When Good Actors Give Bad Performances


In anticipation of Robert De Niro stinking up the screen in Red Lights, Flavorwire ran a post yesterday about great actors giving bad performances.

Of all Flavorwire’s choices, I agree most strongly with the one pictured above: Daniel Day-Lewis in Nine. By most accounts, Nine was a train wreck of a film, suffering from a weak script and terrible direction. These flaws were greatly exposed in the actors’ performances, and I don’t think anyone in this (normally talented) cast had been given so little to work with before.

Day-Lewis has done his share of scenery chewing (Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood), but he has also given some of the greatest performances of this generation (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father). Never have I felt embarrassed for him, except while watching Nine.

So, what do you think of Flavorwire’s list? What performances would you add to it?

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