Most Overrated Actor Ever?

[Swaggs]

I'm surprised to see Liam Neeson and George Clooney mentioned.

To me, Clooney is a great actor, but he is very oversaturated as a superstar/magazine coverboy for his (relatively small) body of major motion picture work.

Liam Neeson... I just cannot see him being a poor actor. Schindler's List, Rob Roy, and Love Actually are three of my favorite movies and he was so different in each of them. He is probably one of my two or three favorite actors.

I will throw out an over-rated name: Will Smith. I like him. Enjoy seeing him in interviews and all, but it is very rare that I have seen him in a non-Fresh Prince of Belaire-type role.

[Bonegavel]

Originally Posted by Senator

This thread is all over the map. Taste is in the mouth of the beholder.

That is true to a certain point, but bad acting is bad acting.

I don't agree with those who say Hanks and Denzel and some of those folks. They are Great Actors. When you see them in a movie, it just feels natural to watch them.

Somebody like Cage, however, just plain can't act. Everytime he opens his mouth, it feels forced and robotic. Not good acting.

I consider an overrated actor one that is successful (won an oscar or so) and is just a horrible actor.

[Airhog]

How can anyone say tom hanks is overrated is beyond me.

Forrest Gump
Saving Private ryan
Cast Away
The Terminal

Four impressive movies by my standards.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by dubb93

Val Kilmer was outstanding in Tombstone IMHO.

He pretty much made that movie, IMO. I watch Tombstone occasionally because of his performance in that (the rest of the movie ranges from "bleh" to total crap)

I go with Tom Cruise as the most overrated. Everyone mentioned so far, if I agree with them or not, have had some performance(s) where I thought "Now that was a good job at acting." NEVER thought that about Cruise. He either seems like he's trying too hard, or trying too hard not to look like he's trying too hard (if that makes any sense).

[Schmidty]

My wife just mentioned Ben Affleck. He's AWFUL, but I think he's rated right where he should be.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Airhog

How can anyone say tom hanks is overrated is beyond me.

Forrest Gump
Saving Private ryan
Cast Away
The Terminal

Four impressive movies by my standards.

Could do without Forrest Gump. Cast Away and The Terminal I did not see. I thought he was great in Saving Private Ryan.

To throw a few more titles out there, though, Catch me If You Can and Road To Perdition. I thought he did a great job in both.

[Fouts]

Originally Posted by timmynausea

These guys were good in their prime, but have been way overrated for a long time:
Al Pacino
Anthony Hopkins

I enjoyed Pacino in Scent of a Woman, Devil's Advocate, Any Given Sunday, and The Recruit, all done after he was 50.

For me, I haven't been impressed by DiCaprio, who was lucky enough to be cast in Titanic.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Could do without Forrest Gump. Cast Away and The Terminal I did not see. I thought he was great in Saving Private Ryan.

To throw a few more titles out there, though, Catch me If You Can and Road To Perdition. I thought he did a great job in both.

I totally agree with "Catch Me if You Can" and "Road to Perdition"; however, in "The Terminal", he was basically Tom Hanks with a bad eastern european accent.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Could do without Forrest Gump. Cast Away and The Terminal I did not see. I thought he was great in Saving Private Ryan.

To throw a few more titles out there, though, Catch me If You Can and Road To Perdition. I thought he did a great job in both.

I don't really like DiCaprio that much, but I thought he stole the show away from a fairly pedestrian Hanks in Catch Me If You Can.

SI

[AENeuman]

Jim Carrey
Renée Zellweger

Both 15-20 million a movie, both act like they are better than what they really do best: ass-talk and pout

[Izulde]

Tom Hanks is ungodly overrated to me. So is Jim Carrey.

I actually like George Clooney, especially in From Dusk Till Dawn.

Nicholas Cage is good in some movies, horrible in others. Ashton Kutchner (sp) was brilliant in Butterfly Effect.

