I have never felt so strongly about a performer in terms of what genre they are appearing in. I have no use for Mark Wahlberg whatsoever in any dramatic role I can think of ever seeing him in. But I love him playing comedy, LOVE him.
**Boogie Nights ** Is one of my all-time favorite films, and yes it is in fact a drama, but Mark Wahlberg is pure comedy in it. (“You got the touch!”) OK, tragic comedy, but still fucking hilarious.
The Other Guys is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in 10 years, and yes, while Will Ferrell is the primary humor generator in my single most favorite scene in the film (Tuna vs. Lion) overall what cracks me up is Mark Wahlberg. Even that scene, actually. (“And then I’d bang your tuna girlfriend”)
Two Guns, loved him.
I haven’t seen Ted, because I hate Seth McFarlane, but I’m sure Mark is terrific.
I think I’ve actually seen him do more drama than comedy, but I can’t remember because I can’t remember… in other words utterly forgettable. No impression of any kind. The only scene I can recall from a dramatic film he was in is the last time we see him in the perfect storm because it freaked me out. But aside from that, meh. No thanks.
Do you have any actor that you love and one genre don’t care for in the other?
Mucho disagree. Three Kings is a dark comedy and thus all the main characters are playing comedy even if not overtly. One of the funniest lines in the movie is Wahlberg explaining that there are perfectly viable epithets for Arabs that don’t rely on co-opting the epithet considered offensive by African-American soldiers.
Precisely because all of the comedy is played “dramatically” all the actors deserve even more praise for their comedic skills on display in this film.
I tend to agree with the OP, I like Wahlberg in comedies but not so much in dramas (thought I don’t necessarily dislike him in dramas). I suppose he was functional in the otherwise forgetful The Departed. He was good in The Fighter. I think I remember really liking him in The Lovely Bones but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen that one.
In general, I see Mark Wahlberg as serviceable, but I think the problem has been that when he’s taken dramatic roles, he’s made poor choices and got poor writing and direction. As an example, I thought he was very decent in The Departed, but downright awful in Transformers 4; the primary differences being the quality of the script and director. If anything, I think his comedic chops go to prove that, because a director can’t really make someone funny that isn’t, and he’s generally pretty funny.
That said, I don’t think he has the dramatic talent to be the lead, and that’s where he falls apart, when he’s cast as a lead or outside of his range. I think he’s fine when he’s in a supporting role.
I thought he was very good in Shooter. I enjoyed that movie.
He’s not a reason for me to go see a movie, but by the same token I won’t avoid a movie just because he’s in it. For example, I refuse to see anything featuring Nicholas Cage. On the flip side, Robert Downey Jr. will cause me to consider seeing a movie I might not have otherwise, just because I think he’ll be good in it.
Sure, it’s a dark comedy. Which means you need an actor who can pull of the “dark” as well as the “comedy.” Wahlburg does really good work in the scenes that rely on a strong dramatic presence, as well as the scenes that play more off the absurdity of war.
I’ve never seen Leslie Nielsen in anything except the Naked Gun and comedy roles. I don’t think I can take him seriously as a serious actor if I watch any of his drama stuff now
Mark Wahlberg must be a terrific businessman, because he’s managed to have a successful singing career despite having no musical talent and a successful acting career despite having no acting ability.
He’s basically the most successful character actor ever. His attempts at playing it straight in a dramatic role are disasters. Entirely on his own he made Transformers 4 and Shooter into bad movies. Either of those would have been fun movies in their own way with just about any other lead actor. In Shooter he was so bad that the camera had to pull back to helicopter shots every time the script called for his face to show emotion, a trick they had to repeat with Transformers.
His good movies all have him playing himself. Boogie Nights. Three Kings. Rock Star. Ted. The Fighter. When he’s playing the dumb white kid from Boston that he is he fills the role perfectly. Trying to actually act is always a disaster, though.
My favorite Wahlberg performance is still probably Boogie Nights. It wasn’t a very complex character, but he was a naive young actor playing another naive young actor (well, of a sort, anyway), so it worked. You get the impression he really had no technique to speak of and so got through the movie on guts and instinct, and it was a very good fit for that character. I agree that in general, he’s been rewarded far in excess of what his talents merit.
I first saw him in The Corrupter (not mentioned above) and I was impressed. On the other hand, it was mainly the story that impressed me and I originally went to see it because Chow Yun Fat had top billing. And, for that matter, maybe he did well because he was playing the white working-class kid from [del]Boston[/del] New York.
I saw parts of Shooter; I was not impressed. Was that him in The Departed? I wasn’t impressed with any of that movie. I haven’t bothered with the others listed above – not because he’s in it, but because the topics didn’t interest me.
His best performance remains in I HEART HUCKABEE’S, which is a great comic performance but also a deadpan one. As a character, he’s incredibly intense and serious, but the writing (which is completely unlike his normal portrayals) is complex and nimble and philosophical and hilarious. Not a great film, but he’s terrific in it.