Great performances in bad films and vice versa!

[MikeH]

What are your nominations for performances that made otherwise average, mediocre or terrible films worth watching? And for performances that ruined what were perfectly good films, or films that could've been great?

In the first category I nominate Fiona Shaw in Three Men and a Little Lady. She cracks me up as the super posh English teacher who reckons she's in with a shout with Tom Selleck!

In the second I nominate Keanu Reeves in FF Coppola's Dracula. I kept expecting Ted Theodore Logan to whisk Vlad back to 1989 to help in the Wild Stallyns history project!

[hellboy76]

What are your nominations for performances that made otherwise average, mediocre or terrible films worth watching? And for performances that ruined what were perfectly good films, or films that could've been great?

In the first category I nominate Fiona Shaw in Three Men and a Little Lady. She cracks me up as the super posh English teacher who reckons she's in with a shout with Tom Selleck!

In the second I nominate Keanu Reeves in FF Coppola's Dracula. I kept expecting Ted Theodore Logan to whisk Vlad back to 1989 to help in the Wild Stallyns history project!

I think you can add Winona Ryder from Dracula as well. It didn't help that they both had to stack up against Oldman and Hopkins.

[MikeH]

I think you can add Winona Ryder from Dracula as well. It didn't help that they both had to stack up against Oldman and Hopkins.

Absolutely! I can only presume WR and KR were forced upon Coppola coz they were two of the biggest stars of the day. I did find Keanu more painful tho so he gets my vote.

[ShogunRua]

The all-time greatest example for me is William Mashall in Blacula.

It's a cheesy blaxploitation flick, but as I was watching it, I started to get more and more confused. While the majority of actors and actresses were absolutely terrible, as expected, the one playing Blacula wasn't. In fact, he was really good.

Here was a very handsome, grand-looking 6' 5" black man with a rich baritone voice and crisp, almost upper-class British diction that projects across an entire room, and a magnetic presence that makes you genuinely believe him, regardless of how ridiculous the scene is, or how shitty the acting of his love interest.

'Who the fuck is this guy?!"

Well, looking him up, it turns out he was actually a famous Shakesperian stage actor, considered one of the greatest Othellos of the entire 20th century. Oh. That explains it! Of course, nowadays he is most famous for Blacula and a minor role in Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and not for being an all-time great actor better than at least 80% of those who win Academy Awards.

[MikeH]

The all-time greatest example for me is William Mashall in Blacula.

I'll put Blacula on my list of bad films to watch!

From his IMDB bio sounds like a bit of an unappreciated talent.

[mwgerb]

I'm going to go ahead and say Philip Seymour Hoffman in Along Came Polly. To quote my review,

An entertaining (if low-brow) cliche romance. A full 10 - 20 points belong to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is a goddamn national treasure and a shockingly good comedy actor. His story arc on its own would make a fantastic short film, and probably single-handedly saved this from being unenjoyable.

Don't know if I can think of anyone for the reverse situation. Terrible actors seem to be attracted to terrible movies, or possibly the other way around. Like, I'm sure Rob Schneider would ruin a movie if he were ever cast in something that had any potential.

[Ocelot]

Kurt Fuller in No Holds Barred
William Fichtner in Drive Angry
Steve Martin in Planes, Trains and Automobiles

[saudade]

I wouldn't consider all of these movies bad, but I don't really feel that they deserve these performances:

John P. Ryan in 'It's Alive'
Clancy Brown in 'Pet Sematary II'
Carol Burnett and Tim Curry in 'Annie'
Sam Rockwell in 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'
Brittany Murphy in 'Riding in Cars with Boys'
Janet McTeer in 'Tumbleweeds'
Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Revolutionary Road' and 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?'
Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Daines in 'Romeo + Juliet'
Don Cheadle in 'Manic'
Christina Ricci in 'Black Snake Moan'
Nick Stahl in 'The Man Without a Face'
Gene Wilder in 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'
Richard Gere in 'An Officer and a Gentleman'
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in 'Blue Valentine'
Most of the cast of 'Ransom'

As for bad performances in good movies:

Everyone killed in 'Halloween' (1978)
Thora Birch in 'American Beauty'

Also, I might be alone here, but I've always considered 'Hocus Pocus' a genuinely good movie, made cheesy by some of the performances.

[Stewball]

I wouldn't consider all of these movies bad, but I don't really feel that they deserve these performances:

Christina Ricci in Black Snake Moan

And Samuel L. Jackson as Lazarus, the well grounded, contradictory god-fearing blues man
And John Cothran as the only preacher in cinema history (or real life?) worth a damn
And Neimus K. Williams as the boy who had no idea what picking up some butter beans could lead to
And the Chain, as itself (which should've been listed in the credits)
And the outstanding soundtrack
(Well I waded through water
and I waded through blood
till I come to this place
they calls the bucket o' blood.
** heavy guitar interlude **
You know that bartender gave me
a dirty look and a dirty glass.
I said, 'Hey motherfucker
do you know who I am,
he said hell no nigga
I don'tgiveagoddamn.
**needless to say, it didn't end well for the bartender**)
And even Justin Timberlake did reasonably well in his small role.



Wait a minute, wait a minute....it's actually an awesome movie.

[ShogunRua]

Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Revolutionary Road'

Not only is this an excellent movie, but I would rank DiCaprio's performance as only the third best in the picture, behind Winslet's and Michael Shannon's. In fact, every significant actor in the film (those three plus Kate Hudson) had a strong performance.