# “There’s No Such Thing As A Bad Movie Accent” **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [August 18, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773 "2023-08-18T23:34:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/141 "2023-08-25T18:44:55Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Chinese God of Lightning [Japanese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raijin) 😉. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/142 "2023-08-25T18:48:05Z")
I’d assumed Chinese because his design is such an obvious reference to _Big Trouble in Little China_. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2023, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/143 "2023-08-25T18:49:16Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Yabbut Lambert has a French accent across centuries of in-movie time and several sequels. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar > > Still a great popcorn flick, albeit in unintentional ways sometimes In the past Conner had a Scottish accent. It’s a bad accent for sure but its significantly different than his modern day accent. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/144 "2023-08-25T20:38:55Z")
Gene Hackman’s Polish accent in **A Bridge Too Far** makes me want to stab someone. Is that bad enough? [Starts at 3 min](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4BT4S_peV0) ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/145 "2023-08-25T21:28:12Z")
Scott Glenn’s attempt at an Okracoke “hoi toide” accent in _Nights in Rodanthe_ was pretty cringe-worthy. I can’t find a clip on YouTube, but it’s pretty far from the real thing. Granted, the Okracoke brogue is an unusual and somewhat niche accent. Here’s what it sounds like: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgi9wYsR5fo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgi9wYsR5fo) As @RivkahChaya noted above, casting directors tend to think there’s only one Southern accent - the non-rhotic drawl Daniel Craig put on for _Knives Out._ And that accent does exist - [the historian Shelby Foote had it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AgZUlZ0uHw) - but far more common is the “Piney Woods” accent of Georgia, Alabama, northern Louisiana, and Mississippi. And unlike the Scarlett O’Hara drawl, it’s [strongly rhotic and always has been](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJkgxL1_x-A). And then there’s that [weird thing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RzVKCWXrRA) Tidewater Virginians do to the diphthong in “house” and “mouth”… ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/146 "2023-08-25T21:39:43Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Gene Hackman’s Polish accent in **A Bridge Too Far** makes me want to stab someone. Heh. The thing that made me wince the hardest when I first heard it was that hard “g” in German. The accent is still wince-inducing, ain’t nothing saving it. But at least it turns out that part wasn’t an invention. General Sosabowski apparently really did pronounce German that way. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/147 "2023-08-25T21:52:22Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > In the past Conner had a Scottish accent. It’s a bad accent for sure but its significantly different than his modern day accent. Can’t we all just agree that Christopher Lambert is a very bad actor? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/148 "2023-08-25T22:02:44Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Bob and Doug McKenzie are parodies. No Canadian speaks like they do. But Domino’s thinks that we do. Those commercials are obviously parodies, and they are made by Canadians. Exactly the same people have made commercials for Domino’s Canada that don’t have people speaking like that: > **[Domino's Relaunch - Jacob Pacey | Writer](https://www.jacobpacey.com/Domino-s-Relaunch)** > > Domino's advertising in Canada had been limited to deals and promotions for more than a decade. To re-launch Domino's in the Canadian market, we needed to show Canadians that the brand wasn't resting on their laurels, and would do anything to... ---
**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:** [August 25, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/149 "2023-08-25T23:38:22Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > In the past Conner had a Scottish accent. It’s a bad accent for sure but its significantly different than his modern day accent. > > Can’t we all just agree that Christopher Lambert is a very bad actor? He can’t help it if his Long Island accent is so strong. (He was actually born in New York). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/150 "2023-08-25T23:46:25Z")
I’m pretty tolerant of movie accents. I do cringe at the thick, syrupy southern accents. That’s not how the majority of people speak in the southern states. There’s a noticable difference of accent within the Southern states. Accents are very useful in establishing characters. It set Scotty distinctly apart from the other Trek characters. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/151 "2023-08-26T19:43:59Z")
