Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Best Worst Movie

Play trailer Poster for Best Worst Movie 2010 1h 31m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 72 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
This documentary reviews the making of the film "Troll 2" from the perspective of its former child actor star, Michael Stephenson. In 1989, a group of actors and an Italian production crew join forces to produce a slice of unwitting cinematic history. Stephenson and those involved with the ill-fated sequel tell the story of Italian director Claudio Fragasso's B-movie classic, among them the Alabama dentist who became a cult star because of his famous, immortal line.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Best Worst Movie

Best Worst Movie

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Good-natured and mirthful, Best Worst Movie is a sweet deconstruction of how a cinematic folly can become a triumph.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Laura Kern Film Comment Magazine 06/28/2013
[The] doc offers fittingly low-tech amusement throughout --which is a hell of a lot more than can be said about the tediously incomprehensible movie it champions. Go to Full Review
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 12/30/2010
Troll 2 has become a midnight favorite, and Stephenson looks at the phenomenon while catching up with his profoundly untalented costars and the grouchy Italian director. Go to Full Review
Bill Goodykoontz Arizona Republic 08/19/2010
4/5
A documentary so enthusiastic, good-natured and sweet about such an abject disaster that it almost makes Troll 2 worthwhile. Go to Full Review
Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Sep 11
4/5
Not just an engaging chronicling of cult-classic movies, as it also makes for a fascinating deep dive into the psyches of those involved. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 10/29/2024
3/4
The segment in which Margo Prey asserts that Troll 2 has more in common with classic films starring the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn than with modern horror films is surreal. Go to Full Review
Vadim Rizov Filmmaker Magazine 01/24/2023
Best Worst Movie is an inquiry into the precise manifestations of its subject’s value for makers and fans alike rather than a simple tribute to it. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Jeff M 01/18/2024 I have sorta become obsessed with TROLL 2 since watching it for the first time recently, and this delicious, highly entertaining documentary is the perfect companion piece. In my review of TROLL 2, I pondered whether the filmmakers were making it in earnest or as a satire of bad movies in general. Well, this movie, made by the young man who played protagonist Joshua, answers that question and many others. I was often reminded of my favorite comedy of all time, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, while watching this. GUFFMAN, of course, was about a group of small town "actors" doing their level best in making the next Broadway-level musical. I am convinced that everyone on TROLLS 2 was also trying their level-best to make the greatest movie they could. And that's what paints everything here with a couple colors of sadness and empathy. I found myself touched throughout to see the different ways in which these people dealt with their Z-list fame. We meet the defensive director, the actress who just wants to be alone, and the small town dentist who revels in milking everything he can from his 15 minutes. We also meet the legion of fans who truly love the movie and finds themselves legitimately moved to meet the actors involved. It's funny, it's endearing and it makes me anxious to watch the movie again with a whole new perspective See more Jacob B 09/07/2023 A compelling documentary that offers both a good look at where the Troll 2 cast and crew are now nearly 20 years after the fact and shows that, for how fundamentally broken it is, the film still has a dedicated fanbase who keep the film's memory alive whilst also acknowledging that yes, it is so bad it's good, Best Worst Movie is a fun thing that might be a bit too ambitious (since quite the number of cast and crew members are being approached for this documentary with a rather short runtime) but shows that even poorly-made movies can still have enough niche appeal to have their legacy endure. I still prefer The Room, though. See more 11/28/2021 The making of "Troll 2" (a film with no trolls, but rather vegetarian goblins) is re-lived decades later as told by the cast and crew, with the main focus being on the film's child actor. The Italian director, Claudio Fragasso, doesn't quite understand the hype, but keeps a decent sense of humor (though he had no desireto direct a sequel, even post-hype of this documentary). Most of the cast seems to really enjoy their "fame" as few were ever professional actors. A fun watch, even if you've not seen the film it documents. See more @patseitz 09/12/2021 There's about 40 minutes of a good documentary here. But it's stretched out to feature length. See more 08/02/2019 Ah, now I understand: The villains of TROLL 2 were never really the vegetarian goblins, but the Italian monsters who made the film in the first place. Their repeated denials and willful misunderstandings and verbal abuses, combined with the desperate pathos behind most of the cast—it's hard to know who to feel worse for: The mentally ill man cast as the drugstore owner, the depressed actress who just wants to be left alone, the jovial dentist itching for the convention limelight—make this feel less like a celebration of a bad film than therapy for those who have lived through trauma. See more 06/23/2018 laughed so hard at this See more Read all reviews
Best Worst Movie

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff 97% 91% Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff Watchlist Waking Sleeping Beauty 71% 80% Waking Sleeping Beauty Watchlist Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson 85% 83% Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson Watchlist Zombie Girl: The Movie 100% 62% Zombie Girl: The Movie Watchlist Boxing Gym 95% 75% Boxing Gym Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary reviews the making of the film "Troll 2" from the perspective of its former child actor star, Michael Stephenson. In 1989, a group of actors and an Italian production crew join forces to produce a slice of unwitting cinematic history. Stephenson and those involved with the ill-fated sequel tell the story of Italian director Claudio Fragasso's B-movie classic, among them the Alabama dentist who became a cult star because of his famous, immortal line.
Director
Michael Stephenson
Producer
Mary Francis Groom, Brad Klopman, Jim Klopman, Lindsay Stephenson
Screenwriter
Michael Stephenson
Distributor
Area23a
Production Co
OJO Entertainment
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 23, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 29, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$103.2K
Runtime
1h 31m
Most Popular at Home Now