What the Hell Happened to Cuba Gooding Jr.?

Academy Award winner, Cuba Gooding, Jr. used to be cast in movies to give them an air of prestige.  His presence was a signal to the audience that the movie they were seeing was meant to be taken seriously, even if it was directed by Michael Bay.  But then, Gooding’s image changed.  After a string of critical drubbing and commercial disasters, Gooding went from Hollywood darling to direct-to-video pariah.

What the hell happened?

I love it when a celebrity’s humble beginnings have been preserved for posterity.  In the case of Cuba Gooding Jr., he started off as a breakdancer.  In 1984, his dance troupe performed alongside Lionel Richie at the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in LA.

That couldn’t be more 1984 if it was written by George Orwell.  Side note: I learned via VH-1’s Pop Up Videos that Richie was a terrible dancer.  His videos frequently featured him from the waist up.  Even his hit song Dancing On the Ceiling features very little dancing from Richie.  He relied heavily on back-up dancers and future Oscar winners to supply the “karamu” for his “fiesta”.

Gooding made his acting debut in 1986 on a TV show called Better Days.  He followed that with a couple of episodes of Hill Street Blues in which he played a kid in a gang.

Gooding continued paying his dues with bit parts in shows like The Bronx Zoo and Amen.  In 1988, he made his movie debut playing a kid who gets a haircut from Eddie Murphy in Coming to America.

Cuba Gooding Jr and Eddie Murphy - Coming to America - 1988
Cuba Gooding Jr and Eddie Murphy – Coming to America – 1988

The TV roles continued with a CBS Schoolbreak Special and an episode of the sitcom 227 in which Gooding played an undercover cop.

Cuba Gooding Jr. - MacGyver - 1989
Cuba Gooding Jr. – MacGyver – 1989

In 1989, Gooding appeared on an episode of the TV series MacGyver.  In his first appearance, he played a character named Ray Collins.  But later that year he played a different character named Billy Colton.  Gooding would return to the show to play Billy Colton two more times in 1990 and 1991.

Cuba Gooding Jr. - Boyz N The Hood - 1991
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Boyz N The Hood – 1991

Gooding’s big break came in 1991 when he landed the lead role in John Singleton’s directorial debut, Boyz N the Hood.

Gooding played Tre, a high school student in a bad neighborhood.  Tre was at a point in his life where he could go either way.  He had plans to go to college but he was in danger of getting dragged down by his violent surroundings.

Boyz was one of the first films to depict life in South Central LA.  It tapped into the growing rap culture in a way no previous film had.  Over time, its cultural impact has lessened thanks to the imitators Boyz spawned.  But in 1991, Boyz N the Hood was a pop culture revelation.

Twenty years later, Gooding admitted that he was still learning his craft:

You gotta remember this was early in my career.  It wasn’t about reading scripts for me. It was about picking up your sides for an audition the next day. This is embarrassing to really cop to, because I’m looking back on it now, [but] I didn’t know what stage direction was. I didn’t know what ‘EXT,’ ‘INT’ — I didn’t know that meant ‘exterior,’ ‘interior.’ I just knew my lines. I knew Tre’s lines. I knew his father Furious is mad at him, and I knew that emotion. That’s how I came to this story.

That inexperience gave Gooding and the rest of the cast a sense of liberation:

None of us knew what we were involved with.  We just knew that we had nothing to lose to put our whole body, heart and soul in these roles, and that’s exactly what we were looking to do

Boyz N the Hood was screened at Cannes.  It opened to rave reviews and was a smash at the box office.  It opened in third place behind Terminator 2 and a reissue of Disney’s 101 Dalmations, but Boyz held on to a top 10 spot for six weeks and eventually grossed over $50 million dollars on a budget of around $6 million.  Singleton became the youngest director ever to be nominated for an Academy Award.

Boyz was a triumph and Gooding was at the center of it with his leading man debut.  Much like the character he played on-screen, Gooding’s career could have gone a number of ways.  Anything was possible, but nothing was guaranteed.

Cuba Gooding Jr. - Gladiator - 1992
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Gladiator – 1992

The next year, Gooding followed up Boyz N the Hood with Gladiator.  No, not the Russell Crowe/Ridley Scott hit from 2000.  This Gladiator was a boxing movie which co-starred Brian Dennehy, Robert Loggia and James Marshall from TV’s Twin Peaks.

Marshall and Gooding played boxers who become friends.  They are manipulated into fighting each other by a promoter played by Dennehy.

Gladiator was Marshall’s only shot at being a leading man.  When the movie flopped, that was it for him.  Fortunately for Gooding, he already had Boyz N the Hood on his resume.  So he was able to walk away from Gladiator unscathed.

Cuba Gooding Jr. - A Few Good Men - 1992
Cuba Gooding Jr. – A Few Good Men – 1992

Later that year, both Gooding and Marshall appeared in Rob Reiner’s military courtroom drama, A Few Good Men.

A Few Good Men starred Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore.  The all-star cast included supporting roles by Kevin Pollak and Kevin Bacon.  Gooding’s role is minor.  He has less screentime than his Gladiator costar.  But A Few Good Men was a critical and commercial success.  Gooding’s participation could only help his career.

gooding-daybreak
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Daybreak – 1993

In 1993, Gooding starred opposite Moira Kelly in the HBO movie, Daybreak.  The movie adapted based Alan Bowne’s play Beirut.  It’s set in a dystopian future in which people who test positive for an HIV-like disease are imprisoned by an authoritarian government.  Gooding played an activist who fights for better treatment of the sick.

gooding - judgement night
Emilio Estevez and Cuba Gooding Jr. – Judgment Night – 1993

Later that year, Gooding returned to the big screen in the thriller, Judgment Night.  Emilio Estevez, Jeremy Piven, Stephen Dorff and Gooding played a group of friends who take a shortcut through a bad part of town where they end up witnessing a murder.  Dennis Leary played a drug dealer who pursues the other characters through town after they witness a murder.

