The ingredients to a great drama are an engaging script, strong cast members, and most importantly, believable emotions. Unfortunately, not every film hits the checklist. Netflix has seen its fair share of drama movies that fall flat, leaving viewers scratching their heads or skipping to the next movie.
From awkward plots to cringe-worthy performances, the films manage to stand out - for all the wrong reasons.Here are the worst Netflix drama movies, ranked. They’re so bad, that audiences just have to watch them to believe it. Whether it’s poorly executed storylines or super problematic portrayals of sensitive themes, these movies are a testament to the lows of cinematic storytelling.
10‘The Starling’ (2021)
Directed by Theodore Melfi
The Starlingunfolds a tale of heartache, resilience, and unexpected companionship as Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) and Jack Maynard (Chris O’Dowd) grapple with the devastating loss of their child at birth. While Jack seeks solace through support, Lilly finds herself trapped in a numb facade of “I’m fine,”, when she clearly isn’t. When an aggressive black starling enters her garden and challenges her control over her patch, Lilly’s worst traits are brought to the surface. Ironically, it is through this experience thatLilly learns how to see the light in her life again.
Sadly, the film is a snoozefest. The storyline is a mess, and it’s as if the film doesn’t have a coherent plot to fully encapsulate the strong, wild emotions of grief and loss. Even as it tries to wrap things up with a heartwarming bow,The Starlingfalls flat.For a movie that brings up profound themes, it is surprisingly hollow.
The Starling
9‘Secret Obsession’ (2019)
Directed by Peter Sullivan
Brenda Songstars as Jennifer, a newlywed who faces a horrific attack at a desolate rest stop. She wakes up in a hospital, with no recollection of the incident and her past. As she tries to piece her life back together, her seemingly devoted husband, Russell (Mike Vogel), is right there by her side, ready to bring her to a remote mountain estate to clear her mind. But as Jennifer begins to heal, she starts to realize thatthe person she trusts the most might actually be her captor.
Sloppy and chock-full of technical errors, the film has a plot that defies basic logic.Plus, the characters seem like they have absolutely no idea what they’re doing. Apparently, inSecret Obsession, hospitals can just let some random guy storm into a patient’s room without showing any ID. What’s funnier is that the staff just bought his story that he’s her husband because he has a few photos with Jennifer. To top it off, there’s also a police detective who apparently has no idea about police procedures.
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8‘Purple Hearts’ (2022)
Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
In aNicholas Sparks-esque attempt at a romance drama adaptation,Purple Heartsfollows Cassie Salazar (Sofia Carson), a struggling singer-songwriter barely getting by financially. She’s laid-back and free-spirited, the polar opposite of Luke Morrow (Nicholas Galitzine), a disciplined Marine trainee about to head out for duty. After being diagnosed with diabetes, Cassie is drowning in medical bills.Despite their political differences, they agree to a marriage of convenience for the benefits, especially the medical coverage Cassie desperately needs.But when tragedy befalls Luke, their pretend marriage just gets very real.
Romance films are supposed to offer an escape from the heartbreak of reality.ButPurple Heartsmisses the mark with its painfully obvious lack of research on military life and diabetes.The film not only misunderstands military marriages but also bungles basic administrative details like credit unions, advance pay, and deployments. Its depiction of diabetes is equally flawed and potentially dangerous, providing audiences with an incorrect portrayal of how to help a diabetic person who requires emergency care. The only saving grace in this mess isCassie’s song, “Come Back Home”.
Purple Hearts
7‘Persuasion’ (2022)
Directed by Carrie Cracknell
Based onJane Austen’s novel,Persuasioncenters on the lead character Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson), who is anything but a typical woman of her time. She’s from the fringes of the English aristocracy, and her family’s noble status is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. But Anne doesn’t really care about that. The young woman is in her prime, an age perfect for romantic pursuits. Just her luck, Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), a dashing man of humble beginnings, approaches her. Yet, Anne is persuaded to reject him.Fast forward eight years, and Frederick is back in her life, offering a second chance at true love.
Netflix has a knack for modernizing Regency period tales, as seen with the popularBridgertonfranchise. Sadly, this supposedly hip adaptation of Austen’s “Persuasion” is shallow and daft. While it’s fine to reimagine Anne Elliot asa modern, nonconformist idealist, which is revolutionary for a woman during her time, she’s stripped of the original character’s mournful bitterness. As a result,this version of Anne Elliot is all spunk but no nuance, making Johnson’s portrayal fall flat and unconvincing.
Persuasion
6‘Hillbilly Elegy’ (2020)
Directed by Ron Howard
Based onJ.D. Vance’s bestselling memoir,Hillbilly Elegyfollows Vance as he threads between his prestigious life as a Yale law student and his troubling childhood in Ohio.Through the lens of three generations of an Appalachian family, Vance reflects on the choice between his future and his family, and what the American Dream truly means.
While it markets itself as a classic rags-to-riches tale,Hillbilly Elegyis far from inspirational. If anything,the film is tone-deaf at its worst and ends up reinforcing harmful stereotypes about the underprivileged. Instead of addressing systemic issues behind poverty and addiction in these communities, the film exploits the people living in them for cheap emotional jolts, showcasing a young boy’s rise from the ashesin a way that feels self-indulgent. This approach lacks empathy for those who don’t have the means of escaping such harsh realities.
