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Since 2006, Mischa Barton's given us almost nothing of merit to talk about. Rather, she's left us all gossiping about her lowest personal moments: her DUI busts, weight gain, out-of-control partying, and that one night witnesses caught her puking in public outside Bar Marmont. After leaving The O.C. by getting killed off the show, the Mischa we knew as the beautifully broken and sun-kissed Marissa Cooper traded in everything we loved about her for an unkempt, crazy, Fedora-wearing persona that alienated her fans. Today, Mischa Barton turns 25, a good time for a quarter-life crisis her to re-evaluate her life and her career. If she needs any help pointing out (and fixing) her mistakes, we've taken the liberty of compiling her 10 worst career fails. Consider this an intervention.
The OC
Leaving The O.C. (2006)
We understand why Mischa Barton thought it would be a smart move to leave the most beloved teen drama of this generation. By the end of the third season, storylines and ratings were tanking and she was the show's brightest star. Why not ditch the small screen for movie star glory? The problem is, Mischa didn't realize that people loved Marissa Cooper as a character more than her as an actress. She never got another role that good, and her consistently manic behavior made sure she never got a chance to.
The Oh In Ohio
The Oh in Ohio (2006)
A teacher (Paul Rudd) leaves his wife because she can't have an orgasm and hooks up with one of his students, played by Mischa Barton. Her character, Kristen, tells him that he has a magnificent penis. Like that line, the rest of this movie is awkward and terrible.
Closing the Ring
Closing the Ring (2007)
Some critics called it aggressively bittersweet but just means extremely confusing. Barton plays Ethel Ann, a 21-year-old caught between love and war during World War II. It turns into an over-complicated Pearl Harbor-type love story that's ultimate message is: if you die in combat, your girl will sleep with your friends back at home.
Assassination of a High School President
Assassination of a High School President (2008)
This film about a sophomore journalist’s attempt to find out who stole a set of SATs actually got decent reviews at Sundance, but chances are, you've never seen it. The movie was never sent to theaters because distributor, Yari Film Group, filed for bankruptcy.
Virgin Territory
Virgin Territory (2007)
Have you watched American Pie and thought, "You know, this should be set during the plague." Us neither, but then Virgin Territory came out and showed that someone did. As Pampinea, Barton escapes an arranged marriage, joins a convent, and falls in love in this career-killing disaster.
Walled In
Walled In (2009)
Mischa's only horror is that most of her movies are released straight to DVD, like Walled In. Her performance in the psychological thriller went mostly unnoticed. We guess people weren't interested in a demolition employee who wants to blow up a hotel that's walls are filled with dead bodies.
Homecoming
Homecoming (2009)
This gratuitously oversexed movie stars Mischa Barton as a psychotic stalker who breaks her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend’s leg and has a history of physically torturing everyone close to her. Does that sound good? Of course not, but it's so bad that it's actually kind of entertaining.
The Beautiful Life
The Beautiful Life (2009)
After The O.C., Mischa Barton chose to do yet another teen drama, this time on The CW. The Beautiful Life centered on the lives of a group of models sharing an apartment in New York City, with Barton as the mysterious veteran of the bunch. How bad was the show? It was canceled after two episodes.
Don't Fade Away
Don't Fade Away (2010)
In this film about a musician who comes back home to take care of his ailing dad, Mischa plays the ultimate cutesy indie character and foil to his spoiled ego, Kat. She wears a funky hat, convinces the big city hotshot to trust her small town charms, and even stops her car in the middle of the road to play with a puppy. Yup, it's that awful.
You and I
You and I (2011)
Remember back in 2002 when the fake-lesbian Russian band t.A.T.u released their pop hit “All the Things She Said”? Nine years later, Barton starred in a movie about their comeback. She plays a provincial Russian lesbian, complete with a bad accent, who meets another t.A.T.u fan, a lonely American girl, on the band’s Internet message board. Together, their love for t.A.T.u fuels their life-changing adventures. It's unfortunate this wasn't a comedy.
