It is hard to imagine a world where the star of Ghost and the king of National Lampoon shared a screen, let alone a nightmare. But they did. In 1991, Chevy Chase and Demi Moore starred in a movie so bizarre, so visually repellent, and so financially disastrous that it almost tanked several careers at once.
The movie was Nothing But Trouble.
If you haven’t seen it, consider yourself lucky—or maybe unlucky, depending on your appetite for the grotesque. Basically, it’s a dark comedy about a yuppie couple (Chase and Moore) who take a wrong turn in New Jersey and end up held captive by a 106-year-old judge with a prosthetic nose that looks suspiciously like a certain male appendage.
Honestly, the movie is a fever dream. But the real drama wasn't what was happening in the fictional town of Valkenvania. It was the absolute chaos happening behind the scenes between its lead stars.
Why the Movie Was Such a Mess
Dan Aykroyd directed this thing. It was his directorial debut, and he went all in. We're talking a 90-foot-tall mansion made of literal junk and a working drawbridge. The budget spiraled. Warner Bros. was reportedly bleeding cash, holding emergency meetings just to keep the production from collapsing under its own weight.
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But the biggest issue wasn't the money. It was the vibe.
Chevy Chase has a reputation. You've probably heard it. He’s been called difficult, arrogant, and a bully by former co-stars for decades. On the set of Nothing But Trouble, that reputation was on full display. Reports from the crew suggest Chase absolutely hated the script. He only did the movie as a favor to his old SNL buddy Aykroyd, and he made sure everyone knew he was miserable.
The "Turd" Incident
Demi Moore didn't hold back. Years later, she reportedly referred to Chase as a "turd" during the filming process. Imagine being Demi Moore in 1991. You’re at the peak of your "Brat Pack" transition into a serious A-lister. You’re professional. You’re focused. And then you have to deal with a co-star who is allegedly bullying the director—who also happens to be a legend—to the point of physical exhaustion.
Aykroyd was eventually hospitalized for fatigue. The crew was so fed up with Chase’s behavior that one member allegedly threatened to drop a brick on his head.
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Nothing But Trouble wasn't just a bad movie; it was a toxic workplace.
The Weird Legacy of Chevy Chase and Demi Moore
Despite the on-set tension, the movie exists as a strange time capsule. It features a young Tupac Shakur in his acting debut (as part of Digital Underground). It has John Candy playing dual roles, including a mute woman. It’s a cult classic now because of how aggressively "ugly" it is.
For Chevy Chase and Demi Moore, the film represents two very different career trajectories:
- Demi Moore's Resilience: She survived the flop. Shortly after, she went on to dominate the 90s with hits like A Few Good Men and Indecent Proposal. She proved that one bad creative choice (and one difficult co-star) couldn't stop her momentum.
- Chevy Chase’s Decline: While he had a few more hits, the stories of his "jerk" behavior started to catch up with him. By the time he reached the set of Community years later, the same complaints about his attitude were being made by a whole new generation of actors.
The documentary I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, which hit screens in early 2026, dives deep into this. It doesn't sugarcoat anything. It looks at the man who was once the funniest person in the room and asks why he seemed so intent on burning every bridge he crossed.
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Where are they now in 2026?
Demi Moore is having a massive resurgence. After her Oscar-nominated turn in the body-horror hit The Substance in 2024, she’s back on top. Just this week, she was named a Global Brand Ambassador for Kérastase and showed up at the 2026 WWD Style Awards in a sheer Gucci gown that had everyone talking. She’s currently filming I Love Boosters with director Boots Riley, slated for a Memorial Day release.
Chevy, meanwhile, is mostly doing the nostalgia circuit. He’s 82 now. He still does "Live Conversation" events for Christmas Vacation, but the 2026 documentary has definitely added a layer of complexity to how fans view him. It’s hard to separate the "funny guy" from the "turd" on the set of Valkenvania.
How to Revisit the Valkenvania Era
If you're feeling brave and want to see this weird piece of cinema history for yourself, here is what you need to know:
- Look for the visuals, not the plot. The set design is genuinely incredible, even if the movie is hard to watch.
- Watch for the Digital Underground cameo. Seeing Tupac perform in the middle of this madness is worth the price of admission alone.
- Notice the lack of chemistry. Knowing that Moore and Chase were at odds makes their scenes together much more interesting in a "cringe-watch" sort of way.
The saga of Chevy Chase and Demi Moore is a reminder that even the biggest stars aren't immune to a disaster. Sometimes, the most interesting story isn't the one on the screen, but the one happening just off-camera when the director yells "cut."
To dive deeper into this era of Hollywood, you should check out Demi Moore's memoir, Inside Out. While it focuses heavily on her personal struggles and her marriage to Bruce Willis, it provides essential context for the "fake it till you make it" mentality she had to adopt during her most difficult filming experiences. Following that, watch the 2026 documentary I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not on Max to see the other side of the story—it's a brutal, honest look at a comedy legend's complicated reputation.