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When Supporting Characters Steal a Movie - Page 2

post #51 of 159
1/21/09 at 1:40pm
Ben Foster in 3:10 to Yuma.
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post #52 of 159
1/21/09 at 1:47pm
HOUSE II is a horrible, horrible film...

But buried deep in that crap are a golden 5 minutes where John Ratzenberger (Cliff from Cheers) turns up as an electrician slash adventurer, which almost make it worth sitting through the painful hour that came before. Essentially the character's just Cliff in a jumpsuit, but also able to wield a mean sword.

Let me spare you the rest of the movie, here's the fragment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dEy1nIdTMA

Trust me, worth a couple o'minutes of your life.
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post #53 of 159
1/21/09 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bob loblaw View Post
It's easy to say Joe Pecsi in Goodfellas or Ledger in TDK...technically they are supporting characters but really they are headliners.
Pesci wasn't even in act 3 of Goodfellas; he and Harrison Ford in SW are the prime examples of this thread.

Quote:
Paul Schneider from The Assasination of JJ would be my example. He steals every scene in that movie.
It's a beautifully cast film, maybe one of the best-cast films in a decade. But that cast works like clockwork to me, no one upstaging anybody. But if you want to know how to keep the audience paying attention to your slow, really long western, the answer might be to people the whole thing with compelling actors and James Carville.

Dean Stockwell hijacks Blue Velvet for a time.
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post #54 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:05pm
Val Kilmer, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang?
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post #55 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:06pm
Alan Rickman is the closest to a thief of a film. This thread should really be called "Memorable supporting turns." Not to get semantical.

SNL dudes used to literally steal movies. Arguably Eddie Murphy stole 48hrs as it was meant to be a buddy comedy, and it is, but he's fucking atomic in that film. Bill Murray stole Meatballs.
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post #56 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:14pm
Thread Starter 
Sam Rockwell in 'Galaxy Quest'. His primal scream of pure terror (probably my hardest laugh in the movie) pretty much reduced the rest of the cast into side characters for me.

Actually, Sam would fit into the Alan Rickman 'thief of a film' role that Andre outlined in his post above. He's had stellar turns as supporting characters in a ton of films.
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post #57 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feral Akodon View Post
Val Kilmer, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang?
He's the second lead anyway, and stealing a film from Downey is like robbing Fort Knox.

Kilmer's greatest act of thievery is Tombstone. As much as I like Kurt Russel in other things, his Earp bores the piss out of me in that one. Kilmer's Doc is the only thing that keeps my attention during that last hour.
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post #58 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
Pesci wasn't even in act 3 of Goodfellas; he and Harrison Ford in SW are the prime examples of this thread.



It's a beautifully cast film, maybe one of the best-cast films in a decade. But that cast works like clockwork to me, no one upstaging anybody. But if you want to know how to keep the audience paying attention to your slow, really long western, the answer might be to people the whole thing with compelling actors and James Carville.

Dean Stockwell hijacks Blue Velvet for a time.
I realize Pesci gets capped prior to act 3 and technically he is a supporting character, but he is certainly one of the main characters. Same with Ledger, you're probably not going to see the Dark Knight 5 times to watch Christian Bale. I just dont look at the Joker or Hans Solo as a supporting character in their respective films. I guess technically somebody has to be the main character...which of course would be Batman and Luke Skywalker.

You are absolutely dead on with JJ. Schneider, Rockwell, Renner, Dilahunt...all excellent. They would be what I would consider true supporting characters...which may be a different thread all together.
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post #59 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:34pm
I winced a little at the news that Dilahunt was originally cast as Charley Ford - Rockwell was great, but Dilahunt and Casey Affleck share a creepy physicality (tiny teeth? Can't put my finger on it) that would have been a great fit.
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post #60 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:38pm
J.K. Simmons is the best and most memorable thing about the Spiderman movies.
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post #61 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jan View Post
J.K. Simmons is the best and most memorable thing about the Spiderman movies.
I don't deny that he's deep-fried awesome in those, but he doesn't have the time to really steal it. You walk out of Spiderman talking about the action sequences, not Simmons (as you would with Hoffman in Charlie Wilson or Kilmer in Tombstone).

