29% Of Fans Think This Is Robert Downey Jr's Worst Movie. Here's Why They're Wrong

(Welcome to Survey Says, a feature where we conduct a movie-related survey for a random group of people and explain why they're completely right, completely wrong, or somewhere in-between.)

Well, friends, it's time for another survey. We talked to 610 different people across America to tell us which Robert Downey Jr. movie they certainly do not love 3,000. He got his start at the age of five in his father's film "Pound" before solidifying himself as a one of the secondary members of the Brat Pack, the group of young actors who frequently appeared together in teen-oriented coming-of-age films in the 1980s. RDJ had a rough go of it in the 1990s and early '00s, but he got sober in 2003 and kicked off one of the biggest redemption arcs in Hollywood history. He has become one of the most beloved actors working in Hollywood, but with a career spanning over five decades, they can't all be winners.

We asked our survey-takers to tell us what is, in their opinion, the worst Robert Downey Jr. movie. We picked the seven most frequently cited films to make a handy lil' list for your viewing pleasure, but as this is an opinion survey, there's plenty missing from this list. I mean, "Air America" with Mel Gibson didn't make the finals, so take these results with a grain of salt. Here are the results of the worst RDJ movies ever made.

Unless RDJ's Doing Action, People Don't Want It

The results of the survey are all over the dang place, with his most recent film, "Dolittle" taking the top spot with 29.51% and the rest of the films scattering across his entire career. The Todd Phillips comedy (and that's being generous) "Due Date" came in second with 14.10% with the absolute cringe gay-panic comedy from Robert Downey Jr., and "Too Much Sun," close behind with 13.61%. Honestly, I'm surprised enough people even know that film exists to have voted it as his worst. Here's the full list of placements.

  • "Dolittle" 29.51%
  • "Due Date" 14.10%
  • "Too Much Sun" 13.61%
  • "Eros" 11.80%
  • "Friends and Lovers" 11.15%
  • "Johnny Be Good" 10.98%
  • The Judge 8.85%

"Eros" feels a little unfair to be included in the roster considering it's an anthology film, and the brilliant segment "The Hand" from director Wong Kar-wai doesn't deserve to be brought down by Steven Soderbergh's middle-of-the road segment, "Equilibrium." The late, great Roger Ebert once said that "Friends and Lovers" should be shown in film classes as an example of what not to do when making a film, so this one makes sense to be on the list, as does the lackluster teen flick, "Johnny Be Good." As for "The Judge," it's not a bad film. It's a competent legal drama albeit formulaic, but nowhere near one of RDJ's worst.

Y'all Need to Watch More Movies

The off-the-walls talking animal movie, "Dolittle" took home the top spot, and I'll happily go on record to say that while "Dolittle" isn't good by any means, it's not even close to being RDJ's worst film. The man has 94 credits to his name, so it's impossible that the general public has seen his entire filmography to make an informed decision on what is truly Robert Downey Jr.'s worst film. Way more people have seen "Dolittle" because it was a massive release from Universal starring RDJ Jr. post-Marvel superstardom compared to "Johnny Be Good" from his teen years or "Friends and Lovers" during the height of his struggle with substance abuse.

As for his worst film? The crown has to go to "Tuff Turf" from 1985, y'all. I host a teen movie podcast so I like to think I'm a pretty good authority on teen cinema, and "Tuff Turf" should have been called "Tuff Turd." It's more of a James Spader movie than a RDJ movie, but this is a waste of both of their skills. It's ridiculous, actually, because Spader and RDJ are such charismatic talents, and yet this movie still manages to be the absolute worst in both of their careers. There are those drunk off their own nostalgia who will go to bat for this film as a "guilty pleasure," but "Tuff Turf" is the absolute pits. Thank the teen movie gods for believing in Spader and RDJ beyond this film because if it came out today, it would be a career killer for anyone involved.