Hillbilly Elegy
5‘Pain Hustlers’ (2023)
Directed by David Yates
Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) has a simple dream: to give her young daughter a better life. But as a high school dropout, her job prospects are pretty dismal. But when Liza encounters a failing pharmaceutical start-up in a sketchy strip mall in Central Florida, she’s about to strike gold. With her sweet charm, quick wit, and street smarts, Liza is the perfect person to turn the company around.Just as she starts to enjoy the high life, she finds herself entangled in a federal criminal conspiracy.
Pain Hustlerswants to be the nextWolf of Wall Street. It tries to capture that sharp, relentless pace audiences expect from a cutthroat sales environment. But unfortunately, the film doesn’t have the chops. With supposedly inspiring scenes that come off as cringey, a script that lacks focus, and not enough chemistry betwen the two leading cast members, instead of feeling authentic, the film comes off as a lackluster imitation ofMartin Scorsese’s classic.There’s no gumption, no spunk, no pizzazz - just a forgettable attempt to ride the coattails of a much better film.
Pain Hustlers
4‘Blonde’ (2022)
Directed by Andrew Dominik
Blondetakes on the life of America’s biggest sweetheart, Marilyn Monroe (Ana de Armas). Following her journey from a troubled childhood as Norma Jeane to her meteoric rise as the glamorous actress everyone knows today, the film highlights how her fame came at the high cost of her personal life, where she became a victim of Hollywood’s dark side. Based onJoy Carol Oates’ bestselling novel,it’s a tragic tale of how one of the world’s biggest stars fell from grace and spiraled into a dark abyss.
Two words sum up this movie: trauma porn. While a biopic about Marilyn Monroe isn’t exactly groundbreaking,especially one that’s fictionalized,Blondehits a new low with its adaptation. In an attempt to ramp up the drama, instead of celebrating the powerhouse she was, the movie exploits the most painful and crude parts of her life for shock value, from childhood abuse to sexual assault.It’s as if the film forgot she was a superstar and reduced her to an unfortunate figure who succumbed to fame’s pressure.It’s a dark and lazy portrayal that’s borderline disrespectful. Folks, it’s time to let Marilyn rest in peace.
3‘The Last Thing He Wanted’ (2020)
Directed by Dee Rees
The Last Thing He Wanteddrags audiences into the chaotic world of Elena McMahon (Anne Hathaway), a seasoned D.C. journalist assigned to El Salvador alongside her photographer, Rosie Perez (Alma Guerrero).The two intend to break a story about the war crimes possibly linked to America’s meddling in the region. But two years after escaping the crisis, Elena can’t shake off the story of American guns in Contra hands. Upon further investigation, it looks like this assignment is far more personal than she first thought.
No many how many A-listers like Hathaway,Ben Affleck, andWillem Dafoeare thrown into the film, this script is a train wreck. Right off the bat,The Last Thing He Wantedbegins with a long-winded exposition that attempts to set the scene but lacks any context. And that sets the tone for the rest of the movie -a dizzying maze of plot holes and events without a web to connect them. In a movie rooted in such a potent political landscape, audiences might have expected more drama to ooze from the ‘80s Central American turmoil. Instead, it’s stuck in the monotonous dramas of a journalist chasing a scoop.
(TAG UNAVAILABLE)
2‘After’ (2019)
Directed by Jenny Gage
Based onAnna Todd’s novel,After(and the rest of its franchise) follows the dwindling romance between Tessa Young (Josephine Langford), a bright-eyed student, and the brooding rebel Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). Fresh out of high school, Tessa is finally embracing her life as a university freshman. But upon her initial encounter with Hardin, her world cracks open and challenges everything she thought she knew about herself.As their fiery, rollercoaster romance unfolds, Tessa and Hardin go against all odds to keep their love burning.
But let’s call a spade a spade:Afteramp up the drama in all the wrong ways. It mishandles trauma, painting a troubling picture where personal pain excuses mistreatment. Just because Hardin’s got issues doesn’t justify his poor treatment of Tessa.Let’s not overlook howAfterromanticizing toxic relationships, portraying their volatile make-ups and break-ups as something swoon-worthyand suggest it’s okay to stick with bad boys as long as they say sorry. Spoiler alert: that’s definitely not okay.
1‘365 Days’ (2020)
Directed by Barbara Bialowas and Tomasz Mandes
Stockholm syndrome gets the sexy treatment in the steamy mafia drama365 Days. The smoldering mafia boss Massimo Toricelli (Michele Morrone) inherits his family’s legacy after his father’s untimely demise. Meanwhile, Laura (Anna-Maria Sieklucka) is a successful sales director looking for some fun in Sicily (all while trying to patch up her faltering relationship). Little does she know, she’s about to cross paths with Massimo, who decides kidnapping is a fantastic way to spice up her love life,giving her a deadline of 365 days to fall head over heels for him.
Explicit sex scenes aside,365 Daysdisturbingly glorifies rape, sex trafficking, and domestic abuse. Sure, erotic dramas have dabbled in themes of dominance and submission, but romanticizing kidnapping for sexual pleasure isn’t it. Throughout the movie, there are moments where Laura is confined and Massimo assures he won’t harm her -only to violate her boundaries without consent. That’s not just a red flag, it’s downright illegal.
