History HollywoodHypeMachine / WouldBeAndOneTimeAListers

* Creator/EddieMurphy was the hottest comedian around back in TheEighties. He started out on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' during one of its toughest {{Audience Alienating Era}}s, perhaps being ''the'' reason SNL escaped cancellation. He would soon bring his wit to the big screen in films like ''Film/FortyEightHrs'', ''Film/TradingPlaces'', ''Film/BeverlyHillsCop'' and ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopII'', and ''Film/ComingToAmerica'' (his only misstep was 1986's ''Film/TheGoldenChild'', just in terms of quality), as well as his standup specials ''Delirious'' and ''Raw'', and even [[SoBadItsGood a couple of hit songs]] such as "Party All the Time". But after the failure of his 1989 vanity project ''Film/HarlemNights'', in which he directed and starred with his comic idols Creator/RichardPryor and Redd Foxx, Murphy's career plummeted in TheNineties, with ''Film/Another48Hours'', ''Film/TheDistinguishedGentleman'', ''Film/Boomerang1992'', ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopIII'', and ''Film/VampireInBrooklyn'' all bombing (though ''Boomerang'' has been VindicatedByHistory). He had become a walking punchline, infamously mocked by Creator/DavidSpade on SNL in 1995 when he said "Look, kids! a falling star! Make a wish!", which ''really'' [[BerserkButton made him mad]]. He bounced back with his 1996 remake of ''Film/{{The Nutty Professor|1996}}'', and ''Film/{{Metro}}'', ''Film/DrDolittle'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', ''Film/{{Life|1999}}'', and ''Film/{{Bowfinger}}'' were all successful to varying extents. But in the 2000s, Murphy did way too many [[RatedGForGangsta family-friendly films]] that, with the exception of the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' series, were poorly received. Films like ''Film/DaddyDayCare'', ''Film/{{The Haunted Mansion|2003}}'', ''Film/MeetDave'', and ''Imagine That'', were panned by audiences and critics, and 2002's ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPlutoNash'' was [[BoxOfficeBomb one of the biggest bombs in Hollywood history]]. He received an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination as Best Supporting Actor for ''Theatre/{{Dreamgirls}}'' in 2006, but the much-maligned 2007 film ''Film/{{Norbit}}'' probably torpedoed his hopes of winning. He was praised for starring in ''Film/TowerHeist'' in 2011, but 2012 brought ''Film/AThousandWords'' (filmed several years before its release), which was universally panned and had the "privilege" of being his first film to go [[DirectToVideo Direct-to-DVD]] in Britain. After that, he had only had an appearance at the SNL 40th anniversary special and one film, ''Mr. Church'', a more dramatic role that was critically panned and a box office failure. Things may be coming around though -- in 2019 he starred in ''Film/DolemiteIsMyName'', which was critically acclaimed, especially for his performance, and followed that up with a triumphant guest hosting gig on ''Saturday Night Live'''s ChristmasEpisode, and a return to an old role in ''Film/Coming2America''. He's even planning a return to stand-up, though the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusPandemic has put that on hold for now.
* Creator/BurtReynolds had a meteoric rise to fame that led him to become one of the biggest movie stars in the world during TheSeventies, being practically synonymous with A-list stardom and hunky sex symbol masculinity. His career took a downward turn in TheEighties after a combination of highly publicized marital issues, financial troubles and feuds with other celebrities. This caused him to be seen by studios as a liability, and it wasn't helped that he starred in occasional critical and commercial flops like ''Film/StrokerAce'' and ''Film/CopAndAHalf''. He still managed to to work fairly regularly and seemed primed for a CareerResurrection after an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''Film/BoogieNights'' but it wasn't meant to be. ''Film/{{The Crew|2000}}'' was his last role as a leading man and the beginning of a string of critical and commercial failures including ''Film/{{Driven}}'', ''Film/TheDukesOfHazzard'' and ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing'' that ended any chance of a return to the A-list. By the time of his death in 2018 he was still finding plenty of work but it was overwhelmingly DirectToVideo shlock.

