Jason Lee vs. Christopher Walken

I’m stealing an idea from the guys at Doubt About It where they match up two sports figures or teams with the winner buying drinks. Today, I’m asking the question: which actor made a worse professional decision: Jason Lee or Christopher Walken.

Jason Lee: You probably know Jason Lee from his roles in Kevin Smith movies, Almost Famous and more recently for his performance as Earl in NBC’s "My Name is Earl." Lee has earned two Golden Globe nominations in the Best Actor in a Comedy Series category for Earl. Based on his recent success, Lee parlayed his rising star power into the voice of "Underdog" and David Seville in this winter’s "Alvin and the Chipmunks." Well, I guess someone needs to be in kids’ movies. Despite a respectable opening weekend of $11.5, the movie earned less than $4 million in the third week. "Underdog" also received a whopping 13% rating (out of 100%) on Rotten Tomatoes.


Christopher Walken: You know Walken from The Deer Hunter (Oscar Winner for Best Supporting Actor), Catch Me If You Can (Oscar Nominee for Best Supporting Actor), Sleepy Hollow, Pulp Fiction, Batman Returns and Hairspray among his dozens of films over his distinguished career. Walken was also terrific dancing in a Fatboy Slim video and, of course, for his role in the “More Cowbell” sketch on Saturday Night Live. However, Walken has not always made the best career choices over the years (see Gigli, Kangaroo Jack and The Country Bears). Walken’s latest role is as someone called “Feng” in the “Ping-Pong comedy” Balls of Fury, which features the tagline, “A Huge Comedy with Tiny Balls.” The previews look silly (not in a good way) with Walken dressed ridiculously (again, not in a good way). The movie looks great if you’re a 14 year-old male. Balls of Fury earned $14.3 million this weekend and I’m guessing will end up earning approximately the same as Underdog give or take a few million. The movie also received a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.


So who made a worse professional decision? Walken has made some questionable decisions throughout his career, but you always know he’ll be back with some good movies down the road. Jason Lee can always point to the fact that new episodes of My Name Is Earl will be back soon. However, two movies in a row that look terrible makes Lee the winner (or loser, I guess) of this game. Therefore, Jason Lee, buy Christopher Walken a drink and get his dog (and Underdog?) one too!

(I may have botched the ending here.)