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Actors that "take you out of" films

post #1 of 25
9/21/08 at 1:05am
Thread Starter 
While watching Remo Williams the other day, I realized that Wilford Brimley basically only registers as a Quaker Oats pitchman or old guy that screams "DIBEETUS!" whenever I see him in a flick*. It sounds silly, but I'm really totally distracted by his presence whenever I see him in a movie.

Justin Long is also starting to enter that territory. I just see him as "I'm a Mac!" guy whenever he pops up in a movie now. Which is sort of sad, because I don't dislike him.

I also remember some people complaining that Samuel L. Jackson was incredibly distracting in the prequels because he has such a well known persona and you can't really forget it when he's own the screen.

This sort of thing is all about personal baggage. Many people probably watch Hard Target and are never once distracted by Brimley. They're the lucky ones.

Any actors do this to you?

*The exception here is The Thing, so it may just be Brimley when rocking a 'stache.
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post #2 of 25
9/21/08 at 1:21am
Sometimes this happens to me in period pieces. I'll see an actor, and I just won't be able to compute that the actor is modern, but the character exists in the past. A big part of it is how much physical change is involved.

A (weird) recent example is from Jesse James. Pitt, Affleck, Rockwell, all those guys slightly changed their demeanor, accent, grooming, to fit the period. I completely bought them as 1880s men. But when I saw Ted Levine (I told you this was weird)... he happened to look right for the time, but he also happened to look and sound the same as he always does, from Heat or Monk or the CHUD Podcast. That took me out of it for just a second.
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post #3 of 25
9/21/08 at 1:22am
Sometimes I like to think that, even way back in '82, Brimley knew what The Thing was really all about: diabeetus. It's so obvious. The final showdown with MacReady and Ultradiabeetatron? Brimley took a dive to show how we, too, can conquer diabeetus. For the good of the land.

On subject, I've found that Sam Jackson tends to kill movies for me, but it's not always his fault. Oftentimes, it'll be someone else interjecting things about Jackson that does it. "Dude, why hasn't he called Palpatine motherfucker yet?! That's so lame!"
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post #4 of 25
9/21/08 at 2:36am
I thought Jesse James' bigger issue was Carville, much as I enjoyed him being there.
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post #5 of 25
9/21/08 at 2:38am
Donnie Wahlberg. It's always weird to see him take on a sane character. Lil' bro will always be the fucked up dude who kills himself (and Bruce) in the bathroom, to me.
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post #6 of 25
9/21/08 at 2:47am
Tiny "Zeus" Lister.

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post #7 of 25
9/21/08 at 11:50am
For me, it's anytime Chris Matthews appears in a political-based movie.

It screams, "Let's make this as real as possible and let's grab all the real-life pundits to make it that way!"
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post #8 of 25
9/21/08 at 11:58am
Quentin Tarantino, as an actor, stops a movie cold for me. He's a terrible actor who can't even sell his own dialog. He really needs to stay behind the camera.
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post #9 of 25
9/21/08 at 12:27pm
Chris Rock... I can't stand him. The same goes for most musicians turned actors. LL Cool J, Madonna, 50 Cent, Prince, Britney Spears and of course The Beatles. Worst. Acting. Ever.

There are exceptions, but only few.
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post #10 of 25
9/21/08 at 3:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post
Quentin Tarantino, as an actor, stops a movie cold for me. He's a terrible actor who can't even sell his own dialog. He really needs to stay behind the camera.
YES!
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post #11 of 25
9/21/08 at 4:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by willywayne View Post
and of course The Beatles. Worst. Acting. Ever.

I should punch your face.
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post #12 of 25
9/21/08 at 4:22pm
Eric Idle stormed out of the Shrek the Third premiere and reportedly told somebody there to "get lost" too.

Does that count?
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post #13 of 25
9/21/08 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by willywayne View Post
...and of course The Beatles. Worst. Acting. Ever.
If you are talking about Help, yes, that's true. However, it's because they were stoned out of their fucking minds the entire shoot and--if you watch the documentaries--they talked the studio into writing in scenes just so they could travel to places they wanted to visit on vacation. That movie is basically the Beatles doing a scripted travel show on drugs. A Hard Day's Night, however, is a legitimately good film and I think they all give decent to good performances.
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post #14 of 25
9/21/08 at 5:17pm
Not true at all. Paul McCartney is a horrible, horrible, horrible actor. The filmmakers clearly knew this, and that's why he's given basically nothing to do. I say this as an obvious Macca fan.