[Fouts]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I will throw out an over-rated name: Will Smith. I like him. Enjoy seeing him in interviews and all, but it is very rare that I have seen him in a non-Fresh Prince of Belaire-type role.

Ali?

But yeah, most actors tend to stick with their strengths.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by AENeuman

Jim Carrey
Renée Zellweger

Both 15-20 million a movie, both act like they are better than what they really do best: ass-talk and pout

Yeah, but except for the Kaufman movie, when has Jim Carrey actually tried to act? And even then, he was acting all goofy, as per the character. It's like saying Ah-nold didn't deserve big money for his acting ability. Of course he didn't but he drew a crowd and that's what they were paying him for.

SI

[Schmidty]

To me, the only movie Leonardo DiCaprio was good in was "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", and he was AMAZING in that.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Yeah, but except for the Kaufman movie, when has Jim Carrey actually tried to act? And even then, he was acting all goofy, as per the character. It's like saying Ah-nold didn't deserve big money for his acting ability. Of course he didn't but he drew a crowd and that's what they were paying him for.

SI

Jim Carey was simply perfect in "Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", but he's annoyed me in almost every other movie.

[Grammaticus]

Originally Posted by Airhog

How can anyone say tom hanks is overrated is beyond me.

Forrest Gump
Saving Private ryan
Cast Away
The Terminal

Four impressive movies by my standards.

You've Got Mail
Sleepless in Seattle
Joe vs the Volcano - ouch
Turner & Hooch
Bachelor Party
Mazes & Monsters - a real crap movie and horrible acting job
The Terminal -did'nt like it, his acting was sub par compared to his other work

Well, in all fairness almost everyone makes some bad movies. He always plays the same fatherly, manager, likable kinda guy. I think Saving Private Ryan was a breath of fresh air from him, but again fatherly, manager, likable kind of guy. Forest Gump was a gimick, not good acting. A lot of actors could have played that part. Nicolas Cage could have played Gump better than Hanks. Philidelphia was hollywood jizzing all over him for making an AIDS movie. Big deal, "the band played on" was much better with Mathew Modine in the lead role. At least in that one, I didn't feel like someone was trying to sell me something.

Hanks is not a terrible actor. He is a good actor, but way overrated. Not even one of the top 10 actors in today's market.

The movies he is in that I like:

Catch Me If You Can
Road to Perdition
The Green Mile
That Thing You Do
Forrest Gump

But it is not his acting that elevates those flicks. They are good scripts and he gives solid performances too.

[Izulde]

Road to Perdition was all Sam Mendes. He could get a damn good acting performance of a rock.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

Hanks is not a terrible actor. He is a good actor, but way overrated. Not even one of the top 10 actors in today's market.

Just for fun, what are your top 10?

I'm bored tonight. Maybe I'll fire up Civ4.

[Draft Dodger]

oh man, how could I forget Al Pacino.
can you imagine not seeing him in the Godfather or Dog Day Afternoon and then seeing him overract horrendously in stuff like Heat or Insomnia and stuff. *shudders*

it's like 2 different people.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

To me, the only movie Leonardo DiCaprio was good in was "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", and he was AMAZING in that.

my theory is that playing someone like that is probably easier than most roles.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

my theory is that playing someone like that is probably easier than most roles.

Yeah, that could be true. But I think it would be hard emotionally.

[AENeuman]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Yeah, but except for the Kaufman movie, when has Jim Carrey actually tried to act?

The Majestic, even Truman Show and Man on the Moon. It just seems every movie there's a point where the director says, "ok jim, now's the time to do that crazy jerry lewis thing you do, it makes us money and the kids love it."

Jim Carrey seems the opposite of Robbin Williams. Williams, IMHO, does drama better than comedy. I would put Good Morning Vietnam, Fisher King as drama though.

Also forgot, John Travolta is the worst actor of all time becasue of what he has done after pulp fiction.

[Grammaticus]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

Just for fun, what are your top 10?

