Question:
Quote: Originally Posted by Mario Justiniani James Dean???
Probably the only movie star that never made an ass of himself in any film.
(He died too young)
Granted, his style was a shameless imitation of Brando plus Monty Cliff, but as far as overall talent I'd put him way ahead of:
Keanu Reeves,
Bruce Willis
Tom Cruise
Tom Hanks
Brad Pitt
Adam Sandler
Arnold Schwartznegger
All of whom have been routinely paid a minimum of 30 million dollars per film.
What the hell, back in the 90's Chevy Chase was the 5th highest paid actor in the world.
Hooray for Hollywood
Where you're terrific if you're only good . . . Oh please, Mario. Dean was incredibly embarrassing in Rebel Without a Cause. That godawful `You're tearing me apart' was overacting at its most cringe-inducing. He was also terrible in Giant, but it was such a terrible film that one hardly notices how much is due to him.
I'm not sure I would put Dean below any of the other actors you name, but the title of this thread is not Bad Actors, it is Overrated Actors, and none of the people you list are rated highly as actors — their pay notwithstanding. They are routinely regarded as fairly poor. On the other hand, James Dean is often thought to be a god of acting. Quite ludicrously IMO.
(BTW — I thought Keanu was terrific in River's Edge, one of the best films of the 80s.)
Edit: I misseed that you put Tom Hanks in your list — I think he's clearly a much better actor than Dean.

Answer:
James Dean was the God of being James Dean. People came to see him get emotional even if they could do some of the same emotions themselves at home. He looked good. He was photographed well. Some of the scenes in Giant made great photographic stills. The artistic designers, wardrobes, and especially the cameraman were instructed to capture James Dean. He was product.
When Mongomery Clift screwed up his face in a car accident he never looked the same again and it was all they could do to keep him from committing suicide. In the end he won that battle.
Watching Johnny Depp in the two Pirate of the Carribbean movies reminded me a lot of Errol Flynn. But Johnny Depp in the throes of mercury poisoning in the "Libertine" was such a brilliant act that I'd pay grandly to see him pull those scenes off on stage.
Pacino has the ability though I never saw him on broadway. When I saw Pacino in "Panic in Needlepark" I knew I was seeing someone magnetic. Someone the camera loves.

Answer:
Quote: Originally Posted by fredricktoo James Dean was the God of being James Dean. People came to see him get emotional even if they could do some of the same emotions themselves at home. He looked good. He was photographed well. Some of the scenes in Giant made great photographic stills. The artistic designers, wardrobes, and especially the cameraman were instructed to capture James Dean. He was product.
When Mongomery Clift screwed up his face in a car accident he never looked the same again and it was all they could do to keep him from committing suicide. In the end he won that battle.
Watching Johnny Depp in the two Pirate of the Carribbean movies reminded me a lot of Errol Flynn. But Johnny Depp in the throes of mercury poisoning in the "Libertine" was such a brilliant act that I'd pay grandly to see him pull those scenes off on stage.
Pacino has the ability though I never saw him on broadway. When I saw Pacino in "Panic in Needlepark" I knew I was seeing someone magnetic. Someone the camera loves. Yes I agree: "James Dean was the God of being James Dean." And at the time he obviously had a charisma that worked: but it is interesting just how date-stamped that charisma was. I'm not sure anyone coming to his movies now would be able to see what all the fuss was about.
I have to say of Montgomery Clift as well: I have yet to see the great, fuss-meritting, performance.

Answer:
Montgomery Clift was a shell of his former self when he turned in a great performance in " Judgement at Nuremberg". Possibly reaching down for all he he had in the way of pain and misery during his lifetime. His biography is not a happy book. Both Dean and Clift had charisma. The same thing the old timers all regognized when they saw Steve McQueen and he bucked Hollywood every way he knew how.

Answer:
Quote: Originally Posted by Eluard I'm not sure I would put Dean below any of the other actors you name, but the title of this thread is not Bad Actors, it is Overrated Actors, and none of the people you list are rated highly as actors — their pay notwithstanding. They are routinely regarded as fairly poor. On the other hand, James Dean is often thought to be a god of acting. Quite ludicrously IMO. Wow,
I accept that people Dean became a legend because he was a famous actor, lived fast, died young, and was very handsome. That's totally standard Hollywood procedure. But I had no idea anybody thought he was a superior actor, maybe a good one. Or maybe I just missed all the hype!
But hey, people, we all know that Arnold is the greatest actor, ever! Who else could play a pregnant man so well? And I like it when he puts on his special Acting Face, you know, the one where he gets is under some sort of stress, like maybe a big fight coming up, and he gets all Wide-Eyed, and despite all his muscles, he looks mortified. Anybody else notice that?
Yeah, I'm with Mario about Keanu Reeves. When he was in that Shakespeare movie, his scenes were totally ludicrous. Pretty humorous attempts at Elizabethan English. He is OK in some stuff.
And Another Thing!!!
Does anybody except me cringe when hearing Drew Barrymore's voice? She's a little better now, but generally that Valley accent is wretched. And she shows up more and more. A pretty girl with with an accent to protect her.
Can't these people afford accent coaches? Oh yeah, I forgot, they're so surrounded by sycophants that they wouldn't ever know.

Answer:
Random list of good male actors (living):

Jack Nicholson
Sean Penn
Robert DeNiro
Al Pacino
Christopher Walken
Robert Downey Jr
Gene Hackman
Samuel Jackson
Bille Bob Thornton
Ed Norton
John Malkovich
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
George Clooney
Tim Roth
John C Reilly
Don Cheadle
Harvey Keitel
Gary Oldman
Benecio Del Toro
Tom Hanks
Anthony Hopkins
Michael Caine
Jeremy Irons
Geoffrey Rush
Denzel Washington
Russell Crowe
James Woods
Leonardo DiCaprio
Paul Giamatti
Nick Cage
Tommy Lee Jones
Johnny Depp
William Macy
Tim Robbins
Jeff Bridges
Philip Baker Hall
Robin Williams
William Hurt
Kevin Spacey
others...

Answer:
Delete Nick Cage and add Robert Duvall
Ok, you did say 'others'
I suppose if we made a list of good male British actors (living)-- in addition to Anthony Hopkins, Michael Caine, Jeremy Irons and Tim Roth, it would be 100 times longer.
In the USA we have classes, studios, and labs.
In the UK they have this quaint institution called theater.
Might have something to do with it . . .
Just a therory,
Mario.

Answer:
Have we trashed Kiefer Sutherland and the twerpy 24 yet???

Answer:
Quote: Originally Posted by Taolady Have we trashed Kiefer Sutherland and the twerpy 24 yet??? I have to say that when Kiefer S. was young (eighties) something about him made me want to throw something at the screen! I couldn't stand him, even for a second! But now he seems to have mellowed out a bit and I don't have that reaction (even though I have watched not a single episode of 24, so I haven't tested this out).