So that post on Arthur (see below) got me thinking about why exactly it is that I’ve pretty much avoided Fuqua’s last couple of films and the answer is simple enough: one truly, wretchedly bad casting decision in The Replacement Killers. What was otherwise a pretty entertaining film was absolutely ruined every time a certain Oscar winning actress appeared on screen … Yep, I’m looking at you Mira Sorvino. And that got me thinking about good actors who take on bad roles … so I want to know: what do you think is the best example of a good actor giving a bad performance? And I’m not just talking about somebody having a bad day at the office, I’m talking truly, wretchedly, horrifically, train-wreck bad performances. So fire away.
Comment with Facebook
great posts, good insight
What? I love Time Bandits! But not necessarily because it’s a good movie.
Time Bandits with Connery again… horrible horrible movie
Time Bandits with Connery again… horrible horrible movie
Some of the great stars giving bad performances in bad films that I have seen.
Marlon Brando in “The Island of Dr.Moreau.”
Bette Davis in “Bunny O’Hare.”
Spencer Tracy in “Plymouth Adventure.”
Joan Crawford in “Trog.”
Katharine Hepburn in “The Iron Petticoat.”
Michael Caine and Anthony Quinn in “THe Magus.”
Frank Sinatra in “Dirty Dingus McGee.”
Clark Gable in “Parnell.”
Greer Garson and Clark Gable in “Adventure.”
Jennifer Jones in “Angel, Angel, Down We Go.”
Ingrid Bergman in “A Matter of Time.”
Cary Grant in “The Pride and the Passion.”
Sean Connery in the Avengers… or possibly Uma Thurman… abysmal film all round.
KFG – even if you like Ewan you’ve gotta put Hayden Christenson (sp?) on the list … horrible as Anakin (though that’s got a lot to do with the crap lines he’s got to deliver) but really good in everything else he’s done …
And I just thought of this one a couple days ago … Nicholas Cage in Kiss of Death … this is the film David Caruso quit NYPD blue for and it’s BRUTAL. And I paid full theater price to see it. Because sometimes I’m not so smart … easily the worst thing I’ve ever seen from Cage and I doubt he’ll ever top it …
Uma Thurman in Paycheck. What was that? From Kill Bill geniusness to dumb-down one-liner sci-fi CRAP. It hurts.
Ooh. Dangerous ground there Twitch.
I know that there is [or maybe it’s WAS?] a fairly strong devotion to the Star Wars universe at TMB.
Say what you will about George [and you’ve probably heard me say a few choice things about him yourself] but I think Ewan has done a fairly good job as Obi-Wan in the prequels, no matter their doom to failure.
Ewan McGregor… so good in Moulin Rouge but what’s the deal with Star Wars? The only good thing about that role is that it gets him an action figure, hundreds actually…
I raise you all, Sly Stallone, Mickey Rourke and Michael Caine in the crap American re-make of Get Carter!
Tommy wasn’t bad in Under Seige, though … not great, but not bad. He’s had much worse performances than that and Two Face was definitely one of them … Uma’s Poison Ivy ranks up there, too. Silverstone and buddy who plays Robin (whose name I appear to have mercifully blocked from my mind) are both pretty wretched, too, but I’ve never considered either of them to be even halfway decent actors …
And so it begins…
Bubba, I take your Lance Henrikson and add to him Wilford Brimley in Hard Target!!! The Oatmeal Man on a horse. Using a bow. With a horrid Cajun accent. I Gare-RUN-tee.
Along with those Steven Segal movies you cannot forget Tommy Lee Jones in Under Seige and, AND… you cannot mention Tommy Lee without going to Two Face in Batman Forever. Wretch!!!
Okay KungFuGuy, I see your Rocky and Bullwinkle and raise you Super Mario Brothers. Besides Hoskins this evil, evil film also drew John Lequizamo, Dennis Hopper, Samantha Mathis and Lance Henrikson into it’s clutches.
And staying on the video game tip I present Raul Julia in Street Fighter. It was the last film he made before he died and it’s a horrible way for a great actor to go out.
Ground to a pulp by the immovable force that is Steven Seagal (who proves that putting real actors in bad action movies can simply lower their standards rather than elevating the action star) are Marg Helgenberger, Kris Kristofferson and Harry Dean Stanton in Fire Down Below and Michael Caine, Billy Bob Thornton and Joan Chen in On Deadly Ground.
Robin Williams in Popeye.
Beatty and Hoffman in Ishtar.
John Voight in Anaconda.
Cuba Gooding Jr in pretty much everything other than Jerry Macguire and As Good As It Gets.
Halle Berry as Storm in X-Men (although she was marginally better in the sequel.)
Aiight. Here we go.
Bob Hoskins in Rocky and Bullwinkle, and…
Forrest Wittaker in Battlefield Earth!
I am sure that I can come up with more but I don’t know if these can top Arnie as Mr. Freeze!
Damn you Rodney [insert shaking of fist].
I hate to say it but Arnold Swartzenegger.
Two words – Mr. Freeze.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t qualify Arnie as a “great actor” but he is good at the muscle bound action types he always plays. But even Arnold looked bad as Mr.Freeze. The lines were way too hokey and his acting was his worst ever.
I guess there’s two different things here:
1) Good actors in bad ROLES… or…
2) Good actors giving bad PERFORMANCES.
For example, the entire cast of “The Score” are amazing actors – and performed in “The Score” Very very well – However, the movie was mediocre at best (average script, average plot, average conclusion). I would say that’s a great example of good actors in bad roles. – The performances were the only thing that kept the film afloat.
Edward Norton in “The Italian Job”….dude looked like a slimy 70’s porn star and acting was so damn wooden….
I loved Gary Oldman in Fifth Element, and for Lost in Space fans, his “Dr. Smith” was pretty decent even though most didnt like the film.
But you are right, Oldman needs a good role.
For me, it’s got to be Gary Oldman, he used to play so many good roles, so we’ve seen the talent. Then there was his role in The Fifth Element, and for the most part, it’s been downhill since.