# Why do Americans like really awful actors so much in films. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2013, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409 "2013-03-31T10:54:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bennett.cynthia74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@bennett.cynthia74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bennett.cynthia74)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/41 "2013-04-02T09:49:30Z")
I’d say it is same everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/42 "2013-04-02T10:31:13Z")
Personally I find Adam Sandler to be a dismal shadow of an actor. That may be because of the roles he takes but I am not even faintly interested in his movies. Steve Martin however does have talent IMHO, but sometimes his movies are bland. All actors have that happen. Ricky Gervais is a one trick pony and I have yet to see him display any acting genius. Granted he is talented but its in a narrow range. Rowan Atkinson by comparison has a wide portfolio of performances and for my money tops the other contenders in this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/43 "2013-04-02T14:47:42Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I thought Big Brother originally came from the UK. OK. Well, it didn’t. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/44 "2013-04-02T15:46:22Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > See my last reply. Gervais is a genius- just see the one in “The Office” where he does THAT dance. I guess a British sense of humour is required. We seem to be having two different threads simultaneously and you seem to be the problem. Some are talking about why Americans like movies made by bad actors. Some are talking about why movies about horrible characters are popular. I think you were trying to go for the latter in your OP. I was pointing out its not just an American thing. Ricky Gervais has made a career out of playing horrid people. In fact there is a long British tradition of just that going all the way back to Shakespeare. Then you contradict yourself. You can’t say that playing horrid characters is an American phenomenon and then just dismiss any other examples just because you happen to like them. ---
**Author:** ![CastleAnthrax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@CastleAnthrax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastleAnthrax)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/45 "2013-04-02T21:37:01Z")
To reply to the question the OP didn’t ask 😃 Many characters who are known for being annoying are brilliant- in other roles. I HATED Adam Sandler him in most of the SNL characters he came up with, and I couldn’t bear to watch pretty much any movie he did for quite some time. Then I saw 50 First Dates, and it was very well done and honestly touching. Wasn’t that him in The Wedding Singer, too? Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean is like itching powder to me, but I’ll watch Black Adder or his stand-up over and over. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/46 "2013-04-03T03:19:21Z")
Although not an Adam Sandler fan, I did like the way he seemed to caricature himself in _Funny People_. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/47 "2013-04-05T07:48:31Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > Your post was completely vague about what you meant, check the title you didn’t say awful _characters_, you said awful _actors._ My bad. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/48 "2013-04-05T07:50:58Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Then why aren’t Adam Sandler and the others also acquired tastes? While it may not be obvious, that was what I was trying to find out. Do Americans ( and others ) enjoy annoying characters in American films because it’s what they were brought up with, or is there some other reason? ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/49 "2013-04-05T07:56:47Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > You seem to be misreading your own post. If Rowan Atkinson or Ricky Gervaise don’t play annoying characters, then nobody does. > > Seriously, you’re flip-flopping back and forth. Gervaise’s characters are okay, because he’a a genius, but Steve Martin’s characters are annoying, because… what? Because he’s American? > > I give this thread a D-. Sez who? If you understood the post, you’d know that I was in fact asking if Americans like Steve Martin’s annoying characters because they are American, or if there is some other reason. I find Gervais funny, because he appeals to the British sense of humour that I was brought up with. You obviously take yourself far too seriously if you actually think anyone cares about your “grade”. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/50 "2013-04-05T08:00:29Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > There’s no accounting for taste, I guess. You don’t like Bruce’s films then. The worst Thai films I ever saw were ones made by overseas companies with American actors eg Bangkok Dangerous with Nicholas Cage and The Hangover part 2 ( in which they drive a speedboat from Bkk to Krabi in a couple of hours:smack: ) ---
