Not all movies are created equal. Even the biggest movie stars wind up in long-forgotten movies. If you've ever wanted to see a famous actor in something you've probably, definitely never heard of before, today is your lucky day.
Whether it's a soon-to-be award-winning star working early in their careers, or an established movie star trying something different for a change, some movies happen to have incredibly famous actors yet still fall from collective memory. Even if the movies are really good and showered with accolades, they remain powerless to the ultimate test of time. Luckily, we're just obsessive enough to remember them all.
From foreign-language thrillers to low-budget indies, here are 32 movies you have (probably) never heard of before despite featuring A-list stars.
32. Out on a Limb (1992) with Matthew Broderick
After enjoying career highs in the 1980s, Matthew Broderick saw a brief career slump at the start of the 1990s. In 1992, Broderick led the road trip comedy Out on a Limb, playing a hotshot New York City stockbroker who travels back home after receiving a distressing phone call from his younger sister. Unfortunately, while all roads lead to home, Broderick embarks on the most hilariously difficult route, getting mixed up in a kidnapping plot and losing his wallet containing a valuable phone number in the process. Broderick would bounce back a short while later with movies like The Lion King and The Cable Guy, but Out on a Limb marks a time when the young actor was spinning his wheels.
31. BMX Bandits (1983) with Nicole Kidman
Before she was a world famous movie star, Nicole Kidman was an up-and-comer who made her screen debut in this obscure Australian-produced crime comedy. BMX Bandits follows a group of teenagers who come across a stash of stolen police-band walkie-talkies used by a notorious robber gang. The teens, including Kidman – as a young and pretty trolley collector – accidentally anger the criminals and evade their wrath on some totally sick mountain bikes. It's the most '90s movie to ever come out of the '80s, and it's simply a treat to see Nicole Kidman pop a wheelie.
30. Supercon (2018) with John Malkovich
It's Ocean's Eleven meets Galaxy Quest in this Comic Con-themed caper, with none other than John Malkovich as an elderly comic book artist. Set inside a major regional comic book convention, a group of former TV stars and broke comic artists band together to steal from a greedy convention promoter and his biggest star attraction, the arrogant Adam King (Clancy Brown). Released in theaters and VOD in the same week as Avengers: Infinity War, Supercon invited fanboys and fangirls to the other side of the meet-and-greet curtain.
29. The Thing Called Love (1993) with Sandra Bullock
While Hollywood beckons dreamers of the silver screen, Nashville in Tennessee invites those with country rock aspirations to make it or break it. The Thing Called Love, released in 1993, follows an aspiring country singer (Samantha Matahis) who moves from metropolitan New York City to Nashville to pursue her rock-'n-roll goals. A pre-Speed Sandra Bullock co-stars as another musician who befriends Mathis' protagonist and, unfortunately for her, doesn't really have what it takes to stay in the spotlight. The Thing Called Love doesn't aspire to much beyond its sappy trappings, but at least it's got Bullock singing a country tune with an Alabama twang.
28. The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) with Dave Bautista, Lucy Liu, Russell Crowe, and RZA
Stemming from the mind of Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA, who stars in the movie, The Man with the Iron Fists is a big budget throwback to classic martial arts movies that influenced RZA's generation. The Man with the Iron Fists takes place in 19th century China and centers around a renowned blacksmith (RZA) who supplies weapons to warring clans. Eventually, a group of warriors must band together to save their home from a common threat. Appearing before his star-making appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy, Dave Bautista enjoys a supporting role as Brass Body, a powerful mercenary who can turn his body into metal. The movie also stars Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu, two A-listers who lend their profile to RZA's passion project.
27. Legendary (2010) with John Cena, Patricia Clarkson, and Danny Glover
When John Cena was still dominant in the WWE ring, he also made time to star in movies produced by WWE Studios. His third feature film swerved from action-oriented thrillers into more dramatic territory, with Cena starring in 2010's Legendary playing an ex-convict who coaches his younger brother after he joins his high school wrestling team. Patricia Clarkson co-stars as the brothers' mother, while Danny Glover has a supporting role as a kind neighbor. Legendary is a tad too marinated in mawkishness, but Cena is nevertheless compelling as an actor attempting to shed his invincible brawn and appear more vulnerable.
