Great Performances by 'Bad' Actors + is there such a thing?

Just a short little preface to kick things off. I love film in general, but occasionally there's some things I just can never bring myself to see. Recent Adam Sandler films in general, for example. That's not to say, however, that I can define any of these films as objectively 'bad' - unless they actually are bad, like many recent Adam Sandler films, by all accounts, but I haven't seen them so I can't comment. What I'm trying to get at is the definition of 'bad' is different in many peoples' eyes, and the same extends to acting. I'm sure there's some who feel Julia Roberts is the greatest actress alive even though I'm mostly negative about most of her work.

There are, however, some actors who've been viewed by the general consensus as being 'bad' actors. Now I for one never like to pigeonhole them into this sort of category - rare is the actor I've seen the entire filmmography of, hence how would I know if so-and-so who I find so-so in most things, has delivered an Oscar-worthy performance some 20 years into the vault? I was far too quick to call Tom Sturridge the worst actor working today last year, since he's apparently brilliant in the 'Hollow Crown' series. Jai Courtney was a complete cinematic 'no no' for me, and ended up being one of the highlights of Suicide Squad. Thus, here are some performances by actors generally regarded as 'bad' actors by most of the public; some are generally quite lacklustre I'll admit, but these are their impressive high points, showing that perhaps there are no bad actors, no badly written roles.

Blake Lively, The Town

I should note I haven't seen The Shallows yet, which I've heard is a rather good one-man show horror film with a solid leading turn from Lively. I generally don't find Lively a terrible actress, just an extremely bland one for the most part. In The Town however, Lively really stretches herself and completely disappears into the role of Krista "Kris" Coughlin, the junkie ex-girlfriend of Ben Affleck's Doug MacRay. Her character, though little more than a plot device in the grand scheme of the plot, stood out to me as one of the most memorable parts of the film, and makes her interrogation scene surprisingly moving and poignant.

Sean Young, Blade Runner

Blade Runner is a masterpiece in many regards, and the performance of Rutger Hauer, the visuals and direction, the soundtrack, are all routinely praised enough. What's not given enough credit though, is Sean Young's performance as Rachel, an experimental replicant who belives that she is human. Rachel is sort of the femme fatale of Blade Runner's noir world, though not quite. Her performance reminds me a bit of the way Silver Hair plays a role in Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. A mysterious, intriguing figure with a surprising amount of tenderness behind the stereotype. Young's performance is both sexy and sensitive, making her the true heart of the film. She'd go on to a rather soured reputation in Hollywood and a string of Razzi-nominated roles, but if this role's anything to go by, she was, and I'll bet still is, extremely talented.

Keanu Reeves, A Scanner Darkly

Reeves really isn't the terrible actor he's made out to be sometimes. He's given some terrible performances, no doubt, in the likes of Dracula (that accent though), Dangerous Liasons, but in general I find him adequate in his straightforward leading man roles in Speed and The Matrix. entertaining in smaller supporting roles in the likes of Thumbsucker, and rather impressive in the intensities and emotional power of John Wick or the entertaining tomfoolery of Ted of Bill & Ted. His best performance, however, remains his turn as undercover drug agent Bob Arctor who becomes addicted to the drug he's investigating. Reeves' performance as a listless man who's lost sense of his own identity through his line of work is rather terrific, as he brings such tragic pathos to the role, underplaying the slow mental breakdown of his character to perfection. 

Kate Beckinsale, Love & Friendship

I won't say too much about her as I'll most likely be covering her performance more thoroughly by the end of this year. Beckinsale's gained a reputation for being a one-note action movie star of the Underworld series in recent years and the participant in lackluster films like Pearl Harbor and Total Recall. Well with her Lady Susan, I've been exposed to a whole new side of Beckinsale's talents and suffice to say, I'm intrigued if there's more where this came from. 

Toby Stephens, Jane Eyre

Ticking off both boxes of 'terrible Bond villain' and 'terrible Jay Gatsby', Stephens wasn't a particularly captivating actor to me till I watched a bit more of his work. Namely his turn as a haunted, neurotic doctor in And Then There Were None and his brilliant, definitive work as Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre. Perhaps it's the writing behind him, or the direction, or a brilliant Ruth Wilson to play off, but Stephens is a magnificent Byronic hero, bettering the likes of Michael Fassbender and Orson Welles in this notoriously difficult role. Whether it's the rougher, darker side to Rochester or his tender, romantic sensitivity within, Stephens is charismatic, heartbreaking and a great pleasure to watch, which I have to say completely obliterated all memories of Die Another Day.

Marlon Wayans, Requiem for a Dream

Notable for having one of the most spinechilling soundtracks of all-time, Requiem for a Dream is also notable for having Marlon Wayans in not just a serious role far removed from his usual comedic schtick, but as a heroin addict. Wayans gives perhaps the most vivid physical portrayal of addiction in the whole cast, and his final scene is absolutely heartbreaking. It's such a shame actually the film kind of shoehorns him aside in terms of focus, as he's equally impressive to Ellen Burstyn's heartbreaking lead turn in terms of the vivid impact his acting brings to the screen. Shame he hasn't done anything similar since; he's certainly got the acting chops.

Katie Holmes, Pieces of April

Patricia Clarkson got the Oscar nomination, and rightfully so, for her moving supporting turn, but it's a shame they couldn't award Ms Holmes here one as well. Holmes is unfortunately probably best known to the public as a stick in  the mud of Batman Begins who didn't appear in The Dark Knight, or Tom Cruise's ex-wife. Shame really, as there's a glowing example of her talent as an actress here. Holmes effortlessly carries this indie flick upon her shoulders as April, a young wayward lady trying to prepare the perfect Thanksgiving for her family. It's a simple role in a simple film, but don't let that mask the excellence of her charming, funny and quite moving performance here.