I'm bored tonight. Maybe I'll fire up Civ4.

Not really a top ten, but here are a few that are making good movies in todays market. Clint Eastwood is a limited role actor at this point in his mature career, but his performance in “Million Dollar Baby” shows he is still great. De Niro is making some poor flicks, but he still has it, needs the right script. His body of work rates him up there in contention for all time. The rest are pretty much somewhere in their prime or late prime. They are not in any particular order. I like actors with a little edge in their range. Probably why I don’t really like Hanks, he lacks edge.

Joaquin Phoenix
Johnny Depp
Nicolas Cage
Robert De Niro
Brad Pitt
Christian Bale
Clint Eastwood
Kevin Spacey
Ralph Fiennes
Mel Gibson
Edward Norton
Clive Owen
John Cusack
Philip Seymour Hoffman - comedy nod

edit - of course I'm sure I am overlooking someone.

[Tigercat]

To me, an overrated actor/actress is one that is trusted with role(s) that he/she just cannot pull of well or at all.

Costner is an example of a limited actor, but he finds himself cast in movies where you pretty much want the Kevin Costner guy to the letter. Denzel Washington doesn't have a lot of range either, but he also finds the right roles for himself.

My benchmark for an overrated actor/actress in over his/her head: Julia Roberts in Closer. A movie with average to good performances out of every other actor/actress, and meanwhile Julia looked totally in over her head. Didn't know how to get any of the right emotions out of her lines.

Halle Berry, she was ok in Monster's Ball(some great moments but a few really flat ones too), but too many movies and over too many lines she has really fallen flat on her face. Especially for someone with an Oscar on her mantle.

[Fouts]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

I have a few.

Ed Norton and Willem Dafoe are the two that haven't been mentioned.
I agree with DiCaprio and Cage for sure. Malkovich too.

Costner sucks, and Keanu is abysmal, but I don't think they are rated highly enough to be overrated.

That's funny, I consider Edward Norton underrated. American X, Fight club, Primal Fear. I enjoyed his acting in all those. I don't think he has gotten enough acclaim to be considered overrated.

[randal7]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I go with Tom Cruise as the most overrated. Everyone mentioned so far, if I agree with them or not, have had some performance(s) where I thought "Now that was a good job at acting." NEVER thought that about Cruise. He either seems like he's trying too hard, or trying too hard not to look like he's trying too hard (if that makes any sense).

Can't stand Cruise. He just seems so smug in every movie he's in. Even when he's the hero, I want to see him lose. However, to give the man due credit, he was excellent in Collateral. Granted, he was still pretty much the same smug jackass, but it really worked for him in that movie.

[Darkiller]

two words:

Alec Baldwin.

[Coder]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

Not really a top ten, but here are a few that are making good movies in todays market. Clint Eastwood is a limited role actor at this point in his mature career, but his performance in “Million Dollar Baby” shows he is still great. De Niro is making some poor flicks, but he still has it, needs the right script. His body of work rates him up there in contention for all time. The rest are pretty much somewhere in their prime or late prime. They are not in any particular order. I like actors with a little edge in their range. Probably why I don’t really like Hanks, he lacks edge.

Joaquin Phoenix
Johnny Depp
Nicolas Cage
Robert De Niro
Brad Pitt
Christian Bale
Clint Eastwood
Kevin Spacey
Ralph Fiennes
Mel Gibson
Edward Norton
Clive Owen
John Cusack
Philip Seymour Hoffman - comedy nod

edit - of course I'm sure I am overlooking someone.

eerily similar taste in actors actually. While I wouldn't rate Owen there, nor Cage (I think they're always doing the same role), Depp really stands out as one of the best actors of the past decade.

[Vince]

Originally Posted by AENeuman

The Majestic, even Truman Show and Man on the Moon. It just seems every movie there's a point where the director says, "ok jim, now's the time to do that crazy jerry lewis thing you do, it makes us money and the kids love it."

