Joel Schumacher died this month and left behind a long and successful career. He was a Costume Designer on Woody Allen's early films, a screenwriter, and a popular filmmaker. His career spanned over 40 years and many of his films were big hits, with 1987's The Lost Boys considered an all-time 80's classic. He was always able to get bankable and popular talents that included Keifer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Tommy Lee Jones, Colin Farrell, George Clooney, and more.
While a solid and capable director who, when working with the right script, could bring home a great film, he wasn't always on his game, and in trying to keep audiences happy, he failed now and again. Here are 5 of Schumacher's best and his 5 worst.
Worst:Â Bad Company (2002)
Trying to keep the dying "Buddy Cop" genre alive, Schumacher made the unwise decision to sign on for 2002's Bad Company. Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins were paired in the hopes of box office gold. Instead, audiences were witness to a dead premise with two actors lost in a film that gives them nothing to do.
Critics trashed it and audiences stayed away. Chris Rock has made fun of how bad the film is. Anthony Hopkins never discusses it.
Best: Cousins (1989)
A remake of the 1975 French classic Cousin, Cousine, this Joel Schumacher film is one of the great Hollywood romances. Powered by a sweepingly beautiful score from Angelo Badalamenti and featuring a perfect cast that includes Ted Danson, Isabella Rossellini, William L. Petersen, Lloyd Bridges, and Norman Alejandro, the film won the hearts of audiences.
Critics were very kind and the film is considered to be one of Schumacher's finest.
Worst:Â 8MM (1999)
The idea was great for 8MM. Nicolas Cage stars as a private investigator who is sent to find a missing person who may have been a victim of a snuff film. This was a chance for the director to go dark and serious.
The script does well but critics and audiences agree that it falters in its second act where the serious tone gives way to another tired revenge tale with Nic Cage and co-star Joaquin Phoenix taking on bad guys. The film failed at the box office and made more than a few "worst of the year" lists.
Best: A Time To Kill (1996)
Widely considered the best adaptation of John Grisham's novels, Joel Schumacher scored one of his biggest successes with 1996's A Time to Kill. Featuring a fantastic cast (Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, Samuel L. Jackson, and more) and a sharp and intelligent screenplay, Schumacher's film was one of the biggest hits of 1996.
Praised by critics and loved by audiences, this is the film that solidified Matthew McConaughey as a bonafide movie star with acting chops.
Worst: St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
Hollywood tried to cash in on the success of The Breakfast Club and the popularity of "The Brat Pack" with the badly written and cliche-filled mess that is St. Elmo's Fire. Sans Anthony Michael Hall, the film included the main cast from Hughe's classic and added Mare Winningham, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, and Demi Moore for its story of Twentysomethings in 1985 D.C.
Critics all but trashed it yet it was a hit with audiences. Schumacher's direction is fine but the screenplay is flat and the performances are one-note.
Best: Tigerland (2000)
Colin Farrell gave a commanding and star-making performance in Schumacher's Vietnam era drama Tigerland. It tells the potent story of young men in training before they are shipped off to Vietnam in 1971. Farrell is the film's "Cool Hand Luke", as a defiant man who doesn't want to go die in a war he knows is wrong.
The film didn't make a mark at the box office but critics took notice of the film's emotional power and philosophical commentary, with some calling it the finest of the director's entire career.
Worst: Dying Young (1991)
Critics and moviegoers both sharpened their knives and went after this film with no quarter. Dying Young was a failed attempt at a modern Love Story. Julia Roberts stars as a nurse who falls in love with her terminally ill patient, Campbell Scott.
The film was a big Summer release, with Roberts at the beginning of her stardom. The film failed miserably with viewers and critics and was a financial flop. Detractors disliked its sappy and flat dialogue, overly schmaltzy cinematography, and annoyingly laughable score from Kenny G.
Best: The Lost Boys (1987)
The Lost Boys is one of the classic Pop Culture films of the 1980s and is widely admired as one of the best and coolest vampire films.
Kiefer Sutherland became a big star for his role as the leader of a motorcycle-riding, Rock & Roll, group of teen vampires who terrorize a family who has moved to their seaside California town. The film was a huge Summertime hit and most critics agreed with audiences that it was well shot, well cast, well written, and just pure fun.
Worst:Â Batman & Robin (1997)
While it is unfair to claim Joel Schumacher "killed" the franchise, his Batman & Robin did end the franchise at that time.
Even the most die-hard Batman fans agreed the film was a mess. bad dialogue, sloppy direction, a miscast George Clooney, and silly action sequences were stated as the reason fans and critics turned their backs on this one, making it a massive flop and allowing it the dishonor of being considered the worst Batman film.
Best: Falling Down (1993)
Most agree that Joel Schumacher was never better than he was directing his powerful 1993 film Falling Down. Michael Douglas starred as a man who becomes violent and completely psychotic as he rebels against what he finds to be the wrongs of society.
While the film failed at the box office, most film critics gave it positive reviews. Time has been kind to the film and it has found a faithful following over the years. Both Schumacher and Douglas are proud of the film (as was co-star Robert Duvall) and many consider it to be Michael Douglas' best performance or, at least equal to his Oscar-winning role in Oliver Stone's Wall Street.