The Most Phoned-In Performances of All Time

[Lord]

Hugo Weaving - Red Skull and Megatron

 

[jacobed]

Marlon Brando Superman and Apocalypse Now. His performance in Apocalypse Now is very good but its completely phoned in. I never liked him in Superman because you can tell he's only there for the money

 

[Eddie Dean]

Sean Connery's voice over for Highlander was recorded in the bathroom of his vacation house.

 

[DarthDaveBanner]

Snipes in Blade Trinity. Dude literally would sit in his trailer smoking weed all day and only emerge for close ups.

 

[Tequilla]

Everyone involved in Indy 4. Even the director phoned in.

 

[jonathancrane]

Yeah, he was just so disconnected. Like the movie. Seriously the film had decent moments but the lack of consistency of tone and reality mucks up the movie.

Agreed.

 

[bullets]

Keanu Reeves in The Watcher.

In fact, he was literally there for a paycheck, and demanded he be removed from all marketing and posters.



He's even "blacked out" from the poster.

One of the strangest films in history, in my opinion. I remember not even knowing Reeves was in it until I was in the theater!

Well that's one version of the story. Here is what I've read...

Third-billed Keanu Reeves gave his verbal agreement to director Joe Charbanic several years before production started, after reading his original script. With his involvement, the filmakers were later able to attract a bigger cast and budget than originally envisioned, and Reeves' part (originally meant as little more than a cameo) was substantially rewritten to feature him more prominently. Reportedly Keanu Reeves, who would be paid scale while his costars James Spader and Marisa Tomei would get $1,000,000 paychecks tried to drop out of the film but eventually changed his mind (apparently influenced by the legal precedent of the Kim Basinger /Boxing Helena (1993) debacle). He eventually agreed to do the picture and abstain from bad mouthing it in interviews on the condition that his involvment in the film be downplayed in all promotional material for the film, including trailers.

 

[Schlosser85]

Keanu Reeves in The Watcher is terrible.

 

[Octoberist]

Marlon Brando Superman and Apocalypse Now. His performance in Apocalypse Now is very good but its completely phoned in. I never liked him in Superman because you can tell he's only there for the money

How can anyone get 'Krip-TIN' out of 'Kryp-TON'?

 

[Schlosser85]

Someone who couldn't care less how it's pronounced?

 

[Rowsdower!]

And therefore, you have no way of actually telling. If you take a poll, hell I'm even sure look at all the critic ratings for the film, you'll see that the vast majority didn't know. Why did you? -- Following production.

To me, Clifton was good but he didn't stand out above the classic henchman role whereas Bana had that cold energy that you would expect someone with his history to have -- having lost everyone. Also, if I remember correctly - the critics liked his performance because he did blend in. And the fact that he wasn't scary made it all the more of an excellent performance. Sure, we could be scared of the guy all the time -- but, really, this guy was not a bad guy. He blamed Spock for killing his entire planet, his wife, and his child and was seeking vengeance because of it. He was basically a galactic Punisher. In another story, he would have been the good guy. It was one of those few grey-area villains that worked.

How was he not a bad guy? Fine, it makes sense to be sympathetic to him, but if he was really some kind of complicated hero, maybe he would have, I don't know, tried to STOP his planet from being destroyed, given that he is GIVEN the opportunity to do so. But what does he want to do? Just go out and kill billions of people who aren't in any way responsible.

But I digress. This isn't about the way the character was written; it's about the performance. If critics and you saw something amazing in what he did, that's fine. I'm just saying that I saw a guy (who I usually consider to be a great actor) sleepwalking through a role. Regardless though; even if critics called him unrecognizable or whatever, they all knew damn well who he was going into the movie; they're critics. They're supposed to have at least a little bit of knowledge on the film. If they said they had NO idea that it was him until the end credits, then they're full of sh**.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Oh and...

Tara Reid - Sharknado

It takes a special kind of talent to deliver the MOST phoned in performance in a movie with NOTHING BUT phoned-in performances.

 

[Superhero 101]

Mark Wahlberg-The Happening

 

[Jack Napier]

Everyone involved in Indy 4. Even the director phoned in.

Disagree. I felt like Harrison Ford brought it. It's just a shame that Koepp, Lucas, Spielberg, and hell, even John Williams, were off their game.