See, call me weird or a guy with horrible taste, but Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Truman Show and The Majestic are three of my favorite movies, largely because of Jim Carrey.

Also, I'm surprised to see Willem Dafoe on this list -- I haven't seen much of his work, but I think he was phenomenal in Boondock Saints, and that wasn't exactly your cookie-cutter role.

[Airhog]

Steve Buscemi - nows theres an actor I think is very underrated

[Raiders Army]

I'd agree that Tom Hanks is overrated, but at least he can play different roles somewhat well.

I'll go against the grain and nominate Jack Nicholson as an overrated actor. While he's got the psycho down (The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), he brings that same psycho-ness to every role (Wolf, Anger Management, Batman). You need a very specific part to cast him.

[Blade6119]

Eric bana might be the best actor around right now in my mind...anyone else like him?

[oykib]

I think people are being particularly unfair to the really big name guys here:

Denzel Washington
Tom Cruise
Kevin Costner (at least in the past he was big)

These guys get paid to play the same guy over and over again.

I'll go with someone we ca all agree is an amazing actor: Jack Nocholson. There's a guy who is forced to play thesame dude over and over again. Or, at least one of the same two guys.

"Hey, Jack, we need a little of The Shining in this scene..."

I don't really hold it against them.

And Denzel was amazing in Malcolm X, a departure from any of his previous roles-- unless you think all angry black men are the same. That was the biggest Oscar snub that I can recall outside of Hoop Dreams.

[IwasHere]

Michael Douglas aka Catherine Zeta Jones husband.

The man can only play the rich businessman.




Not to mention all the TV actors that have bombed on the big screen.

[oykib]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

I'll go against the grain and nominate Jack Nicholson as an overrated actor. While he's got the psycho down (The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), he brings that same psycho-ness to every role (Wolf, Anger Management, Batman). You need a very specific part to cast him.

Shit. You beat me to it. But I probably wouldn't go that far.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Darkiller

two words:

Any Baldwin.

Fixed that for ya...

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I don't really like DiCaprio that much, but I thought he stole the show away from a fairly pedestrian Hanks in Catch Me If You Can.

SI

I definately agree with that. When I went to see that movie with my anti-Titanic-DiCaprio bias, I was like: "oh boy, this can't be a good movie." Then I watched the movie and he was easily carrying the whole movie. A was actually surprised that DiCaprio played so much better than Tom Hanks. DiCaprio was a bit less in Gangs of New York, but Daniel Day Lewis was overwhelming and combined with DiCaprio it almost made me forget Cameron Diaz was in that movie too.

Hanks was just Tom Hanks in Catch Me If You Can, pretty similar to his roles in Saving Private Ryan, in Green Mile and in You Got Mail. Which is itself is pretty amazing, to play so similar in a comedy, war drama, psychological drama and a romantic movie. I won't pull the overrated card, though, I don't see enough movies to make such statements, but right now Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp are by far the #1 and #2 male actors in my book.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

but right now Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp are by far the #1 and #2 male actors in my book.

Those are two of my top 3 with eric bana, but i couldnt agree more on those two being excellent

[Mustang]

80 some posts in and not a single mention of Keanu Reeves yet.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by Mustang

80 some posts in and not a single mention of Keanu Reeves yet.

i dont think he is really ever thought of as a good actor, so how can he be overrated?

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Mustang

80 some posts in and not a single mention of Keanu Reeves yet.

I think there was a Keanu reference around post 25..

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I go with Tom Cruise as the most overrated.

Is he considered a particularly good actor though?

I think of him as a movie star, not an actor.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

To me, the only movie Leonardo DiCaprio was good in was "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", and he was AMAZING in that.

You should be working for the Academy. They think almost any performance where an actor plays a mentally disabled character is AMAZING. It's like the Golden Ticket to stardom. If you ever want people to say "No! S/he is a good actor. S/He was amazing in [X MOVIE]!", make sure you play a mentally handicapped character. It's well known.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

I think there was a Keanu reference around post 25..

