Demi Moore was launched to stardom along with the rest of the Brat Pack. But while her colleagues’ careers were cooling in the 90’s, Moore’s star kept rising. By the middle of the decade, Moore was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. But soon after her career peaked, Moore walked away from it all to focus on her personal life.
So, what the hell happened?
Demi Moore came from humble beginnings. Her parents separated before she was born – a fact she did not discover until she was 13. She was cross-eyed as a child and also suffered from a kidney dysfunction. When Moore was 15, her mother left her husband and moved to Hollywood to work for a magazine-distribution company. Two years later, Moore’s adopted father took his life.
At the age of 16, Moore moved out on her own. She dropped out of high school during her junior year to pursue a career in entertainment. Three weeks before her 17th birthday, she met rock musician, Freddy Moore who was married to another woman. Six months later, at the age of 17, Demi Moore married the recently divorced rock star.
Freddy Moore was the lead singer for a band called the Nu-Kats. Moore and her husband co-wrote three songs together. The band is best known for one of those songs, It’s Not a Rumor. Demi appeared in the video.
The song was not a hit, but it received a lot of play on MTV in the early 80s.
In 1981, Moore lied about her age in order to pose for the cover of the adult magazine, Oui. According to Moore, “only posed for the cover of Oui—I was 16; I told them I was 18.” There were pictures of Moore inside the magazine, but Moore claimed they were re-purposed from a European fashion shoot.
That does look European if you ask me.
From 1982-1983, Moore appeared on the daytime soap opera, General Hospital. Moore played investigative reporter, Jackie Templeton.
All of this was pre-Brat Pack.
Moore’s first major role came in the 1984 comedy, Blame it On Rio. Moore played Michael Cain’s daughter on a family getaway. As this is a remake of a French farce, sexual high-jinks ensue between Cain and his best friend’s daughter.
Blame It On Rio bombed at the box office which can probably be blamed on the terrible reviews it received.
Later that year, Moore starred opposite Jon Cryer in the comedy/drama, No Small Affair.
Cryer played a 16-year old photographer who gets swept up with a 22-year-old singer played by Moore. Moore’s character is your run of the mill manic pixie dream girl getting Cryer’s character into trouble so he can learn important life lessons.
At one point in the movie, Cryer and Moore pass a billboard featuring Diana Ross. Moore’s character comments on how Diana only needs one name, “Diana”. She wonders allowed if that will ever happen to her. While her character does gain some measure of fame by the end of the movie, Moore may as well have been talking about herself. One day, she would be known as “Demi”.
In 1985, Moore officially joined the Brat Pack with St. Elmo’s Fire.
The movie focused on a group of friends who have just graduated from college. They relationships are tested as they try to adjust to adulthood. Emilio Estevez played a waiter who romances a hospital intern played by Andie MacDowell. Andrew McCartrhy played Estevez’s roommate, a writer with a secret crush on Ally Sheedy’s character. Sheedy and Judd Nelson play a couple of yuppies in an upwardly mobile relationship. Rob Lowe played a former frat boy who is struggling with family life and Demi Moore played the party girl of the group. Mare Winningham played the friend who helps all the others out.
St. Elmo’s Fire had the good fortune to come out just four month’s after John Hughes’ similarly themed high school coming-of-age drama, The Breakfast Club. Although the two films are not linked in any meaningful way, St. Elmo’s Fire was regarded as a kind of follow-up film. It was another ensemble coming-of-age film this time focusing on recent college graduates.
Several studios passed on St. Elmo’s Fire. According to director, Joel Schumacher, “the head of one major studio called its seven-member cast ‘the most loathsome humans he had ever read on the page.'” Finding seven young stars proved a challenge. Hundreds of actors were interviewed. Sheedy, Estevez and Nelson were recommended to producer Lauren Shuler Donner by John Hughes. Schumacher said he had to fight the studio over the casting of Estevez, Nelson, and McCarthy.
At the time of filming, Moore had a drug problem like the character she played in the movie. Schumacher became frustrated with her when she showed up to work high. He made her go into rehab to finish the movie.
St. Elmo’s Fire received mostly negative reviews. It opened in fourth place at the box office behind Rambo: First Blood Part II which had been in theaters for six weeks. That doesn’t sound like the most auspicious opening, but St. Elmo’s Fire went on to gross close to $40 million dollars on a $10 million dollar budget. It cost more and grossed less than The Breakfast Club. But it was still the 23rd highest grossing movie of the year. And despite being viewed as inferior to John Hughes’ movie, St. Elmo’s Fire has become a Gen-X favorite on video.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of the movie. But as someone who grew up in the 80’s, I can feel St. Elmo’s fire burning in me.
(If you’re a Gen X-er, that song is now stuck in your head. Sorry about that.)
Before I move on, let’s pause a second and explain the Brat Pack to those who are too young to remember it. Because the truth is, they haven’t had anything quite like it. In the mid-80’s, coming-of-age comedies and dramas were quite popular. These films prominently featured a group of young actors and actresses.
Some members of the Brat Pack are open for debate. But if you appeared in either The Breakfast Club or St Elmo’s Fire, you were either a member of the Brat Pack or you were Mare Winningham.
For the most part, the Brat Pack had a short reign over Hollywood. The label adversely affected their careers. Many struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. But while Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald saw their careers fizzle, Moore only grew more popular.
In 1984, Moore filed for divorce from her rock and roll hubby. The divorce was finalized in 1985. Following her divorce from Freddy Moore, Demi became engaged to fellow Brat Packer Emilio Estevez. They planned to marry in 1986. But instead, the wedding was called off.
In 1986, Moore starred in no less than three films! The first was “About Last Night…” a romantic comedy/drama based on the David Mamet play Sexual Perversity in Chicago.
Moore starred opposite Rob Lowe as a couple whose relationship starts as a one-night stand. Elizabeth Perkins and Jim Belushi co-starred back before Jim Belushi’s name was code for “do not watch this”.
“About Last Night…” received mostly positive reviews and was a modest hit at the box office. More importantly, it showed the Moore was capable of doing more adult roles than the typical John Hughes movie.
Moore’s next film was the zany John Cusack movie, One Crazy Summer. One Crazy Summer was the follow-up to director Savage Steve Holland’s Better Off Dead.
Both films received mixed reviews at the time of their release. But their zaniness set them apart from a lot of other 80’s teen comedies and they have developed a small cult following.