26. Tiptoes (2003) with Matthew McConaughey, Gary Oldman, Kate Beckinsale, and Peter Dinklage
Bizarre and borderline offensive, Tiptoes is a long-forgotten comedy with a comically stacked cast made up of Matthew McConaughey, Kate Beckinsale, Gary Oldman, and even a pre-Game of Thrones Peter Dinklage. The movie follows a couple (McConaughey and Beckinsale) who are expecting their first baby; what McConaughey's character hasn't revealed to Beckinsale is that he comes from a family of little people, and their child just might inherit those genes. While well-meaning, Tiptoes is heavy-footed, with its theatrical cut – edited without director Matthew Bright's involvement – receiving poor reviews and dubious recognition as one of the worst movies ever made. According to Peter Dinklage however, Bright's unreleased "director's cut" is actually "gorgeous," so he told The New York Times in 2012.
25. Changing Lanes (2002) with Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson
Have you ever had a bad day on the road? Maybe some jerk swerves into you, or you hit another car bumper to bumper? Changing Lanes is a movie about how such a day can go from bad to worse. In this mostly forgotten drama, Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Affleck co-star as two strangers whose minor car accident escalates into a destructive mission of revenge. Affleck and Jackson give stirring performances at the absolute peak of their careers, but for whatever reason Changing Lanes hasn't had much staying power compared to their other movies.
24. Marvin's Room (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Robert De Niro
Between all of the stars in Marvin's Room, you could fill up a whole room of Academy Award and Golden Globe trophies. Yet the movie, from director Jerry Zaks and based on Scott McPherson's play, has been strangely wiped from most folks' memories despite its own critical acclaim and modest success at the box office. The movie follows a formerly rebellious woman (Meryl Streep) who, years after abandoning her sister (Diane Keaton) to care for their ailing father, returns home with her own teenage son (Leonardo DiCaprio).
23. Shanghai Kiss (2007) with Ken Leung, Hayden Panettiere, Kelly Hu, and James Hong
In this direct-to-DVD indie dramedy with a very morally questionable romance, a failing actor (Industry's Ken Leung) strikes up a romance with a pretty high school student (Heroes' Hayden Panetierre) when he unexpectedly inherits family property in Shanghai. As Leung's character travels abroad and reconnects with his estranged Chinese heritage, he falls for a beautiful woman (Kelly Hu) who is stuck in an abusive relationship with a gangster. Shanghai Kiss is high-key icky over the age gap between Leung and Panettiere's characters, but that aside, it's a shockingly smart and funny tale about the search for belonging.
22. Stardust (2007) with basically everyone in it
Overlooked in theaters but finding an audience on TV and DVD, Stardust is a joyous romantic fantasy in the spirit of The Princess Bride that champions love as the most enchanting thing in the universe. It also happens to have the most stacked casts in modern movie history, with Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mark Strong, Rupert Everett, Sienna Miller, Peter O'Toole, Ian McKellan, Robert De Niro, Ben Barnes, not to mention Henry Cavill (pre-Man of Steel) in a small role. Based on the Neil Gaiman novel, the movie follows a young man, Tristan (Cox) who enters a forbidden magical world to retrieve a fallen star to impress beautiful Victoria (Miller), only to realize the "star" is herself a lively young woman (Danes).
21. Men, Women & Children (2014) with Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, and Timothée Chalamet
Based on the novel by Chad Kultgen, Men, Women & Children follows a group of different families living in the same Texas small town as they grapple with their inability to communicate and connect in the face of technology. From online video games to internet pornography, the existential crisis of modern America is encapsulated through these struggling people who feel isolated in their own homes. While Men, Women & Children did not reach the same level of acclaim as director Jason Reitman's previous movies – like Young Adult and Up in the Air – its star-studded cast, including Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, and Timothée Chalamet in his film debut, come alive as real people in need of a reboot.
20, The Ten (2007) with Paul Rudd and Winona Ryder
Not since Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I or Kevin Smith's Dogma has Catholicism been so funny. In this irreverent anthology comedy from director David Wain, The Ten Commandments are a jumping-off point for 10 sacrilegious short segments that explore how people in the 21st century honor (or don't honor) thy commandments. While the movie didn't leave many critics shouting "Hallelujah," it's still a bizarre indie gem with super famous leads like Paul Rudd, Winona Ryder, Jessica Alba, Liev Schreiber, Gretchen Mol, and many more.