At the time, Estevez was looking to break away from his Brat Pack image.  And the rest of the cast were up-and-comers.  Gooding, Piven, Dorf and Leary were all seen as tremendously promising actors.  But Judgment Night failed them all.  Critics panned the movie and audiences avoided it.  It opened in fifth place at the box office behind Malice which had been in theaters for three weeks.

M8DLIJA EC003
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Lightning Jack – 1984

In 1994, Gooding appeared opposite Paul Hogan and Beverly D’Angelo in the Western comedy, Lightning Jack.

Hogan wrote and starred as an Australian bank robber in the US.  Gooding played a mute whom Hogan takes hostage.  Eventually, Hogan and Gooding’s characters team up.  It was a long way from Boyz N the Hood, but also a sign of things to come for Gooding.

Like most of Hogan’s attempts to recapture the success of Crocodile Dundee, Lightning Jack got terrible reviews.  Roger Ebert wrote that Gooding “is willing to mug and pantomime to get his message across” and complained that the jokes were old.  While it did well in Hogan’s native Australia, it was not a hit in the US.

Cuba Gooding Jr. - Blown Away - 1994
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Blown Away – 1994

Later that year, Gooding had an uncredited cameo in the thriller, Blown Away.  The movie was directed by Stephen Hopkins who had worked with Gooding on Judgment Night.  Gooding played a member of a bomb squad that clowns around with Forest Whitaker interrupting a lecture by Jeff Bridges.

gooding - outbreak
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Outbreak – 1995

Gooding started off 1993 as part of an all-star ensemble in Wolfgang Petersen’s disaster movie, Outbreak.

Outbreak starred Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo and Morgan Freeman.  In addition to Gooding, Patrick Dempsey, Donald Sutherland and Kevin Spacey had supporting roles.  Like A Few Good Men, it was a crowded cast.  The monkey’s face appeared on the poster, but Gooding didn’t.

Outbreak opened to mixed reviews, but it was a hit at the box office.  Gooding’s role was too small for it to matter very much.

Cuba Gooding Jr. - Losing Isaiah - 1995
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Losing Isaiah – 1995

Later that month, Gooding also appeared in Losing Isaiah opposite Jessica Lange and Halle Berry.

Isaiah was a melodrama about a white family that adopts a baby who is abandoned by her black, crack-addict mother.  Halle Berry plays the crack addict, so you know she’s going to go to rehab and clean up real nice.  Like, “most beautiful woman in the world nice”.

Naturally it ends with a courtroom drama in which hot button issues of the day are dramatized.  Samuel L. Jackson plays Berry’s lawyer who I assume swears a lot because he is played by Samuel L. Jackson.

Gooding’s role was so small that I could find no reference to his character in any of the plot summaries I read.  Which is probably a good thing since Losing Isaiah got bad reviews and flopped at the box office.

Later that year, Gooding also appeared in the HBO movie, The Tuskegee Airmen which starred Lawrence Fishburn.  I mention this because he would eventually return to the same material on the big screen.

gooding - jerry maguire
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Jerry Maguire – 1995

Gooding’s promising career had stalled out since his debut in Boyz in the Hood five years earlier.  I’m sure many had written him off along with that Twin Peaks guy.  But all that changed in 1996 with Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire.

Tom Cruise starred as a sports agent with a crisis of conscience.  Gooding played his only client, a promising athlete with a chip on his shoulder and a naked desire to see “the money”.

Gooding was among the first of many to audition for the part of Rod Tidwell.  For his first read-through, Gooding had a substitute costar:

I was on my way to a press junket for an HBO movie and my agent called and said there’d be a read-through with Robin Williams today and would I want to go? I said, Sure. When I got there Cameron Crowe said, ‘You know, this isn’t a Robin Williams movie. This thing stars Tom Cruise!’

According to Crowe, there were concerns that Gooding wasn’t tall enough to convincingly play an NFL wide receiver.  But Gooding’s energy and enthusiasm won Crowe over.  When the director told Crowe that he needed him to “bring the fire” to his audition with Cruise, Gooding responded “Don’t worry about me!  I’m gonna pee all over this part!”

When Crowe told Cruise the story the next day, he was very excited to work with Gooding whom he remembered from A Few Good Men.  When they met, they read the locker room scene.  Gooding asked Crowe if he would be naked in the locker room.  When Crowe answered that he would, Gooding got into character.  According to Crowe, “Gooding snapped down his pants and stood naked. ‘Come on, let’s go,’ he said. Stunned and laughing, we watched as Gooding beckoned with his hands, as in, ‘Bring it on.'”

Given Cruise’s track record at the time, it’s no surprise the movie was a hit.  But it surpassed any reasonable expectations.  Jerry Maguire tapped into the zeitgeist and spawned catchphrases that were inescapable.  If you’re like me, you still cringe a little when you hear “You complete me” or “Show me the money”.

The movie’s success launched Rene Zellweger’s career, established Crowe as an A-list director and won Gooding an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.  His acceptance speech was one of the most memorable in the Awards’ history.  His enthusiasm was contagious.  Audiences and Hollywood were smitten.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnCMqr1QRQw]

Really?  They cut him off after 60 seconds?

gooding - as good as it gets
Cuba Gooding Jr. – As Good As It Gets – 1997

The next year, Gooding appeared in another Oscar-winning dramedy, James L. Brooks’s As Good As It Gets.

