# Who's the worst actor in a truly great movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 15, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945 "2016-08-15T19:44:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/61 "2016-08-16T16:55:32Z")
I like Sean Young in some of the things she has done… But in two of my favorite movies: Blade Runner and Ace Ventura, she was awful. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/62 "2016-08-16T16:59:35Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Another vote for Tarantino doing a good job in _Pulp Fiction_. He played an everyday suburban guy in a weird situation quite well. If you put in a oddball-type actor it wouldn’t have worked. The deadpan “Oak is good.” is spot on. Exactly. Tarantino has several little scenes in that sequence, and his interaction with Jules and Vincent is completely different from the way he interacts with Winston Wolf. Jules doesn’t frighten him at all; two blood-soaked gangsters show up and he’s clearly just pissed at them. In the face of Winston Wolf, he’s visibly dominated, but he acts it correctly - just the right tilt in his voice, slightly different mannerisms. He plays the part quite well. Everyone remembers the “did you notice a sign on my front lawn” speech, but his scene with Harvey Keitel is excellent acting on both sides. In any event, it’s a small part; even if he did blow it big time, it’s kind of smooshed by performances like Glen Campbell in True Grit, since he’s in a lot of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/63 "2016-08-16T17:22:13Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > Not that _Mary Poppins_ was my fave film when I was a kid, but Dick Van Dyke’s ::cough attempts at a cockney accent cough:: was something to be chortled at. > . Not his fault, they hired a Irish dialog coach. He laughs about it to this day. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/64 "2016-08-16T17:22:44Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Glenn Campbell in **True Grit**. He just wasn’t able to go toe-to-toe with John Wayne (not many people could), but he also lacked the gravitas of Kim Darby. Just a bad casting call. … > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _The Searchers_ is a great movie. …But Natalie Wood was miscast as Debbie. Even in what are supposed to be highly emotional scenes, her performance is listless. Two excellent choices, particularly Campbell. I’m going to throw in Brandon DeWilde from _Shane_. Among the best Westerns ever, and there’s this whiny kid running all through it. Perhaps the OP might consider eliminating child actors from nominations. There have been tons of kids being nothing but annoyances in really good movies. _Jurassic Park_ comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/65 "2016-08-16T17:24:27Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > George Clooney in just about every movie he’s ever made, especially _Up in the Air_ and _The Descendants_ which both won screenplay Oscars. > . He was perfect in O Brother, Where Art Thou? Jessica Alba in Sin City. Hell, Jessica Alba in _anything_. Fantastic Four might have had a chance without her. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/66 "2016-08-16T20:06:08Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I’m going to throw in Brandon DeWilde from _Shane_. Among the best Westerns ever, and there’s this whiny kid running all through it. Well, he was an adult in _Hud_. Was clearly overshadowed by the other 3 main stars: Newman, Douglas and Neal. Maybe some of the secondary players were worst. Reminder regarding _Pulp Fiction_: This movie had Kathy Griffin in it. Small role but definitely the worst performer. “Who?” “Him!” ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/67 "2016-08-16T20:09:40Z")
> [@](#): > > - Worst Performance By An Actor/Actress In A Truly Great Movie The first one that comes to mind is John C. Reilly in _Magnolia_. Love that movie, but man he was way out of his element. I do like him in dumb comedies like _Step Brothers._ > [@](#): > > - Performance By The Worst Overall Actor/Actress In a Great Movie, Given Their Entire Body of Work, But In This Movie He/She Was Not As Terrible As They Usually Are Brendan Fraser, whom I don’t dislike, probably has one of the worst filmographies ever. But apparently he’s good at playing a student because _With Honors_ and _School Ties_ were a couple really good movies in which he was actually pretty great. ---
**Author:** ![Last\_Glacial\_Maximum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Last\_Glacial\_Maximum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Last_Glacial_Maximum)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/68 "2016-08-16T22:35:19Z")
“Gran Torino” is considered by many to be a great movie. My problem is that Asian kid {Tau?} that Clint takes under his wing and mentors. I mean, his acting is so bad that even though I still watch the movie, I skip the parts that have Tau in it. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/69 "2016-08-16T22:36:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Jessica Alba in Sin City. Seriously? All the role demanded was that she look sexy, and she surely did. ---
**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:** [August 16, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/70 "2016-08-16T23:20:30Z")
_Performance By The Worst Overall Actor/Actress In a Great Movie, Given Their Entire Body of Work, But In This Movie He/She Was Not As Terrible As They Usually Are_ Melanie Griffith in “_Nobody’s Fool_”, one of Paul Newman’s greatest roles and a truly excellent film. And she was not bad in it, given her acting in the past. Jennifer Tilly, one of the truly worst actors of our (or any) time, did a credible job in Woody Allen’s _Bullets Over Broadway_, a pretty decent movie with an otherwise killer cast. She (and we) are much better off now that she’s playing poker for a living. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/71 "2016-08-16T23:43:40Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > As for Tom Hulce: I thought he was fine in **Animal House** and **Amadeus**. His shortcomings as a screen presence were precisely the shortcomings of the characters. And he stole the show in **Parenthood**. One movie he was expected to carry (and couldn’t) was **Slam Dance** , and I’m not entirely convinced he was the weak link there. My gripe with Hulce in Amadeus was his pathetic “conducting”. I’m quite sure Mozart could do more in front of an orchestra than just randomly wave his arms about. ETA: Re: Jennifer Tilly. Love her sister, hate her. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/72 "2016-08-16T23:55:00Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Asian Mickey has to be the winner. It’s hard to imagine anything worse. The only argument against it is that Breakfast at Tiffany’s isn’t that great a movie, which personally, as someone who read the book first, I found it disappointing. I recognize that it’s extremely popular. I actually think Audrey Hepburn was a terrible Holly Golightly, but I also realize that no one who hasn’t read the book agrees. And people who read the book, but saw the movie first, still tend to like the movie. > [@ftg](#): > > Reminder regarding _Pulp Fiction_: This movie had Kathy Griffin in it. Small role but definitely the worst performer. “Who?” “Him!” Kathy Griffin is not a good actress. She is a great stand-up comic, but she really can’t act. I liked Matthew Broderick in _Glory_, if for no other reason that the reminder that prior to WWI, military commanders in battle were often very young men, because it was mostly about social standing and college, and less about experience. What he was terrible in was _The Music Man_, which was proof that no matter how great a show is, it’s still possible to screw it up. I have seen high school performances of _The Music Man_ that were better than the remake with Broderick. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/73 "2016-08-17T00:02:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Worst Performance By An Actor/Actress In A Truly Great Movie y’all have danced with this, but no one has said it: Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix”. I really like the movie. He stinks. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/74 "2016-08-17T01:00:27Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > The role practically screams that it was written for Buscemi. What, he didn’t have two days to knock out the part? Buscemi is in Pulp Fiction, he’s the waiter. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/75 "2016-08-17T01:10:08Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > I will NOT stand for this! > > She was\* far far\* worse in **Four Weddings and a Funeral** and **Green Card**. > > I’ve said this here before, but if I ever win a billion dollars, I’m remaking those movies with the right true proper actress for these roles CGIed into her place, Julia Roberts. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You are wrong. > > It’s a scientific fact that her worst performance was in _Greystroke_, where they had to bring in Glenn Close in post-production to dub in MacDowell’s dialogue. … which is \*still \* better acting by far than “Oh, is it raining? I didn’t notice” from 4WaaF. And than “He has a laaat of positive qualities” or whatever the hell that appalling line in the interview is in GC. We’re talking teak here, not willow. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/76 "2016-08-17T01:19:23Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Seriously? All the role demanded was that she look sexy, and she surely did. Fake sexy, not like the girls from Old Town. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/77 "2016-08-17T01:21:12Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I liked Matthew Broderick in _Glory_, if for no other reason that the reminder that prior to WWI, military commanders in battle were often very young men, because it was mostly about social standing and college, and less about experience. > > What he was terrible in was _The Music Man_, which was proof that no matter how great a show is, it’s still possible to screw it up. I have seen high school performances of _The Music Man_ that were better than the remake with Broderick. True on both counts. Not bad in the Producers remake, which was no where near as funny as the original- but better music. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/78 "2016-08-17T01:31:32Z")
I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but there’s a film from 1939 called _Only Angels Have Wings_. It’s brilliant. It’s about the lives of freighter pilots, which were pretty dicey in 1939. It stars Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. It co-stars one of the greatest actors from the silent film era, Richard Barthelmess. He frequently starred across Lillian Gish in DW Griffith movies. He received one of the few Oscar nominations for silent film performance. He is really wooden in this movie, and I don’t get why, unless someone told him “Don’t be a silent film actor: don’t use your face and body, just your voice.” His voice is very good, and his line delivery is convincing, but they might as well have a log in his place, and this is a guy who used to do his own stunts because the job “stuntman” hadn’t been invented. His face and body were amazing in his silent movies: he really does deserve his reputation. Or maybe he really just wanted to be retired. He made just three more films, and then quit, even though he was just in his forties and would live another 20+ years. I do know he joined the Navy during WWII, but I don’t think he was wounded-- he just retired after the war, and didn’t work in entertainment again, not even TV. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2016, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/79 "2016-08-17T02:44:28Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Sophia Coppola in _The Godfather III._ While debatable whether or not that’s a “great” film, the Acting Quality to Movie Quality ratio is probably the lowest among all examples mentioned so far. This is the movie that tried to replace Robert Duvall with George Hamilton and hoped we wouldn’t notice. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/80 "2016-08-17T03:18:51Z")
There’s another thread where a guy is trying to find the name of a movie where people were hiding from Nazis, and it reminded me of a joke germane to this thread: A woman playing the title role in a production of _The Diary of Anne Frank_ was such a terrible actress that when the Nazis showed up, the audience yelled, “She’s under the bed!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945.md?page=5)