Over the last couple of years, Johnny Depp’s track record has been less than stellar.
There used to be a time when Depp was one of the biggest stars in the world thanks to “Pirates of the Caribbean.” However, lately some of his films have become real bombs. “The Lone Ranger” and “Transcendence” tanked and with good reason. Now, unfortunately, Depp has another flop in the form of “Mortdecai.”
Depp stars as Charlie Mortdecai, an odious character who hides behind a bizarre mustache and an atrocious British accent. He’s also an art dealer and part-time rogue whose been called on to help locate a stolen painting before it lands in the wrong hands. Gwyneth Paltrow stars as his wife Johanna who just wants him to get rid of that ‘stache.
Paul Bettany plays Jock, Mortdecai’s manservant and partner-in-crime on his escapades. Together, they travel from London to Los Angeles, where Mortdecai becomes a fish out of water as he tries to understand American culture.
Ewan McGregor costars as a British investigator assigned to help Mortdecai and also to rekindle the flame he once had with Paltrow. This romantic subplot is one of the most absurd and contrived I’ve seen in quite some time.
I found this movie to be as unpleasant and painfully unfunny as its leading character. There isn’t a gag or joke that works even once. Depp looks like he’s trying to force himself to like this material, but even with all his charm and charisma, he can’t stop it from sinking. The harder he tries, the worse he gets. I could say the same about the rest of the actors as well.
Depp has always proven to be an entertaining and engaging actor with some terrific performances, but here he’s stuck with a screenplay so dull, so incompetent and even incomprehensible that there was no reason to make this movie at all.
Overall, I just hope to consider “Mortdecai” a very unfortunate misfire and that Depp will return to being the actor that we all know and love.
Grade: D
Rated R for language and sexual material.

Hall is a syndicated columnist in South Georgia.