To use the “Australian” episode of The Simpsons as a guide:
The little kid who answered Bart’s phone call had an awful accent. Whoever did that one wasn’t Australian. His father’s voice was well done though. It sounded like a native Aussie-English speaker trying to ham up his own accent. It was quite funny.
I have to say that I was suitlably impressed with Kate Winslets Aussie accent in “Holy Smoke”. She came to Oz to promote it and spoke on Triple J with Merrick and Rosso (apologies for anybody not Australian for these references) and they asked her to do the interview in her Aussie accent - she was pretty bloody good.
I thought Gwyneth absolutely sucked in “Sliding Doors” - it was like she HAD to say “bollocksy, bleeding, shagging wanker” about ten times to prove that she was even pretending to be English - but then again, I really really dislike her, so maybe I am a little predisposed in my opinion.
I can’t stand her either, but that’s not the reason I thought her accent sucked. It just did. It was like a parody-accent, like she was trying to imitate Four Weddings and a Funeral.
“Emma” was slightly more bearable, if only because it was a more appropriate accent for that type of character (historically/socially).
But her accent in SD was hard and flat, whereas a native English person even with a very “correct”/“well-spoken”/received pronunciation voice would sound much more relaxed and natural. But then I guess she’s not native.
Personally, I thought Meryl Streep really sucked, but then, like others have said, maybe that’s 'cos I really hate her.
I’m with Dave, double amen to that.
Bloody Little Johnny
South African here - the only two movies (that I have watched) with SA accents are Muriel’s wedding (the swimmer she was going the marry) and one of the Lethal Weapon movies (all the bad guys) and they all sucked (the accents, not neccesarily the movies).
I havn’t seen Cry Freedom or Sarafina and I know that Cry the Beloved Country and Ghandi used SA actors for the SA parts (with the exception of James Earl Jones in the former of course).
I suppose that the moral of the story is that, to a native, any attempt to mimic your accent will sound put-on, and it takes an exeptional talent to overcome this…
Gp
[Totally off-topic]
She did marry him.
But why, oh why, oh why, did she not stay with him?!!
Yes, I know that misses the point of the film, but arrrggh!!!
He was soooo nice!
[/Totally off-topic]
Hugh Jackman?
Well, for one thing, he had a terrible accent!!
Gp
The Minogue’s were actually born and raised here and even they don’t have real Aussie accents. Looks like we’re stuck with footballers and cricketers (Ian Meldrum might qualify, he says “uhm” a lot).
I want to know how Rolf Harris can have spent so many years in Britain and still sound like an Aussie to me.
It’s definitely a vowel thing.