Netflix has set itself up to be one of the biggest juggernauts of the streaming space, with a high number of incredible original films and series that it has released over the years.
However, part of what has made Netflix so successful is its tendency to focus on a high quantity of original movies, and with such a high number of films being made, a select few were always going to be on the lower side of quality.
Netflix’s massive success makes their mistakes and misfires that much more egregious, making them easy targets when they release some of the worst films in recent memory.
Image via Federico Napoli
In terms of seeing exactly which of Netflix’s many misfires is considered the worst by modern film fans, there’s frankly no better outlet than the Letterboxd community.
Just as Netflix revolutionized and changed the game of movies and television through its implementation of the internet, Letterboxd changed the game of modern discussion and dialogue about films through the internet.
As the defacto modern community and hub for film fans talking about modern movies,it makes for the perfect match to see exactly which Netflix films are failing to meet the bar of quality the most.
Image via Netflix
20’Brazen' (2022)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.66/5
A barebones murder mystery film that is easily one of theworst thrillers of the 2020sso far,Brazenis about as generic and formulaic as it gets when it comes to its procedural murder mystery.
The film follows mystery writer Grace Miller (Alyssa Milano), who despite being famous for writing murder mystery novels, faces difficulties when she suddenly finds herself at the center of a real-life murder mystery.
Grace’s sister ends up being murdered, and the uncovering of her mysterious past as an online dominatrix ends up enticing Grace to delve deeper into the culprit behind the murder.
As a thriller,Brazensystematically fails due to having minimal stakes anda deeply uninteresting execution that fails to even come close to engaging an audience with its twist and mysteries.
Combined with an array of painfully obvious red herrings and a comically uninformed interpretation of webcam sex culture, the film more often than not becomes a comical caricature of itself than an actual thriller to take seriously.
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19’Dangerous Liaisons' (2022)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.65/5
Dangerous Liaisonswas a monumental literary work that has been adapted and evolved into film and television a multitude of times, yet this French, social-media-focused heartthrob approach actively spits in the face of the original masterpiece.
Image via Netflix
The film follows innocent young Celene, who ends up fostering an unexpected crush with the new surfer bro who has just arrived at her school, Tristan.
However, Celene is none the wiser for the fact that she is the subject of a bet between Tristan and a massive Instagram influencer named Vanessa.
Any modern-day romantic comedy that’s attempting to adaptDangerous Liaisonsimmediately draws comparisons to the various other adaptations, most notably the 90s classicCruel Intentions.
With these comparisons in mind,it’s immediately apparent that this modern take on the story completely downplays the character elements and nuance of the story,only worried about having attractive young actors in a flurry of social media-centric drama.
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18’Mother of the Bride' (2024)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.64/5
WhileMother of the Bridepresents itself as yet another by-the-numbersromantic comedy by Netflix, going slightly beyond the surface level of its premise creates deeply uncomfortable and unnerving implications.
The film sees a duo of families coming together for an unexpected wedding in Thailand, yet drama quickly ensues when the mother of the bride and the father of the groom reveal that they had previously dated decades ago.
Image via Netflix
Despite initially hesitant, the undeniable sparks of their connection begin to soar once again, putting their children’s wedding in peril.
Even outside the film’s blatant overuse of cliches and tropes to create an underwhelming rom-com experience,the very essence and conceit of this film make it a sour and unenjoyable watch for Letterboxd users.
It’s clear from the get-go that these former lovers will connect and fall in love by the end, something that while cute at first, proves to be unintentionally confusing when it means that their soon-to-be married children are now step-siblings with one another.
It’s an inevitable thought that instantly comes to mind when viewing the film and largely makes any slight positives the film may carry null and void.
17’Noise' (2023)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.63/5
One of the lowest-rated and largely maligned dramas to be released on the platform,Noiseis a Belgian relationship drama that follows the story of Matt, an influencer and young parent to his newborn son, Julius.
However, dark secrets involving the past of Matt’s father begin to reveal themselves, exciting him to investigate the drama and secrets his family has kept away from him for so long.
As his wife becomes increasingly concerned with Matt’s research, the journey threatens to tear apart the new life Matt has built for himself.
It’s rare for this jot down of slow, somber drama to be the target of such malign and low ratings on online communities like Letterboxd, which makes it all the more interesting thatNoiseis rated so lowly.A big portion of the hate and disappointment surrounding the film has to do with its pacing, where very little happensand the film doesn’t feel like it begins until an hour in.
As if this film wasn’t forgettable enough, the previous year already saw a Netflix original film by the same title, except that series was a critical success and is one ofNetflix’s highest-rated original films on Letterboxd.
Image by Netflix
16’The Kissing Booth' (2018)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.62/5
Alongside the originalTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, the firstKissing Boothfilm is often cited as a throw in of ground zero for this style of cheesy, over-the-top teenromance films on Netflix.
And while the firstTo All the Boysfilm works fairly well as a sweet love letter to the genre,The Kissing Boothis very blatant in its attempts to be nothing more but an avenue for attractive young stars to look pretty on-screen.
