John Travolta may not be the box office heartthrob he used to be, but this doesn't mean he hasn't continued to turn out some great performances over the years. After spending several films singing, dancing, or both, Travolta began branching out into other genres. The result? His career took a dip. That is, until a little movie called Pulp Fiction, which reminded everyone Travolta could do more than dance (though he still did it well).
Since then, he's continued churning out memorable performances in various genres, from an FBI agent switching faces with Nicolas Cage to the voice of a not-so-super-powered dog in Disney's Bolt. But, like any other actor, he's also had his fair share of flops, particularly in recent years. In fact, his 2018 biographical crime drama Gotti ended up with the dreaded 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
We're looking back at some of Travolta's best (and worst) films, from the ones he should never have touched to the ones that wouldn't have made it without him.
19 Saved: Saturday Night Fever
What better film to kick off this list than the one that gained disco music and Travolta worldwide fame? Featuring one of cinema's greatest soundtracks and an Oscar-nominated performance by Travolta, Saturday Night Fever holds a firm spot as one of the best movies from the '70s.
18 Ruined: Battlefield Earth
Now, we begin to look at Travolta's ugly side... and, honestly, it can't get much worse than this. Envisioned as a sci-fi epic to represent Scientology, Battlefield Earth will instead be remembered for its nine Razzie wins and as the 20th Century's worst film (according to the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards).
But, while the plot, effects, and cinematography are atrocious, it's Travolta's ridiculous overacting as lead alien Terl that makes it one of cinema's worst productions.
17 Saved: Grease
A year after he dominated the dance floor and the disco community, Travolta set his sights on singing and the greaser culture. And, thus, he further cemented himself as a leading man everyone needed to pay attention to.
With Grammy winner Olivia Newton-John alongside him, Travolta made Grease one of the most successful musicals of all time.
16 Ruined: Hairspray
Yeah, we know. The image above is kind of creepy. But, amazingly, we didn't use Photoshop. That's actually John Travolta portraying Edna Turnblad in the 2007 Hairspray remake.
While it was good that the film continued the tradition of having a man in drag play Edna, Travolta's involvement divided critics. Sure, Travolta was a scene-stealer, but he sometimes proved more distracting than anything.
15 Saved: Face/Off
As with Nicolas Cage, this John Woo blockbuster wouldn't have worked without Travolta, as the two play off each other so well (though, with their characters switching faces, that's kind of a requirement).
Praised for its over-the-top action, thrilling story, and memorably zany humor by both Cage and Travolta, Face/Off is a movie Travolta will likely never forget (if it really is him...).
14 Ruined: Swordfish
Though this film is mostly remembered for Halle Berry's topless scene, it's also worth pointing out how poorly it utilized its all-star cast, including Hugh Jackman, Don Cheadle, and Sam Shepard. However, the actor who arguably had it the worst was John Travolta, whose performance as Gabriel Shear a spy who hires a computer hacker (Jackman) to steal billions in government funds, earned him a Razzie nomination (shared with another performance we'll mention later).
13 Saved: Blow Out
Though John Travolta never got to act in an Alfred Hitchcock film, he got the next best thing by starring in Brian De Palma's 1981 political thriller Blow Out.
Travolta plays a Philadelphia sound technician who rescues a woman from a car crash, only to discover he has captured audio evidence of a possible assassination. From here, Travolta gets involved in a high-stakes political conspiracy that will have you hooked until the film's shocking conclusion.
12 Ruined: The Taking of Pelham 123
Why remake a film with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating? We don't know, but Top Gun director Tony Scott did, and the result was almost half of that. However, it might've done better if John Travolta had been more believable as the main villain.
While Denzel Washington leads the film, it's Travolta's performance that seems to be remembered more by critics, but not in a good way.
11 Saved: Urban Cowboy
While many are quick to label it as a country version of Saturday Night Fever, this romantic drama is much more.
There's also mechanical bull riding for sport (trust us, it's serious business), the trials faced by Travolta's Bud and Debra Winger's Sissy as they go through the ups and down of their new marriage, and yet another great soundtrack.
10 Ruined: Shout
Okay, this is the last John Travolta musical or dance film on this list, we promise. This time, Travolta tries to show us how music is done by playing a rock n' roll music teacher at a strict all-boys school...while he just so happens to be on the run from the law. Now, this could have been cool, if it weren't so forgettable when compared to Travolta's other musical masterpieces.