Another filmmaker prone to this: Kevin Smith. All due credit to Jason Lee, but Smith's first three movies all best friend characters that get all the best, funniest dialogue and come away as far more memorable than the leads.
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post #62 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:46pm
Rupert Everett in My Best Friend's Wedding owns this thread. He was a near-miss Oscar nom that year and supposedly caused the ending to be rewritten because he tested so well with audiences.
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post #63 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:47pm
Thread Starter 
Dennis Quaid was pretty damn awesome in 'Wyatt Earp' as well. I'd argue that both Quaid and Kilmer stole both of the Earp movies.
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post #64 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
I winced a little at the news that Dilahunt was originally cast as Charley Ford - Rockwell was great, but Dilahunt and Casey Affleck share a creepy physicality (tiny teeth? Can't put my finger on it) that would have been a great fit.
I imagine they felt they needed somebody a little goofy for Charley to contrast what Affleck was doing with Robert. Rockwell does goofy well. Dilahunt just has a weirdness about him, to me his character in Deadwood always comes to mind first (his second character in Deadwood, that is).
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post #65 of 159
1/21/09 at 2:59pm
The viking king, Buliwif, in the 13th Warrior. Fuck Banderas in that, I barely remember him. The vikings cast was the high point in this.
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post #66 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:10pm
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder."
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post #67 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad_Lohan View Post
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder."
That's more of an ensemble, though. Granted, it looks like he has a good shot at getting a Best Supporting Actor nomination, but he always seemed like a co-lead to me.

Nick Nolte, on the other hand...
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post #68 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bob loblaw View Post
I imagine they felt they needed somebody a little goofy for Charley to contrast what Affleck was doing with Robert. Rockwell does goofy well. Dilahunt just has a weirdness about him, to me his character in Deadwood always comes to mind first (his second character in Deadwood, that is).
I don't think it's an understatement to say that Deputy Wendell was a bit of goof and that Dilahunt did a pretty good job portraying that character. And the affability and aloofness of the Charley Ford character are dropped at key moments of the film and by the end those characteristics have been completely stripped away. I think Dilahunt would have done some interesting things with that role and that transition. But I'm so married to the film as it is, it's difficult to imagine anyone else as Charley Ford.
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post #69 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:16pm
Jack-Easy Rider

Nicholas Cage in Birdy, Moonstruck, & Peggy Sue.

Sean Penn-Fast Times

Tom Cruise-T*A*P*S

Bart-The Edge
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post #70 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Elvis View Post
Sean Penn-Fast Times
That was one of the ones that we argued about last night. The film really doesn't have a 'lead' character, and Penn has about the same amount of screen time as everyone else (iirc).
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post #71 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:21pm
Kinda like Andre said, I don't see Rickman stealing Die Hard or Hugo Weaving stealing The Matrix - they give strong performances as the heavy but to say someone "stole" the movie should mean that they are what most people think about or like best from the picture. It usually helps if the movie was otherwise not so good.

Which is why I submit John Turturro in Mr. Deeds (did someone say he steals Lebowski? Really?) or, of all things, Tom Arnold in True Lies. And Jeff Daniels damn-near steals Dumb and Dumber.
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post #72 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartz View Post
I don't deny that he's deep-fried awesome in those, but he doesn't have the time to really steal it. You walk out of Spiderman talking about the action sequences, not Simmons (as you would with Hoffman in Charlie Wilson or Kilmer in Tombstone).
Thats true. I have to concede that point no matter what given the actual parameters of this thread.

I am curious about what you guys would think about DeNiro in Angel Heart. I´d definitely label him a supporting actor in this one. And albeit the current Rourke hype, though he is definitely great in this movie, it is DeNiro that my mind keeps on going back to if I think about this movie.
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post #73 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:28pm



Where's my sequel to Summer School where a middle aged Chainsaw and Dave deal with family life and their boring ass office jobs while sneaking off on the weekends to secretly work on what they hope will be a successful direct-to-DVD gore film?
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post #74 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:28pm
Dre's right about there being a difference in memorable supporting turns and outright stealing a movie. I'd argue Eddie doesn't steal 48 Hrs or Trading Places bc the chemistry is so great. On the other hand, Bill Murray and the other vets steal Caddyshack away from O'Keefe and kids.

