Mr. Wrong

Released 1996
Stars Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Pullman, Ellen Cleghorne, John Livingstone, Joan Cusack, Dean Stockwell
Directed by Nick Castle
 
There's a fundamental flaw in Mr. Wrong's premise. This is a romantic comedy parody, but how can you satirize something that's a comedy to begin with? If this motion picture is an example, not only can't it be done, but the result is downright ugly. Every year, there are handful of movies that aren't remotely funny, and Mr. Wrong has the dubious distinction of falling into that category. Try as it might with its sophomoric humor and dumb one-liners, this film never got so much as a chuckle out of me.

Someone must find Ellen DeGeneres appealing -- after all, she's got her own TV show and now has a starring role in a motion picture. Based on her performance in Mr. Wrong, however, it's impossible to uncover the source of her attraction. She has no discernible acting ability, no screen presence, and she's certainly not funny (at least not in this context). In fact, the best adjective to describe DeGeneres is irritating. And since she's in almost every scene of Mr. Wrong, that makes for a very long ninety-two minutes.

Summary by James Berardinelli