Moore’s last film of 1986 was the ironically titled Wisdom.
Wisdom was a crime drama written, directed, and starring the multi-talented Emelio Estevez. Moore and Estevez were engaged at the time, so her presence in Wisdom is somewhat excusable.
How bad is Wisdom? (Spoiler Alert: Turns out it was all just a dream.) Wisdom was an embarrassing bomb both critically and commercially. Fortunately for Moore, as writer, director and star, Estevez took the blame for it.
In 1987, Moore married her second husband, Bruce Willis. At the time, Willis was still on the TV show Moonlighting. Die Hard, which would cement Willis as an action star, wouldn’t come out until 1988. Willis was eight years older than Moore. But he still had a little hair left. It wouldn’t last long.
In 1988, Moore starred in the apocalyptic thriller, The Seventh Sign. Moore played an expectant mother whose unborn baby may or may not signal the apocalypse. Michael Biehn played her husband.
The Seventh Sign received mostly negative reviews and bombed at the box office.
In 1989, Moore appeared opposite Sean Penn and Robert De Niro in the comedy, We’re No Angels.
Moore played a prostitute whose deaf-mute daughter is rescued by escaped convicts pretending to be priests. Oh, and the whole thing takes place during the Great Depression.
It’s probably no surprise that We’re No Angels got mixed reviews and was a bomb at the box office. But who cares? The point is that while her colleagues were floundering in the likes of Weekend at Bernies, Moore was getting to work with De Niro and Penn.
Up until this point, Moore had never appeared in a movie that was both a critical and commercial hit. That changed in 1990 when she starred opposite Patrick Swayze in Ghost.
No matter what you think of the movie (personally, I don’t care for it), it’s impossible to deny its cultural impact. The image of Moore and Swayze making sexy pottery while Unchained Melody plays on the soundtrack is iconic.
Expectations for Ghost were non-existent. Neither Moore nor Swayze was considered a box office draw at the time. The movie was a mash-up of genres, part comedy, part tear jerker, part super-natural thriller. And it was directed by Jerry Zucker of Airplane! and The Naked Gun.
And yet, somehow, Ghost was a hit.
Believe it or not, Ghost was actually nominated for Best Picture in 1990! Whoopi Goldberg took home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. For her part, Moore was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress.
Moore followed up Ghost with a string of box office disappointments in 1991. The first was the aptly titled Nothing But Trouble.
Nothing But Trouble was a big-budgeted comedy written, directed and starring Dan Aykroyd. It is exhibit A in the argument that Dan Aykroyd should never be allowed to have that much creative control over a picture.
Nothing But Trouble wasn’t just a bomb and a critical failure. It became a cautionary tale. But much like Wisdom could be blamed on Emilio Estevez, Aykroyd (and to a lesser degree an increasingly lazy Chevy Chase) took the fall.
Next came the crime thriller, Mortal Thoughts. Moore played a woman who’s best friend was suspected of killing her husband (played by Moore’s real-life husband, Bruce Willis).
Personally, I saw Mortal Thoughts at a screening along with Thelma and Louise. Both featured rape as a key plot point and Harvey Keitel as a well-intentioned cop investigating the murder that follows. Whereas Thelma and Louise was entertaining, Mortal Thoughts was just kind of depressing.
Of the three films Moore released in 1991, Mortal Thoughts fared best. But it still got mixed reviews and did so-so box office.
Moore finished out the year with the romantic fantasy film, The Butcher’s Wife in which she played a psychic who marries a butcher and then falls in love with Jeff Daniels while using her clairvoyance to help the kind of sleepy, rustic town full of eccentrics that only exists in movies like The Butcher’s Wife.
The Butcher’s Wife bombed and Moore was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award.
Of everything Moore did in 1991, she was best known for this:
The Aug 1991 cover of Vanity Fair featured a very pregnant (and very naked) Moore. The cover was extremely controversial at the time with some claiming it sexualized pregnant women while others claimed it was liberating. The image became iconic and has been parodied repeatedly. In a way, it did more to make Moore famous than the movies she was starring in.
In 1992, Moore rebounded with a supporting role in A Few Good Men. She got third billing. But at least she was in an Oscar-nominated courtroom drama instead of a Dan Aykroyd courtroom comedy.
A Few Good Men received good reviews and was a much-needed hit at the box office.
Moore followed up her infamous Vanity Fair cover with another cover in 1992. This time, she was naked except for body paint that suggested she was wearing a suit.
A Few Good Men helped stop the free fall Moore’s career was in. But an A-List star is expected to deliver hits in starring roles. With Adrian Lyne’s Indecent Proposal, Moore did just that.
The movie co-starred Moore and Woody Harrleson as a young couple whose relationship is threatened when a wealthy businessman played by Robert Redford offers them one million dollars to sleep with Moore’s character.
This totally plausible scenario became a cultural touchstone as women across America asked their husbands and boyfriends if they would whore them out for a million dollars and millions of husbands and boyfriends lied.
Indecent Proposal got mixed reviews. But it turned into an event movie that reshaped Moore’s career.
Moore was nominated for both an MTV Movie Award and a Golden Raspberry. Which I think says a lot about the MTV Movie Awards.
The 90’s were a strange time. Michael Douglas was the king of dark, sexy adult thrillers. So it makes perfect sense that he and Moore would co-star in a movie after the success of Indecent Proposal.
Disclosure was based on a novel by Michael Chrichton. Chrichton actually sold the rights to the novel for $1 million dollars before it was published. It turned out to be a mix of 90’s buzzwords like “sexual harassment” and “virtual reality” without really having much to do with either one.
Reviews for Disclosure were mixed. But it was another hit that helped cement Moore’s image as a sexy screen vixen.
Given Moore’s screen image, it probably makes sense that she was next cast in a sexy adaptation of The Scarlet Letter.
What doesn’t make sense is why anyone would want to make a sexy adaptation of Hawthorne’s tale of Puritanical hypocrisy. There was nothing sexy about The Scarlet Letter, but the makers of the 1995 adaptation completely missed the point.
Infamously, the movie changed the downbeat ending of the novel. In the novel, the adulterous priest dies for his crimes. But in the movie, he saved by a tribe of politically correct Indians! It’s a WTF momement if ever there was one. But so was reimagining The Scarlet Letter as a tale of sexual liberation.
