Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

[Tubby Isaacs]

Jeremy Brett playing Sherlock Holmes. I appreciate the character's been done a few times, but the edginess looks a bit like gratuitous novelty even if is convincingly acted in itself. Shame, because it's brilliantly produced and I find it unwatchable.

Still, excuse for some edgy violin music.

[ian.64]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Oh, stop it. Brett is the best Holmes since Rathbone. Ever. I'm not the quintessential geek on Sherlock Holmes culture, but Brett was never less than watchable in the role, and although I can concede that his theatricality may get some backs up, he presents the kind of edgy, detailed, compelling performance that suggests a man who sucks up information and clues like a human vacuum cleaner and has several hundred thoughts a minute running through his head. I'm brought back to the judgement of Matt 'Max Headroom' Frewer, who portrayed the role for American audiences, and disliked Brett's version, saying it was 'too reptilian'. Frewer's turn, for the record, is a pile of fucking shit, a gurning, dull, third-rate version that Brett, were he still with us, wouldn't bother wiping the soles of his shoes with.

A tip of the hat, though, to Robert Stephens, for his Holmes in Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Stop it yerself. It's a costume drama, not King Lear, and should be played as such. I've looked at too many Munch paintings to have much time for tortured geniuses. Mycroft is brighter than Sherlock, isn't he? If he can keep himself together, what's Sherlock's excuse?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Drugs are not an excuse.

[blameless]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

On a similar note, Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple. Just wrong.

[ian.64]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Stop it yerself. It's a costume drama, not King Lear, and should be played as such.

I thought they were. People faffing about in Victorian clobber? What else could it be?

I've looked at too many Munch paintings to have much time for tortured geniuses. Mycroft is brighter than Sherlock, isn't he? If he can keep himself together, what's Sherlock's excuse?

If it was called 'The Adventures of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes' I'd agree, but it's Sherlock's show and don't you ferget it. (Holds up fists in old-style, gentlemen's honour type-way and ponces about on his toes)

[Etienne]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Meryl Streep as whatshername in Out of Africa. Unwatchable.

[N est à?]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Jeepers, I've seen some pointless revisionism on here down the years, but Jeremey Brett, no good as Sherlock Holmes? Do me a fucking favour. Tubby, you're as near to being objectively wrong as a subjective opinion can be.

[Purves Grundy]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Result!

[Ginger Yellow]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Olivier's Othello. He's not acting, he's ACTING. Not to mention the whole blackface thing.

[Guest]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

To be fair to Tubbs it says 'dislike' ie he didn't say he thought Brett is bad as such rather that he dislikes him.

It's still crazy, but.

I hated The Life And Death of Peter Sellers a great deal, if that counts.

[Wyatt Earp]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Purves Grundy wrote:

Result!

Word.

[sharon]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Helen Mirren as the Queen. In fact the whole film (apart from Blair man) was badly acted, written and directed, as bad as some clomping American TV movie.

The same lot's The Deal was a better film, but their and David Morrissey's portrayal of Gordon Brown as the wronged sophisticated genius of new Labour looks a wee bit misjudged now.
Can't wait for their Cloughie rendition.

[Gerontophile]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

'and the award for best shouty actor in a film called "Scent of a Woman" goes to:

Al Pacino.

Fucking rubbish.

[matt j]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

I was thinking of the same one gero, but to be honest, I don't really remember the movie much.

In the 'best shouty actor' category, step forward Denzel Washington in Training Day.

[Gerontophile]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

I would disagree with Washington, as he did at least manage to convey a psychotic semi-megalomaniac, quite nicely.

[Jimski]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. Tedious overacting.

[Gerontophile]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Overacting only compared to Brian Cox' original. Absolutely brilliant compared to everyone else.

[Disco Child Ballads]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Kevin Spacey in American Beauty.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Shame that Jeremy Brett isn't with us any more. Still, we're lucky that a readymade replacement is on hand to take the role in an edgy, brooding remake:

[DCI Harry Batt]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Brando in The Godfather. Spoiled the film for me, which was very good apart from him.

Just, you know, speak. Words. Please.

[Er Liquidatore]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Al Pacino in Scarface. Dreadfully overdone from start to finish.

[ian.64]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

In the 'best shouty actor' category, step forward Denzel Washington in Training Day.

I'd just like to say that (1) Denzel Washington is an excellent actor, and (2) his choice of roles that continually see him as this humourless one-note, noble, man-with-a-mission type with almost little variation is getting a little grating. I haven't seen The Hurricane or American Gangster, but roles like the ones in Man On Fire and Deja Vu are the ones I'm talking about.

[delicatemoth]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Any performance that overshadows the film. If good reviews concentrate on the performance to the exclusion of all else, I know the film doesn't have enough interest to be worth watching - acting isn't that important. There's the odd exception but I find this rule of thumb generally holds true.

Re The Godfather - incredibly overrated full stop, like most modern gangster films IMO, though I do like Scarface. It's an OTT film so Pacino fits in.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Critically acclaimed portrayals you dislike

Can we put all Italian-American actors in this category? I lasted about 5 seconds of The Raging Bull because the lead role was played by one of these chaps. He didn't quite say "Mamma mia" but he was dreadful. De Chirico or something his name was.