# Jonah Hill **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408 "2014-05-14T03:00:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/21 "2014-05-14T14:46:29Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Sure, I’ll explain it to you. He’s fucking funny. > > What else can I help you with? Thirded. Where is the ‘like’ button on this board? ---
**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:** [May 14, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/22 "2014-05-14T15:10:44Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I don’t mind him because he’s a helpful metric. “Oh, is Jonah Hill in this movie? Then I will pass, thank you.” I feel the same way about his buddy Seth Rogen. I find this unusual because I don’t think there is a typical Jonah Hill movie. What do _Get Him to the Greek_ and _The Sitter_ have in common with _Moneyball_ and _The Wolf of Wall Street_? I give Hill credit for working in a range of films like this. Too many actors are willing to fall into a niche. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/23 "2014-05-14T15:28:02Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Sure, I’ll explain it to you. He’s fucking funny. > > What else can I help you with? Yes, there is. Cite? 😃 No… Just kidding… I’ve seen enough. He just isn’t funny to me. “Fucking” funny? That’s not a word that comes to my mind, but I’m glad you like him. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Bolding added by me. So do you think Tom Hanks is a good actor or not? Yes, I think he is a good actor. I wouldn’t have nominated him for Best Actor for Gump, but I think he does some quality work. And he can do both comedy and drama well, so he is usually a good, safe pick. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/24 "2014-05-14T15:46:55Z")
I’m a person who would never go to see a Jonah Hill comedy, or any similar modern comedy. But I have seen Jonah Hill in _Moneyball_ and _The Wolf of Wall Street_, and in both films he impressed me as a very fine actor. He is able to play the comic beats very well, but he gives his characters an underlying sense of themselves that makes that seem fully realized. His characters are believable as real people with complex but understandable motivations, which is what I’m primarily looking for in a good actor. I think both of his Oscar nominations were well-deserved. In addition, in spite of his appearance, he has that “it factor” that helps to make a movie star. Ever since Moneyball, he has stood out to me as someone that I want to see more of. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/25 "2014-05-14T15:50:44Z")
I don’t know why people are criticizing him for his appearance. He’s probably more representative of the average American than Brad Pitt or Leonardo Dicaprio. Plus do you really want to watch a movie or TV show full of only pretty people? Don’t you want to see some normal looking people from time to time? ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/26 "2014-05-14T15:55:18Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > So, WTF? Does he have a relative in the business? Or is there something actually there? The only role (and I am being serious here) that I thought he was good in was “The 40 Year Old Virgin”. He wasn’t bad in “Moneyball”, but not oscar worthy. Other than that? Nothing good. To answer the question on whether he has relatives in the business or otherwise knows people, he became friends with Dustin Hoffman’s children, which led to meeting Dustin Hoffman and his first break in I Heart Huckabees. Jake Hoffman was in _Wolf of Wall Street_, by the way. I would also consider him something of an insider since he was born in LA and both his parents were in industries with close ties to movies. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/27 "2014-05-14T15:57:53Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I don’t mind him because he’s a helpful metric. “Oh, is Jonah Hill in this movie? Then I will pass, thank you.” I feel the same way about his buddy Seth Rogen. To each his own. I think Superbad is one of the funniest movies ever. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/28 "2014-05-14T16:02:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I find this unusual because I don’t think there is a typical Jonah Hill movie. What do _Get Him to the Greek_ and _The Sitter_ have in common with _Moneyball_ and _The Wolf of Wall Street_? It’s not that there’s a typical Jonah Hill movie. It’s that the presence of Jonah Hill ruins whatever movie it is. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/29 "2014-05-14T21:19:54Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > While I wouldn’t sing Sandler’s praises to anyone, that’s just mean lumping him with Shore. And Hill, while still not a great comedic thespian, is readily better than both of them. How about Melissa McCarthy? Another one-trick pony. Hi, I’m fat and foul-mouthed; funny, right? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/30 "2014-05-14T21:24:50Z")
You know she cut her teeth and is still best known for her clean roles on TV, right? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/31 "2014-05-14T21:36:34Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > “God… it’s me, Jonah. From Moneyball.” Best line of the movie, maybe. And he was hilarious throughout the exorcism scene. He’s not my favorite actor or comedian, but he can be very funny and he’s been good in the serious stuff I’ve seen him in. He was just right for his part in The Wolf of Wall Street. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/32 "2014-05-14T22:01:55Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > To each his own. I think Superbad is one of the funniest movies ever. I’m not willing to objectively declare that. But, subjectively, I’ve never laughed so hard in a movie theater before or since. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/33 "2014-05-14T22:15:50Z")
I too don’t get the Jonah Hill thing. While there are funny moments in Superbad, Get him to the Greek, and his Apatow movies, he was rarely in them. This is the End was Sandler-esque in it’s “Gosh aren’t we funny” annoying ness and Hill was just bad in it. The few minutes of 21 Jump Street I saw with him in it were awful. I liked his role in Money ball, but he didn’t impress me at all, it seemed like an incredibly easy role. Which is a shame because he seems like a halfway decent guy. Be seems to be self-aware, he writes also, and he’s aware of how lucky he is. I just don’t find him funny or a good actor. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2014, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/34 "2014-05-14T23:35:32Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > You know she cut her teeth and is still best known for her clean roles on TV, right? Nope. I’ve never had any interest in her. Actually, that’s applied to pretty much all network comedies since The Office jumped the shark many moons ago. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2014, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/35 "2014-05-15T05:30:19Z")
> [@2sense](#): > > I like Hill’s delivery. He is understated and his accent is just a bit slurred which gives his voice character. I hated Wolf of Wall Street but Jonah Hill calling up his boss to quit on the spot was hilarious even though it was spoiled by the trailer. Also, and I realize this is largely due to “it’s in the script,” he kinda gives off a vibe of charm. He’s an average-looking guy, maybe a little heavy (not so much anymore), and yet he helps illustrate that sometimes the average guy with the quick wit can get the girl. Not always. But, when I see him act, he comes across as “most people.” YM obviously MV. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2014, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/36 "2014-05-15T06:40:49Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > And he was nominated for an Oscar! Twice! :eek: come on! > [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > He won two Oscars in a row. The Academy thinks he is a great actor. …and that, people, is what we call cognitive dissonance. The ability to hold in one’s head both that what the Academy thinks means something about acting skills, and that it doesn’t. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/37 "2014-05-15T13:16:15Z")
Different strokes and all that. I guess Hill’s appeal is that he’s a lovable loser who battles beautiful snobs, thus projecting the strife of typical audiences. He takes his share of pratfalls, but in the end achieves some kind of victory that leaves the audience uplifted. Kind of like Don Knotts back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/38 "2014-05-16T20:00:32Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Kind of like Don Knotts back in the day. I think this is a great comparison. He’s not everybodies cup of tea and he’s a bit goofy looking but he can bring the funny. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/39 "2014-05-16T20:12:36Z")
If you asked me if I was a Jonah Hill fan I would say no. If you listed all of his roles and asked if I liked each one I would say yes to almost all. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408/40 "2014-05-16T21:11:50Z")
I think he is funny and a good actor. Even his small part in _The 40-year Old Virgin_ was funny in a very understated way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonah-hill/688408.md?page=3)