**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:** [April 5, 2013, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/51 "2013-04-05T11:38:52Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > While it may not be obvious, that was what I was trying to find out. Do Americans ( and others ) enjoy annoying characters in American films because it’s what they were brought up with, or is there some other reason? > [@Doggo](#): > > Sez who? > > If you understood the post, you’d know that I was in fact asking if Americans like Steve Martin’s annoying characters because they are American, or if there is some other reason. > I find Gervais funny, because he appeals to the British sense of humour that I was brought up with. > > You obviously take yourself far too seriously if you actually think anyone cares about your “grade”. Do you not see the disconnect between these two posts? ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/52 "2013-04-06T14:34:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Do you not see the disconnect between these two posts? No. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/53 "2013-04-06T14:58:08Z")
To use your own terminology you don’t understand why Americans like comedies about horrid people played for laughs. When it is pointed out to you that many British comics do the same you say it’s a British thing, you wouldn’t understand. It’s a universal part of comedy. All of Shakespeare’s comedies used horrid and annoying people for comedic effect. As do British and American comedies today. Roberto beginini is annoying in Italian. Jerry Lewis was annoying and had worldwide appeal. As I flip by Sabido Gigante I see annoying characters I don’t understand getting laughs. It’s not an American thing. It’s comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/54 "2013-04-07T00:32:22Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > To use your own terminology you don’t understand why Americans like comedies about horrid people played for laughs. When it is pointed out to you that many British comics do the same you say it’s a British thing, you wouldn’t understand. > > It’s a universal part of comedy. All of Shakespeare’s comedies used horrid and annoying people for comedic effect. As do British and American comedies today. Roberto beginini is annoying in Italian. Jerry Lewis was annoying and had worldwide appeal. As I flip by Sabido Gigante I see annoying characters I don’t understand getting laughs. It’s not an American thing. It’s comedy. If it was comedic, I’d laugh. I don’t. I don’t think any of the characters in Grownups were funny. When Steve Martin or Steve Carrell play doormat wimps, I just want to slap them. Obviously Americans find them amusing. From the responses to my OP, some find Atkinson and Gervais irritating, while I find Atkinson hilarious and Gervais amusing. My conclusion therefore, is that it is a cultural thing. So my OP did provide me with the answer I was seeking. Can’t get a better result than that. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/55 "2013-04-07T01:55:47Z")
To use your example of Grown Ups, it made over $100,000,000 outside of the US. I’m happy you can declare victory and move on. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/56 "2013-04-07T01:58:31Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > When Steve Martin or Steve Carrell play doormat wimps, I just want to slap them. > Obviously Americans find them amusing. > From the responses to my OP, some find Atkinson and Gervais irritating, while I find Atkinson hilarious and Gervais amusing. > My conclusion therefore, is that it is a cultural thing. > So my OP did provide me with the answer I was seeking. > Can’t get a better result than that. Your sweeping generalizations are as flawed as your taste in film. I know Brits here who love Steve Martin and Steve Carrell and don’t care for Atkinson or Gervais. I, an American, love all four. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/57 "2013-04-07T02:00:15Z")
Saying that obviously Americans like certain American comedians that you find annoying is a vast overgeneralization. Some Americans agree with you. Some Brits do like those American comedians. I don’t think that people’s tastes in comedy are as strictly divided on national lines as you think. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/58 "2013-04-07T02:53:39Z")
No dammit I declared victory! I won! ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/59 "2013-04-07T03:39:37Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > You don’t like Bruce’s films then. > > The worst Thai films I ever saw were ones made by overseas companies with American actors eg Bangkok Dangerous with Nicholas Cage and The Hangover part 2 ( in which they drive a speedboat from Bkk to Krabi in a couple of hours:smack: ) You consider **The Hangover Part II** a Thai movie? Seriously? Isn’t the original post really just saying, “Some people feel differently about some actors and movies than I do, and I don’t understand why”? Or am I missing some deeper, more profound level of the post? ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/60 "2013-04-07T08:11:03Z")
> [@Rollo\_Tomasi](#): > > Isn’t the original post really just saying, “Some people feel differently about some actors and movies than I do, and I don’t understand why”? Or am I missing some deeper, more profound level of the post? I guess I read the OP to be asking why Americans like some “comedy” movies when they contain very faint humour at best. To be honest I agree except it doesn’t bother me, if people like the stuff thats fine. There are cultural differences at play. Some years ago when in the US I went to a Hollywood TV studio to watch a game show. The audience were instructed and played like Pavlov’s dogs by a couple of impresarios in the wings holding up signs for laughter, clapping, jeers yadda yadda yadda. My Kiwi friends and I cringed with embarrassment - our polite reserve could not let us join in. Looking back no harm was done, the American audience loved being there, and we were just uptight. But hey - we still have our dignity. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409.md?page=4)