Movie Jail: This week's defendant is...Jamie Foxx!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

This is Movie Jail, a unique maximum security prison that houses some of the worst writers, directors, actors and producers from Hollywood and beyond. Their crimes? The offenses vary from convict to convict but most of these inmates have contributed negatively to the film world to some capacity* and his or her misdeeds have covered a long enough period of time that the authorities had to intervene. In each column a defendant is put on trial, arguments are made, and then it is up to YOU, the jury, to decide if the person is guilty or not guilty of crimes against cinema. Their lives are in your hands, dude.

The Defendant

The Case

The Prosecution: Annie, Horrible Bosses 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Rio 2, White House Down, Valentine's Day, Stealth, Breakin' All the Rules, Bait, Held Up, The Players Club, Booty Call

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, 2014 wasn't kind to Jamie Foxx, however his four negatively-reviewed films from last year (Annie, Horrible Bosses 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Rio 2) aren't the only reasons why he's up for Movie Jail. The prosecution's issue with the actor isn't his early films like Booty Call and Held Up (although they are awful), but many of his post-Ray roles.

While Mr. Foxx is a talented actor, he doesn't do a great job picking quality projects to work on. Django Unchained, Dreamgirls, and Jarhead received solid reviews from critics, but Mr. Fox has also appeared in more than a few terrible films, like Stealth and Valentine's Day. Mr. Foxx should think about staying away from sequels, because the three he has starred in (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Horrible Bosses 2 and Rio 2) all received lower reviews than the first movies.

The prosecution doesn't want to make this all about ASM2, but in our opinion his turn in the Spidey film was dreadful. Yes, his character was underdeveloped and the script was wonky, however we still believe it was a poor performance by Mr. Foxx.

Mr. Foxx has done great stuff in the past, so the prosecution isn't looking for a life sentence. But we do believe the actor needs to spend some time in prison for his crimes.

The Defense: Django Unchained, Horrible Bosses, Rio, Due Date, Law Abiding Citizen, The Soloist, The Kingdom, Dreamgirls, Miami Vice, Jarhead, Ray, Collateral, Shade, Ali, Any Given Sunday, The Great White Hype

Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps my client's films since Ray have been hit-or-miss and Mr. Foxx's 2014 was a little rough. However, he's still a very good comedic and dramatic actor who doesn't belong in Movie Jail.

Even though Annie and Horrible Bosses 2 didn't receive stellar reviews from most critics, many would argue he was the best part of both films, and the same could also be said for movies such as The Soloist and Law Abiding Citizen. It's not like Mr. Foxx was 100% at fault for The Amazing Spider-Man 2's shortcomings, and the defense doubts many people blame the actor for the film's failures. At least Mr. Foxx doesn't just stick to one type of film. Last year alone he appeared in an animated movie, a superhero film, a comedy and a musical.

Mr. Foxx's good films definitely outweigh his bad ones, and the actor almost always delivers a solid performance, so clearly the only reason why he stands before you today is due to his unimpressive 2014 movies, regardless of what the prosecution says. But even with his weak films from last year, the defense is quite confident that the jury will agree Mr. Foxx shouldn't be sent to the big house.

IN CLOSING…

Do you believe Mr. Foxx should be tossed in the slammer, or did he just have a really shitty 2014? Would spending a couple of weeks in prison help the actor, or do you think he doesn't deserve to be locked up in Movie Jail? Is Jamie Foxx GUILTY or NOT GUILTY?

*The cases for and against a defendant going to Movie Jail by the author are not necessarily his views and opinions but they are some of the beliefs that one would use to effectively make an argument for both sides. Not quite a devil's advocate but you get the point. Anyway, this is all in fun so don't take it too seriously. We have a separate jail for those people called "Troll Tower" and believe me you do NOT want to go there.

WHAT SAY YOU, GUILTY OR NOT?

LAST WEEK'S VERDICTS

In last week's batch of Movie Jail Updates, the jury decided Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb star Ben Stiller will remain a free man. As for director Tim Burton and Shia LaBeouf, jury members said they've earned parole with their recent well-received film (Big Eyes and Fury, respectively), with some commenting that Mr. LaBeouf should not have been sent to prison in the first place.

PREVIOUS VERDICTS

GUILTY Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Vince Vaughn, Tim Burton, The Farrelly Brothers, Michael Bay, Jessica Alba, Ice Cube, Gerard Butler, Halle Berry, Marlon Wayans, Julia Roberts, M. Night Shyamalan , Katherine Heigl , Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tyler Perry, Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, Ashton Kutcher, Happy Madison Productions, Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Willis, Paul W.S. Anderson, Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brett Ratner, Rob Cohen, Renee Zellweger, Shia LaBeouf, Renny Harlin, Diane Keaton, McG, Demi Moore, King Joffrey (Game of Thrones Special), David Spade, Spike Lee, Kevin James, Joel Schumacher, Ehren Kruger, Chris Rock, Mark Steven Johnson, Mickey Rourke, Ashley Judd, Uma Thurman, Josh Duhamel, Saw Franchise (Halloween Edition), Zach Braff, Sam Worthington