Kirsten Stewart, Camp X-Ray

I don't get all the Kristen Stewart hate sometimes. She's not the greatest actress in the world by any stretch, but she has talent, and it's really not her fault the character of Bella is so darn dull in the Twilight series. Outside of that role, she's put in solid supporting performances in Still Alice and On the Road, and a good stab at Joan Jett in The Runaways. Camp X-Ray stands as her career-best work though. She's perfectly cast as a tough, rigid but inwardly emotional Army Private stationed at Guantamo Bay, and I don't mean that as a diss on her supposedly 'unemotional' style of acting. That's used to perfection here as she downplays her acting with her character's reserve and detatchment, before gradually finding humanity within the character with her connection to a prison inmate, Ali Amir (Peyman Moaadi), It's a performance that requires patience to appreciate in a film that's not really anything great, but give it a watch. It'll show you Stewart's far from a one-trick pony.

Vin Diesel, The Iron Giant

I also don't really get Vin Diesel hate. Sure, he's very limited as an actor, but it works well enough for his most prominent films. He's a good action lead for the Fast and Furious series (though count me out as a supporter for its relentless continuation) and a solid Riddick. You may not remember him that well, but he's also extremely good in Saving Private Ryan in a very small role as one of the troops sent to save Private Ryan, his death scene being one of the most emotionally poignant scenes in the film. His main strength is his vocal chops and it's frequently well-utilized from that final scene in Fast 7 (probably the only scene I actually genuinely liked there), to Groot, and of course his work as the Iron Giant. Back when he wasn't that big of a name, Diesel took on this role and gave such personality and humour and compassion, in addition to some grand vocal power, that was perfect for the fifty-foot mass of metal and heart.

Jesse Eisenberg, The End of the Tour/The Social Network

I feel I should probably leave this to a longer article. Eisenberg is an Oscar-nominee and generally regarded as quite talented. Unfortunately his Lex Luthor might cast a worse impression on him generally than I'd have liked. Whatever negative impact it might bring to his reputation, let me defend him by saying that his performances as Mark Zuckerberg and David Lipsky are very special performances worth further discussing.

Jamie Foxx, Django Unchained

It has to be said Django Unchained has three great characters played by three great actors in the form of Calvin Candie, Stephen and Dr King Schultz. Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz are all individually brilliant in their showy roles. Where does that leave our lead Django then? Well, Django is played by Jamie Foxx who's an Oscar-winner, but has also in recent years done many an underwhelming film with many an underwhelming role, culminating with one of the worst comic book villains in the form of Electro. So he can be a very bad actor, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have talent. I liked him in Ray and Collateral even if he wasn't necessarily Oscar-worthy in either. And in Django he actually takes a rather thin lead character by Tarantino standards, and fleshes him out into a deadpan, funny, badass and surprisingly sweet hero we the audience can root for quite easily. I really like Foxx's work here and can't imagine anyone else in the role.

Michael Cera, This is the End

Cera is perhaps the definition of a one-trick actor in many people's books. Which is true to an extent. He was my favourite part of Superbad but while his co-star Jonah Hill has branched off into two Oscar nominations (though Moneyball, really?) and a wider range of comedic roles of both the straight man and funnyman variety, Cera's still...basically playing Cera. Scott Pilgrim and Evan are pretty much indistinguishable, and I say that as someone who loves both those films he's in. Now I don't find him obnoxious as some do, but I do agre he is one-note. Except for...This is the End, where funnily enough he plays Michael Cera, literally, but an entire deconstruction of his usual self. He begins his performance by inappropriately touching Rihanna and getting slapped for it, some rather cringeworthy bathroom shenanigans, and blowing coke into McLovin's face. Cera makes his performance the comedic highlight of the film, and even the most fervent Cera hater may feel sad at his early departure. There's definitely more to be mined from the 'foulmouthed Michael Cera' department.

Adam Sandler, Punch-Drunk Love

The name Adam Sandler seems to be synonymous with bad films nowadays. It's easy to forget that he once was a genuiely funny comedian in the likes of The Longest Yard and Happy Gilmore, and a sweet comedic presence in 50 First Dates. And then there's his also comedic, but with a serious bent, performance in Punch-Drunk Love as Barry, a lonely and deeply troubled 'man child' of sorts who finds a new lease of life in a kooky British lass (a luminous Emily Watson). Sandler is utterly fantastic in each phase of his character's growing confidence in himself, and proves that there's no actor Paul Thomas Anderson can't mould into giving a great performance, though Sandler himself has to be credited to for his great dramedy work here.

Mark Wahlberg, Boogie Nights

He's rather distracting and not very convincing when miscast, and in bad movies he's usually terrible. In good films though, he can be very good. A bit of an obvious statement to make, I guess, but he's genuinely quite a good comedic talent as can be seen in The Departed, and Ted and Ted 2. As for his dramatic prowess, he may have been quite overshadowed in The Fighter and Lone Survivor by his brilliant co-stars Christian Bale and Ben Foster, but in Boogie Nights, again with Paul Thomas Anderson, his performance as amateur porn star Dirk Diggler is delightful. He's great at both playing the ambitious young man and the 'bad acting' of the porn star, and makes for a very strong lead to carry us through this fantastic film.