When Comics take on more serious roles...the good the bad and the hideous!

[Phlosphr]

I love Robin Williams. I think he is a brilliant actor. He makes my sides burst constantly, his hilarity never ends! As a graduate of Juilliard, he is a great actor, IMHO of course. His comic acumen traslates wonderfully into the more serious, dark charactors like the ones in, [b] Insomnia, One Hour Photo[b] and others, were brilliantly played and orchestrated.

Now, Jim Carey on the other hand... Loved him in classics like "Dumb and Dumber", "Me, Myself and Irene", he was fabulous. But when he tried to go onto more serious roles like the Truman Show [which was a great film] just not meant for Jim, he sort of tanked in my opinion. He was in another one, Paradise, or something like that, where I just didn't care for his acting. He, I would think, is much better suited taking comic roles than more serious commentary.

Who else can you think of where theyare better playing comics than Mr./Mrs. Serious.?

[LabRat]

A second vote for Robin Williams here. I just saw the trailer for House of D. It was awful .

[MrDibble]

Will Ferrell, I think, given his performance in Stranger Than Fiction, could do great things as a non-comic actor. Even though it was a comedy, there were glimmerings of more there from him.

Ditto Steve Carrel, based on his performance in Little Miss Sunshine .

I disagree about Jim Carey, I think he was outstanding in Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine OT Spotless Mind

Stephen Fry, while he's as best known for stuff like Fry&Laurie & Blackadder etc., was great in Peter's Friends.

[Garfield226]

Originally Posted by Phlosphr

I love Robin Williams. I think he is a brilliant actor. He makes my sides burst constantly, his hilarity never ends! As a graduate of Juilliard, he is a great actor, IMHO of course. His comic acumen traslates wonderfully into the more serious, dark charactors like the ones in, [b] Insomnia, One Hour Photo[b] and others, were brilliantly played and orchestrated.

Now, Jim Carey on the other hand... Loved him in classics like "Dumb and Dumber", "Me, Myself and Irene", he was fabulous. But when he tried to go onto more serious roles like the Truman Show [which was a great film] just not meant for Jim, he sort of tanked in my opinion. He was in another one, Paradise, or something like that, where I just didn't care for his acting. He, I would think, is much better suited taking comic roles than more serious commentary.

Who else can you think of where theyare better playing comics than Mr./Mrs. Serious.?

I disagree with Jim Carrey. I think he was great in The Truman Show, and I can't think of who else would have done better with the role. And are you thinking of "The Majestic"? He was great there too. On preview, I agree with MrDibble about Will Ferrell as well.

I don't think Bill Murray translates really well into completely serious things. He's one of my favorite actors (Groundhog Day, and bit parts in Little Shop of Horrors and Coffee and Cigarettes), but he's better when he keeps it light.

[Krokodil]

"Serious" might not be the word, but Eddie Izzard's turn as an assassin with plucked eyebrows in The Avengers really summed up the film's problems.

At the other end of the competence spectrum, I've always enjoyed Richard Belzer's "John Munch" character.

[Annie-Xmas]

Johnny Depp is good in comedic and serious roles, often at the same time (Nightmare before Chirstmas vs. Edward Scissorhands).

[robardin]

And here I thought this thread was going to be about comics as in Harvey Comics' "Richie Rich" vs. Art Spiegelman's "Maus".

I thought Jim Carrey was outstanding in both The Truman Show and in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. His true gift is still physical comedy, though; I don't think he'll be able to pull off the complete transition that, say, Tom Hanks did. Sometimes it's easy to forget that he started off in movies like Bachelor Party and Big and TV shows like Bosom Buddies before doing memorable dramatic turns in Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, etc.). But when he would host SNL every now and again (back when I still watched the program) I'd suddenly remember, hey, this guy can be pretty funny!

I've can't think of a dramatic role that Danny DeVito has carried himself particularly well in, though...

[Infovore]

Well, there's Hugh Laurie, who for years was known mostly as a comic actor. He's brilliant as Dr. House.

[Annie-Xmas]

For all his dramatic action figure work, Arnold does good comedy--Kindergarten Cop & Twins.