But the Beatles can't "take you out of" a Beatles movie. They are the only reason to even sit through it. So they shouldn't be mentioned in the thread.
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post #15 of 25
9/21/08 at 5:52pm
Randy Quaid in any movie that is not over the top comedy!
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post #16 of 25
9/21/08 at 5:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul McCartney View Post
Not true at all. Paul McCartney is a horrible, horrible, horrible actor. The filmmakers clearly knew this, and that's why he's given basically nothing to do. I say this as an obvious Macca fan.

But the Beatles can't "take you out of" a Beatles movie. They are the only reason to even sit through it. So they shouldn't be mentioned in the thread.
He did "take me out of" Give My Regards to Broad Street.
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post #17 of 25
9/22/08 at 10:25am
Stuntman, stunt coordinator, football coordinator, Allan Graf. He's never really highlighted, but is usually seen throwing a fit on the field (as the coach for the other team), or getting his ass handed to him by the hero (Sly, Arnie, etc). I even saw him on SCARE TACTICS recenty. Makes me say "Hey, it's that guy!" every time I notice him.

On the left:

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post #18 of 25
9/22/08 at 10:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by InTheShadows View Post
Donnie Wahlberg. It's always weird to see him take on a sane character. Lil' bro will always be the fucked up dude who kills himself (and Bruce) in the bathroom, to me.
So, wait, you're saying Bruce died in the beginning of The Sixth Sense? How could that possibly be? I clearly recall him interacting with the other characters, especially that creepy kid. Clearly, none of that would be possible if he had died RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING! Ha ha, I think you'd better go watch that movie again.
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post #19 of 25
9/22/08 at 11:03am
M. Night Shymalan shouldn't be allowed to act in anyone's movies. I still recall seeing Signs in the theater and hearing "that's the director" whisepered throughout the crowd during his tour-de-force scene.

I'd say as a general rule directors shouldn't pop up in their movies (especially not in a cameo).
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post #20 of 25
9/22/08 at 11:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattioli View Post
So, wait, you're saying Bruce died in the beginning of The Sixth Sense? How could that possibly be? I clearly recall him interacting with the other characters, especially that creepy kid. Clearly, none of that would be possible if he had died RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING! Ha ha, I think you'd better go watch that movie again.
Anything is possible, dammit!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rando View Post

I'd say as a general rule directors shouldn't pop up in their movies (especially not in a cameo).
Excluding Hitchcock and Scorsese.
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post #21 of 25
9/22/08 at 11:19am
Depends on the size of the cameo. Hitchcock is great because he never said anything. When Shyamalan goes off and writes himself as THE FUTURE SAVIOR OF THE HUMAN RACE, then there's a problem.
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post #22 of 25
9/22/08 at 11:20am
Yeah, Scorsese is hilarious in Taxi Driver.
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post #23 of 25
9/22/08 at 2:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuchulain View Post
If you are talking about Help, yes, that's true. However, it's because they were stoned out of their fucking minds the entire shoot and--if you watch the documentaries--they talked the studio into writing in scenes just so they could travel to places they wanted to visit on vacation. That movie is basically the Beatles doing a scripted travel show on drugs. A Hard Day's Night, however, is a legitimately good film and I think they all give decent to good performances.
I love A Hard Day's Night... That doesn't change the fact that it's some baaaaad acting. But anything Beatles related does it for me...

Including The Rutles.
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post #24 of 25
9/24/08 at 3:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlmightyShmun View Post
Sometimes I like to think that, even way back in '82, Brimley knew what The Thing was really all about: diabeetus.
Blood test kits were a little less sophisticated back then, but yeah.
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post #25 of 25
9/24/08 at 4:21pm
Woody Harrelson. In movies where he is not a lead, at least. No Country for Old Men, Wag the Dog... always throws me for a loop.
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