* Creator/WillFerrell, after a stint with The Groundlings for several years, first got his big break as a cast member of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in 1995. There, he performed many of the most memorable impressions of the show's history, namely that of Robert Goulet, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush and Creator/AlexTrebek, and became one of ''Saturday Night Live''[='=]s most beloved cast members. During Ferrell's final season at ''SNL'' in 2001, he performed as the antagonist in the CultClassic ''Film/{{Zoolander}}'', and two years later had his first starring film role post-''SNL'' in the moderately-received ''Film/OldSchool''. But his career soon got a ''huge'' push later that year, when he was cast as Buddy in the Christmas comedy film ''Film/{{Elf}}'', which was highly successful critically and commercially and solidified Ferrell's status as an A-list comedy superstar. He followed the film up a year later with ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'', which became a pop-culture touchstone throughout the mid-2000s. Despite a slip-up in 2005 with ''Film/TheProducers'', ''Kicking & Screaming'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/CuriousGeorge2006 Curious George]]'', he soon bounced back with ''Film/StrangerThanFiction'', ''Film/BladesOfGlory'', and ''Film/TheOtherGuys''. His films continued to draw critical praise and large crowds for the next couple of years (particularly ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'', and ''Film/DaddysHome''), and he even reprised his iconic role of Ron Burgundy in ''Film/Anchorman2TheLegendContinues''. Unfortunately, he backpedaled hard in 2018 with the critically-panned BoxOfficeBomb ''Film/HolmesAndWatson'', which drew harsh criticism for its unfunny, dated humor and inept, bungled approach to [[Franchise/SherlockHolmes the source material]] - culminating in the film winning four Razzie awards, including Worst Picture. Since ''Holmes & Watson'', most of his film appearances were as cameos - with the two films where he had a lead role, ''Downhill'' and ''Film/EurovisionSongContestTheStoryOfFireSaga'', receiving tepid responses.
* Creator/JamesFranco had a slower climb to the top than most, with noted roles in the short-lived ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' and the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy''. His push didn't come until ''Film/OneHundredAndTwentySevenHours'' and being named the Sexiest Man Living in 2009. For the next three or so years, he headlined a lot of big films - some did well and others less so. He took a step back from acting to focus on his education, and has leaned more towards becoming a producer and director in addition to acting. Things seemed to be going well for him when he won a UsefulNotes/GoldenGlobe for his role as Creator/TommyWiseau in ''Film/TheDisasterArtist'', but almost immediately afterwards, accusations of sexual misconduct (most of them from several of his former acting students) were thrown at him, which probably contributed to him not getting an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for the film. Only time will tell if his career can recover from those allegations.

* Creator/BruceWillis became prominent during TheEighties with two breakthrough roles: on TV as private investigator David Addison in the popular comedy-drama ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', and on film as ActionHero John [=McClane=] in ''Film/DieHard''. His willingness to do his own stunts in the latter made him an action star overnight, promptly becoming one of the genre’s most enduring leading men for the following decades. ''Die Hard'' kickstarted a [[Franchise/DieHard franchise]] comprising multiple sequels, with other action flicks he’s been in including ''Film/TwelveMonkeys'', ''Film/TheFifthElement'', ''Film/Armageddon1998'', ''Film/Red2010'', ''Film/TheExpendables'' and its sequel ''Film/TheExpendables2''. He evaded typecasting while proving he could be more than a fighter with roles in comedy (''Film/LookWhosTalking'', ''Film/DeathBecomesHer'', and ''Film/TheWholeNineYards'') and drama (''Film/PulpFiction'', ''Film/TheSixthSense'', and ''Film/MoonriseKingdom''). Then his decline began in 2013 when his most recent and final ''Die Hard'' film, ''Film/AGoodDayToDieHard'', not only became the worst-reviewed one of the franchise, but failed to reach the financial gross of its predecessors. His other films of that year, ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' and ''Red 2'', barely scraped by in the box office. His descent into low- or no-budget, poorly received DirectToVideo action schlock in TheNewTens, which was mitigated in the decade’s initial years with career-best work in ''Moonrise Kingdom'' and ''Film/{{Looper}}'', sealed its grasp after that year, for that quite aptly described most of his films since then. When he starred in eight such films in 2021, the Golden Raspberry Awards created a special category for that year titled “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie” in jest. On March 30, 2022, however, Willis’s family disclosed that Willis, after being diagnosed with aphasia, which negatively impacted his cognitive abilities to read and speak, had chosen to retire. It then became clear that he'd been struggling with the condition for years, with crew members citing incidents where he outright forgot where he was and what he was doing, much of his output was revealed to have covered medical bills and because the productions didn't strain his mental abilities. Several who mocked the actor’s recent output at once took back their statements in sympathy, with even the Razzies notably rescinding that special “award” after acknowledging it was in very bad taste retrospectively. The publicity after his announcement caused an outpouring of support and goodwill, with fans and critics saying he deserved to be remembered for the classic films he made at his peak rather than those brought on by his later circumstances. Now, Willis is regarded sympathetically and thought of as a very talented actor who made a lot of terrific films before his career was hurt by his condition rather than the washed-up, Creator/StevenSeagal-type has-been he'd been written off as before. ''Pulp Fiction'' director Creator/QuentinTarantino has recently expressed an interest in casting Willis in his presumed final movie, although he respects if his offer's declined.