I can’t believe no one has mentioned Robin Williams yet. He’s every bit as awful as Jim Carrey, IMO. My teenage son and I were looking for a DVD to watch last night. He’s a huge fan of Robert Sean Leonard (from watching House), so I thought Dead Poets Society. Then I remembered it had Robin Williams in it. Couldn’t do it.
I don’t think he’s so bad in that one, but I do feel like it’s very…I don’t know how to describe it, but there’s a feeling of, “SEE, I can do drama, too!” Rehearsed, almost. I mean, yes, every actor rehearses, but it doesn’t feel natural to me. It always feels like it’s proof somehow that he doesn’t have to be insane.
Well put!
My hatred of Vince Vaughn is only matched by my hatred of Owen Wilson. I can’t stand the breathy way he talks.
Glenn Close. Uuugggh!
I feel that way about Kevin Costner. You watch the movie and you can never forget that it’s KEVIN COSTNER.
You mean those are two different people? Shit, now I have to hate *both *of them separately!
You mean Raising Arizona, I think.
Jim Carrey
Leonardo DiCaprio
Mel Gibson (with the exception of Chicken Run)
I have a long list.
Renée Zellweger–She just ugly. With her squinty eyes, bad skin, weird mouth, bad dye job. I can’t watch her and I find it no problem to watch average looking actors in nearly any other context. I think it’s maybe because she’s often portrayed as pretty and attractive and I’m left staring at the naked emperor wondering what the rest of the world is thinking.
Rob Schneider–I would find Adam Sandler movies a lot more watchable without this unfunny, creepy little hanger on.
Nicolas Cage–He’s just smarmy.
Will Farrell–with the exception of Stranger Than Fiction which I adored (because the script was wonderful and I loved the plot,) I can’t stand his movies. It’s like watching SNL from the bad years. One long sketch built on a weak premise that doesn’t know how to end.
Chris Rock–whiny. so whiny. In everything.
I can watch a Keanu Reeves movie(I actually liked him in Johnny Mnemonic and A Scanner Darkly), but I wish to hell he wasn’t in Dracula. Who thought that was a good idea?
Ditto on Woody Harrelson. Every time I see his face on screen, I find myself wondering what the SWAT team is going to find in his refrigerator. Although I did like him in Prarie Home Companion.
Someone should remind Robin Williams that Live at the Met was a long time ago. He tried to jump the shark in the mid-90’s, but his talent didn’t quite make it past the tank.
There’s something about Sharon Stone that just screams sleazy to me. The bad kind of sleazy. The not-very-attractive-English-teacher-who-gets-knocked-up-by-a-sixth-grader type of sleazy. I just don’t like watching her.
I just skipped a movie last night because Ashley Judd was in it. She personifies snobby and I can’t abide almost any picture she’s in. Although Bug was worth it, 'cause she was crazy.
Jennifer Lopez, but I don’t know that what she does qualifies as acting. Like the new movie she has coming out… I’ll hear a commercial and I think “Well, that sounds cute enough for a chick flick,” and her face will pop up and ruin it for me.
I’ve never seen that movie she was in with George Clooney that I’ve heard I’d like because of her.
I also can’t stand Kate Hudson. Ugh. But like J-Lo, she’s not really in a whole lot I’d want to see.
Totally agree on Tom Cruise.
I’ll still watch Hugh Grant’s movies but I find his self deprecating ways very annoying.
My GF won’t watch one minute of any movie having anything to do with Woody Allen.
She’s still creeped-out by the whole Soon-Yi thing.
They already did find new talent for blockbusters. Jack Nicholson hasn’t been the feature player in a(n attempted) blockbuster since the mid 90s.
As to the general point, I find it naive in the extreme. Why should a studio want to risk hundreds of millions of dollars on unknown actors? Would you be so quick to do it if it were your money?
Nicholson actually can play characters other than Jack Nicholson, he just doesn’t bother too often. To examples: Hoffa and Wolf. Not a crazy arched eyebrow to be seen in either one.
Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise. They aren’t bad actors per se, they just are douche’s in real life and it tends to distract from their portrayals.
Keanu Reeves, is a bad actor, but tends to be get cast for popular movies. Please stop. He was tolerable in Matrix, and other roles with limited intelligence. He was unacceptable as Constantine.
He was fine in Constantine. It was a friggin’ comic book; not a lot of talent required.
Russell Crowe
Nicholas Cage
Vince Vaughn
Their distracting acting pecularities remove any sense of immersion or enjoyment from their roles.