# Movies that make you totally reevaluate your opinion of an actor.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 30, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468 "2003-05-30T07:15:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/21 "2003-05-30T15:03:49Z")
I didn’t really have a _bad_ opinion of Edward Norton before American History X, but afterwards I was a total fan. Previously, he was just a guy who played a decent enough everyman-type character. Afterwards, I really believed he could probably act the hell out of any role he chose to.
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### Author:  [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/22 "2003-05-30T15:15:05Z")
I used to think highly of **Gary Sinise** based on pictures like **A Midnight Clear**. But when I saw him play a bad cop in **Ransom** , it totally changed the way I thought of him.
It’s crazy, but I feel like I can’t trust him now. I thought he was one of the good guys. You know, like Tom Hanks or something.
Ok, I said it was crazy. :rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/23 "2003-05-30T15:23:49Z")
The turning point movie for Keanu Reeves (for me) was The Gift. What an evil sonuvabitch! I guess it wasn’t really a turning point. He’s still a loser…just not a complete loser.
John Travolta in Pulp Fiction was a total shocker. I loved him.
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### Author:  [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/24 "2003-05-30T15:24:28Z")
**12 Monkeys**. Brad Pitt is amazing.
Then he reaffirmed my opinion in **Fight Club**.
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### Author:  [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/25 "2003-05-30T15:27:12Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by dil \*
> \*\*Chicago: Richard Gere was just amazing… who would have thought the man could sing AND dance??? \*\*
Ecch. This performance made me like him less.
Besides, he can’t prounounce “Razzle Dazzle.”
It’s _Ra-zle Da-zle_, not _Ra-shzle Da-shzle_, dammit!
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### Author:  [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/26 "2003-05-30T15:57:07Z")
Funny, I thought Travolta wasn’t very good in Pulp Fiction (though I agree with the thoughts about Willis). I didn’t think he could pull of the trademark Tarantino dialogue very well. It just didn’t sound like it was coming from his character - It seemed to me that he was using Quentin as the model for the character during those monologue-ish dialogues.
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### Author:  [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/27 "2003-05-30T16:00:31Z")
For me: DiCaprio in “What’s eating Gilbert Grape”.
Sadly, he has failed to impress in anything else, and although overshadowed in that by Johnny Depp (who tends to do that to people anyway) I thought he did well. Wish he seemed able to follow it up
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### Author:  [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/28 "2003-05-30T17:01:33Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Gazelle \*
> …snip…\*\*It’s _Ra-zle Da-zle_, not _Ra-shzle Da-shzle_, dammit! \*\*
Unless you’re Sean Connery.
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### Author:  [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/29 "2003-05-30T17:24:46Z")
Adam Sandler in _Punch-Drunk Love_. Obvious, maybe, but very very true for me.
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### Author:  [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/30 "2003-05-30T17:28:49Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by UnwrittenNocturne \*
> \*\*For me: DiCaprio in “What’s eating Gilbert Grape”.
>
> Sadly, he has failed to impress in anything else, and although overshadowed in that by Johnny Depp (who tends to do that to people anyway) I thought he did well. Wish he seemed able to follow it up \*\*
Have you seen _Catch Me If You Can_? I thought he was fantastic in that role. He hit the nuances of the character dead on.
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### Author:  [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/31 "2003-05-30T17:30:50Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by NoCoolUserName \*
> \*\*Unless you’re Sean Connery. \*\*
No, no, no. You must never refer to both Richard Gere and Sean Connery in the same post about movies. _shudder_
Anyway, Ewan McGregor in **Moulin Rouge**. I guess previously I had just never really “got” him as an actor but now I find myself going back and watching his previous movies and really enjoying his performance. Strange.
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### Author:  [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/32 "2003-05-30T19:29:21Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Elret \*
> \*\*I also changed my mind (for the better) on Burt Reynolds after _Boogie Nights_. \*\*
Oddly enough, that movie taught me that **Mark Wahlberg** is a WELL above average actor, which truly surprised me.
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/33 "2003-05-30T19:56:37Z")
Come on **Coldfire** , you knew that that was just a prosthetic in the last scene, didn’t you?
Oh… you mean…
Never mind.
> [@](#):
>
> **Marley23** : Have you seen _Dead Man Walking_?
No, actually… I’ve avoided it because a) I was skeptical about Sean Penn’s ability to pull off a serious dramatic role, and b) I didn’t have a friend who’s taste I trust badger me for over a year to give it a chance. :smack:
I guess I know what I’m checking out next time I hit the video store.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/34 "2003-05-30T20:02:17Z")
**The House of Yes** made me not hate Freddy Prinze Jr. for about an hour and a half. Then I saw an ad for Head over Heels.
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### Author:  [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/35 "2003-05-30T21:01:08Z")
I was swayed to accept Brad Pitt as a decent actor too. **Fight Club** , **Snatch** , and **12 Monkeys** , being representative of his talent, but in actuality my opinions about him began to change before that–when I saw him in **Seven**. Although, I have a personal theory that all actors seem more talented when acting opposite Morgan Freeman.
My contribution to this thread is Tom Cruise. I was never a fan of his, and I absolutely hated **Top Gun**. Seeing his dead on portrayal of a slimy self-help scam artist in **Magnolia** , and then **Vanilla Sky** , coupled with his inclusion in movies I liked, like **Minority Report** , has altered my opinion of him and his talent (to select roles if nothing else).
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/36 "2003-05-30T21:13:12Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Coldfire \*
> \*\*Oddly enough, that movie taught me that **Mark Wahlberg** is a WELL above average actor, which truly surprised me. \*\*
I was going to say Mark Wahlberg, but for _Three Kings_. Before that, I used to sneer about “Marky Mark” trying to act. Now, his name attached to a movie is enough to make me want to see it.
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### Author:  [@konzar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/konzar)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/37 "2003-05-30T21:25:35Z")
Nicole Kidman in “Moulin Rouge!” I’d always found her really bland. Her work never stirred any emotion in me. But her performace in “Moulin” wowed me. She was just outstanding. Now I have a Nicole on my computer screen all the time
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### Author:  [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/38 "2003-05-30T21:59:31Z")
Fairly obvious, but **Sharon Stone** in Casino. Quite a step up from Total Recall and Basic Instinct. And **Patrick Swayze** in Donnie Darko, which makes his cheesy blandness in every other film he made look deliberate.
And doing things in reverse, it was amazing the first time I saw The King of Marvin Garden to see that **Jack Nicholson** could actually play a normal-sized human being rather than the somewhat bizarre caricature he trots out in virtually every film since.
(As to the OP, I can’t think of why you’d think Sean Penn was a bad actor unless you’d never seen any of his films: from his early days in teen movies like Ridgemont High and At Close Range onwards, he’s always been a fascinating actor.)
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### Author:  [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/39 "2003-05-30T21:59:40Z")
After seeing Hayden Christiansen’s horrible, horrible acting in _Star Wars_, I was pleasantly surprised by his performance in _Life As A House_. He’s green yet, but he really may be able to act.
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### Author:  [@John\_Harrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Harrison)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-make-you-totally-reevaluate-your-opinion-of-an-actor/178468/40 "2003-05-30T23:20:45Z")
I couldn’t stand Ryan Phillippe until I saw him in **The Way of the Gun**.
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