The Worst Original Songs From Movie Musicals

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It’s natural to expect changes when a story is adapted for the screen. Movies based on books often cut out lengthy descriptions, showing them visually instead. Play adaptations move the action from a stage to real-looking sets. And film versions of musicals frequently include new songs written specifically for the movie.

It’s become clear that many films now include original songs, often during the credits, as a way to attract Oscar nominations. Even movies that aren’t musicals do this, sending the songs to Academy voters for consideration. You might wonder why this is necessary for musicals already filled with songs—but only original songs qualify for awards. Therefore, films need to create and add entirely new songs to be eligible.

Sometimes songs are added to movie musicals so well that you don’t even notice! For example, “Maybe This Time” and “Mein Herr” were added to the film version of Cabaret in 1972, and “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “You’re the One That I Want” weren’t in Grease until the 1978 movie came out. But more often, these added songs feel out of place, especially for dedicated fans. A good way to tell if an added song works is to see if it’s been included in later stage productions. Unfortunately, very few of the songs considered ‘terrible’ from original movie musicals have been.

The 10 Worst Original Songs Written for Movie Musicals

“I Move On” from Chicago (2002)

“I Move On” isn’t a bad song, but it doesn’t really add anything to the movie. It’s a jazzy ballad about chasing your dreams and staying free, which feels surprisingly generic for a musical about famous murderers. The lyrics are short and don’t offer any new ideas presented elsewhere in the show, and it’s filled with awkward comparisons and strange phrases, like references to “shotgun blasts” and “truckin’ down the road of life.” It’s hard to tell if it’s supposed to be sung by a glamorous actress or a rock star. It’s no surprise the filmmakers only included it during the end credits – it just doesn’t fit anywhere else.

“Learn to Be Lonely” from The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Here’s a little-known detail about the Phantom of the Opera film: you don’t hear Minnie Driver, who plays Carlotta, singing until the very end credits. Her only vocal performance is on the song “Learn to Be Lonely,” as Margaret Preece sang Carlotta’s parts in the movie itself. While the song is pleasant, its guitar-driven sound and placement after the film feels a bit different from the rest of the movie’s tone. Interestingly, Beyoncé performed it at the Oscars, where it was nominated for Best Original Song.

“Suddenly” from Les Misérables (2012)

It’s normal for musicals to emphasize themes through repetition, but the song “Suddenly” in Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables movie feels particularly out of place. Though intended to showcase Hugh Jackman’s character’s feelings about caring for young Cosette, the scene – filmed entirely within a small carriage – drags on and makes you wish Russell Crowe would reappear.

“Who Am I” from Annie (2014)

The 2014 movie Annie aimed to refresh the classic songs for modern listeners with updated sounds and instruments. Singer Sia and producer Greg Kurstin led the musical update, adding three original songs: “Opportunity,” “MoonQuake Lake,” and “Who Am I.” While these new songs aren’t particularly memorable, the biggest problem with the film is the excessive use of autotune, which makes Cameron Diaz’s vocals sound unnatural—almost like rapper T-Pain. Even Jamie Foxx, a skilled singer himself, can’t overcome the heavy digital correction during the three-part harmonies in the song “Who Am I.”

“Evermore” from Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Let’s talk about the music – specifically, the jarring autotune used in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast remake. The original song “Evermore” was particularly painful to listen to, and it highlighted a key issue with these live-action adaptations: the studio needs to cast singers who can actually handle the challenging vocal parts. While Dan Stevens and Emma Watson are talented actors, they struggled with the songs, especially in a big-budget production like this. Stevens’ performance as the Beast was especially affected by the vocal modifications, and “Evermore” really emphasized this – it stripped away the emotional depth that could have been present when the Beast let Belle go.

