The Most Phoned-In Performances of All Time

[Snow Queen]

I'm sure this must have been said, but as this is my first time in this thread: Kevin Costner as Jon Kent. Now there's a man who just didn't give a ****.

That's kind of what I get out of Costner in most things. He always seems bored to me.

 

[Brother Jack]

And that's fine. Some actors attract an audience due to their personas.

But he was great in Unbreakable, Pulp Ficition, and The Sixth Sense.

He was great in Looper as well. It was shocking how good he was because that was the first movie I had seen him in probably since Unbreakable where he didn't look like he was there just to collect a paycheck. There are a lot of tenured actors who seem to fall into a rut of only doing stuff for the money late in their careers. I have no clue why that is.

 

[Schlosser85]

That's kind of what I get out of Costner in most things. He always seems bored to me.

Costner, Harrison Ford, and Bruce Willis are nowadays like the three most perpetually bored and disinterested actors alive.

 

[Schlosser85]

There are a lot of tenured actors who seem to fall into a rut of only doing stuff for the money late in their careers. I have no clue why that is.

I think part of it might be that they burn themselves out. Then there's just laziness. They know they have enough of a "name" to coast along now and get paid without really any effort.

De Niro, Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, I think are all examples of this. Even Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, though they can basically walk into a room and get a pass from me.

Edward Norton seems bored anymore to me.

 

[Lily Adler]

Anthony Hopkins seems to be stuck in Hannibal mode in most his films as of late.

 

[Maximus One]

What about John Cusack and Samuel L Jackson being in so many damn DTV movies here lately. That **** is boggling my mind. Sam ****ing Jackson in movies that don't even see theaters. WTF

 

[Keyser Soze]

He was great in Looper as well. It was shocking how good he was because that was the first movie I had seen him in probably since Unbreakable where he didn't look like he was there just to collect a paycheck. There are a lot of tenured actors who seem to fall into a rut of only doing stuff for the money late in their careers. I have no clue why that is.

Yeah, I'm kinda more pissed off at Bruce Willis than any of the other brainless action movie stars of his generation, as he has shown in the past (even in the recent past, with Moonrise Kingdom) that he CAN act, and he has shown a versatility that suggests he COULD be doing both high-quality genre pictures and acclaimed dramatic performances if he wanted to. But instead he acts in utter crud, and looks utterly bored doing it. Look, if you're going to appear in crappy films for the paycheck, that's your decision. But you've made that choice, so show up and act. Don't half-ass your way through it, or act totally bored and comtemptuous of the film while promoting it. You chose to do it for the money, so go out there and earn your money.

 

[Maximus One]

Bruce Willis should be reinventing himself kinda like Bill Murray did in the late 90s after Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums. He should be going for more weird, dry comedies n such.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Did I hear someone talking bad about the Cost-Man? Because that I will not abide.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Yeah, I can't believe someone suggested Costner was phoning it in as Jonathan Kent. I thought he was perfect in that movie.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

I think Kostner as Jonathan Kent in MOS was the farthest thing from a phoned in performance I had seen in 2013.

 

[Maximus One]

Yea I thought it was pretty good as well. I can see some of his other performances but not MoS

 

[Rowsdower!]

Yeah, he makes me tear up in the "You are my son" scene. Every time I see it.

 

[MrMaooz]

Costner, Harrison Ford, and Bruce Willis are nowadays like the three most perpetually bored and disinterested actors alive.

Nah, Harrison Ford kicks ass in 42. I've heard good things from Ender's Game too.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I like Ford, but I would have to say he phoned it in for Cowboys & Aliens. But that movie would have sucked anyway. Such a terrible, cliched script.

 

[StarLord]

What about John Cusack and Samuel L Jackson being in so many damn DTV movies here lately. That **** is boggling my mind. Sam ****ing Jackson in movies that don't even see theaters. WTF

Um, probably because they are terrible movies and those guys are the only recognisable faces in them.

 

[Loki882]

I agree with those who like Costner as Jonathan Kent, he was great in that role. Ford was good in 42, and I surprisingly liked him in Ender's Game as well (even if the script didn't give him much to do).

 

[Senator Pleasury]

I think Kostner as Jonathan Kent in MOS was the farthest thing from a phoned in performance I had seen in 2013.

I agree. If anything he really wanted to be in a successful movie really bad.

But you can tell he took the role very seriously.

 

[Maximus One]

Um, probably because they are terrible movies and those guys are the only recognisable faces in them.

I'm just saying its weird when such a-list actors do DTV movies like that that nobody's ever heard of. Just a random thought

 

[BatLobster]

Natalie Portman in Star Wars Episodes II and III and Thor: The Dark World.

 

[samsnee]

Has anyone mentioned Kiefer Sutherland in Phone Booth yet? Guy didn't even bother showing up to the set.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

Natalie Portman in Star Wars Episodes II and III and Thor: The Dark World.

Yeah you could tell she really didn't want to be in Thor 2, it showed.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Has anyone mentioned Kiefer Sutherland in Phone Booth yet? Guy didn't even bother showing up to the set.

Haha, yeah that was mentioned a while ago. But to be fair, he did actually appear at the very end.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Ford looked like he didn't give a **** in C&A, but he was really good in 42.

 

[kguillou]

I'm just saying its weird when such a-list actors do DTV movies like that that nobody's ever heard of. Just a random thought

I think guys like Sam Jackson are just literally addicted to acting and they cant stop. Sam has been in over 100 movies and starred in the 3rd biggest movie of all time. If he wanted to he would never have to work another day in his life (well, I mean after his Marvel contract expires). I think the guy just purely loves being in front of a camera no matter what kind of movie it is.