Is pretending to be someone else impressive - especially if you already know them?
A few weeks ago I watched Walk The Line - the Johnny Cash biography. It was an ok film in my opinion. But what I don't get is the gushing admiration for the performances in it. Joaquin Phoenix is lauded because he sang everything himself. Yes he did. I don't think he sounds like Cash at all but others do. But isn't he just impersonating someone? On talent shows that's usually considered to be fairly unimpressive isn't it? On the radio this morning they said Reese Witherspoon was a shoe-in for an Oscar award for her portrayal of June Carter-Cash in the same film. Really!? I thought she was playing.....Reese Witherspoon. (She wasn't as bad as the dreadful Hee-Haw-like acting of Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain) Last year I saw Jamie Foxx pretend to be Ray Charles and again he was applauded for it. I thought it was a horrible hammy performance. Just unbearable. Do you find this type of acting impressive? When Will Smith put on the pounds to play Mohammed Ali I just didn't get it - all I thought was "wow he looks like a bad impersonator of Ali." Sort of akin to Elvis impersonators. I remember seeing Jerry Seinfeld commenting on acting awards by saying "Well done! You pretended to be a fireman! You weren't actually a fireman, but you looked a bit like one." That's pretty much how I feel a lot of the time.
I like some biographical films, but I've found musical biographies to be grating. Wouldn't people prefer to see Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash? There's plenty of film of them. Wouldn't a documentary style film have been more interesting than imitating them?
Edited to say that I saw Capote two weeks ago and loved it. I really like Phillip Seymour Hoffman's work, so maybe that's a factor. Maybe it's because I've never heard or seen Capote in person that I liked the movie - I didn't get the chance to think "he's impersonating Capote"..?
What did you think of Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Sandy Lyle in the movie Along Came Polly? ?
that solved the continuity problem Bungle wink
Woops - I must have been editing the original post when you asked.
Edited to say that I saw Capote two weeks ago and loved it. I really like Phillip Seymour Hoffman's work, so maybe that's a factor. Maybe it's because I've never heard or seen Capote in person that I liked the movie - I didn't get the chance to think "he's impersonating Capote"..?
It really does depend on the film doesn't it? And what the characters mean to you. I thought Goeffrey Rush for instance did the most amazing job in 'The Life And Death of Peter Sellers', judging from everything I've seen of Sellers. But I was not a huge devotional fan.
By contrast there's a newish movie out depicting the lives of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore I have no interest in seeing. They look wrong on the box cover (The Wrong Box - boom boom!) and I don't want to see other people do their sketches when there's still plenty of archive material around of them. But for somebody else who doesn't know much about them it might be fine.
I also do think too many of these biopics are made and they come out with indecent haste. Cash's body was hardly cold.
Is pretending to be someone else impressive - especially if you already know them?
A few weeks ago I watched Walk The Line - the Johnny Cash biography. It was an ok film in my opinion. But what I don't get is the gushing admiration for the performances in it. Joaquin Phoenix is lauded because he sang everything himself. Yes he did. I don't think he sounds like Cash at all but others do. But isn't he just impersonating someone? On talent shows that's usually considered to be fairly unimpressive isn't it? On the radio this morning they said Reese Witherspoon was a shoe-in for an Oscar award for her portrayal of June Carter-Cash in the same film. Really!? I thought she was playing.....Reese Witherspoon. (She wasn't as bad as the dreadful Hee-Haw-like acting of Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain) Last year I saw Jamie Foxx pretend to be Ray Charles and again he was applauded for it. I thought it was a horrible hammy performance. Just unbearable. Do you find this type of acting impressive? When Will Smith put on the pounds to play Mohammed Ali I just didn't get it - all I thought was "wow he looks like a bad impersonator of Ali." Sort of akin to Elvis impersonators. I remember seeing Jerry Seinfeld commenting on acting awards by saying "Well done! You pretended to be a fireman! You weren't actually a fireman, but you looked a bit like one." That's pretty much how I feel a lot of the time.
I like some biographical films, but I've found musical biographies to be grating. Wouldn't people prefer to see Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash? There's plenty of film of them. Wouldn't a documentary style film have been more interesting than imitating them?
Edited to say that I saw Capote two weeks ago and loved it. I really like Phillip Seymour Hoffman's work, so maybe that's a factor. Maybe it's because I've never heard or seen Capote in person that I liked the movie - I didn't get the chance to think "he's impersonating Capote"..?
Its you...everyone including me thinks Jamie Foxx did a great job a portraying Charles, it was one of my favorite films of the year. Biographies are just the same of other movies, if the actors suck, the movies suck, if the acting is good and the writing s good then so goes the movie. Perfect example is the absolutely abysmal "The Island" A-list actors with great chops in Ewan Macgregor and Scarlett (yes, as you're asking I would love to be locked in a room with her for 30 minutes)Johansson but the film was one of the worst of the year.
