# Al Pacino -- whaddya think? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 28, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-pacino-whaddya-think/296603 "2005-03-28T14:20:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-pacino-whaddya-think/296603/21 "2005-03-29T04:49:25Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > One strike against Pacino: I’ve never seen him do comedy. I think the true greats (of which he’s always a part of the discussion) must do comedy. It’s probably just me, but I thought his campy and deliberately over-the-top performance in **Devil’s Advocate** was darkly comic. Also, although technically not a comedy, his outrageous turn in [Dick Tracy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099422/) was menacingly comic. And, although I haven’t seen it, Pacino a few years ago was in [S1m0ne](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258153/) which was at least _supposed_ to be a comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Shana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Shana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shana)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-pacino-whaddya-think/296603/22 "2005-03-29T05:01:38Z")
I just saw him in **Merchant of Venice** and was surprised by how much I liked his performance. Normally I do not seek him out. I find him to be super grating on my nerves…He was also great in **Dog Day Afternoon**. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-pacino-whaddya-think/296603/23 "2005-03-29T07:11:26Z")
> [@Torgo](#): > > Am I the only one who thinks Pacino is starting to sound like the [Rev. Jim Ignatowski?](http://www.bttf.com/graphics/ignatows.jpg) Ha! Didn’t realize it until you mentioned it, but you are right! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-pacino-whaddya-think/296603/24 "2005-03-29T07:14:13Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > And, although I haven’t seen it, Pacino a few years ago was in [S1m0ne](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258153/) which was at least _supposed_ to be a comedy. Eh… it’s not very funny, and he’s not doing jokes in it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-pacino-whaddya-think/296603/25 "2005-03-29T10:09:41Z")
Pacino’s still the man, but since **Scent Of A Woman** he’s been phoning in that whole Hoo-hah! schtick a little too much. I liked it in **Devil’s Advocate** , but then if you’re going to play Old Nick you might as well have fun and show up Keanu. When he gets a decent director to rein him in, he’s still fantastic: some of his best roles were quite recent, and very underplayed - the guilt-racked insomniac cop in, well, **Insomnia** {which also featured that rarest of things, a decent showing from Robin Williams}, and the mob footsoldier in **Donnie Brasco** : the scene where he silently takes off his jewellery before he leaves the house knowing he’s going to his death is just heartbreaking. He’s still less of a self-parody than De Niro’s become: God knows he used to be great, but most of the characters he’s played in the past ten years might as well have been wearing signs around their necks reading “I’m only in this for the money.” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-pacino-whaddya-think/296603/26 "2005-03-29T12:35:03Z")
I saw **S1mOne** – was that a comedy? Yikes. A bad movie, whatever it was, and he gets no points for playing comedy in it. I did keep cracking up during **Devil’s Advocate** , but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the director’s intention. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-pacino-whaddya-think/296603.md?page=1)