Not surprisingly, The Scarlet Letter received scathing reviews and bombed at the box office. Moore continued her streak of Golden Raspberry nominations.
In 1995, Moore also appeared as part of the ensemble in the girl power flick, Now and Then.
Now and Then told the four childhood friends who reunite as adults to relive the summer of 1970 when the girls bonded in a tree house. Moore played a science fiction author who narrates the film. Rosie O’Donnell played the tomboy of the group. Christina Ricci played her character as a child. Rita Wilson played the pregnant friend who still lives in her family home. And Melanie Griffith played the rich friend who goes on to be a successful actress and has multiple marriages. That had to be a stretch! Her younger self was played by her Paradise co-star, Thora Birch.
O’Donnell said that originally her character was meant to be a lesbian. But dialogue was later lopped in to give her an off-camera boyfriend. Moore’s daughter, Rumer Willis, played her character’s younger sister. Kirsten Dunst was offered a role as Rita Wilson as a child but she turned the part down when she learned she would need to gain weight. The supporting cast included Cloris Leachman, Hank Azaria, Bonnie Hunt, Janeane Garofalo and Brendan Fraser in an uncredited cameo.
Critics panned the sappy coming-of-age drama. Roger Ebert dismissed it as a “gimmicky sitcom”. Despite the critical drubbing, Now and Then opened in second place at the box office behind Get Shorty. It went on to gross nearly $30 million dollars on a $12 million dollar budget. Over time, the movie has developed a cult following and at one point there was talk of turning it into a TV series.
Moore started off 1996 with another thriller opposite Alec Baldwin in The Juror.
Moore starred as a single mom called to jury duty. Joseph Gordon-Levitt played her son. Baldwin played a mob enforcer who tries to convince Moore to sway the other jurors. Anne Heche played Moore’s best friend whom Baldwin murders to send a message.
The Juror continued Moore’s losing streak with critics and audiences alike.
She also did voice-over work in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beavis and Butthead Do America.
Moore’s big movie in 1996 (and one I believe lead to the end of her career) was Striptease.
Moore was paid $12.5 million dollars to star in the racy comedy which at the time made her the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. There was a lot of buzz around Striptease due to Moore’s paycheck and her nude scenes. It seemed like every time you turned on the TV, Moore was explaining the research and training that went into the role.
And yet, the movie stunk. As a comedy, it wasn’t funny. And despite the fact that Moore had been voted MTV’s Most Desirable Female for several years, the scenes of Moore stripping weren’t very sexy. In short, nothing about the movie worked.
Following in the high-heeled footsteps of Showgirls, Striptease got terrible reviews and bombed at the box office. And as the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, a naked Moore took the blame.
Striptease cleaned up at the Golden Raspberry Awards including a “win” for Moore as Worst Actress.
For Moore’s next role, she returned to the kind of 90’s headlines that made Disclosure a hit. This time, it was the issue of women in the military in Ridley Scott’s GI Jane.
GI Jane is a pretty by-the-numbers military flick. It’s like An Officer and a Gentleman if the “gentleman” in question was the world’s highest paid actress.
By this point, beating up on Moore was a national past-time. Reviews were bad, probably worse than the film deserved. And the movie bombed in the US. The fact that it was a hit overseas was cold comfort.
Moore won another Golden Rassie.
GI Jane and Striptease were a one-two punch of high profile disappointments for Moore. In the span of two films, Moore had become something of a punchline. Her response was to walk away into semi-retirement.
In 1997, Moore also appeared as part of an ensemble in Woody Allen’s critical misfire, Deconstructing Harry.
Everyone wants to be in a Woody Allen movie at some point in their career. Despite being one of Allen’s weaker efforts, Deconstructing Harry featured an all-star cast that included Kirstie Alley, Billy Crystal, Elisabeth Shue, Tobey Maguire, Stanley Tucci, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Robin Williams.
In 1998, Willis and Moore separated. They filed for divorce in 2000. The couple remained friendly. They have three daughters together.
Her next movie was 2000’s Passion of Mind. Moore played dual roles of two women who dream about each other’s lives.
Even though few saw the film, Moore was nominated for another Golden Raspberry. Moore’s co-star Joss Ackland described her as being “not very bright or talented”.
In 2003, Moore attempted a comeback with Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. On paper, this seemed like a smart career move. Moore played the villain which meant the film’s success or failure didn’t rest on her shoulders. Also, a sequel to a popular film seemed like a sure thing.
Unfortunately, the first Charlie’s Angels was one of those movies that was a hit in spite of the fact that nobody liked it very much. The sequel got approved even though there really wasn’t any demand for one. Like the original, the sequel got bad reviews. Unlike the original, Full Throttle was not a hit.
And Demi Moore won another Golden Raspberry. Those guys really had it in for her!
Also in 2003, Moore began dating actor Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher was fifteen years younger than Moore. The couple married in 2005. It was not at all unusual for Moore, Kutcher and Willis to be seen together.
In 2006, Moore appeared as part of the ensemble in Bobby, a fictionalized account of the assassination of Bobby Kennedy.
Bobby was written and directed by Moore’s former fiance and Wisdom auteur, Emilio Estevez.. The fictional retelling of the final hours of Bobby Kennedy keeps popping up in WTHH articles. It co-stars Heather Graham, Helen Hunt, Christian Slater and Sharon Stone. Plus a few other actors who are sure to be featured in future articles.
The next major role for Moore was in the thriller, Mr. Brooks, opposite Kevin Costner. It was a return to the genre that made Moore a superstar.
But both Moore and Costner’s stars were fading. Mr. Brooks represented a base hit rather than a full-on comeback for either star.
Since then, Moore has appeared mostly in direct-to-video releases. She had a small part in the 2011 film, Margin Call.
Also in 2011, Moore and Kutcher announced that they had separated. Kutcher filed for divorce in 2012. The divorce was finalized in 2013.
In 2012, Moore appeared opposite Miley Cyrus in the the coming of age movie LOL.
LOL started filming in 2010 but production was halted for over a year. It finally received a limited release solely for the purpose of fulfilling a contractual obligation.
Thanks for the catch.
I realy wanted to emphasize the fact that she was married 😉
Funny. As for Striptease, I had high hopes at the time. And not to see Demi’s sweater monkeys – but rather the movie was taken from one of my favorite writers – Carl Hiaassen. The book was very good, the movie was not. Besides, fake boobies are a turn-off.
