# Actors who were only good in one movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 14, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466 "2005-03-14T15:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bclouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@bclouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bclouse)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/21 "2005-03-14T19:30:12Z")
I meant **The Big Chill** of course. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/22 "2005-03-14T19:33:31Z")
Tom Arnold in _True Lies_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/23 "2005-03-14T20:05:15Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > How about Sting in _Dune?_ Nah, he sucked in that too. The world does need more multitalented people, but until we get them; actors should act and singers should sing. Crossing the beams is bad. Tom Cruise was ok in Risky Business. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/24 "2005-03-14T20:11:03Z")
Leonardo DiCaprio in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/25 "2005-03-14T20:29:41Z")
> [@The Devil's Grandmother](#): > > Nah, he sucked in that too. > The world does need more multitalented people, but until we get them; actors should act and singers should sing. Crossing the beams is bad. The _streams_? I think Harry Connick Jr. and Chris Isaak are good actors, and Kevin Spacey is a pretty good singer. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/26 "2005-03-14T21:03:31Z")
> [@The Devil's Grandmother](#): > > … > Tom Cruise was ok in Risky Business. I think he was perfectly cast as a self-absorbed prick in **Rain Man**. That’s really the only role I like him in. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/27 "2005-03-14T21:05:25Z")
Tony Curtis?? What about **Some Like it Hot**? He may have given a lot of sucky performances, but he hardly qualifies for this category. Neither does Keanu Reeves. You may not like his acting, but he doesn’t qualify either, if only because there’s so much discussion of what the one movie he was good in was. Now Tom Arnold? There’s a good example. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/28 "2005-03-14T21:46:09Z")
> [@](#): > > I think he was perfectly cast as a self-absorbed prick in Rain Man. He was also perfectly cast as a self-absorbed prick (with Daddy issues) in _Magnolia_. He was also-also perfectly cast as a self-absorbed _horny_ prick in _Eyes Wide Shut_, though if you didn’t like that movie you’ve likely scrubbed it from your brain by now. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/29 "2005-03-14T22:00:46Z")
Melanie Griffith was good in _Crazy in Alabama_. I have hairline fractures in my skull from listening to her little “meow meow meow Mr. Rogers” monotone in other movies (_Shining Through_ being a movie she particularly messed up). Cedric the Entertainer was great in _Barbershop_ but the other movies I’ve seen him in lacked a lot. Speaking of Barbershop, if you discount Queen Latifah’s cameo in the second one then _Chicago_ was the one good movie she’s been in to date. (_Bringin’ Down the House_ was just one of those “how the hell did they not hear this sucking right off the script?” movies.) Child actor Doug McKeon (now 38) has more than 2 dozen credits but _On Golden Pond_ remains his only decent movie. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/30 "2005-03-14T22:40:23Z")
Sylvester Stallone in the first Rocky…all other films with Stallone suck turkeys. ---
**Author:** ![MinniePurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@MinniePurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MinniePurl)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/31 "2005-03-14T22:45:19Z")
Jennifer Lopez in “[Out of Sight](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120780/)” ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/32 "2005-03-15T00:52:26Z")
> [@bclouse](#): > > I second Kevin Costner in **The Bill Chill**. His finest performance indeed. What about _Bull Durham_?! That’s by far his best movie! Although _A Perfect World_ is pretty good but not because of him so much. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/33 "2005-03-15T00:54:24Z")
**Bill Cosby** is a horrible movie actor. He’s serviceable opposite Sidney Pointier, and his only great movie role was in _ **Mother Juggs and Speed** _ opposite \*\*Rachel Welch \*\* and **Harvey Keitel.** ---
**Author:** ![Kaotic\_Newtral](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@Kaotic\_Newtral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaotic_Newtral)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/34 "2005-03-15T00:58:43Z")
I’d like to nominate [Christian Slater](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108399/) in True Romance. I love that movie and the only time he ever came close again was Heathers. ---
**Author:** ![Kaotic\_Newtral](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@Kaotic\_Newtral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaotic_Newtral)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/35 "2005-03-15T01:01:39Z")
> [@Kaotic Newtral](#): > > I’d like to nominate [Christian Slater](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108399/) in True Romance. I love that movie and the only time he ever came close again was Heathers. Sorry, speaking of actors in that movie…I’d also nominate Val Kilmer. Not for that movie though, for Tombstone. Truly wonderful in that movie. Everything else I’ve seen him in is kind of…blah. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/36 "2005-03-15T01:10:26Z")
I think Jack Black was fine in School of Rock. but it was certainly “typecasting” Travolta? he was good in Grease. He played himself (again) in Pulp Fiction. Other than those- terrible. (Ok, there was one good scene in Micheal…) ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/37 "2005-03-15T01:51:46Z")
**Kate Hudson** in Almost Famous is my pick. I haven’t liked her in anything else. To add to Nicholas Cages resume, I’d like to say he was also pretty good in Adaptation and Leaving Las Vegas. Tom Cruise was also pretty good in Born on the Forth of July. Leonardo DiCaprio was also pretty good in The Basketball Diaries and The Aviator –these are only my opinions of course. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/38 "2005-03-15T02:28:26Z")
John Travolta? Say what? So, he was bad in **Saturday Night Fever** , **Urban Cowboy** , and **Blow Out**? 😕 As for the OP, I nominate Cuba Gooding Jr. So bad now that I can’t even re-watch his Oscar-winning performance in **Jerry Maguire** , which I recall enjoying upon first viewing. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/39 "2005-03-15T02:32:25Z")
Well Cuba’s debut in **Boyz in the Hood** is imminently watchable – and I liked him in **As Good As It Gets** and he didn’t irritate as much as I thought he would in **Snow Dogs.** ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/40 "2005-03-15T02:33:32Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > \*\*Rachel Welch \*\* :dubious: :rolleyes: :smack: Now, **Racquel** Welch, _she_ was great in _Bedazzled._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466.md?page=3)