What actors are you surprised to see working today because, in your eyes, they add nothing to a movie? I’m talking about major Hollywood movies, not small indie films or obscure B movies. Television is not included also because there are too many talentless clods on the tube to mention.
Right off the top of my head:
Matthew Broderick–the guy has zero personality and still looks like a teenager. I thought it was a prank years ago when I read he was going to star in the American Godzilla movie.
Richard Gere–What a boring, wooden actor! I don’t understand how this guy gets roles in big movies. I couldn’t understand people on Academy Award preview shows who were stunned that he was the only star of Chicago not to get an Oscar nomination (Zeta-Jones, Zellwegger and Latifah all got nominations–hey, two actresses with last names beginning with “Z” in the same movie! That’s gotta be a first!). I don’t even get Gere’s appeal as a sex symbol because he’s got those tiny little weasel eyes, plus the gerbil myth doesn’t help.
Liam Neeson–Like Gere, a very boring actor who brings down anything he’s in. Plus he always looks like he’s on the verge of tears. He was just awful in Rob Roy!
There are several others that I can’t think of at the moment.
I actually really liked Gere in Chicago. I thought he was perfect in the part and it really needed someone willing to play up to their own celebrity to make it work. Prior to actually watching the movie I thought he was a very dodgy casting choice.
Ashton Kutcher. Where did they find this guy, and what does he have hidden in a safe somewhere that compels Hollywood producers to give him shitloads of money to appear in movies? More than once, I have wondered the same thing about Adam Sandler and Steve Guttenberg…
I meant to add Eddy Murphy - started off so good and now everything is a stinker.
Billy Zane - he just gives me the creeps, for some reason his negative charisma will stop me watching anything. Don’t know what it is it’s not rational.
Ben Affleck
Jim Carrey
Adam Sandler
anything named “Culkin”
Courtney Love
David Spade
Chris Rock
Tobey Maguire (how the hell did THIS guy get famous???)
Drew Barrymore
Mary Steenburgen
KGS, your list made me realize that there are far more shitty comic actors then dramatic ones. David Spade must be the godson of a very powerful mob boss to continue working in movies because he’s the biggest pile of crap ever to appear in one.
Ben Affleck also makes no sense to me. Armaggedon was awful for many reasons, but the male half of Bennifer was tops in my book.
I think Eddy Murphy still gets big bucks because studios hope that maybe they’ll get lucky and he’ll become funny again. I think it’s been too many years to consider it a mere slump
I have to disagree with some of these. Carrey, while grating as a comedian, is a good to very good “serious” actor, and has a great onscreen personality when kept in check by the right kind of director.
Tobey Maguire gets points just for not being your typical Hollywood prettyboy, and I’ve always liked the adult Drew Barrymore for reasons that are, I fear, entirely hormonal.
And Mary Steenburgen? Sweet lord, you must be kidding. I’ve had the hots for her ever since Back to the Future, Part III, and even besides that, she’s a fine actress.
Good call on Sandler and Rock, though. I’ll see that and raise you a Keanu Reeves.
KGS, that’s a good list. I like Chris Rock, but he hasn’t done much as an actor so far. That’s the closest I can come to making an exception. Costner is an excellent choice. If he has to do an accent, it’s comically bad. He makes terrible decisions in his films (mostly casting himself, and making the movies). He just never does anything but suck; something is always horribly wrong with the movie, and it’s generally him. Okay, I should be fair: Untouchables is a good movie, and I haven’t seen Field of Dreams. Even if that’s great, he’s been making nothing but crap for a long time. (Speaking of which, I’m sometimes amazed people cast Sean Connery and expect him to act like anything but Sean Connery. Are their heads in the sand or what?) No argument about the American Pie gang.
A few additions: Stallone. And Schwarzenegger. Both of them were just about finished forever, then Sly had a minor hit in that racing movie and Arnie had T3 and the recall election. John Travolta is in another ‘terrible’ phase, but he seems to be on the decline. Hopefully there isn’t another comeback in store. Bruce Willis also.
Martin Lawrence, Heather Graham, Adam Sandler, Keanu Reeves, Jet Li (Poor mans Jackie Chan) Christian Slater, Sandra Bullock…all of them play themselves (maybe Jets an exception) film after film.
