10 Most Disappointing Netflix TV Movies of All Time, According to Fans

Netflix has produced many hit films, some of which are award-winning. Films like May December, The Irishman, and The Trial of the Chicago 7 have garnered critical acclaim for their excellence, while The Power of the Dog, Marriage Story, and ROMA have all won Oscars. Netflix was the first major streaming service to expand into the mainstream film scene and continues to deliver entertaining and deeply meaningful films.

While Netflix undoubtedly has an unmistakable presence in modern entertainment, not all of its releases can be successful. Many Netflix films have been relentlessly ridiculed online, wondering how a company like Netflix, with so many resources, could make a film that completely misses the mark. These sentiments are reflected in the scores of various online critical platforms, which may seem harsh at first, but after watching these films, it’s easily understandable.

10

Blonde Is Exploitative and Exaggerated

A Film That Is Vehemently Disrespectful to Marilyn Monroe’s Legacy

Though actress Ana de Armas was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Blonde, that’s about the only positive association with the film. Based on Joyce Carol Oates’s novel of the same name, Blonde is a dramatized portrayal of the turbulent life of 1950s starlet Marilyn Monroe. The film definitely exhibits some stunning technical qualities, but the contentis extremely disturbing and harmful.

Blonde is essentially almost three hours of depictions of abuse, propaganda and exploitation. Many of the scenarios Marilyn Monroe or Norma Jeane (her birth name) finds herself in were never proven to have actually happened. Many of the scenes depict the actress in horrific situations, portraying her suffering as art and not taking any accountability for telling her story in a contorted way. What could’ve been a delicate and sensitive examination of Marilyn Monroe’s life and career turned into a twisted, torturous display.

9

Tall Girl Has a Ridiculous Premise and Cringeworthy Humor

What’s Meant to Be Empowering Comes off as Absurd

Starring Ava Michelle of Dance Moms, pop star Sabrina Carpenter and star of Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, Griffin Gluck, Tall Girl seemed like a recipe for a new teen classic. However, a mix of an outlandish plot, poorly executed humor and an ending that many felt was beyond cliché resulted in Tall Girl gaining a reputation for being a hilariously bad film.

The film follows teen girl Jodi, whose insecurities over her height significantly impact her. She’s suddenly presented with a potential romance as a foreign exchange student who’s taller than her comes to her school. As the film progresses, Jodi learns what and who is really important in her life and forms bonds with people who see past her height. There wasn’t a lot that could’ve been done with the premise, but audiences were anticipating that maybe the cast could at least make for an entertaining experience. Sadly, Tall Girl turned out to be a disappointment and a laughingstock for Netflix.

8

The Kissing Booth 3 Was the Worst of the Series

By the Third Film, Audiences Were Tired of These Characters

A series that’s inseparable from Netflix’s catalog of teen comedies, The Kissing Booth films, based on the books by Beth Reekles, centers around Elle, her best friend Lee and his older brother Noah. The title derives from an idea sparked by the two best friends for a school fundraiser to run a kissing booth, including Noah as one of the workers, who happens to be one of the hottest guys in school. Elle ends up getting in over her head when she develops feelings for Noah, which is strictly against her and Lee’s friendship rules.

In the third film, Elle and Noah, who’ve been a couple since the events of the first film, aim for an epic summer at Noah and Lee’s parents’ beach house. Things become increasingly complicated as Elle has to decide which college to attend while still trying to enjoy her summer. Though a pretty run-of-the-mill teen drama, viewers found the ending rushed and poorly executed. The series has also struggled with humor, pacing and unrealistic teen dialogue, but the third film definitively squanders any expectations for a satisfying conclusion.

7

Mother of the Bride is a Predictable, Lazy Romance Film

Viewers Can Feel This Film Fading From Memory as They’re Watching It

Directed by Mark Waters, known for his genius comedic work in Mean Girls and Freaky Friday, comes a film that feels like a major misstep. Consisting of endless unfunny moments and focusing on a tired plot that offers nothing new to the genre, Mother of the Bride feels like a bargain-bin film that isn’t even entertaining enough to put on in the background.

The cast was promising enough, with ’80s actress Brooke Shields playing the lead role opposite dramatic actor Benjamin Bratt. Miranda Cosgrove of iCarly and Chad Michael Murray of One Tree Hill also star, and while it’s fun to see familiar faces, the egregiously boring premise and repetitive gags and jokes grow irritating rather quickly. The film could’ve served as a commentary on love and relationships and how they develop and change over time, but every scene that attempts to discuss these topics falls unbelievably flat.

6

Death Note is an Embarrassing Affront to a Beloved Anime

Much of the Fandom Agrees This Is the Worst Thing to Come From the Series

Beginning in 2006, Death Note is one of the best anime series to date. Known for its compelling character developments, thrilling suspense and dissections of morality and justice, the series has cultivated a massive following. Around the time of the live-action film’s release, many anime series were receiving the live-action treatment. With the release of the first trailer for Death Note, fans were already skeptical of the direction this film would take. Once the film was released on Netflix, suspicions were confirmed, and Death Note ended up being a colossal failure and an insult to the extraordinary series it came from.