“Speechless” from Aladdin (2019)

While Dan Stevens struggled with the singing in Beauty and the Beast, Naomi Scott, who plays Jasmine in the live-action Aladdin, is a genuinely talented vocalist. However, the new song written for her, “Speechless,” doesn’t showcase her voice well. Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul aimed to give Princess Jasmine a powerful moment with a song about her anger towards Jafar and her refusal to be silenced. Unfortunately, the song itself is quite bland and lacks the memorable lyrics of classics like “Prince Ali” or “Friend Like Me,” and it doesn’t have the emotional impact of “A Whole New World.” It also feels awkwardly placed in the movie, as the story essentially pauses during Jasmine’s one solo performance, making it feel unnecessary.

“Beautiful Ghosts” from Cats (2019)

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is famous for the song “Memory,” but the film adaptation added another new song, “Beautiful Ghosts,” right after it. Written by Webber and Taylor Swift and performed by Francesca Hayward, the song feels out of place following the emotional weight of “Memory.” It undermines the powerful message of Grizabella’s song about the pain of aging and feeling forgotten, almost as if to say, “Having memories is enough.”

“A Little Closer” from Dear Evan Hansen (2021)

Beyond the added songs, the Dear Evan Hansen movie has other flaws. One particularly awkward moment is the song “A Little Closer,” sung by Colton Ryan as the deceased Connor Murphy (shown in a video from a recovery facility). The movie carefully focuses on Evan’s point of view, so switching to Connor’s perspective feels out of place. To make matters worse, while the song plays, we see Ben Platt reading Connor’s supposed “favorite books”—titles that most students encounter in middle school. It’s a bit of a stretch, Dear Evan Hansen; many of us read The Giver back in sixth grade.

“What Ifs” from Mean Girls (2024)

Angourie Rice, a capable actress, unfortunately struggles in the lead role of the Mean Girls musical, heavily relying on autotune. Her introduction as Cady Heron is underwhelming. The opening song, “What Ifs,” meant to establish her desires and situation, falls flat for two reasons: Rice’s voice doesn’t quite fit the energetic style of the musical, and the song itself is simply dull. The lyrics – vague aspirations like “I’m dreaming of what I could become” – feel disconnected from the actual story. Thankfully, the more engaging “Meet the Plastics” is coming up soon to liven things up.

“The Girl in the Bubble” from Wicked: For Good (2025)

The movie Wicked: For Good tried to justify splitting the story into two parts by adding new songs to the second film, seemingly just to make it longer. The sequel attempts to deepen the character of Glinda, giving her more backstory, with the song “The Girl in the Bubble” being a final effort to make her more sympathetic. However, Glinda is already easy to understand and connect with, so this extra song feels unnecessary and only adds to the film’s length. It feels like a transparent attempt to attract Oscar attention, and it didn’t even succeed.

The 21 Worst Movies of the 21st Century So Far

21. Basic Instinct 2 (2006)

Sharon Stone is remarkably skilled at making even weak lines of dialogue sound seductive, but even her talent can’t save Basic Instinct 2. The movie is a failure overall. Stone delivers a strong (perhaps overly dramatic) performance, completely overshadowing her co-star, David Morrissey. His character is never a believable match for hers, and it’s never clear why she’s attracted to him – it feels like she’s simply toying with an easy target. Stone clearly enjoys playing the manipulative Catherine, but Morrissey’s character is so bland that her attempts to dominate him lack any real suspense. The dynamic is completely uneven – it’s like watching a professional team play against amateurs. Catherine is supposed to crave danger, but facing this uninteresting opponent offers her no challenge.

20. The Book of Henry (2017)

Okay, so after directing Jurassic World, Colin Trevorrow made this… well, it’s a really strange movie, The Book of Henry. It totally flopped, and it’s one of those films that tries to do so much. Seriously, it mixes magical realism with some really dark themes – it honestly veers into territory that feels uncomfortable. On top of that, it’s bizarrely structured like a religious allegory, with this almost god-like character sacrificing himself so his mother can… well, it gets complicated. It’s also trying to tell us that being indifferent is dangerous, and it does that through the ghost of a super-smart kid teaching his mom how to become an assassin! I’m not kidding, all of that actually happens in the movie, and it plays it completely straight. It’s just… a lot.

19. Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

In Space Jam: A New Legacy, Warner Bros. surprisingly portrayed itself as a cold, corporate entity driven by algorithms – a remarkably honest and self-deprecating move. However, the film itself was a major disappointment, making the original Space Jam seem like a masterpiece by comparison. LeBron James isn’t a bad actor; he performs about as well as Michael Jordan did in the first film. But almost everything else in A New Legacy was simply embarrassing. It completely misses what makes the Looney Tunes characters, especially Bugs Bunny, so appealing, turning him into a complaining and gloomy character. Instead of watching this movie, I recommend revisiting classic Looney Tunes shorts on HBO Max. You’ll find five times more laughs in any random short than in this entire two-hour film, and the animation is far superior.

18. Catwoman (2004)

In the movie Catwoman, Halle Berry plays Patience Phillips, a beauty executive who uncovers a dangerous secret about her company’s new product and is subsequently killed by her employers. However, she’s resurrected by cats, who reveal she’s part of a long lineage of feline heroines. Now, as Catwoman, Berry fights crime – and occasionally causes trouble – using all the classic cat abilities: incredible agility, perfect landings, a knack for stealing jewelry, and a love for leather. She’s even surprisingly good at basketball, and can’t resist a cat-themed pun! While visually, Catwoman isn’t the worst film of the 2000s thanks to director Pitof’s background in visual effects, it’s notorious for its messy editing. A clear example? The actors wear the same outfits for two days straight because scenes were rearranged without any additional filming.

17. Madame Web (2024)

“Madame Web” feels like an older, less polished Marvel movie, reminiscent of films made before the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where adaptations sometimes seemed hesitant to fully embrace their comic book origins. This hesitancy extends to Dakota Johnson’s performance as Cassie Webb, the character billed as “Madame Web” – but who is never actually called that name within the movie. She also doesn’t wear a traditional superhero costume for most of the film. It’s as if everyone involved feels a bit awkward about the project, which, considering the circumstances, is understandable. The movie is strange, confusing, and at times, just plain silly – it makes the earlier “Amazing Spider-Man” films look like masterpieces. It makes you wonder what Kevin Feige, the mastermind behind the MCU, would think if he watched it – that would be an interesting experience.

16. Planet of the Apes (2001)

Let me tell you, watching Mark Wahlberg in this movie felt…awkward. He plays an astronaut who gets pulled into some bizarre purple space cloud and winds up on a planet populated by, you guessed it, apes! Seriously. He spends what feels like an eternity wandering around a desert, and the action sequences are…let’s just say they haven’t aged well. Eventually, he makes it back to Earth, only to discover…more apes! Now, Tim Burton had a fantastic run in the 80s and 90s, but this one? This one was a real misstep. It just didn’t work.

15. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

The film’s title is a good indication of its biggest problem: it tries to be too many things at once – an X-Men movie, a Wolverine story, and an origin story all rolled into one. Director Gavin Hood might have created a better film if he’d focused on a single idea. From the start, though, the movie was burdened with trying to cram together pieces of several different X-Men and Wolverine storylines. Hugh Jackman’s character, Logan, even says, “We didn’t sign up for this,” which feels like a comment on the film itself. Other lines, like “We’ve done enough!” and “Wake me when it’s over,” similarly hint at the movie’s flaws.

14. Meet the Spartans (2008)

One of the biggest disappointments in 2000s cinema was the surge of poorly-made parody movies, which started after the Scary Movie series became a hit. Many of these comedies were created by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, who relied on a simple, and often unfunny, formula: re-creating scenes from popular movies – especially 300 in the case of Meet the Spartans, but also including random gags from films like Shrek, Spider-Man 3, and Happy Feet – and adding slapstick humor. Even when these movies were mildly amusing, the jokes were often tied to early 2000s celebrity culture, like references to Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, making them feel incredibly outdated today. Seriously, avoid Meet the Spartans at all costs.

