What Is The Most Overacted Performance In Film History?- Page 3

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 1:29pm

I don't think her performance was Overacted but it was over rated and nothing special.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 2:30pm

Well, there's good over-acting and bad over-acting.

Good over-acting, perfectly judged and realized over the top trips:
Bert Lahr in THE WIZARD OF OZ
Johnny Depp in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
Bette Davis in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE

Bad over-acting, really painful to look at, either clueless actors trying to demonstrate a versatility they just don't have, or otherwise good actors badly directed:
William Hurt in A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
Al Pacino in DEVIL'S ADVOCATE
Rosalind Russell in THE WOMEN

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 5:06pm

Then there are wonderful actors who "dig" into roles that require none, and the results are bizarre:

Example:

Diane Lane in ... TUSCANY. The role calls for a light romantic touch. She plays it like a neurotic woman in a 12-step program for people addicted to Italy.

[tmm_fan]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 8:11pm

There are many bad films that star great actors, so as a result his/her performance seems off simply because the scriptv is terrible and/or it isn't well-directed.

Al Pacino has been in a few, yes. And a perfect example is Robin Williams is House of D. His performance is spot-on; the film is just not that good.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 9:13pm

and then there's the bad overacted ..such as Elizabeth Berkely (remeber the episode of Saved by the bell where she was overusing energy pills? not a movie,but priceless example of BAD overacting.)

Jessie Spano to the tune of The Pointer Sisters:

"I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so...SCARED!!"

That was a classic episode.

Jennifer Aniston in ANYTHING.

I happen to think Jennifer Aniston gives very naturalistic performances. Low key, and very human.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 9:23pm

Roscoe---Roz Russell is BAD overacting?

Be still, my heart! She's FABULOUS in that film. YES, she over-acts and chews the scenery... and it's brilliantly delicious, too.

My Overacting (in a BAD but highly lovable way) Awards would go to:

Patty Duke in Valley of the Dolls
Susan Heyward in Valley of the Dolls
Elizabeth Berkeley in Showgirls
Bette Davis in Baby Jane
Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction
Laurence Olivier, Mel Gibson and Kenneth Brannagh in Hamlet (people think that role is a license to kill)
Bette Midler in Gypsy (okay that was for TV)
Faye Dunnaway in Mommie Dearest
Joan Crawford in the entire later half of her career post Mildred Pierce.
Dustin Hoffman in Hook
Karen Black in Airport '75

I'm exhausted.. too many to name! And I dearly love every single one of them.

[roquat]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 1:15am

I must take serious issue with Bette Davis' "Baby Jane" being classified as bad overacting (lovable or not). She makes big, larger-than-life choices in the film, but I never get the sense that she goes too far, even in closeup. At that time, a character like Jane had NEVER been represented on film and it must have been unbelievably difficult to do without looking ridiculous. The scene where she sees her grotesque face in the mirror and breaks down is heartbreakingly true and doesn't go on for a second too long.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 9:08am

I'm with you about Bette and Jane Hudson. The movie may be a camp classic because of the plot (and Victor Buono plays no small part in adding to that). But Miss Davis is fearless, and gives unstintingly of herself to make that woman sad and worth caring about. Plus, in light of what we learn at the end, you look back and see how well-thought out her character's arc has been. Brava, Bette.

[Perfectly Marvelous]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 9:56am

"Matthew Broderick didn't overact in the film of The Producers - he just plain sucked (and not in a good way). But then - recently, when doesn't he?"

I have to agree with you.

I mean, I like Matthew and all...but it's as though he's gone downhill. Which is sort of sad...because he's not a terrible actor, I just think he makes poor choices.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 10:42am

I almost forgot...Tim Robbins in War of the Worlds. Tom Cruise's performance was to be expected, but that Robbins cameo was just awful.

[javero]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 3:18pm

I'd declare a tie between Tippi Hedren & Sean Connery in 'Marnie'. I tend to like movies of that era for the 'overacting' by today's standards but this movie comes off at some points as a soap opera on the cable system's local access channel. Miss Hedren looked amazing but she really hammed it up in a few key scenes in which her character saw a certain color that drew out repressed memories of a tragic event from her childhood.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 9:23pm

Tie between Faye Dunaway in MOMMIE DEAREST and Patty Duke in VALLEY OF THE DOLLS

[DAME]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 9:35pm

Bette Midler in Stella!

[roquat]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 9:50pm

Any old-timers (or old-movie buffs) out there remember DUEL IN THE SUN? Career-topping bad-performance highs from Gregory Peck (miscast as a sex-crazed egomaniac--yes, you read that right) and Jennifer Jones (miscast as an even more sex-crazed half-breed Indian wench). Scenes to treasure--Jones, in bad dark makeup, announcing she's going "swimming" with Peck while rocking her shoulders back and forth and thrusting out her cleavage; Jones expressing her agony after Peck dumps her by lying on the floor, tilting her head back, grimacing, and dragging her arms slo-o-o-o-o-o-owly up her neck into her hair; Jones kissing Peck, followed by a cut to lightning cutting through the sky; and Jones delivering lines such as "I'm trash...trash...trash...trash...TRASH!!!!!!!!!"

[roquat]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 2:35pm

Even though this was a TV movie, and Miss Dunaway has taken quite a beating on this thread, attention must be paid to "Thirteen at Dinner", in which she plays an American film star (ha!) AND a celebrity impersonator who "does" said American film star. In other words, Faye impersonates herself. Her normal tics are inflated to COSMIC proportions.

[tmm_fan]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 4:44pm

Dustin Hoffman is supposed to overact in Hook, and he's flawless. Beyond amazing performance.

[Sylar2]

Posted: 12/20/06 at 11:48pm

Frenchie Davis.

[AC126748]

Posted: 12/21/06 at 10:15am

Billy Zane in TITANIC
Billy Zane in ORLANDO

Billy Zane in anything. He's such a horrid actor. How does he keep getting work?

[StageManager2]

Posted: 12/21/06 at 11:41am

Because he's hot? I love me some Billy Zane!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 12/21/06 at 11:45am

I dont feel either way about his acting, but I admire his plucking skills.