Why did a major studio film starring Eddie Murphy end up with zero percent?

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: A Thousand Words was a high-concept fantasy comedy that arrived in theaters four years after filming, only to be panned by critics as a formulaic, outdated disaster. With a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film remains a cautionary tale of how miscasting and production delays can doom a project.

Directed by Brian Robbins and starring Eddie Murphy, A Thousand Words tells the story of a fast-talking literary agent, Jack McCall, who is cursed by a magical Bodhi Tree. The tree’s leaves represent his remaining words; for every word he speaks, writes, or gestures, a leaf falls. If the tree dies, so does he. The premise forces the famously vocal Murphy into a mostly silent role, a creative choice that critics identified as the film's primary failure.

The production was plagued by significant delays. Filmed in August 2008 in Los Angeles, the movie was caught in the corporate separation of DreamWorks Pictures from Paramount Pictures and Viacom. Although originally slated for a 2009 release, it was repeatedly pushed back, finally hitting theaters on March 9, 2012. By the time it premiered, the script—written by Steve Koren—was viewed as stale, and the film struggled to find an audience, grossing only $22 million against a $40 million budget.

Critical reception was overwhelmingly negative. Reviewers like Roger Ebert criticized the film for failing to explain its own internal rules, while others noted that removing Murphy’s voice stripped away his greatest comedic asset. Despite being nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards, the film ultimately walked away empty-handed. It remains a rare example of a wide-release film holding a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 57 reviews, and serves as a stark reminder of how long-delayed projects can lose their relevance before they ever reach the screen.

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