# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/81 "2016-08-17T03:26:51Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I don’t know that Watchmen is a “truly great movie,” but I think it aspires to be… and is held back by Malin Akerman’s inept, wooden performance. You know what got better reviews and made more money? X-MEN FIRST CLASS, with Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence and James McAvoy, any of whom can carry a movie single-handed. You know who else was in it? January Jones. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/82 "2016-08-17T04:57:17Z")
Man, my first thought on opening this thread was “Has Andie MacDowell been in any great movies?” How did she keep getting A-list work? Was she just really good friends with everyone behind the scenes? ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/83 "2016-08-17T05:39:07Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > 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._ I thought there were a number of scenes in _Magnolia_ where he quite adequately filled the role of a blundering, sweaty cop, whether he was reciting self-improvement mantras in his car, or, at the end of his rope while frantically scampering up a rainy hillside in search of his gun, or one of the film’s high-tension points for me - where he and Melora Walters are at her doorstep, and the way they communicate the uncommunicated, in their sheer desperation - quite galvanizing for this viewer, anyway. Hard-pressed to think of _any_ film where JCR sucked, IMO. Despite his earnest, august, measured performance, I was still expecting Ryan Oneal in _Barry Lyndon_ to suddenly break out in some antic, bewildered reaction to an awkward situation in the vein of _What’s Up Doc?_ I wish I could’ve seen past that to take him more seriously, and to his credit that he’d venture there in the first place, but the optics sure didn’t work for me. I thought _Diner_ wasn’t bad, but Steven Gutenberg atrociously was. If I wanna watch some perpetually incredulous shmuck, saying and regarding everything with eyes agog, I’ll pass instead, actually. I’d like to borrow that thing from Anton Chigurh to use on SG. Though he was popular at the time, David Hemmings in _Close Up_ was problematic for me. Yeah I get it that he was supposed to be a snarky-hipster-photographer-on-the-go sort of shtick, but to this hombre he was an unwatchable, poncey, not-even-remotely-cool-as-he-deludes-himself-to-be shitheel. I would’ve preferred Terence Stamp or Jon Finch (too Shakespearean?) being cast for that. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/84 "2016-08-17T05:56:55Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > 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. I always thought the part should have been played by Marilyn Monroe, rather than totally-inappropriate Hepburn. Then I discovered that Truman Capote himself had preferred Monroe. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/85 "2016-08-17T06:25:49Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > Though he was popular at the time, David Hemmings in _Close Up_ was problematic for me. Yeah I get it that he was supposed to be a snarky-hipster-photographer-on-the-go sort of shtick, but to this hombre he was an unwatchable, poncey, not-even-remotely-cool-as-he-deludes-himself-to-be shitheel. I would’ve preferred Terence Stamp or Jon Finch (too Shakespearean?) being cast for that. I think you mean _Blow-Up_, definitely an odd movie which is overrated in my opinion, but it was the first time I ever thought of Vanessa Redgrave being sexy. I much preferred Hemmings in _Barbarella_. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/86 "2016-08-17T09:38:37Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > 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. Conducting in the 18th century was not like conducting today. Most of the time he wouldn’t have been waving his arms at all; he’d be leading from the keyboard or violin. And some artistic license is allowed here, since the point was to portray him as an immature goofball (which he kind of was). > [@Annoying\_Buzz](#): > > Man, my first thought on opening this thread was “Has Andie MacDowell been in any great movies?” How did she keep getting A-list work? Was she just really good friends with everyone behind the scenes? I wonder about this every time I see her. Even her commercials for face creams are terrible. > [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > 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. I have an unexplained fondness for Fraser, even though pretty much every film I’ve seen him in has been popcorn-munching fare at best (the Mummy series) and truly execrable at worst (Encino Man, Bedazzled). I even liked Monkeybone. But I’d be hard-pressed to name a “truly great film” he’s been in. I’ll have to check out School Ties, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/87 "2016-08-17T11:53:46Z")