13. Marmaduke (2022)

I can honestly say I’ve never seen a more visually unappealing animated movie than Marmaduke, and I hope I never do. It feels like something made simply to move money around, or a rushed project created just to retain the rights. Surprisingly, despite the terrible animation, the movie boasts a talented voice cast including J.K. Simmons, David Koechner, and Pete Davidson. It’s baffling – did they not see the script or the awful character designs? What could have motivated their participation? Simply put, Marmaduke is dreadful. I wouldn’t even recommend it to the kids who used to tease me – and their bullying songs were more imaginative than anything in this film.

12. Daddy Day Camp (2007)

It felt like nobody involved with the original Daddy Day Care wanted to return for the sequel. The original cast – Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, Steve Zahn, and Regina King – were all replaced with Cuba Gooding Jr., Paul Rae, Josh McLerran, and Tamala Jones. Even the director of the first film, Steve Carr, didn’t come back.

The first movie focused on Murphy and Garlin figuring out how to run a daycare. The sequel shifts the setting to a camp, and with their experience, it should have been easy. But, as often happens with sequels, everything goes wrong – both in the movie and with the plot itself.

11. Elektra (2005)

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe took off, things were pretty rough for Marvel fans. After the initial success of movies like X-Men and Spider-Man, studios started rushing out adaptations without paying much attention to quality. The low point was probably the Elektra movie. Jennifer Garner returned as the assassin, who was obsessively cleaning up after herself to avoid leaving any DNA… but also incredibly reckless, making friends with her neighbors while on a mission and failing to realize they were her targets!

To make things even stranger, Elektra was brought back to life after her death in Daredevil and suddenly gained the power to see the future and even rewind time – basically becoming immortal. And what did she do with these godlike powers? She ran around stabbing ninjas. Honestly, who wouldn’t?

10. Norbit (2007)

Eddie Murphy is known for entertaining audiences when he plays several characters in one movie, often with the help of impressive makeup. His 2007 film, Norbit, made nearly $160 million worldwide despite receiving negative reviews, considering it only cost $60 million to make.

However, that doesn’t make it a good movie. In Norbit, Murphy’s talent for transforming himself – and the fantastic makeup work – are used for a frustrating story about a meek man who marries a controlling and abusive woman, both roles played by Murphy. His portrayal of the vengeful and aggressive Rasputia is technically skillful, but relies on cruel stereotypes and endless jokes about her weight. He also plays Mr. Wong, a harsh Chinese man who runs an orphanage and speaks with a heavy, stereotypical accent. Ultimately, the film is just disheartening.

9. The Emoji Movie (2017)

A good movie about smartphones and emojis could be made, but it would need to be much funnier and more critical than The Emoji Movie. Beyond a simple message of accepting others, the film feels exactly like an ad from a tech company that relies on selling phones – it basically says using a smartphone will make you popular and more attractive. It’s just… unpleasant.

8. Bulletproof Monk (2003)

I saw this movie over 20 years ago and was the only one in the theater—and everyone else was smart to stay away. I quickly got so bored that I started moving around, trying to find a better seat, but nothing helped. It was just a bad movie. Looking back, Bulletproof Monk might have the worst martial arts action scenes Hollywood has ever produced. It’s not necessarily the director’s fault, though—it seems like Seann William Scott actually did more of his own stunts than Chow Yun-fat. When the guy known for playing Stifler is the most dedicated action star in your film, you’ve got a serious issue.

7. Artemis Fowl (2020)

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Disney postponed most of its big 2020 movies. The exception was Artemis Fowl, which they released directly on Disney+. Looking back, that should have been a warning sign. The movie tries to fit the plot of ten books into just 90 minutes, and the result is confusing and difficult to watch. (I honestly can’t explain how Josh Gad’s character went from burglar to ally with Artemis Fowl without any conversation!) It’s rare for a streaming movie to feel like a waste of money when you haven’t even paid extra, but Artemis Fowl managed to do just that.

