# Mediocre movies salvaged by one great performance **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538 "2011-02-16T03:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/41 "2011-02-17T13:57:47Z")
Yeah, I thought _Kick-Ass_ was great all around. The cursing, bloodthirsty, pint-sized killing machine Hit-Girl was certainly a highlight, but not the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/42 "2011-02-17T14:52:00Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Are you high? Are you disputing that she carried it, or that the movie was, um, problematic? It was a terrible adaptation, inserting fantasy elements that were missing from the comic and changing the theme from "Don’t try this at home " to “That’s so crazy it just might work!” The little girl was great, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/43 "2011-02-17T14:56:31Z")
_Vampire’s Kiss_. Nicholas Cage was simply great. The movie was also salvaged by Jennifer Beals’ hotness. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/44 "2011-02-18T18:54:03Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Malkovich was probably also laughing at the fact he was getting a dump truck load of money to be in that piece of crap. I think Malkovich has always been admirably up front about the way he picks roles- he’ll do a bad Jerry Bruckheimer action move, earn enough money to do theater at Steppenwolf for a year or to do an arty movie in France, and then do another crappy action role to pay the bills. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/45 "2011-02-18T19:00:58Z")
Daniel Day Lewis in Gang of New York ---
**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:** [February 19, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/46 "2011-02-19T03:03:12Z")
The live action Scooby Doo and its sequel were both very bad movies. Linda Cardellini as Velma, however, was inspired. But that’s not all, Matthew Lillard was the living embodiment of Shaggy. In fact, he was so good as Shaggy, that he continues to portray the character in the cartoons being made now. Those movies would have been far worse without him in it. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/47 "2011-02-19T19:12:59Z")
Henry Fonda was indispensable in 12 Angry Men. To be fair, there were good character actor performances as well, but none of them good enough to make this film the classic that it is. A young Edward Norton is the only reason Primal Fear and American History X are notable whatsoever . ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/48 "2011-02-19T19:27:34Z")
The anaconda in _Snakes on a Plane_. I loved it when it ate the small yiping dog. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/49 "2011-02-19T20:25:25Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Inglourious Basterds was mostly a pile of crap save for a brilliant performance by the then-unknown Christoph Waltz. > [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > I’ll probably be the only one, but I agree wholeheartedly. Nope, you’re not the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/50 "2011-02-19T21:21:21Z")
Maybe not a mediocre movie overall but Brian Cox as Lecktor stole the show in Manhunter for me, way before the later screen incarnations, specially as I found the lead character played by William Petersen a bit bland and mostly unengaging. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/51 "2011-02-19T21:48:40Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > The live action Scooby Doo and its sequel were both very bad movies. Linda Cardellini as Velma, however, was inspired. While I agree on being disappointed by the sequel, the original was pretty darn good. Let me think: Torgo in Manos: Hands of fate, obviously. Not a bad movie, but Dennis Hopper crazy stare certainly helped Blue Velvet reach a whole new level of awesomeness. Um… oh, yeah: Gary Oldman in Lost in Space. Susan Sarandon automatically elevates anything she’s in: Thelma and Lousie, The Client, Stepmom… Iron Man would be half the movie it was with anybody but Robert Downey jr. making a drunken socialite relatable. ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/52 "2011-02-20T00:40:51Z")
_Monster_ would be an unspectacular movie of the week were it not for Charlize Theron. I find the movie problematic in a lot of ways, but she absolutely embodies that role - one of the all-time great performances. (I like Christina Ricci in the movie too, but she’s nowhere near Theron’s level there.) ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/53 "2011-02-20T00:43:00Z")
I thought that Gone Baby, Gone was a pretty mediocre move excepting for Casey Affleck’s performance. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/54 "2011-02-20T18:21:55Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Michael Peña as a mumbling shuffling idiot is the least convincing FBI agent this side of Mary Gross and Rebecca De Mornay. I think someone hasn’t seen Piper Perabo in [The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131704/) ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/55 "2011-02-20T19:18:01Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Speaking of Arthur, the recent King Arthur movie with Clive Owen would have been entirely forgettable if it wasn’t for the magnificent performance of the main bad guy. This was what I came in to mention. He was badass. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/56 "2011-02-20T19:33:44Z")
Sean Connery in pretty much anything. Although \*League of Extraordinary Gentlemen \*(his last movie) was so bad even he couldn’t save it. Oh, and _Robin and Marion_ was actually good all the way through. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/57 "2011-02-20T23:58:40Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Sean Connery in pretty much anything. Although \*League of Extraordinary Gentlemen \*(his last movie) was so bad even he couldn’t save it. Oh, and _Robin and Marion_ was actually good all the way through. Connery’s whole career has entailed being the best thing about otherwise awful movies. Hey, take him out of **Goldfinger** and you’re left with kind of a mess. His entire _oeuvre_ is a bit like that… ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/58 "2011-02-21T01:29:34Z")
Graham Green in _Thunderheart_. Graham Green in _Maverick_. Another vote for Gary Oldman in _Lost in Space_. He doesn’t play your typical Gary Olman-style villain. He plays Doctor Smith! In one scene, Doctor Smith and Major West are bickering, and if you close your eyes, you can visualize the original actors doing the scene, because Oldman and LeBlanc both have the voices down pat. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538/59 "2011-02-21T01:46:32Z")
Jeremy Northam as Wigram in _Enigma_. I remember reading once that there was some discussion of pursuing his character into another movie, but it didn’t pan out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mediocre-movies-salvaged-by-one-great-performance/571538.md?page=2)