[Poysyn]

Originally Posted by winterhawk11

Well, there's Hugh Laurie, who for years was known mostly as a comic actor. He's brilliant as Dr. House.

Can I just say I was shocked the other day when watching Stuart Little with my daughter when I took a closer look at Daddy Little?

[Flutterby]

Originally Posted by Poysyn

Can I just say I was shocked the other day when watching Stuart Little with my daughter when I took a closer look at Daddy Little?

He was also one of the bad guys in the live action version of 101 Dalmations. I was watching it with my son and trying to puzzle where I'd seen him before.

[Hypno-Toad]

A second on Bill Murray. When he does serious stuff like The Razors Edge, you find yourself constantly waiting for the punchline. And it gets annoying because it never comes. His comedy style is so dry that it's indistinguishable from his serious acting.

[SurrenderDorothy]

Neil Flynn, the guy who plays the Janitor on Scrubs...

I don't know a whole lot about the actor or where he started out, but he was on NYPD Blue a week or so ago

And he wasn't bad in the role at all. He wasn't really any more impressive than any of the guests, but I don't think he was bad

But my sister and I were watching it and CRACKING UP the whole time. I guess it's sort of the nature of his character on Scrubs- hilarious, but sort of deadpan- that made it hard to take him seriously when he was being dramatic. It was really hard to separate his character on NYPD Blue from The Janitor.

Same, sort of, for Zach Braff. I thought he was okay in Garden State, but it still seemed like J.D. from Scrubs playing someone else. Most people I've talked to think he was fabulous and excellent and so on, but... I think comedy is probably his strong point.

I don't know if this counts, but, continuing with the Scrubs theme, the guy who plays Dr. Kelso was the judge in the movie I Am Sam. He had a very small role, but he was the only one out of the lot who seemed like... just the judge, rather than Dr. Kelso in a robe.

[WhyNot]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

Johnny Depp is good in comedic and serious roles, often at the same time (Nightmare before Chirstmas vs. Edward Scissorhands).

(bolding mine)

Bwaahhhh? Are you thinking of Sleepy Hollow, maybe?

I really like and admire Jim Carrey in his serious roles, and loathe him in his "funny" ones. But it's because he does that style of humor I dislike - broad, broad, broader than my ass broad. *shudder* I will grant that he does it WELL, but for me, the better you do broad comedy, the more I dislike it.

I'm actually warming up to Bill Murray as he gets better serious roles. I didn't really like Lost in Translation, but I thought he was good in it. Yes, I know I should like his humor because it's dry, but to me his dryness is so dry it's become broad again, if that makes any sense at all.

Robin Williams, just to prove that every rule is made to be broken, I love both in his broad comedy, his dramatic roles and his plain weird ones that defy description. Love, love, love him. He's never hit a wrong note with me. And I'm so glad I was never his teacher!

[H3Knuckles]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

Johnny Depp is good in comedic and serious roles, often at the same time (Nightmare before Chirstmas vs. Edward Scissorhands).

I would agree that he is a skilled and versatile actor, but I don't really get what you're trying to say. Johnny Depp wasn't in the Nightmare before Christmas. Were you simply confused? Or were you comparing his performance in Edward Scissorhands to someone's voice-acting in Nightmare?

[vivalostwages]

Another vote for Jim Carrey, who was quite good in The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine....
Bill Murray does well in dramatic turns, too.
Did anyone see Robin Williams in the recent DVD The Night Listener? He did a nice job in a very non-comedic role.

[pesch]

I'm in-between on Bill Murray. I loved him in "Translation," but he was absolutely awful in "The Razor's Edge" (this is the Somerset Maughm "Lost in Tibet" movie that Bill was able to get financed because they wanted him so badly in "Ghostbusters.")

The movie's interesting to see, but Bill sucks the air from every scene he's in, especially when he's trying to be all spiritual and s***. When he walks, he acts like his arms don't know what his body's doing, which is funny to see in a comedy, but not here.

I'll have to watch "Translation" again to see if the movie shot around these deficiencies.

