# Beat this jaw-dropping casting job **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 5, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495 "2006-06-05T16:19:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/1 "2006-06-05T16:19:49Z")
Millions, Having caught about 45 minutes of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the early morning on the SciFi channel (with all that feel good nakedness removed, of course), I got to thinking. Specifically, I got to thinking about Gary Oldman starring opposite Keanu Reaves. I mean, has there ever been an actor so good paired with an actor so, so bad? Unless Adam Sandler co-starred with Kevin Branaugh and I missed the memo, I really can’t think of any pairing that is more staggering than those two. I’m betting you can’t trump it, either. But let’s have a list of incredibly shitty actors somehow paired with great ones, to see if we can. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/2 "2006-06-05T16:21:13Z")
Moved from ATMB to CS. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/3 "2006-06-05T16:26:20Z")
Well there was that one movie where Sir Alec Guinness got to work with a pretty poor actor name Mark Hamill. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/4 "2006-06-05T16:29:37Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Moved from ATMB to CS. Sorry **Frank**. I’m on about 4 hours sleep after a 10 hour drive (head slapping emoticon). ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/5 "2006-06-05T16:33:54Z")
> [@Birdmonster](#): > > Having caught about 45 minutes of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the early morning on the SciFi channel (with all that feel good nakedness removed, of course), I got to thinking. Specifically, I got to thinking about Gary Oldman starring opposite Keanu Reaves. > > I mean, has there ever been an actor so good paired with an actor so, so bad? Unless Adam Sandler co-starred with Kevin Branaugh and I missed the memo, I really can’t think of any pairing that is more staggering than those two. I’m betting you can’t trump it, either. But let’s have a list of incredibly shitty actors somehow paired with great ones, to see if we can. Branagh cast himself, Emma Thompson, and the aforementioned Reeves as lead characters in _Much Ado About Nothing_\* (Shakespeare’s play, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/6 "2006-06-05T16:41:07Z")
> [@Birdmonster](#): > > Millions, > > Having caught about 45 minutes of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the early morning on the SciFi channel (with all that feel good nakedness removed, of course), I got to thinking. Specifically, I got to thinking about Gary Oldman starring opposite Keanu Reaves. > > I mean, has there ever been an actor so good paired with an actor so, so bad? Unless Adam Sandler co-starred with Kevin Branaugh and I missed the memo, I really can’t think of any pairing that is more staggering than those two. I’m betting you can’t trump it, either. But let’s have a list of incredibly shitty actors somehow paired with great ones, to see if we can. Not Sandler, but the ubiquitous [Keanu](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0107616/) paired with Ken Branagh. You must not have gotten the memo, **Birdmonster**. The movie’s good anyway, but I still don’t know why Keanu became a star. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/7 "2006-06-05T16:45:23Z")
> [@Birdmonster](#): > > I mean, has there ever been an actor so good paired with an actor so, so bad? Unless Adam Sandler co-starred with Kevin Branaugh and I missed the memo, I really can’t think of any pairing that is more staggering than those two. I’m betting you can’t trump it, either. But let’s have a list of incredibly shitty actors somehow paired with great ones, to see if we can. Gosh, I can think of plenty of actors WAY worse than Keanu Reeves who’ve been in movies with great actors. Arnold Schwartzenegger, just by himself, has been in movies with James Earl Jones, Laurence Fishburne, Emma Thompson, F. Murray Abraham, Mercedes Ruehl, Ian McKellen, Jim Broadbent, James Coburn, George Clooney, Gabriel Byrne and Robert Duvall, any one of which is a damn sight further from Arnold than any living actor is from Keanu Reeves. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/8 "2006-06-05T16:46:27Z")
Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt? ---
**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:** [June 5, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/9 "2006-06-05T16:49:09Z")
_Punch-Drunk Love_ showed that with a good script, a good director, and sufficient motivation, Adam Sandler can turn in a serviceable performance. I don’t think Keanu Reeves has ever demonstrated this capacity. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/10 "2006-06-05T16:49:47Z")