Jack Nicholson starred as an obsessive compulsive novelist who falls in love with a waitress played by Helen Hunt.  Greg Kinnear played Nicholson’s neighbor, a gay artist whom Nicholson’s character verbally abuses.  Gooding had a small role as Kinnear’s agent who turns the tables on his former A Few Good Men co-star.

Like Jerry Maguire, As Good As It Gets got positive reviews, was a hit at the box office, and won a lot of awards.  But this time, the Oscars went to Nicholson and Hunt.  Gooding’s role was practically a cameo appearance.

According to Gooding, his Oscar win messed with his head:

When I won the Oscar, I fell into that mind-set that this is a precious role. People everywhere were shouting, ‘Show me the money!’ I just didn’t want anything that could parody the fact that I was like a tagline in a movie. So when Steven Spielberg offered me Amistad, I said no; when Hotel Rwanda came along, I said no.  I was saying no to all of these things because I had in my mind the role I wanted to play.

gooding - what dreams may come

In 1998, Gooding co-starred opposite Robin Williams in the New Age drama, What Dreams May Come.

Williams played a man who died and actually passes on to the afterlife.  Gooding played his spiritual adviser on the other side.  Williams’ journeys take him through Heaven and Hell without being especially interesting.

What Dreams May Come got mixed reviews and bombed at the box office.

gooding - instinct

In 1999, Gooding starred opposite Anthony Hopkins in Jon Turteltaub’s thriller, Instinct.

Instinct was marketed as a thriller in the vein of Silence of the Lambs with Hopkins playing an anthropologist who has been living with gorillas.  Gooding played the psychiatrist tasked with figuring out why Hopkins killed some rangers in Africa.

But Instinct was no Silence of the Lambs.  It got terrible reviews and flopped at the box office.  Instinct opened in third place behind The Phantom Menace and Notting Hill which had both been playing in theaters for a couple weeks.  In subsequent weeks, word of mouth killed Instinct and it quickly dropped out of theaters.

gooding - chill factor

Later that year, Gooding co-starred with Skeet Ulrich in the action/comedy Chill Factor.

Gooding plays an ice cream delivery man who is tasked with saving the world.  The kid from Scream shows up.  Hilarity fails to ensue.

Reviews were scathing and the movie flopped at the box office.  It opened in 6th place at the box office behind the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair which had been in theaters for more than a month.  If you’re an Oscar-winning actor slumming in a buddy action-comedy, you can’t afford to have that movie tank.  Not only did Gooding sacrifice his prestige-factor, Chill Factor demonstrated that he was not a box office draw.

berenger - murder of crows
Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tom Berenger – A Murder of Crows – 1999

Gooding used some of his Oscar clout to produce and star in the thriller, A Murder of Crows opposite Tom Berenger.  That film marked the start of Gooding’s direct-to-video career.

Gooding played a lawyer who retires to Key West where he meets an old man who has written a book.  When the old man (who is very clearly a young man in old man make-up) dies, Gooding’s character passes the book off as his own.  When the book becomes a bestseller, Gooding is arrested by Berenger because the book contains details of murders that were not released to the public.

MSDNADI EC003
Cuba Gooding Jr – Men of Honor – 2000

In 2000, Gooding returrned to the big screen opposite Robert DeNiro in the military drama, Men of Honor.

Gooding played Navy sailor, Carl Brashear who overcame institutional racism to become the first African American U.S. Navy Master Diver.  De Niro played the racist Master Chief who trains and gradually comes to respect Gooding.  De Niro’s character was based on a composite of several real life people.  Charlize Theron also has a supporting role.

Reviews were mixed.  Critics agreed that the movie was old-fashioned, but were split on whether or not that was a good thing.  Audiences were tepid despite the pairing of two Oscar-winning actors in the lead roles.  Men of Honor opened in third place at the box office behind the Adam Sandler comedy, Little Nicky.

gooding - pearl harbor
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Pearl Harbor – 2001

In 2001, Gooding had a small role in another military-themed drama.  This time, it was Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor was a blatant attempt to recreate the success of Titanic.  It featured a doomed romance set against a historical backdrop.  But with all the explosions and patriotic jingoism one expects from auteur, Michael Bay.

Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett starred as two childhood friends who become become Army Air Corps pilots during World War II.  They meet and fall for a nurse played by Kate Beckinsale.  The cast included several talented actors in supporting roles including Alec Baldwin, Jon Voight, Michael Shannon, Dan Aykroyd, William Fichtner.  Gooding appeared briefly as Petty Officer Doris Miller, the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross.

Expectations for Pearl Harbor were through the roof.  Bay was coming off back-to-back hits with The Rock and Armageddon.  Affleck was still a hot property based on Goodwill Hunting and Amageddon.  Beckinsale and Hartnett were rising stars.  Disney was confident that the Titanic formula could be replicated to create a massive summer hit.  If it had worked, all three of the movie’s leads would have become bankable movie stars.  Instead, the movie became a punchline.

Despite grossing nearly $450 million dollars worldwide, Pearl Harbor was viewed as a disappointment.  It contributed to Affleck’s career implosion and Hartnett became so overexposed he went into semi-retirement.  For Gooding, the stakes weren’t as high.  His part was small enough that he wouldn’t have been credited with Pearl Harbor‘s success and he wasn’t blamed for its failure.  But 2001 was another year without a big hit or a starring role.

gooding - rat race
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Rat Race – 2001

Later that year, Gooding appeared as part of the “star-studded” ensemble in the kooky comedy, Rat Race.

Rat Race aspired to be an update on It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.  But it turned out to be closer to Cannonball Run.  The plot had mostly C-list celebrities racing to win a cash prize.   Breckin Meyer was among the bigger names in the cast which also included Seth Green, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Lovitz, Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, and Wayne Knight.

