# 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:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**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, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/41 "2005-03-15T02:51:33Z")
Oops. Racquel. \> Insert “bonehead” smilie here \< ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/42 "2005-03-15T03:11:14Z")
Carrie Snodgrass was only good in **Diary of a Mad Housewife** Linda Manz was breathtakingly good in **Days of Heaven** , but did nothing of note afterwards. Conchata Ferrell was great in **Heartland** , but it has rarely had a chance to shine otherwise. Jerry Lewis in **The King of Comedy** (though **The Nutty Professor** comes close) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/43 "2005-03-15T03:19:39Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > How about Sting in _Dune?_ I actually liked him in _The Bride_. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/44 "2005-03-15T03:54:19Z")
I came in here specifically to nominate Kevin Costner for _Field of Dreams_, and now I’m reminded of _Bull Durham_. :smack: [sub]haven’t seen Silverardo[/sub] ---
**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, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/45 "2005-03-15T14:08:53Z")
> [@Kat](#): > > [sub]haven’t seen Silverardo[/sub] You need to take care of that. One of the finest Westerns of our time. ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/46 "2005-03-16T13:39:25Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > Leonardo DiCaprio in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Damn, you beat me to it!! ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/47 "2005-03-16T14:10:55Z")
Oddly enough, I liked DiCaprio in “The Quick and The Dead.” Quirky little western. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/48 "2005-03-16T14:45:30Z")
Lori Petty in A League Of Their Own. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/49 "2005-03-16T15:53:45Z")
Reminded by **Chastain86** , Russell Crowe in “The Quick and the Dead.” Every time I see Russell Crowe in anything else, I think gee, he wa so good in the Quick and the Dead… ---
**Author:** ![bclouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@bclouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bclouse)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/50 "2005-03-16T16:00:14Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > 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. I was joking. Kevin Costner plays a dead body in **The Big Chill**. I don’t think you even see his face. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/51 "2005-03-16T16:47:29Z")
I’m also going to speak up for Tony Curtis. He’s a bit annoying in **The Great Race** , but I think that’s because his character is _meant_ to be annoying. Certainly I enjoyed him in **Operation Petticoat**. I’m another one who thinks that Keanu Reeves peaked with **Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure**. The next one never happened. Really. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/52 "2005-03-16T18:04:37Z")
**Will Smith** in Six Degrees of Separation. One of the all-time great performances, and then…blech. Although looking at his credits, I realize that I never saw Ali, for which he got a lot of recognition. ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/53 "2005-03-16T18:45:04Z")
There’s been one - _one_ - good performance by Vin Diesel, and it’s in **Boiler Room**. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/54 "2005-03-16T23:47:39Z")
I think Ben Affleck’s one good performance was also in **Boiler Room**. ---
**Author:** ![Perdidas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecd19e/32.png) [@Perdidas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perdidas)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/55 "2005-03-17T03:02:37Z")
> [@Rysler](#): > > Reminded by **Chastain86** , Russell Crowe in “The Quick and the Dead.” > > Every time I see Russell Crowe in anything else, I think gee, he wa so good in the Quick and the Dead… Have you not seen _Romper Stomper_? That’s definately my nomination for “only decent performance of Russell Crowe’s career”. > [@Treviathan](#): > > There’s been one - _one_ - good performance by Vin Diesel, and it’s in **Boiler Room**. I think you misspelt “_The Iron Giant_”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/56 "2005-03-17T15:32:22Z")
Both Michael Douglas and Toby McGuire were fantastic in “Wonder Boys.” Each has been entirely useless in everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466/57 "2005-03-17T15:35:34Z")
Adam Sandler was good in _Punch-Drunk Love_ and that’s it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-were-only-good-in-one-movie/294466.md?page=2)