I agree with a lot of what’s been said here (Andie McDowell, you need to be checked for termites honey), some not so much- Keanu has stunk up his share of films but I thought he was perfect in _The Devil’s Advocate_. No, I think the most fitting answer here would be Ms. Anne Baxter’s titular role in _All About Eve_. I first saw this movie when I was about 8 and even at that young age the suckiness was glaring. That breathy, melodramatic way she delivers her lines is so annoying it is beyond my comprehension how she was nominated for an Academy Award. Is she supposed to be annoying and transparent? I realize that we’re meant to discover how manipulative she is but she is never convincing as innocent for one minute. Nor likable, yet everyone falls all over themselves to help her (except the brilliant Thelma Ritter who sees through her from the beginning). ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/88 "2016-08-17T14:34:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > I think you mean _Blow-Up_, definitely an odd movie which is overrated in my opinion, but it was the first time I ever thought of Vanessa Redgrave being sexy. > > I much preferred Hemmings in _Barbarella_. :smack: thanks - I blew that one up. yeah I preferred DH’s comic turn in Barbarella too. Going back to a crummy example, DH in _The Love Machine_ was hilariously god-awfully fraught with shittiness. Then again the film was a bit cruddy too. So no mention yet of Andie MacDowell always showing way too much forehead? poor Andie ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/89 "2016-08-17T14:39:46Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > :smack: thanks - I blew that one up. > > yeah I preferred DH’s comic turn in Barbarella too. > > Going back to a crummy example, DH in _The Love Machine_ was hilariously god-awfully fraught with shittiness. Then again the film was a bit cruddy too. > > So no mention yet of Andie MacDowell always showing way too much forehead? > > poor Andie Is her forehead still big I hadn’t noticed ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/90 "2016-08-17T14:53:50Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > _Lost In Translation_ is a near perfect movie, IMHO. The biggest flaw is Anna Faris’s small scene. Just ruined that part. Nowhere near as good as the rest of the cast. I love Anna Faris’ role. I think Sofia Coppola said the role was inspired by Cameron Diaz, and Faris absolutely nails her vapidness. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/91 "2016-08-17T15:25:46Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > :smack: thanks - I blew that one up. > > yeah I preferred DH’s comic turn in Barbarella too. > > Going back to a crummy example, DH in _The Love Machine_ was hilariously god-awfully fraught with shittiness. Then again the film was a bit cruddy too. > > So no mention yet of Andie MacDowell always showing way too much forehead? > > poor Andie > [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Is her forehead still big I hadn’t noticed It isn’t so much her forehead is big, it’s her face is so tiny–tiny eyes, nose and mouth all squinched together in the middle of that vast expanse of pan. That’s why she has so much hair and it’s her best feature (and gets her all those ads): she’s trying to balance out the rest of her massive noggin. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/92 "2016-08-17T19:22:51Z")
My contribution: Chris Rock in Dogma. Great movie, but Rock brought little to it aside from the “BECAUSE I’M A BLACK MAN!” routine that he always does. ---
**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 17, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/93 "2016-08-17T19:26:13Z")
Shelley Duvall in _The Shining_. After the first scene, I wanted to kill her, too. ---
**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, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/94 "2016-08-17T19:28:18Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Shelley Duvall in _The Shining_. After the first scene, I wanted to kill her, too. She was perfect as Olive Oyl. ---
**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 17, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/95 "2016-08-17T20:35:38Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > She was perfect as Olive Oyl. She is Olive Oyl. ---
**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, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/96 "2016-08-17T20:40:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > She is Olive Oyl. Fair point. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/97 "2016-08-17T21:14:09Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > That’s because _Godfather 3_’s problems went way beyond her performance. While there were issues with GF3, many would have been overlooked if Winona Ryder had played the role of Mary. ---
**Author:** ![bb49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b38774/32.png) [@bb49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bb49)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/98 "2016-08-17T23:11:49Z")
_ **GRAVITY** _ could have been a great movie. The special effects were incredible, but the “acting” of Sandra Bullock was atrocious. It seemed all we heard from her was heavy breathing. I’m not even sure how it ended as we shut it off early. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/99 "2016-08-17T23:34:22Z")
This immensely gigantic Monty Python fan found no humour in Micheal Palin’s chronic stutterer role in _A Fish Called Wanda_. (maybe when he muttered “REEEEEEEE-VENGE” while driving the bulldozer, near the end, but other than that…) ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945/100 "2016-08-18T00:24:46Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > You know what got better reviews and made more money? X-MEN FIRST CLASS, with Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence and James McAvoy, any of whom can carry a movie single-handed. You know who else was in it? January Jones. _Thank you._ I mean, how can you take a role like Emma Frost a.k.a. The White Queen and cast someone with all the sex appeal of a moldy bologna sandwich? I cannot stand January Jones. Why this woman gets work is beyond me. * * * F/X is one of my favorite movies, but I have to stifle cringes every time his assistant played by Martha Gehman shows up. Every line she reads (calling it “acting” is an insult to the profession) is like a lead brick to the skull. Truly awful. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-actor-in-a-truly-great-movie/762945.md?page=6)