Hollywood actors who genuinely cannot act

[Patrick Thistle]

Wasn’t he in that thing about the guy at the New Republic who plagiarized everything? That was good, as I recall.

Yes he was, and it was.

But he's still "Mannequin Skywalker" to most people.

[treibeis]

And yet his turn in Leaving Las Vegas was very good.

hobbes is right.

He* wasn't bad in Birdy, Wild At Heart and Bringing Out The Dead, either.

(* Nicholas Cage, that is. hobbes may have been not bad as well, but I don't know what he looks like.)

[Aitch]

Meryl Streep.

Casting her as the lead in Florence Foster Jenkins was a perverse act of sadistic cruelty.

[Jah Womble]

hobbes is right.

He* wasn't bad in Birdy, Wild At Heart and Bringing Out The Dead, either.

(* Nicholas Cage, that is. hobbes may have been not bad as well, but I don't know what he looks like.)

No, but - regardless of his appearance - to the best of your knowledge hobbes wasn't in any of those films.

Apologies to hobbes if he indeed 'was'.

[treibeis]

Meryl Streep.

Casting her as the lead in Florence Foster Jenkins was a perverse act of sadistic cruelty.

I remember absolutely ruining The Bridges Of Madison County for ex-Fräulein treibeis when I watched it with her. "Look at her! Just look at her! All she does is smile and look away! That's all she fucking does! What the FUCK was Clint thinking of, getting her in?", every two minutes.

[Sits]

Who can forget those opening lines: "I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills."

[treibeis]

No, but - regardless of his appearance - to the best of your knowledge hobbes wasn't in any of those films.

Apologies to hobbes if he indeed 'was'.

Has hobbes ever written, "I have never had a film role alongside Nicholas Cage"? I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Jah Womble]

I'm not sure that it's hobbes who's claiming it either way, tbh.

[Crusoe]

I thought Vin Diesel was alright in Pitch Black. Not terrible in Chronicles of Riddick, either. But I wouldn't expect great performances from someone who specialises in those kind of roles.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Diesel was half-decent in aforementioned 'Boiler Room' too.

[Fussbudget]

Nicholas Cage is also good in Adaptation. He can act, he just tends to pick films that don't really require it.

[San Bernardhinault]

I thought Nicholas Cage didn't pick roles any more. He just took as many as he could to pay off his debts.

I find Meryl Streep almost completely unwatchable, horribly hammy and mannered. But I'm not sure she actually can't act, it's just a style of acting that I hate. I particularly despise her bad impressions of Margaret Thatcher and Julia Child.

[blameless]

hobbes is right.

He* wasn't bad in Birdy, Wild At Heart and Bringing Out The Dead, either.

(* Nicholas Cage, that is. hobbes may have been not bad as well, but I don't know what he looks like.)

Bringing Out the Dead is also Tom Sizemore's "oh, he can act when he puts his mind to it" film.

And yes, it was Boiler Room not Boiler House - thanks HP.

[ursus arctos]

I think that is right about Streep. She found a very lucrative formula and is sticking to it with great force.

I saw her in a number of her Public Theatre roles way back in the day and she could act and had a much broader range when we were each much younger.

[Amor de Cosmos]

She's been phoning it in for some time, but her earlier films are pretty impressive. The French Lieutenant's Woman, Sophie's Choice period basically.

[Hot Pepsi]

Nicholas Cage is also good in Adaptation. He can act, he just tends to pick films that don't really require it.

Agreed. Lord of War is good, as is that really sad one where he takes up archery.

[Hot Pepsi]

She's been phoning it in for some time, but her earlier films are pretty impressive. The French Lieutenant's Woman, Sophie's Choice period basically.

I think she’s as good as ever but the range of roles for women her age is narrow. I’m looking forward to seeing her in season 2 of Big Little Lies.

[Hot Pepsi]

I thought Nicholas Cage didn't pick roles any more. He just took as many as he could to pay off his debts.

I find Meryl Streep almost completely unwatchable, horribly hammy and mannered. But I'm not sure she actually can't act, it's just a style of acting that I hate. I particularly despise her bad impressions of Margaret Thatcher and Julia Child.

I didn’t see the Thatcher one but I thought her Julia Childs was pretty spot on.

[Guy Profumo]

Gregory Peck

[Lang Spoon]

Heh, he really was trez wood, if Well Meaning in his role choices

[Amor de Cosmos]

I think she’s as good as ever but the range of roles for women her age is narrow. I’m looking forward to seeing her in season 2 of Big Little Lies.

I don't think a limited range of roles applies as much as it did even fairly recently (cf: this year's academy awards), especially not to Streep who's going to be offered first dibs on almost anything going. She's on record as disliking Hollywood, which is why she lives in New England and, though she's always totally professional, I do think her commitment to most projects isn't what it was. I agree that her skills are still present, but she doesn't test them as frequently as she should. Big Little Lies 2 could be an exception. I hope so.