BTW, I loved him in "Groundhog Day", which was a nice mix of comedy and drama. The IMDB noted that the scriptwriters decided to cut out some of the nasty stuff his character did for awhile, like killing and raping the townspeople (hey, if you knew it all gets reset the next day, wouldn't you try a little pillaging?

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Ryan Reynolds isn't a stand-up comic, but he is definitely known for his acting in goofy teen comedies like Van Wilder. That said, he impressed the hell out of me as a serious, competent FBI agent in Smokin' Aces. I'd love to see him play the superhero The Flash in a movie, which would be a drama for the most part, but the lead character is known for his droll, sarcastic, occasionally-immature humor.

I'll agree on Jim Carrey (who I greatly prefer in serious roles) and Bill Murray (who is fantastic in almost everything), and I think Steve Carell has a lot to offer in the future in both comedic and dramatic parts.

Back to Scrubs, John C. McGinley is hilarious on the show as the acerbic Dr. Cox, but he can switch to serious quite adeptly during the show's dramatic moments. He is also very good in serious movies, including Platoon. There's a fantastic movie called Article 99, a hospital drama with an amazing cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Ray Liotta, John C. McGinley, and Forest Whittaker, among others.

[Frostillicus]

Originally Posted by MrDibble

I disagree about Jim Carrey. I think he was outstanding in... Eternal Sunshine OT Spotless Mind

You realize, don't you, that you initialized the two shortest words in this very long film title? That is all.

[LifeOnWry]

Originally Posted by Krokodil

"Serious" might not be the word, but Eddie Izzard's turn as an assassin with plucked eyebrows in The Avengers really summed up the film's problems.

Avengers was crap, and it was one of Izzard's first real film roles - and it was only barely a role, as he didn't even have a speaking part (his only line, a single word, was dubbed.) He was brilliant as Charlie Chaplin in The Cat's Meow. Frequently, Izzard has been the best part of an otherwise garbage movie - All The Queen's Men, Circus, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, The Secret Agent, Velvet Goldmine. He was terrific on stage in the drama A Day In The Death of Joe Egg (for which he won a Drama Desk award) and is now filming a dramatic series that's supposed to debut in March on F/X.

[gonzomax]

Arnold is wooden in anything that does not require action and killing. Wait he is wooden in them too.
Dennis Miller has a look at me I am acting quality.
Tom Arnold plays a second banana ass kisser well. Kinda like when he was married to Rozanne.practice practice practice
Larry Miller plays a pricky boss well.
Most seem to pull off TV acting fairly well. Like Tim Allen ,Seinfeld atc. Why does TV acting come easier?

[RealityChuck]

Steve Martin has been quite good in a variety of roles ranging from comic (The Three Amigos, Bowfinger) to serious (Roxanne, Shopgirl. He's also done a lot of stinkers (e.g,. The Pink Panther), too.

[Hampshire]

Originally Posted by robardin

I've can't think of a dramatic role that Danny DeVito has carried himself particularly well in, though...

I thought he carried himself pretty well with Nicholson in Hoffa.

[joyrider]

I thought Jim Carey ALWAYS stunk as an actor, and especially as a comic. So hard to watch, worse than Howie Mandel.
Is making your mouth big funny? If not, which it hasn't been for me since I was three, then he has no act at all.
I remember when he was in Duck Factory with really funny people, Jack Gilford, Teresa Ganzel, Larry Gelman, and he was the joke killer. They would be going along great, witty banter, and every time he opened his mouth to mug the joke was over. And he was so smug about it. Look At Me, I made my mouth big, so I'm the star. Unh uh.

And of course Robin did the same thing on Happy Days. Just killed every scene he was in. One moment you're watching a family talking and the next they're all standing around watching the dippy visitor doing a skit by himself. One that got laughs by standing on his head, or saying Look, I'm so funny I dirink with my finger. Wonder what else is on.

[MrDibble]

Originally Posted by Frostillicus

You realize, don't you, that you initialized the two shortest words in this very long film title? That is all.

Yeah, but the two most common words. "ot" is my usual written shorthand for that word combo, anyway, I think I used it by reflex, like using slashes for "or".

[Yllaria]

(Nightmare before Chirstmas vs. Edward Scissorhands).