I mean, Paxton's definitely memorable in Aliens, but you never forget about Ripley.

EDIT: Brian M. said it better
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post #75 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:30pm
While everybody gets laughs out of me at times, Bill Paxton totally walks away with Club Dread, moreso than Aliens.
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post #76 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abbott & Prospero;2494568
Where's my sequel to [I
Summer School[/I] where a middle aged Chainsaw and Dave deal with family life and their boring ass office jobs while sneaking off on the weekends to secretly work on what they hope will be a successful direct-to-DVD gore film?
GOOD one. They're pretty much the only memorable characters from that movie.
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post #77 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:31pm
Jeffrey Combs in The Frighteners.

Wait, strike that. Jeffrey Combs in anything.
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post #78 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianM View Post
And Jeff Daniels damn-near steals Dumb and Dumber.
He shares top billing with Jim Carrey and has pretty equal screen time with and without Carrey on screen.
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post #79 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartz View Post
While everybody gets laughs out of me at times, Bill Paxton totally walks away with Club Dread, moreso than Aliens.
I've yet to see 'Club Dread', so I cannot comment on that.

Paxton really brought Hudson to life, though; he was able to infuse those lines with that trademark manic goofiness that he does so well. I honestly cannot picture another actor pulling off THAT part in a better manner. He certainly has the most quotable lines in the film.

I'd also argue that Paxton comes very close to stealing 'Weird Science'.
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post #80 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abbott & Prospero View Post
I don't think it's an understatement to say that Deputy Wendell was a bit of goof and that Dilahunt did a pretty good job portraying that character. And the affability and aloofness of the Charley Ford character are dropped at key moments of the film and by the end those characteristics have been completely stripped away. I think Dilahunt would have done some interesting things with that role and that transition. But I'm so married to the film as it is, it's difficult to imagine anyone else as Charley Ford.
Charley was aloof but certainly no fool, you're right. Dilahunt just has this naturally haunting/sad thing going on that works so well for his character. IMO you needed somebody with a sunnier disposition for Charley to contrast Affleck's weirdness, and I think they nailed it with Rockwell. You needed to really see the differences between Charley and Robert and maybe they felt Dillahunt and Affleck were too similar.

Not that Dillahunt can't play sunny, you just have never really seen it although I think he played Jesus in some TV show. Versatility!
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post #81 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartz View Post
While everybody gets laughs out of me at times, Bill Paxton totally walks away with Club Dread, moreso than Aliens.
I've got your back here. I love Club Dread and Paxton is far and away the best thing about the film. The one scene everyone seems to remember in this movie is when he goes apeshit on the girl who confuses his "hit" song for Jimmy Buffet's.

And I'll tell you who steals almost every film he is in - Keith David. Just look at The Thing, They Live, Something About Mary, Requiem for a Dream (his lips alone), etc.
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post #82 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:45pm
Thread Starter 
Another Paxton kinda-steal: 'True Lies'. BrianM mentioned Tom Arnold for this movie already, but I think that Bill (once again) transcends what's on the written page with his horndog-with-a-plan used cars salesman.

The Vette...gets 'em wet.

I think that we can probably put Paxton up there with Rockwell and Rickman at this point.
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post #83 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bob loblaw View Post
Charley was aloof but certainly no fool, you're right. Dilahunt just has this naturally haunting/sad thing going on that works so well for his character. IMO you needed somebody with a sunnier disposition for Charley to contrast Affleck's weirdness, and I think they nailed it with Rockwell. You needed to really see the differences between Charley and Robert and maybe they felt Dillahunt and Affleck were too similar.

