yes I thought so too Joe, he brought that edge to an otherwise bland film.
In A Woman Under the Influence, even though it’s one of my favourite films, Gena Rowland’s completely unrefined and seemingly unrehearsed attempts at portraying a mental breakdown, during potentially intense scenes, is cringeworthy. Also, the children in that film are really distracting. If you listen carefully, during one scene, you can hear one of the children say, “You’re the best mom I ever had.” When will filmmakers learn: children can’t act.
I know someone already said Keanu Reeves, but I have to give special mention to his performance in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. How did that ever happen???
I gotta agree with Neil Murphy, although Bram Stoker’s Dracula made me wince in general. What a strange movie.
Any time I see M. Night Shamylan “act” in his own films, I die a little inside. Jesus Christ, when will he stop doing poor impressions of Hitchcock?
Joan Crawford in anything.
Starts with Keanu and ends with Reeves. He even manages to be dreadful in A Scanner Darkly. He’s animated for Christ’s sake! Several of my friends were animators for the film, so they were forced to watch hours and hours of raw footage of him “acting.” They were getting paid and still constantly complained about how painful it was. How does he get work?
Gina-He gets work because he has been in a number of films that have done well at the box office. 2 Bill & Ted movies, Speed, Matrix Trilogy etc.,Devil’s Advocate, Point Break etc. Films are a business as is publishing and the recording industry and the art world.
Marina Abramovic in Rhythm 0
double post
Jason Lee in “Alvin and the Chipmunks”. I saw it with some family & friend and it seemed to me that he was either barely remembering his lines.
I meant to sat “friend”, by the way.
The irony.
Robert Downey in just about anything. I know people love him but he always comes across to me as this smug, self-fond, priveleged jerk. Even when that isn’t the character.
But the single most cringe-inducing performance that I can think of is Jennifer Jason Leigh in Altman’s Kansas City. The teeth, the voice, the all of it.
Let me add that when RDowney’s character is supposed to be that way—it’s fine for me.
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator
Jamie Lynn Sigler in any episode of The Sopranos.
Sheryll Lee in TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME.
Ryan O’Neal in almost anything
What a great thread!
Julianne Moore In Children of Men. She was embarrassingly miscast as a radical activist. Her patrician features and J. Crew wardrobe can’t be made fierce by a nose ring.
Evan Rachel Wood in The Wrestler. Every note seemed false.
Sean Penn in Mystic River – overacting.
Keanu Reeves in Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing (as Denzel Washington’s half brother o_0!)- even my high school teacher was laughing
Johnny Depp – Charlie in the Chocolate Factory
Zach Braff in The Last Kiss
the blond lead in Scanners
@Keanu Reeves in Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing (as Denzel Washington’s half brother o_0!)- even my high school teacher was laughing
CANNOT agree more! Even Branagh drove me nuts in that one…he is so conscious of his own greatness (which exists solely in his head)
Nicolas Cage in Vampire Kiss, Deadfall, and the National Treasure movies…
.
Richard Gere in the Jackal (1997) with his stupid Irish ascent
That scene in Poltergeist when the mother rapturously exclaims that she felt her daughter move “through” her… incredibly painful.
The one that first came to mind was Robert DeNiro as a gay pirate in Stardust. Sad and painful.
Lindsay Crouse in House of Games
I winced, I puked, I cried, I cursed the day of my birth and died a little inside whenever she was on screen or opened her mouth!
Lindsay’s crimes against cinema and the fine craft of acting should not go unpunished!
Renee Zellweger in …everything. Except Cold Mountain! (sigh….including Cold Mountain).
Female
1- Rain Phoenix in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
2- Demi Moore in Striptease
3- Demi Moore in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (the whole movie made me wince)
4- Uma Thurman in Batman & Robin
5- Geneviève Bujold in Dead Ringers
6- Shelley Duvall in The Shining
Male
1- Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker’s Dracula
2- David Caruso in Kiss of Death
3- John Travolta in Pulp Fiction
4- Tom Berenger in Sliver
5- Julian Sands in Boxing Helena (actually in everything, but…)
6- Michael Parks in Niagara Niagara
Lester Burnam
Jello – Really? Robert Downey Jr.? He’s the whole reason the movie passed as decent, at least in my mind.