Anyhow, maybe soon you could remind readers who was in the Brat Pack. I grew up in the 80s and I have honestly forgotten.
I had relatively high hopes for Striptease as well. I was a fan of Andrew Bergman based on The Freshman. I liked several of the films he had written. Striptease was Bergman’s undoing as well. The exact membership of the Brat Pack is actually up for debate. A lot of actors who are considered to be members of the Brat Pack argue that they were not (Andrew McCarthy, for example). Others, such as Melissa Gilbert, who are not usually considered to be Brat Packers have tried to lay claim to the title. For my money, anyone who was in The… Read more »
In the E! True Hollywood story about Demi, I recall seeing a clip of an old 80s interview where she said something like “I don’t belong in any ‘Brat Pack’!”. I would love to find this (apparently it was re-aired in January because of all the publicity surrounding Demi’s hospitalization, but I didn’t catch it then). Demi certainly was not flattered by the Brat Pack label, and rightfully so. She was so above the rest of those mediocre, unappealing actors in the group. Her career would have gone down the tubes if she stayed with Estevez (Why she ever agreed… Read more »
I agree, Demi was apart from the rest of the Brat Pack. I think her later success bore that out. I am sure she never would have made Wisdom if not for the fact she was engaged to Estevez at the time.
Totally agree with your last two paragraphs. Nothing to add there other than to say that Kidman’s flops have finally caught up with her. WTHH to Nicole Kidman will be coming to a blog near you eventually.
I was working in theatres at the time that The Outsiders came out (1983) and the term was definitely being bandied around then. And the young girls came in droves. Cruise and Swayze and Dillon quickly left the core circle while Downey, Hall and Moore kept circling each other’s films. It seemed the appearance of Estevez, Lowe or Ringwald in any movie seemed to brand it a BP film (Fresh Horses, Youngblood) regardless of who else was in it.
Brat Pack started off meaning one thing – basically the young male stars of The Outsiders – and came to mean something completely different. The term still represented the youth stars of the 80’s. But instead of being a bunch of bad boys behaving badly, it became more associated with the stars of John Hughes’ teen comedies. In a few years when teens were sick of high school movies, the term definitely took on negative connotations (although it was always intended as an insult). The actors like Cruise and Swayze who got out from under the label were definitely the… Read more »
I suppose it’s overused. Or at least it was. I don’t think people talk too much about the Brat Pack anymore. It’s just one of those terms where the meaning changed. It was coined by an author who wanted to take down a bunch of stuck-up Hollywood kids a peg or too. He specifically seemed to be targeting Estevez and Sheen. It probably wasn’t his finest moment as a journalist. But it came to represent teen movie stars of that period. People say it represented the stars of the John Hughes movies. But really, the core group came from two… Read more »
I wonder if Striptease was the movie that began the sudden decline of Demi Moore’s film career? It came out while she was still in her prime (her last really big role during her prime years was G.I. Jane in 1997) but back then, it’s arguable that you couldn’t do a lot of nudity in Hollywood and still be taken seriously. Plus, she and Bruce Willis were getting divorced around that same time, which was pretty big news in the tabloids.
Top Ten Terrible Decisions to Play Terrible Strippers: http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/top-ten-terrible-decisions-to-play-terrible-strippers.php 8. Demi Moore in Striptease The age old debate as to whether you prefer fake breasts to real can pretty much be summed up by watching this film. Once the subject of an Indecent Proposal, we can see exactly how the money was spent. She comes bursting on to the stage with her manufactured mammaries exploding from her chest to the shock and awe of the audience. I thank God the movie was not in 3D, else people would have been killed. If those guns were on G.I. Jane, we would… Read more »
10 Awful Movies You Only Watched For The Nude Scenes: http://whatculture.com/film/10-awful-movies-you-only-watched-for-the-nude-scenes.php/7 5. Striptease Who? Demi Moore Way back in 1996, Demi Moore accepted a gigantic pay cheque to play Erin Grant, the stripper star of Andrew Bergman’s infamously terrible comedic drama, a role which obviously required certain amounts of nudity. Sadly for Moore, not even the long awaited sight of her cavorting naked in front of Burt Reynolds was enough to make the film a success, because it’s so disjointed and never quite knows what it’s supposed to be. Even more sadly for the star, most of the blame lies… Read more »
10 Absolute Worst Flops In Movie History http://whatculture.com/film/10-absolute-worst-flops-in-movie-history.php/6 Striptease (1996) Based on a decent novel by Carl Hiaasen, Striptease is a dumbed-down-for-the-masses vehicle for Demi Moore, who got $12.5 million to play a stripper who wants to regain custody of her daughter from Robert Patrick, a slimeball who steals wheelchairs to make a quick buck. Even though she dances like Elizabeth Berkeley in Showgirls, Moore comes to the attention of Dave Dilbeck (Burt Reynolds), a Congressman with a weakness for titty bars and murdering his opponents, causing her to wonder aloud, “How did I get so popular?” (how, indeed?). When… Read more »
The photo you used in your article – I only recognized Demi and Judd. And I’m sorry – who the hell is Mare Winningham?
“Who the hell is Mare Winningham?” Exactly!
Basically, Mare Winningham was the one member of the St Elmo’s Fire cast not to go on and do more Brat Pack movies.
From the picture, the cast consisted of Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Aly Sheedy (those 3 all Breakfast Club cast members), Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore and the often overlooked Mare Winningham.
Umm…talked to Mare. She said that she hasn’t had a decent role since St. Elmo’s Fire because you dislike her so much. Time to let that go.
Two suggestions for your ‘what the hell happened’…Aly Sheedy (nutty girl) and Lori Petty (used to be hot, looks like a meth-head now)
Never been on the Demi bandwagon. That raspy, whiny voice just rubs me the wrong way I guess. Can’t think of a single movie I’ve seen with her in it that was enhanced by her role. It doesn’t surprise me at all she was nominated for so many rasberries and was in so many flops. GI Jane actually had some potential but it was too preachy and she wasn’t right for the role. Viggo Mortensen made that movie watchable with his small role. Nope, can’t say I miss Demi. My recollection of the Brat Pack in addition to Demi is:… Read more »
It’s actually been a long time since I have watched a Demi Moore movie. Any Demi Moore movie. I remember I liked About Last Night… I can’t remember how much Demi’s performance contributed to that. But it was kind of a two-person show. So, she must have brought something to the table. I’m no Ghost fan. But I thought she definitely contributed to that film by looking fabulous and crying a lot. I actually hate Indecent Proposal. But she helped make that movie a sensation. Granted, a lot of other hot actresses could have done the same. Same goes for… Read more »
I’m surprised that Demi’s relationship with Ashton Kutcher was only one sentence here because that, I felt, became as famous as her Vanity Fair cover
I don’t know that I would put Moore’s relationship with Kutcher on the same level as the Vanity Fair cover. That was a pop culture event. But I will admit to glossing over Kutcher. It’s a tabloid story that’s covered everywhere else. I am just not interested in that stuff.