19. The Midnight Meat Train (2008) with Bradley Cooper
A year before Bradley Cooper saw superstardom from The Hangover, he survived an underground nightmare in Ryuhei Kitamura's The Midnight Meat Train. Based on a short story from author Clive Barker, The Midnight Meat Train follows a photographer (Cooper) who is drawn into orbit of a mysterious subject (Vinnie Jones) and uncovers a dark conspiracy involving murders on a commuter train. Studio politics at Lionsgate downgraded its premiere from wide theatrical release to discount theaters and DVD, which ensured the movie was overlooked at first. But Clive Barker, who was enthusiastic about the movie, believed it would be destined to find a cult audience. Indeed it did, thanks in large part to Cooper's subsequent high profile.
18. The Voices (2014) with Ryan Reynolds
Marjane Satrapi rose to fame with her autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis, which chronicled her upbringing during revolution-era Iran. As a filmmaker, Satrapi's movies are, well, nothing at all like that. In this surreal dark comedy directed by Satrapi, Ryan Reynolds stars as a schizophrenic factory worker who suffers from hallucinations – mostly his talking pets who offer unhelpful life advice – after he accidentally murders his crush. Released during a career slump for Reynolds prior to revitalizing his brand with Deadpool, The Voices makes a case that Reynolds should maybe listen to his inner voices more often.
17. Oscar (1991) with Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, and Tim Curry
In a rare comic performance from Sylvester Stallone, Oscar – from director John Landis – sees the Rocky and Rambo portray an Italian mobster, "Snaps" Provolone (excellent name, by the way) who tries to become an honest businessman after promising his dying father to go straight on his deathbed. Easier said than done, of course. Bad reviews and a poor box office doomed Oscar to sleep with the fishes, and consequently rendered it a pretty obscure movie, although it has some fans. In 2022, Stallone reflected on the movie with ComicBook.com, saying: "I guess it was too much of a shocking transition from Rambo to that, but I love doing that kind of drama."
16. Titan A.E. (2000) with Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore
After a long series of fantasy-oriented family movies, like An American Tail, The Land Before Time, and Anastasia, animation auteur Don Bluth blasted off into deep space with his underrated sci-fi epic Titan A.E. Featuring the voice talents of Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, and Bill Pullman, the movie takes place in the distant future after Earth is destroyed and mankind is forced to wander the stars. Cale (Damon) is a young salvage worker who learns he's been left with clues to help guide humanity find a new home. While the movie is now regarded as a cult classic among genre aficionados, it still flies under the radar for most people, being a massive box office bomb and one of the last-ever theatrical movies from Fox Animation Studios.
15. 11:14 (2003) with Rachael Leigh Cook, Patrick Swayze, and Hillary Swank
Your life can change in a single minute. That's the idea behind 11:14, a black comedy noir from 2003 that follows several different storylines which coincidentally intersect one fateful night at 11:14 p.m. Among its large cast include Patrick Swayze, Hillary Swank, Barbara Hershey, Henry Thomas (from E.T. and many Mike Flanagan productions), Clark Gregg (from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and Colin Hanks. 11:14 is a tiny budget thriller that doesn't really make the most of even its biggest stars, but it's a compelling watch with a very fun novelty hook.
14. World's Greatest Dad (2009) with Robin Williams
One of the greatest movies starring Robin Williams came out much later in his career than people might believe. World's Greatest Dad, released in 2009, is a sharp black comedy in which a lonely high school English teacher with unfulfilled literary dreams endures the pain of his teenage son's embarrassing death (accidental autoerotic asphyxiation). To save them both from embarrassment, Williams' lead drafts a fake suicide note which leads to a phony journal "written" by his son that becomes a best-seller. Seizing on the apathetic vibes of the late 2000s and featuring Williams playing against his usually wholesome types, World's Greatest Dad is an altogether touching and hilarious movie that will leave you gasping for breath.