6. Son of the Mask (2005)

Few movies are as disappointing as a sequel to The Mask without Jim Carrey. The original film was so popular because the mask allowed Carrey to be wildly funny, showcasing his incredible impressions and unrestrained energy. But in Son of the Mask, Jamie Kennedy’s character rarely wears the mask – surprisingly, his dog wears it much more often! – and when he does, he’s incredibly stiff and uninspired. The movie even tries to justify this by making his character a cartoonist, hoping to replicate Carrey’s energy, and it sounds like they even dubbed over his voice to make him sound more like Carrey.

Believe it or not, a large portion of the movie focuses on the dog being jealous of the new baby and deliberately using the mask to try to harm him. Thankfully, the baby is born with powers of his own.

Nothing can prepare you for the sight of a horribly rendered CGI baby messing on Jamie Kennedy. This movie should have been scrapped entirely, just like the mask at the end of the original The Mask.

5. Alone in the Dark (2005)

Uwe Boll gained notoriety as a director by making numerous video game adaptations, funded by a German tax benefit that ensured his films would be profitable. It’s almost like the characters from Mel Brooks’ The Producers, but focused on video games.

One of his worst films from the 2000s, Alone in the Dark, stars Tara Reid as an archaeologist and Christian Slater as a detective investigating paranormal events. However, the plot is so confusing that it’s hard to explain, even the opening title sequence – a lengthy, 90-second crawl – adds to the confusion. Considering Alone in the Dark already ranked as the worst video game movie ever made, its placement on this list is particularly telling.

4. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)

I have to admit, I was really curious about Blood and Honey, especially with it being a low-budget horror take on Winnie-the-Pooh now that the original stories are free for anyone to use. But honestly? It just doesn’t work. It fails as both a scary movie and as a clever send-up of childhood tales. Ironically, though, it actually makes a strange point against having things enter the public domain. It got me thinking – if copyright laws could prevent movies this bad from being made and bothering people, maybe those laws aren’t so terrible after all. Let’s just say, Blood and Honey is a truly awful film – a complete mess, really.

3. Dolittle (2020)

Remember the scene in Tim Burton’s Batman where the doctor messes up Jack Napier’s face, creating the Joker? That’s what Dolittle feels like – a chaotic, disjointed film that seems cobbled together from unused footage and reshoots. What likely began as a more grounded movie transformed into a bizarre mix of crude humor – think poop jokes and talking animals – shaky special effects, and Robert Downey Jr. giving an over-the-top performance that makes Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow seem reserved.

2. The Master of Disguise (2002)

The idea behind The Master of Disguise was promising: a character who can imitate anyone seemed ideal for Dana Carvey, known for his impressive impersonations on Saturday Night Live. However, Carvey excels at impressions – mimicking voices and mannerisms – which isn’t the same as true disguise. A skilled master of disguise would completely transform into their character and become unrecognizable. Carvey’s character, Pistachio Disguisey, is anything but invisible. You’d immediately know it was him, even when he’s supposedly disguised as someone like Al Pacino in Scarface or Robert Shaw in Jaws. Many scenes aren’t funny, but rather bizarre, like the one where Carvey dresses up as a turtle-like creature. At just 70 minutes long, the film is at least short, but those 70 minutes feel incredibly long, strange, uncomfortable, and ultimately, not funny.

1. Disaster Movie (2008)

The title Disaster Movie is misleading on both counts. The film pokes fun at recent blockbusters like 10,000 B.C., Hancock, Jumper, Enchanted, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Beowulf, and The Love Guru. However, calling it a “movie” is generous; it barely qualifies. With only a couple of recognizable characters and a very weak plot, the film relies on a constant stream of awful celebrity impersonations – so bad, even the characters in the movie point them out.

Honestly, it’s one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. By the time a man was fighting someone dressed in a terrible Kung Fu Panda costume, I didn’t feel anger, just pity – for the actors and, especially, for anyone who actually paid to watch it.

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2026-02-06 18:34