Maybe you're thinking of The Corpse Bride?

[Spoke]

I like Bill Murray just fine in serious roles. I'm one of the three people who enjoyed The Razor's Edge. He also did good work in Broken Flowers, says I, and turned in a nice nuanced performance in Rushmore.

Count me among those who just don't buy Jim Carrey in a serious role. The only such role where he is remotely tolerable is Eternal Sunshine, and there it was the strength of the movie as a whole that won me over.

I also don't really buy Will Smith in serious roles. He's fine as a comic actor, but that's as far as it goes for me.

Adam Sandler doesn't really work for me in either comic or serious roles.

I think Jennifer Anniston does well in either comic or serious roles.

[robardin]

Originally Posted by spoke-

I also don't really buy Will Smith in serious roles. He's fine as a comic actor, but that's as far as it goes for me.

The first time I ever saw him in a movie (after being a rapper, and on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air") was in the movie Six Degrees of Separation (an adaptation of a stage play). He was great in it, especially in contrast to what I pictured him as at the time, I remember being quite impressed.

I can't think of too many "serious" roles I've seen him in since then (i.e., outside of comedy or action flicks), though Ali does come to mind, where I also thought he was pretty good.

[gonzomax]

Originally Posted by joyrider

I thought Jim Carey ALWAYS stunk as an actor, and especially as a comic. So hard to watch, worse than Howie Mandel.
Is making your mouth big funny? If not, which it hasn't been for me since I was three, then he has no act at all.
I remember when he was in Duck Factory with really funny people, Jack Gilford, Teresa Ganzel, Larry Gelman, and he was the joke killer. They would be going along great, witty banter, and every time he opened his mouth to mug the joke was over. And he was so smug about it. Look At Me, I made my mouth big, so I'm the star. Unh uh.

And of course Robin did the same thing on Happy Days. Just killed every scene he was in. One moment you're watching a family talking and the next they're all standing around watching the dippy visitor doing a skit by himself. One that got laughs by standing on his head, or saying Look, I'm so funny I dirink with my finger. Wonder what else is on.

He was brilliant on In Living Color. Made the show.

[gwendee]

Michael Keaton has done well at a few pretty heavy dramatic roles. He is always my first answer when a topic simlar to this comes up. In particular his character in Pacific Heights was (for me) the least funny person ever played (and played well)by a comic.

[TV time]

I happened to catch a series of scenes that Stanley Kramer shot with a number of comedic actors who were in [i]It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World[i]. It was a long time ago and I was very young and it was shown by Kramer for a friend's father.

And it had a number of the actors from that wonderful slapstick comedy in serious scenes. I remember Sid Caesar doing Willie Loman from Death of a Salesman and Jonathan Winters doing Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Milton Berle did something and so did Buddy Hackett. As I said I was pretty young so it was quite awhile ago.

I remember just how good those guys were. These were raw scenes - just the actor in front of the camera doing serious drama. A couple of times I remember one or two of them bailing out with humor, but the scenes were powerful even to a young kid.

I have often wondered what ever happened to that film.

Regarding the discussion on Bill Murray: I thought he was excellent in The Razor's Edge. It is a character that is not heroic in the traditional sense. It is a character that is shallow and vapid who grows despite of who he is and what he tries not to be. Murray captures that.

I have seen two other versions of the book and in both of those, the actors try to make this man a somebody. He not somebody until the end and even then the point is very zen (I guess) and that somebody is still nobody and there is a point in that realization for the character.

For me it is like Suziki (probably the wrong person) who said trying to explain zen is trying to explain the unexplainable and then he wrote 13 books or so trying to explain it.

[want2know]

In "the good", I have to vote for Thomas Hayden Church . As Lowell the mechanic, he was, IMHO, the only good thing about the sitcom Wings . I was pleasantly surprised at how effective he was playing a more serious (though still comedic) role in the film Sideways .

[vivalostwages]

I'm watching Hugh Laurie in the sarcastic, curmudgeonly role he plays on the drama series House MD, and also watching him much earlier in his hilarious role as Wooster in Jeeves & Wooster. He can definitely handle both types of roles quite well.