I’m sure it’s been done before, but, here it is again: a give-the-devil his due thread.
Who are some actors you usually can’t stand and don’t respect as thespians but who did give a great performance or two?
For me:
Adam Sandler in Spanglish- I find his comedies almost unwatchable, but he was very believable, sympathetic, and even likable in this movie as the happily married chef who falls for his Spanish speaking domestic.
Mickey Rooney in Bill- he was an evil little troll off camera and usually phoned it in, but he had game as the mentally disabled title character. (Admittedly mentally disabled is not as hard to play as some people think it is, but it’s still possible to do it wrong, and he did it right.)
Melanie Griffith in Crazy in Alabama- Melanie has ruined more movies than most actresses will ever star in. In an episode of Pinky and the Brain when Brain has to become a great thespian he reads the book How I Act Good by Melanie Griffith. But somehow lightning struck with this one. Perhaps her then husband knew her switches or whatever, but she was downright good.
I generally dislike Ashton Kutcher and would avoid watching a movie or TV show he was in. But I saw No Strings Attached and not only did I like the movie but I liked his performance in it.
Sam Rockwell in Moon. I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t stand the guy. I’m not sure it’s anything to do with his acting; he just bugs me. But I really liked him in Moon. The excellent story certainly didn’t hurt.
Jim Carrey’s shtick usually irritates the crap out of me, but:
(1) he checked it at the door for Truman Show and turned in an impressive performance, and
(2) the shtick worked in Liar, Liar because there was a solid plot reason for his antics; his character was literally fighting back the impulse to tell the truth.
Ernest Borgnine in Marty. A heartfelt performance from one of the biggest scenery chewers in film history.
As mentioned in another thread: Jennifer Tilly (whom I loathe) in Bullets Over Broadway. How Woody Allen kept her from doing her usual baby talking, simpering simpleton act, I couldn’t say, but she turned in a strong performance.
Jerry Lewis in King of Comedy. He was playing a lot closer to himself than a zany, but it worked. (I have never been able to sit through one of his comedies- and the ones he made with Dean Martin were the worst of the lot.)
His new movie looks surprisingly watchable.
Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones with Sidney Poitier was the only time I was able to stand him. In Spartacus I was rooting for his crucifixion.
You might also like him in Funny People, where he does a good job playing a somewhat self-loathing comic who makes dumb movies and who finds out he has leukemia.
I don’t really dislike John Wayne, I just thought he played John Wayne in almost every movie. And by the end of his career I thought he’d devolved into unconscious self parody. But he was awesome in The Shootist.
I certainly don’t hate Keanu Reeves. He’s got a certain niche that he plays very well but I don’t think he can really do anything outside of that niche. To me, he doesn’t seem all that convincing as a bomb expert, a scrappy replacement quarterback, or someone who would put 160 GB of data in his head.
All that being said, Keanu Reeves IS Ted Theodore Logan.
I know he is really popular but I generally find Bruce Campbell to be a poor actor. I know he aims for a cheesy style but I find it too contrived and one dimensional.
However I felt that in Bubba Ho-Tep (where he played an aged Elvis Presley who everyone else believed was a fake Elvis Presley) he gave a genuine performance. He acted like a resigned, bitter old man who no one believes. Became cheesy by the end of the film but he was good until then.
Not a huge fan of Steve Carrel’s comedies (live action - he does great voice acting), or his roles in Will Ferrel’s ones, but he was awesome in Little Miss Sunshine and The Way, Way Back. I guess I should check out his other serious stuff.
Not a fan of Cruise either, but his performance in Rain Man was outstanding. I also though he was good in Top Gun, one of my guilty pleasures from the '80s.
I guess Terrance Howard would be my second. I’ve always had a visceral dislike for the guy. Then I saw him in Idlewild and was impressed enough to give him a chance.