Despite being a broad comedy (and not a very funny one at that) Rat Race has the distinction of being the first movie ever to feature two African-American Oscar winners in Gooding and Goldberg.  Kathy Bates also appears in the movie bringing the Oscar count up to three.

Critics were ambivalent.  Reviewed were mixed leaning towards negative with most critics kind of shrugging Rat Race off as harmless.  It opened in third place at the box office behind Rush Hour 2 which had been in theaters for three weeks.  Ultimately, it grossed around $85 million worldwide on a $48 million dollar budget.

gooding snow dogs
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Snow Dogs – 2002

In 2002, Gooding starred in the Disney comedy, Snow Dogs.

Gooding played a Florida dentist who inherits a team of snow dogs.  In short, it couldn’t be farther from Oscar territory.  Actually it could as we will see soon.  But at the time, it was surprising to see Gooding slumming it in a high concept Disney dog movie.

Reviews were negative, but Snow Dogs was a modest success.  People love dogs.

gooding - boat trip

In 2003, Gooding hit what had to be rock bottom with the supposed comedy, Boat Trip.

Gooding and SNL fat guy Horatio Sanz play a couple of buddies who discover to their horror that they have booked a vacation on a gay cruise.  It’s a reprehensible premise which was poorly executed.  Critics savaged Boat Trip and the movie bombed at the box office.

Audiences officially began asking, “What the hell happened?”

gooding - fighting temptations

After Boat Trip, there is nowhere to go but up.  So starring opposite Beyoncé Knowles in The Fighting Temptations was definitely a step up.

The film got mixed reviews and disappointed at the box office – especially given Knowles’ popularity.  But at least it wasn’t Boat Trip.

gooding - radio

Gooding ended the year with the drama, Radio, in which he played a mentally challenged young man who befriends a football coach played by Ed Harris.

When A-list actors take on roles like this, there are two ways it can go.  One, they can be heaped with praise and often awards for their brave performance.  Two, everyone cringes.  Radio was one of those movies where everyone cringed.

Radio got mostly negative reviews and disappointed at the box office.  If it was intended to get Gooding back in Oscar’s good graces, it failed.  But Gooding was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for all three of his films in 2003.

After Radio, Gooding plunged into the abyss of direct-to-video releases.  In 2004, he did voice work on Disney’s Home on the Range.  That film’s failure caused Disney to shutter their feature animation division for years.  Gooding came to specialize in gritty dramas like Dirty, Shadowboxer and End Game.

In 2006, Gooding reflected on the decade since his Oscar win:

The last two years has been really back to basics for me and my career. Winning the Oscar ten years ago and putting myself on such a high pedestal and saying, “I can only do work of this pedigree,” I lost out on a lot of great opportunities and alienated a lot of filmmakers, and in the process, realized that it’s just about work. You just gotta work. Work, work, work. My advice to all these new Academy Award winners: just don’t pass on anything…  You know, at one point, for a year, I went without an agent. I fired everybody and was sitting at home just going, “I’ll just chill.” And you can’t.

gooding - norbit

In 2007, Gooding had something of a comeback on the big screen.  He started the year with a supporting role in Eddie Murphy’s comedy, Norbit.

Norbit played a skinny nerd and his outrageously fat and disgusting fiance.  The movie was reviled by critics and many believe it cost Murphy his Oscar for Dreamgirls.  In spite of that, Norbit was a hit at the box office.

gooding - daddy day camp

Later that year, Gooding starred in Daddy Day Camp, the sequel to Murphy’s family comedy, Daddy Day Care.

Daddy Day Care was a surprise hit for Murphy in 2003.  But when Murphy (who is not known for refusing to make sequels) refused to make a sequel, Oscar-winner Gooding (who is not known for refusing to make anything) stepped in.

Daddy Day Camp was even more critically reviled than the original (which was not well-liked by critics).  Unlike the first film, the sequel failed at the box office.

Daddy Day Camp and Norbit won Gooding his second Golden Raspberry Nomination.

For the next several years, Gooding was stuck in direct-to-video movies.

I passed on all these great directors and wound up offending a bunch of them, and what happened was I went off the list of, ‘Greenlight if you have this actor in the role.’ I went into the wasteland.

But Gooding made the most of that experience:

I think it was God’s will that I took eight to 10 years to go and do direct-to-video trash. Producers would come to me and say, ‘We have the foreign financing in place for anywhere from $5 million to $10 million, whatever you want to do.’ So I met with writers, I developed the script, we’d shoot it, and then I’d edit it and direct it. I learned more about the filmmaking process in those 10 years and it made me 10 times better as an actor, but unfortunately people had to sit through those movies.

gooding - american gangster

Gooding ended 2007 with a small role in Ridley Scott’s crime drama, American GangsterAmerican Gangster starred Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.  The reviews were mostly positive and the movie was a hit.  But once again, Gooding’s role was very small.

It might seem like a part like this was beneath an Oscar-winner like Gooding.  But American Gangster was the start of a new approach to his career that would end up paying dividends in the long run:

Now I consider the director—I don’t care what the role is.  When Ridley Scott called, my agent said, ‘Here’s an offer; they want you to play Nicky Barnes.’ And I go: ‘I don’t have to read it. I’m in.’ And then my agent’s like: ‘Oh, we’ll take a day. We’ll read it.’ And I go: ‘No, no, no. Ridley Scott called. I’m in.’