You mentioned Whoopi Goldberg here, one of my favourite actress qhen I was a kid. Will you ever write a WTHH about her?
Wonderful article and wonderful blog 🙂
Personally I always liked Demi Moore, but she made a string of very bad choices after “Ghost”
https://lebeauleblog.com/2011/05/05/what-the-hell-happened-to-val-kilmer/#comment-7008
Oscar aside, Whoopi was always more of a personality than an actress. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a talented actress. But she is a big personality who could be hard to cast. Factor in age, race and having a unique screen persona and I imagine roles became harder to come by. However, she did successfully transition into being a TV personality on The View and other shows.
It’s hard to pinpoint where Demi went wrong. Maybe she was badly advised. Her best movies in my opinion were “About Last Night” and “Ghost.” In both movies she came off as very sweet, innocent and vulnerable. She should have stuck to those kinds of roles, instead of trying to become some feminist icon. She has had a piss poor career since 2000, with the exception of the arthouse independent “Flawless.” There’s no denying that her career was going in decline after Striptease, but I really think that her lengthy retirement after “G.I. Jane” is what hurt her career the… Read more »
Rene Russo (whom I suggested to Lebeau on his Facebook page to do a “WTHHT” on eventually) is another high profile actress (who ironically, made her breakout role in “Lethal Weapon 3” when she was almost 40) of recent times who arguably made the mistake of disappearing from films (after she made “Yours, Mine and Ours”) for 5-6 years before resurfacing in “Thor” (which was really more or less, a glorified cameo appearance as Thor’s stepmother, Frigga).
Russo is definitely a candidate. Not sure when I’ll get to her, but I will get to her eventually.
Yeah, she had a good career. I’m not aware of any juicy drama yet so I hope it doesn’t result in a dry article.
I think that’s the difference. Cage went from Oscar winner to the king of action schlock. How the hell does that happen? When I’m considering someone for WTHH, one of the things I look at is the failure to get movies released in theaters. Cage still gets a lot of theatrical releases. But he’s also had several movies released direct-to-video. That’s WTHH territory. I used to be stricter with who I would or would not write-up. Originally, I would only write-up A-list talent that was MIA. These days, I’ll do just about anyone who has had a marked rise and… Read more »
I do agree w/ the assessment that what “killed” Rene Russo’s career as a major, A-list star was in part her age. She kind of fell into the Sharon Stone (who like Rene, became a household name/major star relatively late in their lives)/Kim Basinger category of being sex symbols, who arguably hit their supposed expiration dates after reaching certain age. Obviously, the lengthy hiatus from movies hurt also. I never really thought or considered Rene Russo to be a major box office star on her own like you can easily say that Demi Moore was at her peak. It seemed… Read more »
Whatever happened to Rene Russo?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120426082121AAEa7Bg
She doesn’t act much anymore, she’s in her 50s and probably aged past the roles she was once known for – the femme fatale. There are younger actresses who can do those roles. Sad but that’s Hollywood.
Rene Russo, Where Have You Gone? http://news.moviefone.com/2009/08/07/rene-russo-where-have-you-gone/ Actors and actresses drop out of the limelight all the time, and such is the nature of Hollywood that no one ever really stops, notices, and thinks to hire them. It’s depressing and terrifying, to say the least. The reason I started worrying about Rene Russo is actually quite bizarre. It was thanks to Jennifer Aniston, who didn’t pacify my feelings on Pumas by hiring Michael Sucsy to direct her in Goree Girls. Yes, I’m a hypocrite — one minute I’m railing against her persistent lonely girl rom-coms, and the next I’m all… Read more »
Rene Russo Too Old For Thomas Crown Sequel:
http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2007/11/rene-russo-too-old-for-thomas-crown.html
Also, notice that Demi didn’t get any Razzie nominations until she did the naked pregnant magazine cover? I think that’s what made so many people want to see her fail. Prior to that, she’d been in some truly horrible movies like Wisdom and Parasite. The Razzies never nominated her for those, yet they nominated her as worst actresss for The Butcher’s Wife, The Juror and Passion of Mind — all of these are solid, great performances. The Razzies lost all credibility with me when they nominated her for those movies. I don’t think she’s a bad actress, and I’m sad… Read more »
I agree that Moore’s status as a feminist icon (rightly or wrongly) created a huge backlash against her. Prior to that, Moore was just an actress made good. But once she became “Demi” people were actively rooting for her to fail. When she became the highest paid actress in the world, a fall was unavoidable. Critics and audiences were sharpening their knived. As for the Razzies, they are fun, but like any institution they have an agenda. I love that the piled on Adam Sandler last year, but they do that partially to make headlines for themselves. Otherwise, people would… Read more »
Chick Flicks: 10 Feminist Friendly Blockbuster Movies: http://whatculture.com/film/chick-flicks-10-feminist-friendly-blockbuster-movies.php/10 2. GI Jane GI Jane is the only film on this list that overtly deals with sexism. While I love a movie where a woman doesn’t have to prove herself to men and she is respected just as well as they are, I realize that is an idealized view and real life is not like that. GI Jane tells the story of Lieutenant Jordan O’Neil, played by a bulked up Demi Moore as a woman attempting to make it in Navy SEAL training and struggling to overcome the sexism present in the… Read more »
COMMENTARY TRACKS OF THE DAMNED:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/charlies-angels-full-throttle,22286/
Crimes
Assuming Charlie’s Angels somehow justified a sequel
Trotting out the name “Helen Zaas” as the pretext for a punishing gauntlet of posterior-themed quips
Ratcheting up to headache-inducing levels everything that was obnoxious about the first film
Replacing a wasted Bill Murray with a wasted Bernie Mac
Sadistically attempting to resurrect the career of Demi Moore
I think her getting breast implants was what led to her downfall…even today and moreso then…women in general dislike other females with big fake boobs. Since most of her audience was female and she started off with a girl next door image the fake boobs and the becoming a sexual predator turned off a lot of her target demographic.
