Dan Aykroyd Spills the Cosmic Tea: Why Nothing But Trouble Flopped Harder Than Mercury in Retrograde!
Added on October 3, 2025 inEntertainment News Cards, Movie News Cards
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Ever wonder if Mercury retrograde had anything to do with Hollywood’s biggest misstep? Take Nothing But Trouble — a film boasting a star-studded lineup of Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, John Candy, and Dan Aykroyd. On paper, it’s a recipe for box office gold. Yet, in 1991, the comedy spectacularly flopped, pulling in a mere $8.5 million against a $45 million budget. Talk about cosmic irony! Aykroyd himself blamed its bad timing, opening alongside the powerhouse dramas The Silence of the Lambs and Sleeping with the Enemy — talk about competing with the heavy hitters. But was it just bad luck, or did the stars really conspire against this bizarre blend of slapstick horror and twisted humor based on Aykroyd’s own bizarre speeding ticket tale? Grab your chart and popcorn, because this one’s a doozy. LEARN MORE
On paper, a cast featuring Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, John Candy, and Dan Aykroyd should have guaranteed success. In reality, Nothing But Trouble lived up to its title. The film was mauled by critics in 1991 and limped away with a measly $8.5 million worldwide on a budget of $45 million.
In an interview with The Woody Show last year, Aykroyd gave his two cents on why the film failed. “Nothing But Trouble is a fun, very servicable comedy, but was not a hit at the time because we were doomed on the weekend that it opened, and I’ll tell you how,” he explained. “Two pictures opened on the marketplace against us that weekend. One was The Silence of the Lambs with Jodie Foster, and Julia Roberts’ Sleeping with the Enemy. You can be sure every woman in America told their husbands or boyfriends, ‘We’re going to see those two movies!’“
Aykroyd, who wrote and directed the film, based Nothing But Trouble on an event that actually happened to him. He had been pulled over for speeding in upstate New York and was brought before an elderly judge, who fined him $50, but that wasn’t the end of it. He was invited to stay for tea, and it took him four hours to get out of it.
The film takes that event and pushes it to the extreme. Chase plays a financial publisher who agrees to accompany a beautiful lawyer (Moore) to a meeting. On the way, they’re arrested and brought before a deranged judge (Aykroyd) and his eccentric family. They are forced to endure a nightmarish series of grotesque traps, oddball locals, and twisted comedy that blurs the line between horror and slapstick. Aykroyd and Candy play multiple roles in the film.
Chase later trashed the movie, saying he only did it due to his friendship with Aykroyd. As for Aykroyd, he said, “I love Chevy. We were great brothers and collaborators. But there were times when it was like hauling ore up a hill with a bad mule.” In the years since its release, the movie has enjoyed something of a cult following, but Aykroyd never directed another feature film again.
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