For a while, Gooding continued in a stream of direct-to-video movies that would make Val Kilmer choke.  The two even starred together in 2009’s Hardwired.  Gooding made two direct-to-video films with Christian Slater; Lies & Illusions in 2009 and Sacrifice in 2011.

gooding - red tails

In 2012, Gooding returned to the big screen for George Lucas’ take on the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails.  Gooding had already appeared in the HBO version of the story years earlier.  But this time he was the star and it was a theatrical release.

Reviews for Red Tails were mostly negative.  After spending years in production, Red Tails was a disappointment at the box office.

gooding - the butler

In 2013, Gooding had a bit of a resurgence at the box office.  First, he had a supporting role opposite Forrest Whitaker in Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

The movie is loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen, a long-time White House butler who witnessed many historical events during his employment.  Allen was played by Whitaker.  Gooding played the head butler who befriends Allen.

Reviews were mostly positive and The Butler was a box office hit.

gooding - machete kills

Later that year, Gooding made a cameo appearance in Robert Rodriguez’s exploitation satire, Machete Kills.  The movie is loaded with stunt casting like Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen and Lady Gaga.

Unlike the first film, Machete Kills received negative reviews and flopped at the box office.

In 2014, Gooding made an awkward appearance at the NHL Awards that had viewers wondering what he was on.

So, what the hell happened?

Let’s face it, roles like Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire don’t come along very often.  Gooding was exceptionally lucky to get cast in movies like Boyz N the Hood and Jerry Maguire to begin with.  Even an Oscar winner can’t expect to keep scoring those kind of parts.

When those kinds of roles didn’t materialize, Gooding went for “the money” (sorry, couldn’t resist) in the most low brow comedies imaginable.  Which was a bit of a strange career decision because he was not known as a comedic actor.

Gooding cashed a few fat paychecks at the expense of his Oscar prestige.  Eventually, he settled for the regular paycheck of steady work in direct-to-video releases.

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Johnny88
11 years ago

Plenty of people who may have a WTHH on their own here

Robin Williams
Whoopi Goldberg
Renee Zellweger
Angela Bassett

😀

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  Johnny88

10 actors who could use a Quentin Tarantino-steered comeback: http://www.hitfix.com/galleries/overlay/10-actors-who-could-use-a-quentin-tarantino-steered-comeback#2 Angela Bassett Though she’s worked steadily since her Oscar-nominated performance as Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” it’s hard to escape the feeling that Angela Bassett is one of the most under-appreciated actresses in Hollywood. Since her big breakthrough, she’s appeared in a succession of films that have her playing second-banana roles unworthy of her talents, from lame sci-fi flicks (“Supernova”) to treacly inspirational dramas (“Music of the Heart”) to head-slappingly awful superhero movies (“Green Lantern”). What she needs is a top-tier director… Read more »

seandaniel1966
11 years ago

I have only seen two of Goodiings’ films: As Good as It Gets and Jerry McGuire. The man has some serious talent, and it is odd that he wound up on your list. To go from the upper atmosphere of big budget Oscar films to direct-to-video is just weird!

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I will check it out….BTW…Gooding is like a black version of Val Kilmer….and you really didn’t explain how he went from Oscar material to low-brow stuff. There’s got to be more to it, right?

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I guess we all do what is best for us. I just bought an antique pick-up truck because I couldn’t say no to a good deal….kind of puts things into perspective.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  seandaniel1966

One has to wonder if Cuba was just so happy to receive a lot of offers after the Oscar that he loaded up on crap jobs?

Odinsatanas
Odinsatanas
3 years ago

Why are there so many comments like this haha..? Do you comment before reading it..? Where it elaborates at length on EXACTLY that, his mindset, motivations and hubris for doing exactly that?

daffystardust
Editor
11 years ago

2 more takeaways from that awesome Oscar speech video: -what was Dennis Rodman doing at the Oscars ceremony? -good for Steve Martin for helping to kick-start the standing O It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is one of my Dad’s favorite movies ever and I really enjoy some of it. The wide screen photography is beautiful, the stunt casting is delicious, and Phil Silvers is pure genius in it. It is, however, bloated, too long, and its supposed climax is not very funny. So anytime it looks like they’re trying to recapture the magic that did exist in IAMMMMW,… Read more »

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I remember watching Rat Race with my nieces. They loved it- I loved IAMMMMW- but not the redo. Ironically they also loved Snow Dogs- theses girls are well into college now and probably have a weird perspective on Cuba Gooding’s career- I wonder if they’ve seen Boyz in the Hood? Sadly- Cuba’s career illustrates the problems with being a black actor in Hollywood. Samuel L Jackson/Morgan Freedman can pick and choose- but the others have to consider how many criminals or clowns they want to play. Playing a Tuskeegee airman TWICE is also a good indicator that there are only… Read more »

Amy Jl
Amy Jl
5 years ago
Reply to  daffystardust

Rodman was at the Oscars of course because of his mind blowing film debut “Double Team”, that movie is life changing.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Somebody made an interesting comment that Josh Hartnett at the peak of his popularity was the Channing Tatum (both have been accused of not really being the most versatile of actors) about 10 years ago:
http://officialfan.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=offtopic&action=display&thread=466473&page=1

Stoich
11 years ago

It seems I have not seen a single flick with this Gooding guys. But from the article it seems he starred in exactly two flicks that got good reviews and made money.

tbob1
11 years ago

Ah, good ole Cuba Gooding. I’m afraid I will have to disagree with most of you on this one. WTH happened to him is that he just was never very good to begin with. I think he got lucky landing a couple sweet roles; three to be precise: Boyz, McGuire, and Men of Honor. He was decent in all three but it’s because he didn’t have to carry the movie. He played second fiddle to better actors who helped his performance shine a bit brighter. Now actually I kind of like the guy. I saw his Academy acceptance speech and… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

