# Good or Great Performances from Actors You Usually Can't Stand **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183 "2016-08-18T16:30:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/1 "2016-08-18T16:30:26Z")
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. There are others, but who would be some of yours? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/2 "2016-08-18T16:43:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/3 "2016-08-18T16:48:28Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/4 "2016-08-18T16:53:11Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/5 "2016-08-18T16:53:51Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/6 "2016-08-18T16:59:34Z")
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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=bLusiCTl30c) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/7 "2016-08-18T17:02:29Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > 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. 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_. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/8 "2016-08-18T17:11:24Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/9 "2016-08-18T17:45:58Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > 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. Whoa…EXCELLENT! I’m generally not a big fan of Tim Allen, but I really enjoyed him in Galaxy Quest ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/10 "2016-08-18T18:25:50Z")
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. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/11 "2016-08-18T18:59:27Z")
> [@TCMF-2L](#): > > 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. > > L Yes, _Bubba Ho-Tep_ was well done, but weird. Will Ferrell in\* Stranger than Fiction\*, where he plays a IRS agent whose life is being narrated. His stupid man-child trope in all his other films is unwatchable to me.:mad: \*Maybe \*Elf. John revolta in\* Grease!\* ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/12 "2016-08-19T05:53:05Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/13 "2016-08-19T05:58:47Z")
Helena Bonham-Carter in _Fight Club_ ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/14 "2016-08-19T07:04:14Z")
Nicolas Cage in “Raising Arizona.” /thread ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/15 "2016-08-19T14:47:06Z")
Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in\*\* Tropic Thunder\*\* ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/16 "2016-08-19T16:19:45Z")
Al Pacino in **Sea Of Love**. I have no idea why I thought he was great in it, when I’ve never before or since been able to stand him. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/17 "2016-08-19T16:30:02Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in\*\* Tropic Thunder\*\* I think my dislike of Cruise and, by extension, any character he plays is what makes him effective for me. I like a lot of his stuff. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/18 "2016-08-19T16:47:30Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/19 "2016-08-19T17:01:07Z")
Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights. I can’t stand that guy, but he owned that role. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183/20 "2016-08-19T19:29:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, _Bubba Ho-Tep_ > Will Ferrell in\* Stranger than Fiction\*, where he plays a IRS agent whose life is being narrated. > > His stupid man-child trope in all his other films is unwatchable to me.:mad: > > - I came in here to say this. 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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-or-great-performances-from-actors-you-usually-cant-stand/763183.md?page=2)