13. Twilight (1998) with Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, and Reese Witherspoon
Ain't no vampires or werewolves in this Twilight. In Robert Benton's Twilight, released in 1998, a private eye (Paul Newman) has become close to former clients, aging movie stars (played by Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon) in the midst of the "twilight" of their careers. This modern L.A. noir really heats up when Newman's character is asked to deliver a package, which he soon discovers is connected to a 20-year-old missing persons case. Reese Witherspoon appears in a small supporting role as Hackman and Sarandon's daughter, while pre-fame Giancarlo Esposito and Liev Schreiber also have supporting roles.
12. The Chase (1966) with Marlon Brando, Robert Redford, and Jane Fonda
In this Southern heater, the imminent return of an escaped convict (Robert Redford) to his old Texas hometown unearths a lot of lingering tensions from aggrieved citizens, much to the chagrin of the town's flummoxed sheriff (Marlon Brando). Meanwhile, Jane Fonda co-stars as Anna, the wife of Redford's character who is engaged in an extramarital affair. The Chase's middling reviews upon release in 1966 doomed it to obscurity despite its blinding star power; Redford and Fonda would collaborate on more projects throughout their careers, including Barefoot in the Park (1967) and Our Souls at Night (2017).
11. Amos & Andrew (1993) with Samuel L. Jackson and Nicolas Cage
While it received poor reviews upon release in 1993, Amos & Andrew has enjoyed some positive reevaluation for its prescient (and hilarious) takes on race and class. Samuel L. Jackson and Nicolas Cage co-star in this forgotten buddy comedy, in which a successful Black author (Jackson) buys a vacation home in an affluent white Massachusetts neighborhood only to be mistaken for a burglar. To avoid bad publicity, the chief of police arranges a deal with a jailed thief (Cage) to stage a fake break-in; the plan backfires, which inspires both Jackson and Cage's characters to team up. Amos & Andrew is certainly indelicate and clumsy, but it's quite entertaining with Jackson and Cage as a charismatic yet mismatched pair who together challenge preconceived prejudices.
10. Bulworth (1998) with Warren Beatty and Halle Berry
Co-written and directed by Warren Beatty, this satirical comedy is all about the destructive rot from selling out your principles. Beatty stars as a California politician, Senator Jay Bulworth, who arranges his own assassination. The anxiety of his imminent death kicks off a burn-it-all-down farewell tour, with Bulworth partying it up with radical activists – including attractive Nina (Halle Berry) – and revealing to the American public how much politicians are up for sale. Despite the profile of Beatty and Berry as a rising star, Bulworth fell into semi-obscurity after it bombed at the box office. In a 2013 story by The New York Times, President Barack Obama once privately confided in "going Bulworth."
9. The Last Station (2009) with Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, and Paul Giamatti
While its prolific cast members were decorated with Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for their performances, The Last Station has not enjoyed a lasting presence even among hardcore cinephiles. The movie adapts Jay Parini's 1990 novel, which chronicles the last year of Leo Tolstoy's life and especially his marriage problems with his wife Sofya; Christopher Plummer portrays Tolstoy while Helen Mirren co-stars as Sofya. Also starring are James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti, and Kerry Condon. Its overall handsome production and surprisingly sharp sense of humor make it a much easier thing to digest than your average Russian novel.
8. Eastern Promises (2007) with Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen
A pitch black gangster movie from director David Cronenberg, Eastern Promises stars Lord of the Rings' Viggo Mortensen and King Kong's Naomi Watts; the movie follows a British midwife (Watts) who clashes with the Russian Mafia in London – represented by their lethal enforcer (Mortensen) – after she delivers the baby of a trafficked Ukrainian teenager. Although Eastern Promises was critically acclaimed and collected nominations from the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, not to mention landing on various critics' top movies of 2007 lists, the movie was and has been overshadowed by contemporaries like No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, and Michael Clayton.
7. Extract (2009) with Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, and Mila Kunis
You'll find the name "Mike Judge" attached to a lot of seminal comedies, both on TV (Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill, Silicon Valley) and movies (Office Space, Idiocracy). But have you ever heard of Extract? In 2009, Judge again roasted the mundane workplace in this amusing workplace comedy, which tells the story of Joel (Jason Bateman) who faces marital problems and disgruntled employees at his flavoring extract factory when he falls prey to a beautiful con artist (Mila Kunis). The movie is replete with Judge's familiar themes of personal ambitions clashing with suburban boredom, even if it doesn't live up to the same expectations set by Judge's other movies. Still, its cast are a treat, especially Ben Affleck as a sleazy and greasy bartender.