ESPN Fantasy Guru Matthew Berry: Paul Hogan Of ‘Crocodile Dundee’ Fame Is A ‘Terrible Human Being’: http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/08/today-i-learned-that-paul-hogan-of-crocodile-dundee-fame-is-a-terrible-human-being/ If you listen to Paul Scheer (NTSF:SD:SUV, The League), June Diane Raphael (NTSF:SD:SUV) and Jason Mantzoukas’ (The League) podcast, “How Did This Get Made?” and you haven’t heard this week’s episode on Crocodile Dundee II, then I encourage you to skip the rest of this post and listen to the podcast. If you don’t listen to the podcast, I encourage you to do so as quickly as possible, and perhaps this anecdote will inspire you to subscribe. It involves Matthew Berry, who many… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  tbob1

Cuba’s performance in “Radio” may have been the direct inspiration for the “full retard” scene in “Tropic Thunder”:
http://www.hitfix.com/galleries/overlay/the-10-worst-biopics-of-all-time/2

Amy J
Amy J
5 years ago
Reply to  tbob1

So you disagree with Gooding’s own words & factual historical documentation. Look goading was never a fantastic actor, most big name or rising stars are not. I still stack my brain as to how Keanu Reeves head such a relatively long & successful career when, more surprisingly, that he was cast at all, ever, he is usually as interesting as drying paint. Not to mention Elizabeth Taylor who is not a great actrewas, and yet she had yet she had a prolific career. To Gooding’s own admission, as documented here, he intentionally turned down great roles bc he was convicted… Read more »

umi
umi
11 years ago

I almost spat coffee at my computer laughing at your quote:

“After that, Gooding made a stream of direct-to-video movies that would make Val Kilmer choke..”

Le Beau you are hilarious with these posts!

Rolland
Rolland
11 years ago

Hey Lebeau, just a teensy correction… Outbreak was released in 1995, not 1993.. I remember seeing the trailers back then.

asiandude
11 years ago

I freaking love Jerry Maguire – dont even know why, all my friends tease me about that – it had me at hello! But tbh, I love Regina King more than Cuba in that movie. She decided to choose the TV route, which is both good (she still has a good career and gets positive reviews from critics plus audiences still care) and bad (it is again a reflection of racism in Hollywood and a proof that such a funny & talented woman like her doesn’t get enough material). A big reason for black or Asian or Hispanic actors/actresses in… Read more »

Anthony
Anthony
11 years ago
Reply to  asiandude

Boyz in the Hood has to be a top ten movie of the past quarter century. Gooding was fantastic in it – even if he has chosen a career arc that appears more in line with Eddie Murphy than Denzel Washington.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

FRC’s Fallen Icon #6 – Cuba Gooding Jr.: http://www.frontroomcinema.com/frcs-fallen-icon-6-cuba-gooding-jr/ After Jerry Maguire, it looked as though Cuba would be joining the ranks of acclaimed stars such as Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson and Kevin Spacey. He made a smart move in selecting As Good As it Gets as his lead off from Maguire, sadly though that would be his only smart career decision for the remainder of the decade. What followed was a seemingly endless pile of flop after flop to close out the decade. What Dreams May Come would be the closest he would come to showcasing his talent and… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

25 A-List Hollywood Actors Who Fell the F Off: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/02/25-a-list-hollywood-actors-who-fell-the-f-off/cuba-gooding-jr Cuba Gooding Jr. Best Known For: Jerry Maguire (1996), As Good as it Gets (1997) Most Recent Project: One in the Chamber (2012) Cuba Gooding Jr.’s career looked to be on the up-and-up after his turn as “Show me the money!” football star Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire. Boy, everyone couldn’t have been more wrong. His choice of roles between the bright spots of 1997’s As Good as it Gets and 2007’s American Gangster are as bad as they come. It’s a resume of pain and shame: dancing in heaven… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Is it a safe comparison to say that Cuba Gooding, Jr. is kind of the “black Nicolas Cage”. Both kind of have reputations (for better or for worse) for sometimes being hammy actors. And after they one their respective Oscars, it seemed like, they no longer had much of an incentive to prove how “talented” they are and decided to go after the big paydays (although w/ Cage, he at least has the whole “I’m in debt!” excuse) regardless of quality.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

9 of the worst Oscar winners ever: http://guyism.com/entertainment/movies/worst-oscar-winners-ever.html#6-5-cuba-gooding-jr Somewhere in the universe, at a mall or maybe a boat show or maybe at the line outside of a food pantry on Santa Monica Boulevard, Cuba Gooding, Jr. is wearily shouting “Show me the money!” for mild, half-embarrassed applause from people who just sort of wish he would go away. And then later, he’ll swing by his agent’s office where his agent will be hiding underneath his desk with the lights off and Cuba will mournfully cry “C’mon man, show me the money” before trudging home, muttering “Show me the money,… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

The Cinefiles — Favorite and Least Favorite Oscar Movies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cbGjMQiX9A

At one point, the hosts argue that William H. Macy really should’ve won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year (for “Fargo”), not Cuba.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

The Oscar Curse: How Winning an Academy Award Has Often Become the Kiss of Death:
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/oscar-curse-winning-academy-award-often-become-kiss-20110225-104200-262.html

Cuba Gooding, Jr. somehow managed to beat out William H. Macy in “Fargo” and Edward Norton in “Primal Fear” to win Best Supporting Actor for “Jerry Maguire.” Both Macy and Norton have since appeared in a number of major films in which they gave memorable performances. Gooding has managed to land roles in movies with both high and low profiles, but has so failed to deliver on the promise inherent in the very act of winning an Oscar.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

