# Dick Van Dyke's legacy: worst accents in movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 1, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880 "2004-08-01T22:56:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/1 "2004-08-01T22:56:36Z")
I know this has been done before, but what the hell… I’m watching _Michael Collins_ at the moment, and Julia Roberts’s Irish accent is making my ears bleed. The poor love also repeats the same aural atrocity in _Mary Reilly_. Keanu Reeves’s accent (combined with his lack of acting talent) positively ruined _Dracula_ for me. And of course, “Dick Van Dyke” is synonymous with dreadful accents. Of course, I’m viewing this from an Anglo-Irish POV. I’m guessing Anthony Hopkins’s “American” accent in various movies leaves a lot to be desired, for example. What are the ghastliest accents you’ve ever heard in movies? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/2 "2004-08-01T23:38:57Z")
Kevin Costner gave equal time to North and South (US) with idiotic accents in “Thirteen Days” and “JFK,” respectively. Natasha Richardson’s ridiculous Southern (US) accent in “Nell.” Every other Southern (US) accent. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/3 "2004-08-01T23:42:02Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > Every other Southern (US) accent. Amen to that. Not everybody in the South sounds like they just stepped off Tara. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/4 "2004-08-02T00:26:46Z")
One thinks of Dick van Dyke as the gold standard for bad British accents, but actually, the worst one I’ve ever heard was Brion James in the action “thriller” _Tango and Cash_. If he wasn’t described by other characters as being English, you’d think he was a South African with some sort of terminal throat disease. Dick van Dyke sounds like Noel Coward by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/5 "2004-08-02T01:02:00Z")
Brad Pitt in _The Devil’s Own_ (though I did like the script’s approach to corned beef and cabbage: “I’ve never heard of it”.) Forrest Whittaker in _The Crying Game_, which is a damn shame because I think he’s an awesome actor. And of course, Tom “you’re a corker Shannon” Cruise in _Far and Away_. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/6 "2004-08-02T01:08:11Z")
Don Cheadle in _Ocean’s Eleven_. His mockney nonsense accent was the only thing about the movie I didn’t like. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/7 "2004-08-02T01:10:28Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Of course, I’m viewing this from an Anglo-Irish POV. I’m guessing Anthony Hopkins’s “American” accent in various movies leaves a lot to be desired, for example. At least in the movie _Magic_ it does. Sometimes he has it down perfectly, and other times it’s awful. ---
**Author:** ![Feit\_C\_Taj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@Feit\_C\_Taj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feit_C_Taj)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/8 "2004-08-02T02:22:09Z")
What? No one’s yet mentioned the egregious **Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves** yet? When I was acting in shows that required dialect, we’d award the “Kevin Costner Tribute Award” for most inconsistent accent in the cast (I never won it 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Punkyova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@The\_Punkyova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Punkyova)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/9 "2004-08-02T02:25:30Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Amen to that. Not everybody in the South sounds like they just stepped off Tara. No kidding! I’m a southerner, and I’ve never heard anyone talk like most movie-southerners. This American Life had a segment about this a while back. The reporter’s thesis was that non-southerners think Foghorn Leghorn was for real. He actually visited one of the most famous dialect coaches in the acting world, who was totally clueless. I remember he talked about the word “lifetime.” Southerners differentiate between the two long i sounds, but this dialect coach, and all others, apparently, make both of them into a kind of “ah” sound. I tried searching the TAL site, but couldn’t find the clip. If anyone manages it, it’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/10 "2004-08-02T03:39:52Z")
I was looking forward to seeing Eric Bana in Black Hawk Down. Then I heard his attempt at an American accent. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/11 "2004-08-02T03:54:37Z")
Most attempts at an Australian accent by non-Australian actors fall well short of the mark. Meryl Streep’s effort in \*A Cry in the Dark \* was particularly bad. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/12 "2004-08-02T04:03:25Z")
Yes, DVD is the alltime worst. Second: the chick who played Spike insane vampire girlfriend in the earlier Buffys; she clearly studied at the DVD school of accents. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/13 "2004-08-02T04:28:48Z")
David Borneaz’s Irish accent on "Angel. Even when he fades into the accent he seems to his only certain words, and hits them harder than I’ve ever heard Bono do. How was Gwyneth Paltrow in “Sliding Doors” and “Shakepeare in Love”? I don’t trust myself to catch foreign accents unless their horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/14 "2004-08-02T05:00:25Z")
The words “Costner” and “bad accent” will always be synonymous in my mind, as they will for many moviegoers I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/15 "2004-08-02T05:12:13Z")
Oh, and how was James Marsters as Spike? At least he didn’t go in and out. I have heard him speak out of character, though, and it’s a big weird to hear the flat American accent. ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/16 "2004-08-02T05:55:11Z")
Robin Wiliams accent is the biggest failing of Good Will Hunting. Especially when he’s surrounded by supporting cast members who are actually from Boston (the Affleck brothers & Damon) and use it naturally. The only thing more grating than the actual Boston accent is hearing non-Bostonians attempt to mimic it. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/17 "2004-08-02T09:43:07Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I’m watching _Michael Collins_ at the moment, and Julia Roberts’s Irish accent is making my ears bleed. There’s a lot of bad Irish accents in that film. Hers isn’t the worst. > [@](#): > > Of course, I’m viewing this from an Anglo-Irish POV. I’m guessing Anthony Hopkins’s “American” accent in various movies leaves a lot to be desired, for example. Thought he did OK. Worst American accents I’ve heard in films are: Gary Oldman (True Romance), Catherine Zeta Jones (High Fidelity) and Pierce Brosnan (Dante’s Peak). ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/18 "2004-08-02T09:59:09Z")
Paltrow’s actually alright at a plummy home counties english accent. The bad guy with the tache and string vest in Commando. I can’t tell if he’s supposed to be cockerney/australian or south african. Mel Gibson in Braveheart. I’ll think of some more later. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/19 "2004-08-02T10:03:54Z")
For a bad American accent, I nominate Laurence Harvey for _The Manchurian Candidate_. He had a truly awful persnickety voice that I assume was trying to emulate some kind of over-educated prissy New England nerd. I also have to mention Roseanne Arquette’s monumentally painful attempt at playing a French-Canadian in _The Whole Nine Yards_. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880/20 "2004-08-02T10:15:09Z")
John Malkovich as Teddy KGB is hysterical. What about the delivery…“just a position bet”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-van-dykes-legacy-worst-accents-in-movies/257880.md?page=2)