Movie Underrated Actors and Actresses

[GreatBradScott]

Zach Braff.

Everyone see's him as a bit of a joker due to Scrubs but from the more serious movies I have seen of him (many of which he has directed) such as Garden State I reckon he has some bloody good acting chops.

If anything, his serious stuff in Scrubs is good. However, his joker side is horrendous. I've always had the belief if they tailored J.D to be a bit more dry with his humor or removed the character completely; Scrubs would have been an all time classic. Still a better show than what people give it credit for being.

Whenever Tom Cruise brings personality to a character, it clicks and often makes terrible or average movies entertaining at the very least.

Christian Bale is pretty great without being outstanding.

For mine: David Duchovny, Edward Norton, Colin Farrel ('In Bruges' is something you must see before you die) and Peter Capaldi's role as Malcolm Tucker in 'The Thick of It' and 'In the Loop' deserve much more recognition then they get.

 

[djrossie16]

Robin Williams has put in some quality performances

 

[HolyRioli]

Generally enjoy a Tom Cruise film. Putting aside anything he does with his personal life, he generally makes watchable, entertaining films.

Underrated:

Liam Neeson
Zach Braff (agree wholeheartedly with what was said earlier)

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Well your questioning it because all those movies are shit.
I can barely sit through his movies and I haven't, not one.

Um, Snatch and Fight Club are not 'shit'.

 

[bungalow_bill]

Robin Williams has put in some quality performances

One would be in my favourite movie Dead Poets Society

 

[sacka]

Overrated: Christian Bale

Geez tough crowd, go watch American Psycho and The Machinist, i believe some good acting there.
Oh and in The Fighter if you know the character he plays you would know he absolutely nailed it.

Well your questioning it because all those movies are shit.
I can barely sit through his movies and I haven't, not one.

Fight Club
Seven
Inglourious Basterds
12 Monkeys
Snatch
Assassination of Jesse James
True Romance
Moneyball
Oceans 11-12-13
Benjaman Button
Burn After Reading
Babel
Mr And Mrs Smith
Troy
Legends of the fall
Interview With The Vampire


Seriously there is such a diverse range of movies there that if you have never sat through at least 1, then i believe the only thing you watch would be pr0n.
Im not saying all those movies are good but if you couldnt get through one then i wouldnt bother watching movies.

 

[Dan]

Underrated IMO....

Mark Strong
Rose Byrne
David Morse
Ewan McGregor
Gary Oldman
Rachel Griffiths
Jason Isaacs

 

[Bomber32]

Sam Rockwell
Don Cheadle
Gary Sinise
Alan Rickman
Michael Sheen
Tilda Swinton

 

[Underdog]

Gary Oldman is a gun

 

[PykeDream]

If anything, Cruise is underrated because most can't see past his Scientology bullshit. He's a solid actor who makes mostly enjoyable films.

I'm definitely no movie connoisseur, but his cameo as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder (my favourite movie) was pretty bloody good. Seen some other films where he's put in some good performances, and I often find it a bit surprising that he subscribes to that wacko Scientologist stuff. Is apparently alright in Ghost Protocol, will see for myself tomorrow.

Speaking of Tropic Thunder - surely Jack Black is one of the most overhyped actors of all time? Only person who can I think of who is worse is Adam Sandler (though Waterboy and Zohan are funny in a ******ed sort of way).

 

[thurmanmunson]

Both Jack Black and Adam Sandler are criminally unfunny (Happy Gilmore was funny though)

Every thing about Jack Black sucks ass though - his milquetoast chick flick movies, his goofy lame band and especially his 'I talk loud and sarcastically to fool people into believing im funny just like Robin Williams' schtick

 

[sacka]

Both Jack Black and Adam Sandler are criminally unfunny (Happy Gilmore was funny though)

Every thing about Jack Black sucks ass though - his milquetoast chick flick movies, his goofy lame band and especially his 'I talk loud and sarcastically to fool people into believing im funny just like Robin Williams' schtick

I agree about Jack Black but i love Adam Sandler, SNL, Anger Management (loved Jack Nicholson) Waterboy, Wedding Singer, Bulletproof, Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison all go down as favs of mine.

 

[Spermbird]

Overrated: Sandler and Ferrell (although when Ferrell is only a bit part in the movie he is pretty good).

Underrated: Oldman, Pearce

Christian Bale is not a great actor but he is a solid one. You get him as a lead and everyone else around him can do there stuff. This is also how I see Cruise. He does his Tom Cruise thing and everyone else gets to bounce off him.

Brad Pitt was a terrible actor for a number of years but hit a purple patch in 1994 where he was in a lot of quality films. I think he chooses a lot of interesting roles. I also agree with the person above who said if you can't find one thing from Pitt's films to watch you pretty much hate movies all together. Working with David Fincher, Guy Ritchie, Terry Gilliam and Quentin Tarantino shows that great directors want him in their films.

Cate Blanchett is a great actress if not one of the best going around if she has something to work with in the script. Unfortunately she has mad some poor choices for films recently although I think thats more due to her wanting to keep her feet in the movie world while pursuing the theatre in Sydney. That said I loved Hanna.