Other than echoing the same replies, I’ll give support. I was up ass-early watching it on the Sci-Fi channel as well. I’m a night owl. hoot ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/11 "2006-06-05T16:52:49Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Gosh, I can think of plenty of actors WAY worse than Keanu Reeves who’ve been in movies with great actors. > > Arnold Schwartzenegger, just by himself, has been in movies with James Earl Jones, Laurence Fishburne, Emma Thompson, F. Murray Abraham, Mercedes Ruehl, Ian McKellen, Jim Broadbent, James Coburn, George Clooney, Gabriel Byrne and Robert Duvall, any one of which is a damn sight further from Arnold than any living actor is from Keanu Reeves. Whoa. I’m actually going to disagree with you there. There’s something playful and less infuriating about Arnold than Keanu. At least to me. I mean, in his early movies, Arnold barely even talked, then basically spent the remainder of career delivering timely puns. Keanu, on the other hand, tries at English accents and when he waxes philosophical (the Matrix comes to mind), nothing is less believable. I think the difference is that no one takes Arnold (the actor, not my governor…_shudders_) seriously while, Keanu seems to try to be taken seriously. Which is just sad. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/12 "2006-06-05T17:04:00Z")
> [@Birdmonster](#): > > Unless Adam Sandler co-starred with Kevin Branaugh and I missed the memo, I really can’t think of any pairing that is more staggering than those two. Sandler costarred with Jack Nicholson in ‘Anger Management’, that might count. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/13 "2006-06-05T17:08:39Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > _Punch-Drunk Love_ showed that with a good script, a good director, and sufficient motivation, Adam Sandler can turn in a serviceable performance. I don’t think Keanu Reeves has ever demonstrated this capacity. He certainly has – in **Tune in Tomorrow, I Love You to Death, Feeling Minnesota,** and **My Own Private Idaho** , just to name a few. Reeves is underrated because he underacts, which some people don’t consider acting: if it’s not taking a few bites out of the scenery, it’s ignored. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/14 "2006-06-05T17:10:26Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Sandler costarred with Jack Nicholson in ‘Anger Management’, that might count. Yes, but Jack was simply parodying Nicholson in that movie. It’s not like he was even trying to act. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/15 "2006-06-05T17:21:20Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > He certainly has – in **Tune in Tomorrow, I Love You to Death, Feeling Minnesota,** and **My Own Private Idaho** , just to name a few. > > Reeves is underrated because he underacts, which some people don’t consider acting: if it’s not taking a few bites out of the scenery, it’s ignored. Respectfully disagree. The prosecution contends that Mr. Reeves actually _over_acts and present several exhibits to forward this point. Among them: **The Matrix, Point Break, Chain Reaction,** and, the piece de resistance, **Johnny Mnemonic**. In the interest of full disclosure, the prosecution has only seen **Feeling Minnesota** from the above list, which was also flabbergastingly horrific. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/16 "2006-06-05T17:32:17Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Sandler costarred with Jack Nicholson in ‘Anger Management’, that might count. please tell me you’re not calling Nicholson a “great actor”? He, like Reeves, is always the same (whether that’s underacting or bad acting is debatable) Even in “As Good As It Gets” he was bland. Opposite Helen Hunt, that worked. And it also worked to show Greg Kinear had taken some acting lessons since “Sabrina” and that stupid Christmas movie about the con-artist turned postal worker (“Dear God”?) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/17 "2006-06-05T17:39:08Z")
Juliette Lewis paired with Johnny Depp and Leonardo Decapiro in “Gilbert Grape.” ---
**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:** [June 5, 2006, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/18 "2006-06-05T18:02:21Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > He certainly has – in **Tune in Tomorrow, I Love You to Death, Feeling Minnesota,** and **My Own Private Idaho** , just to name a few. Of those, I’ve seen only _I Love You to Death_, and I can’t say I remember too much about Reeves’s performance in this movie. I only remember that William Hurt was fantastic. > [@](#): > > Reeves is underrated because he underacts, which some people don’t consider acting: if it’s not taking a few bites out of the scenery, it’s ignored. I’ll have to completely disagree with you on this one. In _Dracula_ and _Much Ado About Nothing_, the term “underact” is totally inappropriate. In fact, a major part of the problem with Reeves’s performance in these movies is that he is visibly _trying_ to act and failing miserably. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/19 "2006-06-05T18:06:51Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > please tell me you’re not calling Nicholson a “great actor”? Jack Nicholson _knew_ how to act. Sadly, we’ll probably never see it again. He seems content now to just play Jack Nicholson. I would say that from _The Witches of Eastwick_ onward (inclusive), he gave up acting and started parodying. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495/20 "2006-06-05T19:51:04Z")
I like Keanu Reeves. There, I said it. I thought he was great in Much Ado About Nothing and I really liked him in Constantine. I also liked him in Point Break, The Matrix and My Own Private Idaho. I also liked him in Parenthood and of course Bill and Ted’s etc. I get much grief about this from my friends. But I stand by my opinion. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-jaw-dropping-casting-job/359495.md?page=2)