Honestly, Stallone in Copland. I know he wrote Rocky, I know, but he never really did anything for me as an actor, I thought up ’til Copland his best performance was in First Blood and it was still too Stalloney.
But in Copland, he changed the cadence, he created a walk for the character, he carried himself in a completely different manner, he truly created a character, and I was impressed.
I actually really hated Daniel Craig before Bond.
The Squid and the Whale changed my mind on Laura Linney for the better. It’s not that I had seen her in everything she had done in the past, but I had always found her annoying in her movie roles before that. And then I saw it, and I was incredibly pleased (also, Jeff Daniels knocks one out of the park with that film).
I also didn’t much care for Julianne Moore until I saw her in Magnolia and A Single Man. She was another one who annoyed me, and she’s still probably on the lower end of the interest level of Magnolia for me, but her performance in A Single Man is well worth it. :)
I’m wondering if there are any films that changed my mind of actors for the worse…
Savvy
I am really not a fan of Nic Cage, can’t really put my finger on why but so many of his films just wind me up. However, watched Bad Lieutenant the other day and really liked him.
Thinking about it i quite liked him in Matchstick Men as well, I should probably go back and rewatch a few classics.
Corporaldoom, I love Cage in several films, most notably Bad Lieutenant, and then in Adaptation. He really can be truly fantastic with the right material. And, with the wrong material, at least he’s interesting to watch! :D
Savvy
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love!
Colin Farrell in The New World. I knew he was a good actor and all, but I didn’t think he’d ever touch me in that way. (The non-physical kind of touching…)
Two performances stand out for me:
Sharon Stone in Casino. She’s surprisingly good in this. The only other time I remember her giving a decent performance is in Bobby, and that’s a small part.
Colin Farrell in In Bruges. Farrell’s name generally was enough to discourage me from watching a film, but he’s great in this. He should definitely stick to comedy.
Ben Stiller in Greenberg
Cameron Diaz in Being John Malkovich
I’m going to agree about Colin Farrell. He was in both some god awful movies and some incredible ones this past decade. For every Alexander, he made The New World. He was great in that, In Bruges, Miami Vice, Minority Report and Imaginarium. He’s got a few interesting roles coming up with Peter Weir and William Monahan too.
Stallone in “Copland”. He was brilliant. BRILLIANT.
John Cusack in Being John Malkovich. Ive seen quite a few films where this man almost had me headbutting the television (Identity, 1408, 2012 etc.) but in BJM he was pleasantly bearable
Robin Williams in Insomnia and One Hour Photo. I love it when actors known for playing the good guys go dark but goddamn he’s scary as hell in these! He really ought to do more roles like these.
(You can also count Good Will Hunting I guess).
Frankly, Zach, I don’t know how anyone can find Julianne Moore annoying. The Todd Haynes – Julianne Moore tandem is quite difficult to beat. Safe and Far From Heaven are superb, and Haynes exalts Moore to new heights in actorness…
I, however, may be a little biased, since I love her to death.
Glem, oh, I know, but I never saw Far From Heaven, so….
Savvy
heath ledger in brokeback mountain. before i had thought of him not so much as an actor but a pretty face.
I specifically came in here to see if someone who mentioned One-Hour Photo, and then laugh at them.
This is scene that sold me on Ledger
…
In Bruges made me like Colin Farrel, and gave me hope for all mankind.
Punch Drunk Love, Adam Sandler.
“Honestly, Stallone in Copland.”
Well I, for one, never knew that Stallone starred in a biopic of Aaron Copland. You see, MUBI is just filled with informative goodies like that.
Dude, get over being an asshole, it’s a simple mistake. It’s easy to see why you were muzzled before
The Jim Carrey example is good, but for me it actually started with The Truman Show. Between that and Eternal Sunshine I’ve come to admire him in dramas, but still have no interest in his comic persona.
Justine Timberlake is someone I never thought I’d have anything nice to say about, but Black Snake Moan changed that. He gave a very moving performance.
Now that I think about it, Bill Murray in Lost In Translation.
I always thought of him as a really good comic actor. I didn’t think of him as an actor who could portray subtlety and emotional maturity.
Definitely Will Ferrell in Melinda and Melinda. I now take him just a little more seriously.
Definitely Will Ferrell in Melinda and Melinda. I now take him just a little more seriously.
Adam Sandler – Reign Over Me/Funny People
John Goodman – Every Coen Bros movie he appears in
John Tuturro – Do the Right Thing
Matt Dillon – Drugstore Cowboy
Owen Wilson – The Minus Man
Samuel L. Jackson – Pulp Fiction
Sean William Scott – Role Models (not dramatic, but still)
Will Ferrell – Stranger than Fiction
The New World, Miami Vice, and In Bruges really sold me on Colin Farrell.
Actually, the one that changed my opinion the most I actually forgot to mention, and that was Vin Diesel in Find Me Guilty.
monkeyninja
Jim Carrey is one of those actors that I really don’t like. Most of his work is really not my kind of thing and those films I’ve seen him in I’ve not enjoyed in part due to his performance. However, watching “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” took me by surprise and I found myself re-evaluating my opinion. His portrayal of Joel in the film was superb; he does melancholy really well (I almost had to question whether I was watching the same Jim Carrey).
What films have made you change your mind of actors you’d previously disliked/avoided?