Capote is an excellent film because the script was top notch and Seymour-Hoffman is a quite brilliant actor. I would rather stick burning pins in my eyes than have to suffer the indignity of sitting through a Renee Zelwegger film or for that matter watching any movie about the life of Johnny Cash...its all down to quality no matter what the genre of the movie (unless its about Johnny Cash of course).
Is pretending to be someone else impressive - especially if you already know them?
A few weeks ago I watched Walk The Line - the Johnny Cash biography. It was an ok film in my opinion. But what I don't get is the gushing admiration for the performances in it. Joaquin Phoenix is lauded because he sang everything himself. Yes he did. I don't think he sounds like Cash at all but others do. But isn't he just impersonating someone? On talent shows that's usually considered to be fairly unimpressive isn't it? On the radio this morning they said Reese Witherspoon was a shoe-in for an Oscar award for her portrayal of June Carter-Cash in the same film. Really!? I thought she was playing.....Reese Witherspoon. (She wasn't as bad as the dreadful Hee-Haw-like acting of Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain) Last year I saw Jamie Foxx pretend to be Ray Charles and again he was applauded for it. I thought it was a horrible hammy performance. Just unbearable. Do you find this type of acting impressive? When Will Smith put on the pounds to play Mohammed Ali I just didn't get it - all I thought was "wow he looks like a bad impersonator of Ali." Sort of akin to Elvis impersonators. I remember seeing Jerry Seinfeld commenting on acting awards by saying "Well done! You pretended to be a fireman! You weren't actually a fireman, but you looked a bit like one." That's pretty much how I feel a lot of the time.
I like some biographical films, but I've found musical biographies to be grating. Wouldn't people prefer to see Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash? There's plenty of film of them. Wouldn't a documentary style film have been more interesting than imitating them?
Edited to say that I saw Capote two weeks ago and loved it. I really like Phillip Seymour Hoffman's work, so maybe that's a factor. Maybe it's because I've never heard or seen Capote in person that I liked the movie - I didn't get the chance to think "he's impersonating Capote"..?
Its you...everyone including me thinks Jamie Foxx did a great job a portraying Charles, it was one of my favorite films of the year. Biographies are just the same of other movies, if the actors suck, the movies suck, if the acting is good and the writing s good then so goes the movie. Perfect example is the absolutely abysmal "The Island" A-list actors with great chops in Ewan Macgregor and Scarlett (yes, as you're asking I would love to be locked in a room with her for 30 minutes)Johansson but the film was one of the worst of the year.
Capote is an excellent film because the script was top notch and Seymour-Hoffman is a quite brilliant actor. I would rather stick burning pins in my eyes than have to suffer the indignity of sitting through a Renee Zelwegger film or for that matter watching any movie about the life of Johnny Cash...its all down to quality no matter what the genre of the movie (unless its about Johnny Cash of course).
Most of the time thses folks are pretending to be actors , so to pretend to be someone else is easy for them .
I saw Ray thought is was a fair film but not one id want to see again .
It was somewhat resticted as R C himself was part of the production just before his death and some things at his request where left out .
havnt seen the truman capote or walk the line movies yet have to wait until there are available at netflix .
I liked the Island. Then again, I'm very easy to please film-wise. You lot are just too picky -)
Seems to me no what type of film or tv show it is the actor is pretending to be someone else.
That is the whole point, really doent matter wether it's a real of fictional person they portray.
That bloke playing the lead in "Private Parts" was quite good. Maybe he should have got a nomination as it was really quite close to the real guy. wink
I thought Will Smith was dead good as Ali, he caught his mannerisms perfectly and I enjoyed the film - but yes I'd prefer to see real footage and replays of his great fights (which I do frequently). Not seen the Cash film or most of the others you mention but I'm not really that inspired to see them either so you're right a documentary would be far better.
I thought the bloke in the Howard Stern film was Howard Stern. I thought he was playing himself. Shows how much I know.
I thought the bloke in the Howard Stern film was Howard Stern. I thought he was playing himself. Shows how much I know.
Looks like Pilgrim's irony fell on stoney ground :wink:
Did anyone see Sofia Loren : Her Own Story?
The actress who played Sofia looked like her but Sofia's mother had no similarity whatsoever :roll: :grin:
I thought the bloke in the Howard Stern film was Howard Stern. I thought he was playing himself. Shows how much I know.
Looks like Pilgrim's irony fell on stoney ground :wink:
Crap, I feel like a right idiot now.