5 Oscar Blessings and 5 Oscar Curses: http://whatculture.com/film/5-oscar-blessings-and-5-oscar-curses.php/3 3. CURSE: Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Gooding Jr. was building a strong career as an up and coming star in Hollywood in 1997 when he gave an exuberant acceptance speech for his equally exuberant work in ‘Jerry Maguire’. However, after a few box office misses (‘Men Of Honor’, ‘Pearl Harbor’, ‘Rat Race’) Cuba’s energy level crashed low when he started churning out stinker after stinker (‘Chill Factor, ‘Snow Dogs’, ‘Boat Trip’, ‘Daddy Day Camp’). The gold on his Best Supporting Actor statuette is still probably shimmering, but his career has been tarnished… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

10 Actors Whose Careers Went Downhill After They Won Oscars: http://whatculture.com/film/10-actors-whose-careers-went-downhill-after-they-won-oscars.php/6 6. Cuba Gooding Jr. When you hear the words “Cuba Gooding Jr.” nowadays, is your reaction something along the lines of: “Oh, yeah… I forgot that he existed”? That’s how I feel whenever I hear this young man’s name (he’ll always be a young man to me,), given that he seems to have been relegated to the pits of obscurity in the wake of his Jerry Maguire-based Oscar win, with roles in movies you’ve never even heard of, like Shadowboxer and, uh, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. For… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Five Actors Who Define the Oscar Curse: http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2009/02/five-actors-who/ 1. Cuba Gooding Jr. This guy is as synonymous with the Oscar Curse as Martin Scorsese is with eyebrows. He was a rising star with great performances in Boyz in the Hood, Outbreak, Judgment Night, and A Few Good Men, and then came his coronation: A supporting actor Oscar for his role as Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire. Cuba’s “Show me the money” catch phrase swept the country and became a part of the popular culture. But after a lively and memorable acceptance speech, something happened. Boat Trip was the first in… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

The Oscar Curse: Big win doesn’t guarantee continuing success:
http://www.toledoblade.com/Movies/2013/02/24/The-Oscar-Curse.html

Five years after Cuba Gooding, Jr., won Best Supporting Actor as the brash NFL wide receiver with the loud catchphrase “Show me the money!” in Jerry Maguire, his career literally went to the dogs with 2002’s Snow Dogs. By 2007 he made Norbit and Daddy Day Care, and has since starred in a string of direct-to-DVD films including Lies & Illusions, The Devil’s Tomb, and Ticking Clock, along with the occasional panned feature film such as 2012’s Red Tails.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

10 Victims of the Oscar Curse & Oscar Jinx: http://www.onlygoodmovies.com/good/movies/10-victims-of-the-oscar-curse-oscar-jinx/ Victim’s Name: Cuba Gooding Jr. Won For: Jerry Maguire (1996) Why They’re Jinxed: “Show me the money,” had become a popular catchphrase across the country, and Best Supporting Actor winner Cuba Gooding Jr. appeared poised on the verge of super-stardom. Enter the dreaded Oscar jinx. Dark career clouds began to roll in when Gooding Jr. appeared opposite Anthony Hopkins in Instinct, a film whose marketing campaign made it out to be Silence of the Lambs…but with apes. That was a misrepresentation, of course, and audiences were not pleased. After that,… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

HOT GALLERY: 10 Stars Who Fell Victim to the Oscar Curse: http://www.snakkle.com/galleries/before-they-were-famous-stars-photo-gallery-10-stars-who-fell-victim-to-the-oscar-curse-then-and-now/cuba-gooding-jr-jerry-maguire-1997-movie-red-carpet-bafta-2012-photo-split/ Cuba Gooding Jr.—Today Oh, Cuba. How we loved your exuberant joy the night you won your Oscar. If only you or your agents had kept up those positive feelings with some positive follow-up roles. Cuba’s post-Oscar career made like Tom Cruise leaping onto a couch—both were poorly thought-out and filled with negative repercussions. He was overly earnest in What Dreams May Come—then again, who wouldn’t be while playing an angel to Robin Williams? Then there was Boat Trip, Snow Dogs, Daddy Day Camp, and Norbit. Show us the… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Top 10 Post-Oscar Busts: http://entertainment.time.com/2012/02/27/top-10-post-oscar-busts/slide/cuba-gooding-jr/ His turn as cocky but lovable football player Rod Tidwell in 1996′s Jerry Maguire earned Gooding a Best Supporting Actor trophy. His gushing speech — in which he shouted, “I love you! I love you all!” while leaping around the stage — won him a standing ovation from his peers. But almost none of the dozens of movies he has made since have proved worthy. (Snow Dogs? Daddy Day Camp?? Boat Trip??? Red Tails????) He’s become such a pop culture joke that even 30 Rock felt comfortable enough to take a recent dig at him… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

7 Actors Whose Film Careers Went Downhill After Winning An Oscar: http://whatculture.com/film/7-actors-whose-film-careers-went-downhill-winning-oscar.php/7 Cuba Gooding Jr. Oscar Win: Best Supporting Actor, Jerry Maguire, 1997 It cannot be understated just how big of a hit Jerry Maguire was when it first came out. While Tom Cruise was at the height of his powers in the mid-90s, Cuba Gooding Jr.’s performance as Rod Tidwell is largely the reason why the film’s still memorable. “Show me the money” became such a ubiquitous catchphrase that it basically wore out its welcome by the end of the decade. Cuba Gooding had built up a solid, albeit… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Re: People vs OJ Simpson Ep. 3 – 2/16/16 Watch Thread http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php/993510-People-vs-OJ-Simpson-Ep-3-2-16-16-Watch-Thread?p=25422127&viewfull=1#post25422127 Quote Originally Posted by redmoney Cuba career is over because he cannot carry film, he lacks star power and is a drunk. Cuba is a drunk? I didn’t know that. I always thought the biggest detriment to his career was his poor selection in film roles. He has been in some truly awful films. The worst project I think I saw him in was “Boat Trip.” I actually wanted to send him from my limited funds after I saw it because I thought he had to be in… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

