Why Sylvester Stallone Thinks ‘Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot’ Is Worse Than Any Alien Movie

Sylvester Stallone is a name synonymous with action-packed heroics and iconic roles like Rocky Balboa and John Rambo. Throughout his career, Stallone has become one of Hollywood’s most enduring action stars, with a career spanning decades and numerous successful franchises. However, like all greats, Stallone has had his share of misfires—and one film in particular stands out as a monumental misstep. That film is Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, a 1992 buddy cop comedy that Stallone himself has called “one of the worst films in the entire solar system.”

A Comedy That Went Horribly Wrong

By the early 1990s, Stallone was a household name, but his career took a noticeable detour when he agreed to star in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. The film, directed by Roger Spottiswoode, paired Stallone with the late Estelle Getty in a bizarre and ill-conceived plot where Stallone’s tough cop character is forced to team up with his overbearing mother. Despite being known for his action roles, Stallone took on the comedic challenge in the hopes of diversifying his career.

However, the results were disastrous. The movie grossed only $70 million worldwide—hardly a massive success, especially when compared to Stallone’s previous hits. Critics universally panned the film, and it earned Stallone a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for “Worst Actor.”

The Prank That Led to the Film

Stallone’s decision to join Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot was, in part, influenced by his famous action rival, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story goes that Schwarzenegger feigned interest in the film, knowing it was a bad script, as a prank to lure Stallone into taking the role.

In a 2017 panel at Beyond Fest, Schwarzenegger revealed that he had read the script and recognized just how bad it was. “I know the way it works in Hollywood,” Schwarzenegger explained, “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to leak out that I have tremendous interest.’” By pretending to be excited about the film, Schwarzenegger believed the producers would offer him a large salary, only for them to eventually settle on Stallone as a cheaper alternative.

Schwarzenegger further added, “A week later, I heard about it, ‘Sly is signing now to do this movie,’ and I said, ‘Yes!’” The result, as Schwarzenegger put it, was a movie that “went right in the toilet.”

Stallone’s Reluctant Reflection on the Film

Stallone himself has long been vocal about his regret over Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. In 2006, during an interview, Stallone openly called it “the worst film I’ve ever made by far… maybe one of the worst films in the entire solar system, including alien productions we’ve never seen.” He humorously compared the film’s script to something even a flatworm could have written, expressing his dismay over his involvement.

Stallone even joked that in some countries, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot had a more dire impact. “In some countries—China, I believe—running Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot once a week on government television has lowered the birth rate to zero,” he quipped. “If they ran it twice a week, I believe in twenty years China would be extinct.” Clearly, the actor doesn’t hold the film in high regard.

The Aftermath

Despite its poor reception, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot has become something of a cult classic in the years since its release. While the film itself is rarely revisited by critics or film buffs in a positive light, it does serve as an example of Stallone’s willingness to take risks and stretch his acting range—though it didn’t quite pay off this time.

For Stallone, however, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot remains a painful memory, a part of his career he would rather forget. In a career filled with triumphs and iconic performances, this film stands as a major misstep that continues to haunt the actor—albeit with a humorous twist.

Conclusion: A Career Bouncing Back

While Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot remains one of the most infamous films in Stallone’s extensive filmography, it’s important to remember that it represents a moment in an otherwise incredibly successful career. From the Rocky and Rambo franchises to his resurgence in films like Creed and The Expendables, Stallone has more than redeemed himself.

Nevertheless, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot will forever be a quirky, albeit cringe-worthy, chapter in Stallone’s history. The actor’s candid remarks about the film only add to his legacy as someone who can laugh at his past mistakes—and who certainly knows how to take a punch, both on and off-screen.