that respect, Run For Your Wife starts at the bottom before giving a spirited attempt at tunneling straight into the earth's core.
Starring Danny Dyer as a piece of human refuse married to two women, neither knowing about the other. His web of lies is threatened when he becomes famous after saving an elderly lady from muggers. Eminently hateable characters and social attitudes leftover from the 70's make this film an unbearable, unfunny slog.
Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star (0%)
It is said that some are born great, while some have greatness thrust upon them. Bucky Larson comes nowhere near greatness, but there is an uncomfortable amount of thrusting.
The film stars Nick Swardson as a grocery bagger who finds out that his parents used to be adult film stars. Instead of doing what most normal people would do and repress the hell out of this knowledge, he decides to move to Los Angeles to follow in their footsteps. If you're looking for the kind of childish sex jokes that kill in a 9th-grade locker room, this film might be for you. Otherwise, avoid with extreme prejudice.
Fred: The Movie (0%)
A thoroughly awful film adaption of a thoroughly awful Youtube series; Fred: The Movie finds the titular character (played by Lucas Cruikshank) vying for the affection of a female classmate. The film stars multiple actors who have done far better work elsewhere, including John Cena, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, and Jake Weary.
Most of the criticism of the film centers around its protagonist and his constant screeching. Multiple excerpts of reviews wish bodily harm upon him, with one exasperated critic straight-up telling the character to, "Drop dead." That would seem to sum up popular sentiment towards this movie pretty succinctly.