10 Worst Actors To Ever Win An Oscar: http://whatculture.com/film/10-worst-actors-to-ever-win-an-oscar.php/10 1. Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Gooding Jr’s Best Supporting Actor win over the likes of James Woods, Edward Norton, and William H. Macy – the latter of whom it is especially evident he robbed – remains the test case for an actor rising to fame so quickly and then plummeting into the cinematic abyss. After a number of decent supporting turns in not-awful films, Cuba got a major boost when he starred in Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire, and the phrase “Show me the money!” swiftly entered into the pop-culture lexicon at… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Oscar Curse: 15 Actors Whose Careers Went Downhill After Winning http://screenrant.com/oscar-curse-actors-whose-careers-went-downhill-after-winning-academy-awards/ CUBA GOODING, JR. Cuba Gooding, Jr. came into Jerry Maguire with some real heat. He’d appeared in the critical and commercial hits Boyz N the Hood and A Few Good Men, but his role as football star Rod Tidwell was his real breakthrough. From the moment he yelled, “Show me the money!” he was a star. When he accepted his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, his exuberant speech won America’s hearts. Like many performers, Gooding tried to parlay a win in the supporting categories into leading roles. Unfortunately, he either… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Cuba Gooding, Jr., The King of Redbox — A Study in Movie Posters: http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/cuba-gooding-jr-the-king-of-redbox-a-study-in-movie-posters.php Standing in line at the grocery store yesterday (following proper grocery story etiquette), I noticed among the Redbox selections was a movie called Ticking Clock, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. And I thought, “That’s where he’s been!” But when I returned home and checked iMDB, I learned that Ticking Clock was only a tiny fraction of the truth. In fact, Cuba Gooding, Jr. is probably one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood right now. The difference between Gooding and Nic Cage, however, is that, while Cage… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

When Star Power Becomes Too Much: 15 Celebrities Who Should Take A Break:
http://styleblazer.com/128284/when-star-power-becomes-too-much-15-celebrities-who-should-take-a-break/12/

Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Oscar win in 1996 for Jerry Maguire yielded the actor his pick of Hollywood’s best projects. What better response to have than saying yes to everything you’re offered? The actor has appeared in over forty films since then. This prolific period didn’t really kick off until 2007 when he appeared in an impressive total of five films. His batting average has continued since then, hurtling his career into the C-list and greatly detracting from the occasional big screen efforts like Red Tails.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

10 Formally Respected Actors Who Have Probably Gone Insane: http://whatculture.com/film/10-formally-respected-actors-who-have-probably-gone-insane.php/8 3. Cuba Gooding, Jr. In the mid-90′s, this guy was on top of the world following his breakout performance in Boyz n the Hood, a supporting role in A Few Good Men, and then an award-winning performance as Rod in Jerry Maguire. If you thought Adrien Brody was hit badly by the “Oscar Curse”, he’s got nothing on Cuba; following another supporting performance in As Good as It Gets, he has consistently churned out average performances in terrible movies of which there are literally too many to list here, but… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

COMMENTARY TRACKS OF THE DAMNED: http://www.avclub.com/articles/shadowboxer-has-little-shadowboxing-but-plenty-of,84230/ Crimes: Making a film so preposterous that the casting of baby-faced Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who looks to be about 12 years old) as a doctor and Mo’Nique as his lover/nurse (who is named Precious, strangely enough, the title of the Lee Daniels film that won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress four years later) qualifies as the 13th least-plausible element, just ahead of the equally surreal casting of Helen Mirren as a lover/mother surrogate to traumatized hitman Cuba Gooding Jr. Achieving the pretension of a David Lynch film, the ambition of a Pedro… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Once They Were Stars, Now They’re All Too Easy Targets:15 Celebrities Whose Careers Have Become Punchlines: http://styleblazer.com/132100/once-they-were-stars-now-theyre-all-too-easy-targets15-celebrities-whose-careers-have-become-punchlines/14/ Cuba Gooding Jr.’s performance in Jerry Maguire won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1996. The actor was among Hollywood’s biggest A-listers for a stint but a series of box office flops and bad career choice (see Boat Trip, Snow Dogs, or Norbit) led him down the drain of direct-to-video movies. Though the actor has managed to score a few substantial theatrical parts since his decline (in films like Red Tails or American Gangster), the actor has become a punchline… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

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/2/ Cuba Gooding Jr’s career has been on the direct-to-video skids for years now. Looking back, he has no one to blame but himself. Well, actually, he can also blame Boat Trip. The 2002 comedy co-starred Horatio Sanz and chronicled the plight of two buddies attempting to restart their love life with a singles’ cruise. Of course, things don’t go as planned and they’re placed on a homosexual-themed boat ride instead. What follows from there is a sustained, 94 minute gay joke as a Gooding and Sanz’s… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

25 Movies That Killed Careers: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/09/25-movies-that-killed-careers/boat-trip Boat Trip (2003) The casualty: actor Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Gooding Jr.’s resume is rather deceiving. Following his Academy Award-winning performance in the 1996 smash Jerry Maguire, the actor has appeared in over 30 movies, which would lead one to believe that his career is alive and well. And it is, if by “alive and well” you mean “relegated to either small, co-starring parts, dismissible family films, of straight-to-DVD junk.” The credit for Gooding’s downward spiral, post-Maguire, goes to Boat Trip, an excruciating embarrassment of a film that makes Snow Dogs look like Old… Read more »

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