# Is Ryan Reynolds an A-list star? If so, WHY? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773 "2012-01-17T05:04:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/41 "2012-01-21T17:13:47Z")
I always thought he was okay in The Proposal, but a stronger actor would have made it better. He always seems like a placeholder- the stuff he’s in is okay, but not because of him. Most everything would be better with a better actor in his place. Not that he’s bad, but other are just, well, better. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/42 "2012-01-21T17:29:24Z")
I like him just fine, and really believe he just hasn’t lucked into the right movie yet. I don’t need him to be A-list anyway. I’d be happy with him being a solid B with enough staying power to finally find some good films. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/43 "2012-01-21T21:59:48Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And THAT is now my favorite Ryan Reynolds Movie. He calls Betty White a seething demon. > > And I actually liked him in Green Lantern (after all these serious Batman-esque heroes, it was fun to have a fratboy that just thought it was _BitCHIN_! to have powers). But then that whole movie was kinda B-List. I only saw the preview on TV but his abrupt transformation in front of his friend followed by the “I know, right?!?!?” Almost makes me want to see it. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/44 "2012-01-21T23:30:43Z")
You know, I think his popularity or success can kind of be rolled into what I call “The Dane Cook Effect or Phenomenon”, there are a lot of parallels between him and Dane Cook, just kind of a bland, semi-good looking, juvenile, and goofy “funny” man that appeals to High School and College Girls and Guys. We’ve had similar threads about Dane Cook and his apparent talent, or lack of it. I think some of the same arguments could be made for Reynolds. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Cheech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Mister\_Cheech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Cheech)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/45 "2012-01-23T09:43:20Z")
He bothered me until “Buried” which wouldn’t have worked if he wasn’t so charismatic. I’ve since seen “Definitely, Maybe” which he’s great in. It’s otherwise thoroughly excellent, even (especially?) for those who don’t like rom-coms. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/46 "2012-01-25T05:41:31Z")
Reserve judgment if you haven’t seen [Smokin’ Aces](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475394/). I thought he did a great job in it, and was the star of it ( **not** “in a supporting role”). ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/47 "2012-01-25T16:00:56Z")
Great movie, but I don’t think it can be counted, at least in not my book. I had to click your link to see which character it was he’d actually played. Pretty much everyone else stole that movie away from him. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/48 "2012-01-25T21:00:18Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > Reserve judgment if you haven’t seen [Smokin’ Aces](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475394/). I thought he did a great job in it, and was the star of it ( **not** “in a supporting role”). That movie is such a glorious mess. He’s good in it but he exists in a completely different movie than the rest of the cast. He’s generally good and funny in his roles. I can’t think of a bad performance. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/49 "2012-01-26T00:35:55Z")
I like him, but he’s not A-list, not that it matters much. Another movie that uses his talents to great effect is **School of Life**. It’s a mostly serious but not demanding lead role, written for someone who needs to be generically likable. Actually I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job with it, and I think he actually elevates the film. I didn’t much like _Buried_. He does well, but I had some of the same problem **Poysyn** did. I think it would have worked tons better as a longish short. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/50 "2012-01-26T02:41:46Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I recommend everyone that _doesn’t_ have severe claustrophobia go watch **Buried.** It’s on Netflix instant, even. > > The movie is Ryan Reynolds buried in a shallow grave, talking to various people on the phone (his kidnapper, people trying to rescue him, etc…) > > He does a great job with the limited scope of what he can do. And he _only barely_ channels his “inner douche” that he usually plays in movies (I have to wonder if the director had him do it on purpose as a sort of “in joke”.) Minor spoiler: > > In the process of calling people to get them aware of his situation, he calls his sister-in-law. Rather than say, “Hey, I’m in a lot of trouble here, can you please get me the emergency number for XYZ,” he just sort of orders her to do it, screams when she asks why, what the problem is, etc…he then gets all angry and calls her a bitch, so she hangs up on him…seems very out of character for the character he plays in that movie, but very _in_ character for almost any of his other roles… Yeah. This was a good movie. It wasn’t awesome or anything but he was pretty good in it and the twist at the end where you find out Jesus was actually black came out of no where. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/51 "2012-01-26T03:07:04Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > Reserve judgment if you haven’t seen [Smokin’ Aces](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475394/). I thought he did a great job in it, and was the star of it ( **not** “in a supporting role”). I spent that entire movie looking at Ryan Reynolds, and thinking, “Where the hell do I recognize that guy from?” Turns out, nowhere. I’d never seen him before in my life. But Jesus, did he ever look familiar for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Cheech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Mister\_Cheech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Cheech)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/52 "2012-01-26T16:56:36Z")
I guarantee you saw Two Guys, a Girl and Pizza Place pre-“Smoking Aces.” ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773/53 "2012-01-26T17:27:48Z")
> [@Mister\_Cheech](#): > > I guarantee you saw Two Guys, a Girl and Pizza Place pre-“Smoking Aces.” Never seen it. Watching it on YouTube now though, thanks to you. Man, Ryan looks so young and his voice is, well kinda girly. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-ryan-reynolds-an-a-list-star-if-so-why/609773.md?page=2)