 

[tonk]

How the hell is Pearce overrated? Who rates him enough for him to be considered overrated?

I think he is a good actor but a lot of people seem to have this view of him as some kind of tortured genius, in my view he is pretty good but not great.

 

[saintsrfreak]

Adam Sandler has jumped the shark BIG TIME. He hasn't been good since the longest yard. Just watching the trailer for Jack and Jill made me feel sick.

 

[Old Skool]

Sandler has never been good.

He's a gimmick.

 

[blackcat]

Overrated - Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock
Underrated - David Morse, Chloe Sauvigny

@ Vince Gallo's Brown Bunny he sort of had an parallel bizarro universe take on Close in Fatal Attraction, and I hear like Jim Jarmusch who goes to Japan like Lynch goes to France, Gallo got his budget from the Japs who liked to see Sevigny fellate

She is one of those hippy hipster chicks who gotta wear those big floppy hats

 

[blackcat]

The best part about Brad Pitt is his taste in films.

Fight Club
Seven
Inglourious Basterds
12 Monkeys
Snatch
Assassination of Jesse James
True Romance
Moneyball

And more. I question your taste if you can't find anything good in his filmography.

best part of Pitt was his ears, until he got em pinned back. Cant be a TV Week pin up with jug ears, and without steroids in Fight Club.

Ed Norton's character: "You are not your Gap chinos" </unsaid> "But you are your cosmetic surgeon in Hollywood"

 

[September_Glory]

Folks naming Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Jack Black (Kevin James etc.) as overrated actors just don't get it. These guys aren't making films to be critiqued or to win awards. They make tripe like Golliver's Travel, Night in a Museum and Zookeeper because every stupid kid that sees the ad will beg (annoy) their mummy+daddy to take them.

They make films with talking animals, funny accents and dress up costumes because that's what attracts the widest audience. (Lowest Common Denominator theory.) Why? Because that's what makes money.

If you're an adult going to one of these films expecting a quality movie, then you're the sucker.

 

[blackcat]

Adam Sandler has jumped the shark BIG TIME. He hasn't been good since the longest yard. Just watching the trailer for Jack and Jill made me feel sick.

Sandler has never been good.

He's a gimmick.

PT Anderson's film? brilliant like all his oeuvre and Sandler was more than competent in it.

To me he will always be the kid doing crank calls with Judd Apatow on youtube (uploaded 20 years later from vhs) Apatow the hollywwod mover now who did Funny People and his wife was Bana character's squeeze with sublime cheekbones

 

[blackcat]

Folks naming Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Jack Black (Kevin James etc.) as overrated actors just don't get it. These guys aren't making films to be critiqued or to win awards. They make tripe like Golliver's Travel, Night in a Museum and Zookeeper because every stupid kid that sees the ad will beg (annoy) their mummy+daddy to take them.

They make films with talking animals, funny accents and dress up costumes because that's what attracts the widest audience. (Lowest Common Denominator theory.) Why? Because that's what makes money.

If you're an adult going to one of these films expecting a quality movie, then you're the sucker.

right always gonna be the crank caller and Happy Gilmore and will never change folks myopia prism thru which colours their perception.

That said, wont catch me seeing a film he is in voluntarily, unless it is PTAnderson.

 

[September_Glory]

Geez tough crowd, go watch American Psycho and The Machinist, i believe some good acting there.
Oh and in The Fighter if you know the character he plays you would know he absolutely nailed it.

Thought Bale stole the show from Wahlberg with his depiction of the crack addict former champ. Totally agree with you, I've seen footage of the real Dick Eklund and Bale absolutely killed it.

Not to mention his performance help revived the Batman franchise.

 

[blackcat]

Um, Snatch and Fight Club are not 'shit'.

umm, San Fernando Valley doing their re-make of Snatch with pikeys

 

[bok_party]

Bale is definitely one of the best actors around at the moment - American Psycho, Machinist, The Fighter, 310 to Yuma, Rescue Dawn, Prestige, Batman (The voice is clearly to mask his real persona).

Ryan Gosling would have been the most underrated until this year. Had been a favourite of mine for quite some time but he killed it in Ides of March and Drive.

Leo Dicaprio and Matt Damon would probably be the top two actors around at the moment. Everything they do is great and if it is a sub-par film, they are still the stand outs. Make that three with Brad Pitt.

Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler start off fine in comedies but eventually they start to grate. They now excel in dramas just like Jim Carrey.

Whenever I hear Mark Strong is in a film, even for a bit part, I know the movie will usually be good.

Johnny Depp is massively overrated. Plays the exact same roles these days.

 

[Silvagnis]

Donald Sutherland.

Brillant scene in Backdraft where De Niro's character shows up at his parole hearing to keep Sutherland's arsonist in jail for killing a young girl in a fire.

Creepy actor like his son.

Gene Hackman >>>>> Christian Bale.

Still overrated.

Though Bale was good in The Machinist.