6. The Company Men (2010) with Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kevin Costner
Amid the financial crisis, writer/director John Wells examined the aimlessness and emasculation of adult American males in his movie The Company Men. Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Chris Cooper play three men whose comfortable lives are suddenly changed by corporate downsizing. (Kevin Costner co-stars as Affleck's brother-in-law, a salt-of-the-earth renovator.) At a time when people everywhere were hurting, The Company Men – essentially a softer, but no less earnest complimentary piece to Glengary Glenn Ross – examined the true personal costs of financial instability.
5. The Way, Way Back (2013) with Steve Carell, Toni Collette, and Sam Rockwell
In this sunny coming-of-age comedy, shy teenager Duncan (Liam Janes) endures a summer with his mom (Toni Collette), her condescending new boyfriend (Steve Carell) and his equally mean daughter (Zoe Levin). While moping at his part-time job at a water park, he's taken in by his charismatic boss (Sam Rockwell) who teaches him how to ride life's turbulent waves. Featuring an uncharacteristically mean Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell who balances sleaziness with earnestness, The Way, Way Back is a splash that deserves more than one lap.
4. Confess, Fletch (2022) with Jon Hamm
Seemingly out of nowhere in 2022, Jon Hamm took over for Chevy Chase in a brand new sequel to the Fletch series. Based on the 1976 novel, Jon Hamm stars as former crime journalist Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher who unwittingly becomes a prime suspect in a murder case while investigating a stolen art collection. Despite positive reviews, Confess, Fletch saw a quiet release in limited theaters and video on demand before getting dumped on streaming on Paramount+. You would think a Fletch revival starring one of the most talented and prolific TV actors from the Golden Age of Television would have drawn more buzz, but it's a mystery.
3. Bernie (2011) with Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey
A black comedy from Richard Linklater and based on a tragically true story, Jack Black plays Bernie Tiede, a mortician in a small Texas town who is beloved by his fellow town residents. Tiede is in a controlling relationship with elderly millionaire Margaret (Shirley MacLaine), and winds up the prime suspect when Margaret is shot and killed. While the town disagrees over the culprit of Margaret's murder, Bernie goes to great lengths to keep up the ruse that she's still alive. Matthew McConaughey co-stars as the town's hard-boiled district attorney. While Bernie is not the first movie people think of when they think of Jack Black, it enjoys critical acclaim and even inspired a retrial of the real-life Tiede in 2016.
2. Southland Tales (2006) with Dwayne Johnson, Justin Timberlake, and many more
The controversial sophomore movie from writer/director Richard Linklater, Southland Tales is Linklater's treatise on post-9/11 America, a nigh-incomprehensible satire that was appropriate for the moral miasma the U.S. found itself in throughout the mid-2000s. Before beefing up into a major action star, Dwayne Johnson leads the movie's ensemble cast as Boxer Santaros, an amnesiac movie star in an alternate 2008 whose screenplay is said to be prophetic of the end of the world. While Southland Tales boasts a very prolific ensemble cast – including Seann William Scott, Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake, Miranda Richardson, Wallace Shawn, and Amy Poehler, to name a few – Dwayne Johnson is a standout, playing against his usual type to inhabit a sort of neurotic individual he hasn't played before or since.
1. Gen-Y Cops (2000)
It's the most obscure movie in Paul Rudd's entire filmography, which has ironically given it notoriety and mention on talk shows. In Gen-Y Cops, a 2000 sequel to the 1999 Hong Kong sci-fi action film Gen-X Cops, Paul Rudd plays a supporting role as an FBI agent working abroad who teams up with local authorities in Hong Kong to locate a stolen, cutting-edge robot. In a 2019 appearance on Graham Norton, Paul Rudd reflected on the movie, finding it amusing that he of all people was supposed to be a straight-laced FBI agent despite his boy band hairdo. Rudd also learned a little Cantonese for some of his dialogue.
