Best ACTING in film

[BMichaelKrol]

Can anyone think of a great performance with crap material? I ask because a lot of the performances mentioned here are from really great scripts, Glengarry Glen Ross in particular. Which is not to denigrate Lemmon's performance, but I think it's easier with a great script to put in a great performance than it is with a bad script.

[PHEDG]

DiCaprio: What's Eating Gilbert Grape
D'Onofrio: Full Metal Jacket
Madsen: Reservoir Dogs
Wright: Basquiat

[Matt]

Can anyone think of a great performance with crap material? I ask because a lot of the performances mentioned here are from really great scripts, Glengarry Glen Ross in particular. Which is not to denigrate Lemmon's performance, but I think it's easier with a great script to put in a great performance than it is with a bad script.

Morgan Freeman in 'Street Smart'. it's a credit to the Academy that they got beyond the fact that it was a TERRIBLE film and nominated Freeman for Best Supporting Actor. He didn't get it, but it put him on the map for other work.

I watched this again about a year and a half ago. Seriously, it's a terrible movie but Freeman simply OWNS the screen whenever he's there. He's a badass pimp that you do NOT want to mess with.

[Timothy225]

Robert DeNiro in Sleepers. Say what you will about the film itself, but the one scene where Shakes is detailing all that happened to him and his buddies at the Wilkinson Home for Boys to Carol and Father Bobby (DeNiro); DeNiro says nothing, his performance is in the look on his face. You just see him take it all in, and he goes from serious to a subtle look so full of shame, remorse, guilt, that it's all but heartbreaking. Tremendous, and without any dialogue from him.

[Trejo]

Love Phillip Seymour Hoffman in everything. Also the movie Before the Devil Knows You're Dead gets a vote from every lead. Same with the 25th Hour.

Also a bunch of other people in a bunch of other movies

[Howard]

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Inspired.

[V]

Remember 'The Sicilian'? One of Michael Cimino's last gasps...

The entire supporting cast should get a nod in this thread... because Christopher Lambert's acting was so fucking horrible, it made everyone else's performance almost Oscar™ worthy.

[Matt]

'the Sicilian'...good GOD was that a bad movie, with 90% of the blame firmly resting on Lambert's shoulders.

[Matt]

DiCaprio: What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Absolutely. I honestly thought that Leo WAS a retarded kid when I saw it. Seeing him act 'normally' later on totally blew my mind. That's talent.

Johnny Depp is pretty incredible in this film as well.

[I_Cassini]

Absolutely. I honestly thought that Leo WAS a retarded kid when I saw it. Seeing him act 'normally' later on totally blew my mind. That's talent.

Johnny Depp is pretty incredible in this film as well.

I thought that same thing about LEO. I thought no way a kid that young could be that talented.

*retardedsis/brofist* (yall still doing that right?)

[Matt]

hell YES we're still doin' that, lol.

[V]

Absolutely. I honestly thought that Leo WAS a retarded kid when I saw it.

Now hang on a minute... if he's not retarded... how do you 'splain this?

[Ed Hocken]

Christopher Plummer in The Insider
Pretty much anything John Cazale did.

[Matt]

David Strathairn in 'Good Night and Good Luck'. He's always been a decent actor, but I never thought for a moment that he had something like THIS in him.

[Ed Hocken]

Chris Meloni in Wet Hot American Summer
Sam Rockwell in Moon