The film mostly follows a classic plot of a young girl, played byJoey King, starting a budding romance with Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi), despite being best friends with his younger brother, Lee (Joel Courtney).
Alongside its sequels,The Kissing Boothhas become the face of this style of low-effort teenage romantic comedy trendthat flooded Netflix during the late 2010s and early 2020s, with the series receiving the vast majority of users' hatred and vitriol.
However, the series also has an increasing number of fans who have fallen in love with the campy, so-bad-it’s-good nature of the entire series, although this serves to only further add to the film’s increasingly low rating on the site.
15’Love & Gelato' (2022)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.60/5
One of many cookie-cutter teenage romcoms that have dominated Netflix’s algorithm over the years,Love & Gelatofollows the same trends and conventions of its predecessors, only adding the twist of taking place in Rome.
Image via Netflix
The film follows Lina, a young girl about to graduate high school with her sights set on going to MIT, but after her mom gets sick, ends up being convinced to spend her last teenage summer in Rome.
While in Rome, she ends up doing what she can to fulfill the dreams of her mother, exploring the world of glorious food and budding romance in the magical city.
It’s clear from the get-go thatLove & Gelatois simply an attempt by Netflix to find similar success that they had withEmily in Paris, hoping to use a beautiful European locale and a romantic comedy plot to work its magic into success.
However, Letterboxd’s users were quick to see through the facade and view the film for what it truly is, a barrage of unlikable characters, underwhelming romance, and a plot that served to only annoy audiences more than charm.
14’Sierra Burgess Is a Loser' (2018)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.55/5
While bothThe Kissing BoothandTo All the Boyswere successful enough to earn complete trilogies,Sierra Burgess Is a Loserwas so widely hated upon release that it never got the chance, despite being in a similar camp of popularity and release as the others.
The film follows the story of the titular Sierra Burgess (Shannon Purser), a social outcast who has completely given up hope of finding a relationship in high school.
Image via Netflix
However, after her biggest crush mistakes her writing for someone else, Sierra teams up with a popular girl to finally get a chance at love.
While inquisitive audiences may recognize the film as a modern teenage adaptation of the story ofCyrano, the liberties andchanges made to modernize the tale only serve to detract and make Sierra more unlikable as a protagonist.
Her actions are much more problematic and uncomfortable in the film, ranging from physically kissing her crush without them knowing to an even worse scale of lying and mass manipulation.
It makes the entire viewing experience highly uncomfortable, ironically making the film’s biggest problem something that it spells out in its very title.
13’Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie' (2024)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.54/5
Image via Netflix
SpongeBob SquarePantsis one of the most prominent and iconic animated characters of the 21st century, with an array of beloved and iconic cinematic outings to his name.
However,Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Moviedoes a major disservice to the series as a whole, easily acting as the low point of the entire franchise.
The film sees Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob having to team up and travel to Texas to save the citizens of Bikini Bottom after the entire town is kidnapped by an evil team of scientists.
SpongeBob SquarePantsas a franchise is largely defined by its absurdity and effective sense of humor, making it all the more egregious when this film completely fails in the comedy department.
Instead of effective visual gags and quotable dialogue,Saving Bikini Bottom’s overreliance on annoying side characters and egregiously bad visual effectsmade it a sour experience for many long-time fans of the franchise.
12’The Tearsmith' (2024)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.52/5
It’s rare for such a recent release to immediately shoot up the charts and become one ofNetflix’s lowest-rated filmsin the eyes of Letterboxd, yetThe Tearsmithmanaged to do anything and everything wrong.
The film is an Italian teen romance film that follows the blossoming love between Nica and Rigel, two young souls who were adopted together after they shared a tough childhood in an orphanage.
Despite their familial ties, they simply can’t ignore the feelings and passion that they feel towards one another.
It isn’t exactly surprising thata film whose core premise is “step-sibling romance” would be seen as largely disturbing and uncomfortableby Letterboxd users, withThe Tearsmithplaying its chaotic premise completely straight.
Even outside of the more unnerving aspects of its plot, The Tearsmith follows the same tired trends and conventions of other sultry romance films of the era, feeling like a strange off-kilter riff on theAfterfilms or evenFifty Shades of Grey.
11’Death Note' (2017)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 1.49/5
Adapted from the legendary anime series,Death Notefollows the story of Light Turner, an innocuous young student who miraculously finds himself in possession of the “Death Note.”
The notebook is incredibly powerful, killing anyone whose name is written down inside it, and it doesn’t take long before Light goes mad with his newfound power, beginning to shape the world in his own vision.
However, as the body count continues to rise, a group of detectives, including the mysterious L, are hot on the case and on the verge of finding out Light’s identity.
While the original anime is often lauded for being one ofthe greatest animated shows of all time, this live-action remake simply founders at every opportunity to give the original story justice.
The film was already facing an uphill battle, attempting to adapt the majority of an entire series into a single 100-minute film, yet even with that in mind,the pacing and character work pales in comparison to the original.
While the film certainly has some qualities, such as the performance ofWillem Dafoeas Ryuk, the multitude of bad changes from the original left a sour taste in many viewers' mouths.