Look, directors. If you have a part that says “Spanish” and you cast a Scot (who can’t do any other accent), just write “Scottish” in your script. An easy find and replace, two minutes total. Also, that way you don’t have a British actor filling in for your formerly-French starship captain, and everyone wondering “HOW the hell is he French?” Then you have to come up with a complicated backstory… complete with a vineyard! (“And _zut alors,_ Bob’s your uncle!”) . > [@Sitnam](#): > > Gene Hackman’s Polish accent in **A Bridge Too Far** I’ve known Polish people, I’ve known non-Polish people. I’ve never heard a human being with that accent. What the hell IS it?!? Some jambalaya of Eastern Eurotrash-Travelers-Transylvanian with various UK and US accents thrown in. Again, directors, if this happens, you say “Gene, stop. Stop… whatever _that_ is. You’re now a Pole who paid attention in English class.” ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/152 "2023-08-28T22:44:48Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Movie German, or Cherman really takes me out of the movie. Russian and French are slightly better, but I still usually wish they wouldn’t bother. I thought Mickey Rourke did pretty good in Iron Man 2. Also good: Matt Damon’s Afrikaner accent in Invictus. Conversely, Morgan Freeman’s impression of Nelson Mandela’s accent in that same movie was terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/153 "2023-08-29T02:17:09Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > An honorable mention is Benoit Blanc’s “southern drawl” in the Knives Out films, but that comes across as a deliberate choice to fit with the slightly campy whodunnit style of the films, and doesn’t detract from the films. Daniel Craig pulled off a credible North Carolina accent in _Logan Lucky_. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/154 "2023-08-29T16:20:19Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I’ve lived and worked all over Canada. Americans sometimes use a longer vowel sound for _about_ than Canadians. But it is fairly rare for me to hear an “ooh” sound. Yet most Americans I know claim most Canadians make this sound. I’ve studied languages and have a good ear, but still think they are largely exaggerating things. I grew up in Ottawa and then went to grad school in California. To hear my classmates tell it, my Canuckistan accent was pretty pronounced. It would fade a bit while I was there, then recharge when I visited home. Torontonians don’t have it quite as much, but in the sticks I’ve definitely heard it. My dad grew up in Ottawa when it was much smaller and more “country” and he’s got some odd pronounciations. He says “Dal-HOW-sie” as “Dal-HOO-sie” f’rinstance. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/155 "2023-08-29T16:22:19Z")
I’m half convinced Americans experience it just because they expect to. It’s only once in a while it’s pronounced enough to notice. But of course people are always really good at knowing how others hear their voice. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/156 "2023-08-29T20:37:45Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I’m half convinced Americans experience it just because they expect to. It’s only once in a while it’s pronounced enough to notice. But of course people are always really good at knowing how others hear their voice The Bob and Doug Mackenzie accent is obviously a caricature, and describing it as saying “hoose” and “aboot” is inaccurate; but [“Canadian raising”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_raising) is a real thing that can be heard in some [Canadian accents](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecoGoCwr2Rk). Not all Canadians, of course, and not all the time; but it’s not just an invention of Americans looking to laugh at the funny-talking Canajuns. Oddly enough, this dialect feature also shows up in [southeastern Virginia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RzVKCWXrRA), as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/157 "2023-08-29T20:55:58Z")
I tuned in Classic Radio on Sirius while they were running a Nero Wolfe mystery episode. There was a character speaking in that high-toned Hollywood pseudo-British accent, and I realized to my horror that it was Archie Goodwin. Took me right out of the story. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/158 "2023-08-29T22:49:21Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > [“Canadian raising”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_raising) is a real thing that can be heard in some [Canadian accents](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecoGoCwr2Rk). Back in 1988, I spent the night at a truck stop outside Windsor, ON, while driving from Wisconsin to Vermont. I was telling the salesgirl that I was going there to study Russian when a truck driver piped up and said “Oh, hey, what about that Gorbachev guy? He’s pretty good, eh?” I swear, he sounded exactly like one of the MacKenzie brothers. I almost laughed before I realized he wasn’t joking. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/159 "2023-08-30T00:06:02Z")
Sure, lots of Canadians raise their voices at the end of sentences, and in other places Americans don’t. But my favourite humourous example is the annoying prodigy from _Kids In The Hall_. “There was this kid… at school… (sotto voce) and he swore…” ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773/160 "2023-08-30T00:21:27Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Sure, lots of Canadians raise their voices at the end of sentences, and in other places Americans don’t That’s not what “Canadian raising” is, though. The diphthong “ou”, on some Canadian and Tidewater accents, is raised in the mouth; that is, it’s pronounced higher and more forward in the mouth than aa typical American accent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-movie-accent/988773.md?page=9)