 

[Octoberist]

I agree Harrison was fine; probably his best performance in the past 15 years. However, everyone else was meh.

 

[Gold Samurai]

This may be a little controversial and I know I've been quite vocal about my dislike for Iron Man 3 in the past but whilst watching it I did feel like RDJ was just on auto pilot for some of it. It just seemed like "talk fast, make a quip" rinse and repeat for a lot of the scenes. Some bits he was good but a lot of it just seemed to be routine...

And a majority of the time is basically sitting in a chair and acting out expressions

[YT]thkOEWmn6v4[/YT]

 

[Schlosser85]

I agree Harrison was fine; probably his best performance in the past 15 years. However, everyone else was meh.

I agree. That was the least phoned-in Harrison Ford performance in a looooong time.

 

[Ultimatehero]

How was he not a bad guy? Fine, it makes sense to be sympathetic to him, but if he was really some kind of complicated hero, maybe he would have, I don't know, tried to STOP his planet from being destroyed, given that he is GIVEN the opportunity to do so. But what does he want to do? Just go out and kill billions of people who aren't in any way responsible.

But I digress. This isn't about the way the character was written; it's about the performance. If critics and you saw something amazing in what he did, that's fine. I'm just saying that I saw a guy (who I usually consider to be a great actor) sleepwalking through a role. Regardless though; even if critics called him unrecognizable or whatever, they all knew damn well who he was going into the movie; they're critics. They're supposed to have at least a little bit of knowledge on the film. If they said they had NO idea that it was him until the end credits, then they're full of sh**.

I'll admit, I was going easier than I should have but basically the point is - a lot more sympathetic and human than thousands of other villains. He wasn't the cackling mastermind, he was actually a very fragile being.

Also I didn't say 100% unrecognizable. Sure, by name you would know and looking on IMDB you would know - but you're still left questioning how on Earth that could be him. Granted a large part of that might be the makeup job. That's why it's unrecognizable to barely recognizable rather than completely unrecognizable. No one ever talks in extremes unless they go to extremes.

Also, I wouldn't consider a performance that the critics liked "phoning it in" just because one or two people don't like it. The would be a performance that some don't agree with. I'd say generally that thought would need to be widespread or for actual information to get out.

I'd say Brando was great in Superman, but Brando is great period - he was definitely phoning it in though because he refused to learn the script and would only go off index cards to read off of. Unless, did he do that for all his films? I know he did that on Superman.

 

[StarLord]

Mark Wahlberg-The Happening

Even the script phoned-in for that movie.

 

[MMMMM...Pancakes]

Hugo Weaving - Red Skull and Megatron

Hugo was disappointing as Red Skull. Totally seemed like he couldn't give less of a ****.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I'll admit, I was going easier than I should have but basically the point is - a lot more sympathetic and human than thousands of other villains. He wasn't the cackling mastermind, he was actually a very fragile being.

Also I didn't say 100% unrecognizable. Sure, by name you would know and looking on IMDB you would know - but you're still left questioning how on Earth that could be him. Granted a large part of that might be the makeup job. That's why it's unrecognizable to barely recognizable rather than completely unrecognizable. No one ever talks in extremes unless they go to extremes.

Also, I wouldn't consider a performance that the critics liked "phoning it in" just because one or two people don't like it. The would be a performance that some don't agree with. I'd say generally that thought would need to be widespread or for actual information to get out.

I'd say Brando was great in Superman, but Brando is great period - he was definitely phoning it in though because he refused to learn the script and would only go off index cards to read off of. Unless, did he do that for all his films? I know he did that on Superman.

By that point he was doing that for pretty much every film. Brando certainly did the same thing for The Godfather and Apocalypse Now.

 

[Octoberist]

I agree. That was the least phoned-in Harrison Ford performance in a looooong time.

That's why I hope JJ can bring out the best when Ford does Star Wars Episode VII. I want the lovable rogue that we all admired, not a bored grump.

 

[dark_b]

Ford can not phone in a star wars performance. its the movie . the movie that gave him an opportunity to be a serious actor. even if the script is bad and his character is not good he needs to give a good performance.

 

[Lily Adler]

Liam Neeson in the Chronicles of Narnia, had to use a CGI Lion instead of prosthetics, wuss.

 

[Schlosser85]

Unfortunately Liam has done too much phoning in lately.