Correct. Also, he's a bad actor and I don't know anyone who thinks or has ever said the opposite. I don't think he's highly rated. At all.

[WSUCougar]

Steve Martin. The guy makes my skin crawl he's so unfunny.

[Buccaneer]

Those that mentioned Keanu Reeves and Ben Affleck...we are talking about overrated actors in this thread. One has to reach a certain standard to even be called an actor and those ain't there. At least many in this thread can act, albeit one-dimensionally.

[Qwikshot]

o·ver·rate ( P ) Pronunciation Key (vr-rt)
tr.v. o·ver·rat·ed, o·ver·rat·ing, o·ver·rates
To overestimate the merits of; rate too highly.

John Travolta - His star faded then was "rediscovered" as Vincent Vega, hasn't done much since to warrant actor status. He's been in a lot of terrible movies, but can act.

Samuel Jackson I may consider overrated because he is in everything now, he has supersaturated the market.

Anyone who puts Anthony Hopkin's in the overated category simply because of the Silence of the Lambs trilogy hasn't seen him some great roles including "Titus" which I highly recommend seeing (It's Shakespeare not the cancelled television series).

Tom Cruise can act, he's crazy, but I thought he was great in Minority Report, he did okay in War of the Worlds, quite good in Eyes Wide Shut, and he brings some integrity to MI series. Anyone who has seen Minority Report...the scene where he's about to shoot his son's abductor(?), tell me that wasn't pure conflict without the Sportsguy, shaky face have to poo look (ala Brad Pitt in 7).

Ed Norton - I haven't seen American History X, but he plays Worm so damn well in Rounders that you cannot feel drawn and repulsed by him...he does really well in Spike Lee's 24 hours (I think it's 24 hours, about the drug dealer about to be sent to prison). His transformation in Fight Club is noted well, and anyone who can act that goofy and innocent in Death to Smoochy gets a gold star.

Steve Martin hasn't done enough dramatic roles to really be considered an actor (Parenthood and Spanish Prisoner aside)...let's keep Steve out of things especially since he's going down the Eddie Murphy road of cheap crappy comedies for families.

Michael Douglass did kick ass in Wall Street, but he did well in Romancing the Stone. He doesn't have his dad's charisma, Michael was big in cop movies too. Nothing is coming to my head (besides Fatal Instinct), but I don't note him as overrated for being typecast.

Alec Baldwin was awesome in Glengarry Glenross. He also did a decent job as a psycho in the Juror.

Jack Nicholson has hammed it up, but for all the goofiness of The Joker, and the paycheck movies, he still got it when it comes to "As Good as It Gets", "Finding Schmidt". He plays the devil better than the devil himself in the Witches of Eastwick. Not neccessarily overrated.

Tom Hanks isn't overrated fellas, he's just in a rut. I doubt he's going to be good though in that new movie though, my brother thinks he's poorly casted for the role.

This is just to name a few...but I truly think that if you rate for star power (at least what suits think as star power)...you get John Travolta...

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Steve Martin. The guy makes my skin crawl he's so unfunny.

He utterly creeped me out and changed my whole view of him in Shopgirl.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

You should be working for the Academy. They think almost any performance where an actor plays a mentally disabled character is AMAZING. It's like the Golden Ticket to stardom. If you ever want people to say "No! S/he is a good actor. S/He was amazing in [X MOVIE]!", make sure you play a mentally handicapped character. It's well known.

I didn't know that. I just liked him in it, and really liked the movie.

*shrug*

[Ryche]

Edward Norton, awesome actor period.

As far as Steve Martin, I've never been a big fan of his comedies, but I always like him in more serious roles. Leap of Faith was probably my favorite movie with him. Got to do the wild and crazy guy bit while on stage, but he transformed offstage.

Richard Gere would be my choice. I can't think of a movie he has been in that I've like his part. Always seems to be playing the same role too.