Many of the complaints revolve around the characterizations of the main character, Light, and his mysterious adversary, Detective L. Their relationship drives much of the series, but in the film, their characters are butchered and behave in ways that directly contradict how they are portrayed in the anime. While Death Note is not the only anime with a lackluster live-action counterpart, it’s definitely one of the worst.

5

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie Doesn’t Capture Any Charm From the Other SpongeBob Movies

This Film’s Incongruencies With Its Contemporaries Are Severely Noticeable

Based on one of the best kids’ cartoons of all time, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, released in 2004, not only coincided with the series’ humor and style but added to the universe and introduced real stakes for the characters. Since then, there have been three other SpongeBob SquarePants films, none of which have gained the same accolades as the first film. In 2024, perhaps the worst film in the series was released, following Sandy and SpongeBob embarking on a mission to save their home after it’s scooped out of the ocean.

The film has a fever dream quality, and not in a good way. Its hyper-fast-pacing and colorful characters attempt to distract from the abysmal humor, unimaginative setting and unnecessary new characters. Any parent who’s ever prevented their kids from watching SpongeBob for being “too annoying” will definitely want to avoid this film as it is devoid of any charm that the series has.

4

Uglies Is a Dull, Nonsensical Dystopian Film

Joey King Cannot Escape Awful Netflix Movies

Based on the 2005 novel by Scott Westerfeld, Uglies examines beauty standards enforced on young people. Though the book was well-received, winning a Golden Duck Award in 2006, the film has been subject to relentless scrutiny on the internet and in other critical spaces. Joey King, who coincidentally plays Elle in The Kissing Booth series, stars as Tally Youngblood. In a world where archetypal beauty isn’t just valued but required, Tally waits until her 16th birthday to receive cosmetic surgery that will make her pretty, thereby elevating her place in society.

After her best friend, Peris, undergoes surgery and completely changes his attitude towards her, she finds a new companion in a spirited, heroic girl named Shay, who decides to run away before her surgery and live with a rebel group known as The Smoke. Tally is recruited to infiltrate The Smoke but eventually comes to value life outside the city’s borders. The film is full of countless clichés, lousy effects and an overarching story that just doesn’t translate well to the screen. Fans of the book were understandably disappointed that a book they’d grown up with had been turned into a shallow interpretation of an initially poignant story.

3

He’s All That Is a Pointless, Uninspired Remake

There is Nothing New to Say With This Recycled Plot

Another film directed by Mark Waters, He’s All That serves as the gender-swapped remake of the 1999 romantic comedy She’s All That. The film follows essentially the same premise: a popular high schooler makes a bet that they can help an outcast become prom queen/king after their own reputation plummets due to an unforeseen event. The film stars TikTok influencer Addison Rae in the leading role, who unfortunately doesn’t exhibit much acting experience, resulting in many line deliveries that were meant to be emotional but came off as vapid.

The film features several sequences that border on campy and ironic but mostly come off as misguided and irritating. Fans of Addison Rae were not only underwhelmed by her performance but by the film itself, as it illustrates a world where the most popular kids in school don’t just have to worry about impressing their peers but the entire internet as well. Social media merely acts as a plot device to initiate the inciting incident, and there’s little commentary about the negative effects of spending your high school days performing for an invisible audience.

2

The Open House Is a Deeply Unsatisfying Horror Film

The Narrative Falls Apart in Every Place Possible

Though the trailer looked promising, The Open House proved that it couldn’t handle whatever story it was setting up. Starring 13 Reasons Why star Dylan Minnette and actress Piercey Dalton as a mother and son grieving the loss of their husband and father, the film is a frustrating example of a film that doesn’t go anywhere. Reviews have called the film pointless and wasteful, noting that the film could’ve gone to a variety of interesting places.

Instead, it lands on an ending that feels completely detached from what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish. While other films may suffer from faulty technical work or horrendous dialogue and pacing, The Open House is a true disappointment as it had the material to manifest into a captivating story but relied too heavily on misdirections and unsustainable suspense.

1

365 Days: This Day Is Somehow More Offensively Horrible Than the First Film

Viewers Thought This Story Couldn’t Get Any Worse; They Were Wrong

One of Netflix’s most hated franchises, 365 Days is notoriously regarded as one of the worst films ever made. The sequel, 365 Days: This Day, manages to outdo its predecessor by introducing an even more inconceivable plot and building a relationship that is foundationally toxic and abusive. Everything about the film is appalling, from the acting to the editing and cinematography, but especially the commitment to the first film’s ludicrous premise.

After Laura miraculously falls in love with mobster Massimo after he kidnaps her and gives her 365 days to learn to love him, their romance continues with a marriage that is complicated when Massimo’s mafia ties threaten the security of their relationship. The film was nominated for the 2023 Razzie Awards, and has been referred to as a more atrocious version of 50 Shades Darker, the sequel to 50 Shades of Grey. Those who’ve seen the 50 Shades films might find it hard to believe that there could possibly be a worse film out there, but 365 Days: This Day, and really the rest of the franchise, showcase just how horrible erotic dramas can be.