@MARCUSARCUS
What was ridiculous about his performance in The Tree of Life?
Certainly no best actor nod for Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life. To me, it was young Hunter McCracken who stood out in this film. Also, really liked Jessica Chastain. But, it was the glorious cinematography and the fascinating way in which Malick wove his many scenes together that made this movie.
Pitt just isn’t very good in these subdued roles. What makes Pitt interesting is the “caged beast” quality in him. Here, he just came across as a thwarted engineer who took his frustrations out on his family. The one scene where you felt some of that lurking danger is when he lunged across the table at his son, otherwise he looked as flat as Jon Hamm from “Mad Men”.
i’ll watch him in Moneyball, he is good for that
No. Certainly not. Average at best. I get a kick out of how people often cite 12 Monkeys as his best performance. I thought he was awful in that. He was nails-on-a-chalkboard bad in Inglourious Basterds. (Every time he said the word “Naattzi” my skin crawled. Any real actor could have done that better.) Additionally, Burn After Reading was a plum part; any actor could have made it entertaining.
If he can convince the public his meager skills are good, then maybe he is a good actor
Has he ever played a difficult/challenging role? So far, I think I’d call him “adequate”. He does an OK job.
Senor Octubre said, He was nails-on-a-chalkboard bad in Inglourious Basterds. (Every time he said the word “Naattzi” my skin crawled. Any real actor could have done that better.) Additionally, Burn After Reading was a plum part; any actor could have made it entertaining.
Yeah, I agree with this.
I think he’s OK, and I wouldn’t say he’s a bad actor. I thought he was solid in Se7en and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
I think he gets too much heat because he is more well known and liked by the public. He is rarely remarkable but he also rarely does sub par work. Clooney is the same. Adequate is a tad unfair but if that is the worst knock on them, I’d take it.
He is rarely remarkable but he also rarely does sub par work. Clooney is the same.
I basically agree. I see them both as a movie stars. They’re acting is limited, but within that range and in the right role they can be quite effective (but it probably still won’t be great acting)—so, in these situations, “adequate” is unfair.
12 Monkeys?
Fight Club?
Inglorious Basterds?
Burn After Reading?
Snatch?
The Assassination of Jesse James?
The Tree of Life?
Not only is there a healthy amount of risk taking and a wide gamma of range on display especially by “movie star” standards, Brad Pitt is also actually choosing to work with interesting filmmakers, as opposed to just “picking scripts that seem good”.
That’s an A+ in my book. (Disclaimer: not all of the films I listed do I consider “good”, but his performances range from solid to very good in each of them, imho.)
I was just about to write ^ that
The Assassination of Jesse James
^ I thought he was very good in that one (I’d forgotten).
Also in Babel, though it didn’t ask for very much skill.
Sure, I’d forgotten Babel, he was good in that. The scene with him on the phone particularly stands out in my memory.
Me, too. When he breaks down in tears as he speaks to his young son, who’s oblivious to the drama his father’s recently gone through, I was very moved. He did a good job in that scene. It seemed very real.
The more I see this thread, the more I start itching for that Clooney thread…
He is one of those actors that needs a better than average director to be interesting on screen. He isn’t going to bring the goods himself most of the time.
Having said that, i really liked him in Fight Club, Jesse James and Babel; and he was amusing in Burn After Reading, Snatch and 12 Monkeys.
“Not only is there a healthy amount of risk taking and a wide gamma of range on display especially by “movie star” standards, Brad Pitt is also actually choosing to work with interesting filmmakers, as opposed to just “picking scripts that seem good”.”
He is definitely moving in that direction now that he is getting older, which is a good thing.
He’s a good actor but would have never had the opportunities he had if it weren’t for his great looks.
Edit: But that describes nearly all movie stars and even B-list talents TBH.
dp
Brad Pitt is a capable dramatic actor (though I have yet to see Tree of Life), but I have always loved him best as a comedic actor.
12 Monkeys
Fight Club
Inglorious Basterds
Burn After Reading
Snatch
True Romance
even Meet Joe Black to an extent
Looks aside, he has a wonderful sense of humor, and I would call him one of my favorite comedic actors of the past 15-20 years. I would love to see him in a Wes Anderson film.
Llawrence
I see Brad Pitt the actor, not the characters, everytime.