Not that Dillahunt can't play sunny, you just have never really seen it although I think he played Jesus in some TV show. Versatility!
Dillahunt came out of No Country for Old Men having convinced me that he could be great in lighter comedic fare, which is rather odd if you think about it.
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post #84 of 159
1/21/09 at 3:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JudgeSmails View Post
I love Club Dread and Paxton is far and away the best thing about the film. The one scene everyone seems to remember in this movie is when he goes apeshit on the girl who confuses his "hit" song for Jimmy Buffet's.
I thought the one scene everyone remembered was the one where Jordan Ladd got nekkid? Or is that just me?

BTW, that movie is fucking terrible. There's not much there to steal.
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post #85 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:00pm
Don't make me call the Fun Police, chase.
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post #86 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:00pm
On the subject of Dillahunt, but not movies, he steals every scene he's in on the show Life. A Russian gangster with all the right connections and who's only been in two episodes and is still the most memorable "bad" guy on the show? Hells yeah.
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post #87 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:04pm
Dillahunt steals every scene of every show/movie he's ever been in. That's how fucking awesome he is. I'm glad to see he's dominating this thread.
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post #88 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:28pm
Dillahunt is Japanese for awesome, if I'm not mistaken. Either that or a whale's vagina.
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post #89 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post
The film really doesn't have a 'lead' character, and Penn has about the same amount of screen time as everyone else (iirc).
Disagree. Spicoli is on the edge of the main narrative, and has no real "arc" the way Rat or Damone (or even Brad) do. And I think Jennifer Jason Leigh is the film's "lead", as ensemble-y as it is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Elvis View Post
Nicholas Cage in Birdy
Disagree. Cage is the protagonist of Birdy, imo. Modine is catatonic through most of the film's present-day narrative.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Abbott & Prospero View Post
Where's my sequel to Summer School where a middle aged Chainsaw and Dave deal with family life and their boring ass office jobs while sneaking off on the weekends to secretly work on what they hope will be a successful direct-to-DVD gore film?
Fun fact - Chainsaw played Spicoli in the tv version of Fast Times.

Dilahunt showed his versatility in John From Cincinnati, playing a very human and compassionate doctor. When he sits the parents down and opens with "...I have terrible news", I welled right the hell up.
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post #90 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartz View Post
Dillahunt came out of No Country for Old Men having convinced me that he could be great in lighter comedic fare, which is rather odd if you think about it.
I can see that.
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post #91 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:37pm
Also, Dillahunt is the only man ever to kill Wild Bill and be killed by Jesse James. That's pretty awesome.

Edit: Thank you, Phil.
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post #92 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:38pm
Wild Bill, but yeah, very cool.
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post #93 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
Disagree. Spicoli is on the edge of the main narrative, and has no real "arc" the way Rat or Damone (or even Brad) do. And I think Jennifer Jason Leigh is the film's "lead", as ensemble-y as it is.
It's been a while since I've seen the film, so I'll go with your argument.

You could also argue that Phoebe Cates steals the movie with her very short (but revealing) supporting role.
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post #94 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:46pm
Well, an argument could be made that that scene is either the one you remember the most, or it's the one scene everyone knows, whether they've seen the movie or not.
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post #95 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post
You could also argue that Phoebe Cates steals the movie with her very short (but revealing) supporting role.
Won't disagree.
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post #96 of 159
1/21/09 at 4:58pm
Eddie Murphy to me nearly steals Dreamgirls. That being said, Johnny Depp and Antony Hopkins pretty much owns this thread.
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post #97 of 159
1/21/09 at 5:07pm
John Goodman in Arachnophobia - totally steals what is a pretty crap film.

Come to think of it, Goodman is a bit of a habitual film stealer (especially in the Cohen's movies - Oh Brother, Lebowski, barton Fink, Raising Arizona).
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post #98 of 159
1/21/09 at 5:36pm
Christopher Walken in Mouse Hunt. In lots of other movies too, but that was the first one I thought of when you mentioned Goodman in Arachnophobia.
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post #99 of 159
1/21/09 at 5:49pm
Didn't Bill Murray technically do this in Ghostbusters?
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post #100 of 159
1/21/09 at 5:53pm
This thread is such a big reminder of how much the expression is thrown around.
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