*Meant to say “becoming a sexual predator in dicslosure”
I definitely think that was a contributing factor. A lot of women – Moore’s core audience – turned on her around that time. The funny thing is, I don’t remember hearing anybody ever talk about Moore’s implants back in the day. Maybe I just wasn’t included in the Demi boob conversations or maybe people resented them secretly. I dunno. I do know that Demi Moore was a promising actress at one point. And then she became this cultural icon of feminism and blatant sexuality. And then there was a massive backlash. The fake boobs and nude magazine covers definitely contributed… Read more »
For anyone who was aware of the Mamet play “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” which “About Last Night” was based on, the movie was a little disappointing. It wasn’t nearly as dark as it should’ve been.
I wondered. I haven’t seen or read the play. But the movie didn’t feel very Mamet.
What I found hysterical about the movie is how edgy and topical it clearly thought it was about issues like “casual sex” and “living together”.
Care to shed some light on where the movie differed from the source material?
A lot of the source material is actually in the film, but the original play was not in a full-length 2 act form and had to be “fleshed out” to make a whole movie. In doing this, they also extended the relationship between the two leads from about 9 weeks to around a year long. Most significantly, in the film Danny and Debra get back together at the end, creating a “happy ending” that runs completely counter to the whole concept of the original play. While Danny is a little disgusted by his friend Bernie by the end of the… Read more »
Thanks for clarifying! I figured that “happy ending” had to be tacked on. I didn’t think there was anything happy about that reconciliation at all. Moore’s character should have never given Lowe a second look. I actually found the ending to be depressing. She’s just going to live a life of disappointment as long as she is with this chump. I didn’t realize the play was so old! But the movie smacks of the 80’s. I am sure the play was quite ahead of its time. I remember About Last Night being considered timely when it was released in ’86.… Read more »
7 years late but got to say it… I dont think women have problem with cosmetic surgeries… they made Kardashians and Jenners famous after all
I caught About Last Night on cable recently too. I’d go as far as to say she deserved an Academy Award nomination for that performance. Surprisingly enough, Ebert gave the movie 4 out of 4 stars in his review.
One title that wasn’t mentioned was “If These Walls Could Talk,” the HBO movie that she produced and acted in. I think the whole thing is on YouTube unless it’s been taken down. Really powerful, disturbing and thought-provoking, and contains her best performance.
I didn’t realize Ebert liked About Last Night… that much. I don’t fault him. It’s a tad dated, but it still holds up for the most part. I don’t know that I would give Demi an Oscar nom for her performance, but she was quite good in it. I would go so far as to say she carries the movie. After rewatching it, it’s no wonder she became a star. I have a tendency to skip over non-theatrical features. Also, I pick up the pace a little once the star has fallen from the top of the A-list. So, I… Read more »
If These Walls Could Talk is simply something you have to see. You won’t be able to get it out of your mind for days.
I’ll add that to my ever-growing list. Thanks for the recommendation.
You more or less ofrgot to mention she plays opposite John cryer in the movie No Small Affair.Which also contain a few now famous actors and actress= Tim Robbins JEnnnifeffer tilley and the fat guy from cheers I think charlie sheen was sort of a member of the brat pack.”My first line on ferris bueller was:Drugs?I thought they asked me how i wanted to get payed” Considering its charlie,thats probably closer to the truth than we realize. I also found this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xpmADbaNrE on the tube.Interview with all the stars of breakfast club excapt for Emilio Who seem to never be… Read more »
I recently saw that movie for the first time. It was much better than I expected. The whole movie is a fun ride. I was surprised how good it was, really. Demi shows a range of abilities in her performance, and yes, she cries in it. Robbins and Tilly have tiny parts as Cryer’s classmates, which is ironic because they are both several years older than Demi, who’s playing the “older woman” in this film.
Me too. And I had the same reaction. It’s a bit of a soap opera and a relic of the 80s. It’s uneven, but really enjoyable. And Moore is really good in it. The more I have seen of her lesser-known work, the more I am convinced that she can act. She just got bogged down in the image of being “Demi” and the backlash that followed that.
Demi Moore was fabulous in General Hospital. Home with a newborn at the time, I began watching of all things a soap opera and it was because of her. It seems when Moore hit the big screen, she became very full of herself. Moore lost the vulnerability in her acting style that I had admired so much. Moore also did way too much publicity, and all of it self-serving. As far as the fake boobs accusations, Moore once said that after having and breastfeeding three children, her breast size increased. Having done the same and going from a B cup… Read more »
Demi Moore is a champion crier. No one sheds tears better. I can see how that would make her a great soap star.
You have convinced me. I choose to believe they are real. And they’re spectacular.
sometimes I wish we had a “like” button here
Boy Lebeau! You really aim to please! I honestly had no idea that “likes” were an option here. That was just my way of saying I thought your joke was awesome.
That being said, the “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” may prove fun!
I do aim to please. I figured rankings could be fun, so why not?
Laughing my ass off!!!! You are too funny
She was only in her mid-30s when her career tanked. Too soon. I’m probably one of the few people who has actually seen Passion of Mind. If you’re a fan of hers, you’ll love it. In the end, at least she can say she was in one of the most successful movies of all time. People will still be watching Ghost 50 years from now.
I haven’t seen Passion of Mind. But I am on the look-out for it. I’m sure I’ll catch it eventually.
I will actually be surprised if people are still watching Ghost in 50 years. But it has had a lasting cultural impact few films have.
I have to agree about Striptease being a lousy film. It was tonally uneven. I haven’t read the book, but it is said to be good. They tried to make it funny, why? No one goes to see a movie called “Striptease” for laughs. The poster had her posing naked with a serious face. That’s misleading. I, as a fan of hers, was disappointed. It could have been a good film. It wasn’t sexy at all. The first dance she did was very, very hot, but the context of the film just ruins it. Ving Rhames is in the movie,… Read more »
I think Striptease could have worked as a comedy if it had been funny. But it’s hard to get comedy out of a desperate single mom driven to strip to take care of her daughter. That’s a national tragedy. The comedy was supposed to come from a stripper outsmarting men in power like Burt Reynolds’ character. And some of that works. But there was way too much of her idiotic hillbilly husband played by Robert Patrick. How is a stripper outsmarting a redneck funny? As you pointed out, the uneven tone sunk the movie. I blame writer/director Andrew Bergman who… Read more »
Hollywood Career Killers: 15 Movies That Helped Do Away With Major Tinseltown Players: http://styleblazer.com/141888/hollywood-career-killers-15-movies-that-helped-do-away-with-major-tinseltown-players/8/ Demi Moore’s shot at sex-symbol status drove Striptease. The 1996 satire–about an FBI accountant (Moore) turned stripper who gets involved in a child custody battle and corrupt politics—had two major problems. First, the film was supposed to be a hot vehicle for Moore, but wound up being more trashy and weird than sen-sual. Secondly, the film’s satire was undermined by a studio’s request for a more frothy comedy. This turned what was supposed to be a dark satire into a sleazy sex comedy. Even worse, Moore… Read more »
The Top 10 Career Killing Movies: http://www.zimbio.com/The+Top+10+Career+Killing+Movies/articles/BQcssfK2Pcp/8+Demi+Moore+Striptease #8: Demi Moore, ‘Striptease’ By Jake on July 23, 2009 Striptease (1996) Year of Release: 1996 Budget: $50 million Domestic Box Office: $36 million What the Critics Said: “Who told Demi Moore she can act? She can’t. End of discussion.” – Eric Brace, The Washington Post Coroner’s Report: Demi Moore had become one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood after the smash hit Ghost, earning a reported $10 million in flicks such as Indecent Proposal, A Few Good Men, and Disclosure, when she signed on to star in 1996’s Striptease. Pre-release publicity… Read more »
They Didn’t Quite Make It Big, But Made Good Nevertheless: 15 Actors Who Barely Missed The A-List: http://styleblazer.com/132765/they-didnt-quite-make-it-big-but-made-good-nevertheless-15-actors-who-barely-missed-the-a-list/5/ Michael Biehn got his first major role in 1981 in The Fan, a slasher that had him as a stalking aging starlet Lauren Bacall. The film tanked, but Biehn got a second stab at leading man with James Cameron’s 1984 film The Terminator. Biehn played Kyle Reese, a soldier from the future and the hero of the film. Despite his leading role, Biehn’s performance was overshadowed by a career defining turn from Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role. Luckily, Biehn got a… Read more »
Ah, Blame It On Rio..I actually liked this film, not sure why the critics didn’t. Of course, I’m a big Michael Caine fan, and he was absolutely great in this. Demi had a pretty insignificant part, as I remember, not much screen time at all.
I don’t think I have ever actually watched it all the way through. But her role was clearly not central.
“The original New York magazine article that coined the term was more inclusive and included the cast of The Outsiders as well.”
As I recall, EVERYONE was in The Outsiders, so I think that may be too wide of a filter to use for determining Brat Pack membership. I mean, you would then have to include people like Ralph Macchio, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze and even Leif Garrett(!)
That was the original intent of the author who coined the phrase. But over time, it came to take on a different meaning. I think most people consider the casts of Breakfast Club and St Elmo’s Fire to be the core Brat Pack.
I think Brat Pack became shorthand for the teen heartthrobs who didn’t quite make it- Lowe, Nelson, and Estevez.
Cruise and Swayze escaped because of their success- as did Charlie Sheen.
I mean- how is Sheen not a Brat Packer(?)- his brother was one and he went to high school with Lowe. He certainly partied with them.
He isn’t because he only had a cameo in Ferris- and Platoon and Wall Street made him big.
When I think Brat Pack, I’m thinking John Hughes movies. (Also including St. Elmo’s Fire which had nothing to do with Hughes but felt like a Hughes movie.) Sheen was a Brat Packer in that he hung out with that group socially. But most people in the 80s didn’t know that. They didn’t have the 24-7 tabloid culture that tracks celebrity’s movements like they do today. Not to mention social media. So people lumped together the actors they saw on screen together. The original intent of the term (“Boy, these young Hollywood punks sure do have a sense of entitlement/are… Read more »
I think the Vanity Fair cover provided a boost to her career, at first. Ultimately, it was more of a detriment. Also, choosing the implants (the massive size and showing them off) at a time when she was already established was a poor move. It deflated the boost her career had received up to that point. The fact that she lied about the implants (later admitting to having them removed) and blaming the new size on her children didn’t sit well with women.
Yeah, she created a backlash. She was annointed as this figure of female empowerment which pissed off a lot of people. But then she also made herself a sex symbol which pissed off the other half.
I think to some extent, Moore was just being herself and being heaped with praise for it. So she never anticipated that even her fans would turn on her as viciously as they did. She saw herself as a sex symbol, a feminist icon and a trend setter. And she was all of those things to some extent. What she didn’t realize is that audiences don’t like their sex symbols spouting “girl power” or their feminist icons getting boob jobs. Both sets of fans were upset for opposite reasons. Eventually, she went from appealing to everyone to appealing to no… Read more »
Also, from what I’ve gathered, Demi at the peak of her notoriety, gained a bit of a reputation for being a diva. For instance, she became known for demanding ridiculous sums of money for films, resulting in the nickname ‘Gimme’ Moore. Also, there’s an infamous story about her demanding two private jets when on a shoot. One to carry her and her entourage and the other her luggage. In one case, she threw a tantrum because the plane was too small and her luggage would have to be stacked rather than fit next to each other and refused to continue… Read more »
I forgot about “Gimme” Moore. Yeah, I remember those stories. May have to dig some up for the next update.
I do think Moore was bigger than her box office. At the time, she was arguably the biggest actress in the world. Only Julia Roberts was bigger. But I think Moore had a bigger cultural impact than even Roberts at the time.
Did she let it go to her head? Clearly.
I think that after looking further into stuff like this, Demi kind of “Debra Wingered” (I’m sure that Winger’s “self-imposed exile” was due in part to filmmakers tiring of putting up w/ her BS) herself out of the game (i.e., he didn’t simply remove herself from the spotlight to raise her kids in Idaho).
I don’t think there’s any doubt Moore’s exile was self-imposed. Even after Striptease and GI Jane, she was A-list. she could have kept plugging away and may have had another Ghost-sized hit. But I think she took some of her bad press personally.
I think that another one of Demi’s problems during her ’90s heyday was that she arguably repeatedly made the mistake of doing films with scripts that were already in bad shape (e.g. “Striptease”). Perhaps, Demi also put a bad taste in the public’s mouth by exposing too much and oversaturating herself with provocative fare like “The Scarlet Letter”, “Striptease”, “If These Walls Could Talk”, and “G.I. Jane” (and to a lesser extent, “Disclosure” and “Indecent Proposal”). Unfortunately, people more than likely weren’t flocking to theaters solely for her. In movies where she was the only well known name (when compared… Read more »
I will put that on my to-do list. Next update, I’ll include it.
Another way to look at this is that you can argue that Demi perhaps, made the mistake of relying on her looks more than actually trying to develop her acting abilities by stretching her skills. In the process, Demi often played the “butch” testosterone laden type of woman (or what others have said, she decided to make her out to be some sort of “feminist icon” for the ’90s). Maybe, there also wasn’t really a (sometimes, what would be considered “iconic”) role that Demi made “her own”. Come to think of it, the biggest hits in Demi’s career (i.e. “Ghost”,… Read more »
Moore was the star of Ghost. Neither she nor Swayze was a huge box office draw at the time, but Moore was the main draw. A Few Good Men was just a supporting role in a good movie. Even with Indecent Proposal, I think Moore was the main draw. Redford was just there to make it so audiences didn’t feel dirty going to see the film. On Disclosure, I think Moore and Douglas were on pretty equal footing. I really can’t say she rode coattails at all. Other than GI Jane, when did Moore play “butch”? Certainly not Ghost, Indecent… Read more »
Movies that destroyed careers: http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=590162 Posted – 02/13/2013 : 5:23:26 PM Demi did it to herself. Her movie “G.I. Jane” was in males’ faces with the whole “We can do what we want!” BS. I therefore, think that she ruffled a lot guys’ feathers with her attitude. But she also reinforced that role with Michael Douglas when she played his boss, who basically owned and destroyed men at will in “Disclosure” (which came before “G.I. Jane”). If your movies are designed to make a point to a group that not many people may believe or support, then I am off… Read more »
I’ve also heard the argument that “The Scarlet Letter” was way more damaging to Demi’s career than “Striptease” and/or “G.I. Jane” because it showed that Demi was really unable to do intense drama.
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?s=d09ea62a7b7b166fdb1c673112b2f0e1&p=65029401&postcount=16
Top 10: Career Killing Films: http://themediahole.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/top-10-career-killing-films.html 9) Striptease (Demi Moore) Following 1990’s Ghost, Demi Moore found herself as both the highest paid and highest sought after actresses in Hollywood, following her appearance in roles in the critically acclaimed films Indecent Proposal, A Few Good Men, and Disclosure, however Moore’s star has since taken a wane from the high days, and her role in this 1996 drama being seen as one of the major reasons for that. Striptease sees Moore as a former FBI secretary whom after losing a custody battle takes up the role as a stripper as a means… Read more »
ACTORS WHOSE CAREERS WERE KILLED WITH ONE MOVIE: http://screencrush.com/movies-that-killed-actors-careers/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_76862 14 ‘Striptease,’ Demi Moore We didn’t know it at the time, but 1996’s ‘Striptease’ was the beginning of a downturn in Demi Moore’s career that she would never recover from. The film was meant to be the perfect showcase for Moore’s star power and beauty. (She earned a them record $12.5 million payday for the role.) Instead, it was a critically reviled flop. Her following movie — 1997’s ‘G.I. Jane’ — barely broke even and Moore starred in barely seen movies until 2003’s ‘Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.’ Can you name a… Read more »
STRIPTEASE (1996) http://www.cinefilestv.blogspot.com/2014/11/striptease-1996.html Written & Directed By: Andrew Bergman Based On The Book By: Carl Hiaasen Cinematography By: Stephen Goldblatt Editor: Anne V. Coates Cast: Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds, Armand Assante, Ving Rhames, Robert Patrick, Rumer Willis, Paul Guilfoyle, Pandora Peaks, Barbara Alyn Woods, Siobhan Fallon, Jose Zuniga, Frances Fisher, Keone Young Erin Grant loses care and custody of her daughter when she’s divorced from her husband Darrell, a small-time thief. Struggling for money, she is a dancer at a nightclub, where one night Congressman Dilbeck (in disguise) attacks another member of the audience. A spectator, who recognizes Dilbeck and… Read more »
I think that at the end of the day, Demi for various reasons became “box office poison”. The people who fell in love w/ her in stuff like “Ghost” and what not ultimately turned on her. It really all started once she decided to perhaps become the “Madonna of acting” (I know that Madonna has acted too, but you know what I mean) in terms of being trying to come off as edgy and controversial. The problem was that Demi for all intents and purposes, had a knack for poorly choosing scripts (it really went downhill for her w/ “The… Read more »
I really don’t think that Michelle Pfeiffer is a fair enough of a comparison or contrast because most of the comments that I’ve read on this site regarding why Michelle landed her own WTHHT was her own self-imposed hiatus from films (from 2002-2007 if I’m not mistaken). I posted elsewhere, that maybe another factor in why Demi hasn’t been able to really maintain a truly respectable career in her older years is her much public relationship w/ Ashton Kutcher as well as her overall “cougar image” (Demi ironically, seems to be hurting herself more by not accepting that she’s getting… Read more »
I didn’t realize until this post that GI Jane only broke even. It seemed to get a lot of attention- but I guess it annoyed men into not seeing it in the theaters.
More proof to me that Moore was bigger than her movies and that publicity doesn’t always translate to success.
I saw it before it opened. I didn’t think it was bad at all. And as you said, it had a lot of buzz. But by then, a lot of people were sick of Moore. There was a huge backlash. Men who saw her as a sex symbol were tired of her feminism. Feminists who saw her as an icon were sick of her objectifying herself. Basically, she had alienated everybody by trying to be all things to all people. GI Jane was expected to be a huge hit. But it was called a turkey by the media. The truth… Read more »
I wonder if Demi kind of regretted turning down Sharon Stone’s “star making” role in “Basic Instinct” and tried to make up for that by making all of those highly sexual or provocative type of movies (one of them incidentally featured Michael Douglas):
http://styleblazer.com/100782/14-actressess-who-declined-a-leading-role-in-a-blockbuster-movie/9/