Just a curiosity thing on my part, call it an informal survey. I give Colin Farrell the tag in the Miami Vice post below, and given their incredible willingness to coast on reputations earned in their past work I'd have to include John Travolta and Robert DeNiro on my list as well, but I'm curious who you people feel are the most over rated actors working today. Fire away.
Gwyneth Paltrow.
Sammy L. Jackson. That's all I have got off the top of my head though.
Plenty of names to toss out there but Miami Vice is carrying a double threat with Farrell and Jamie Foxx. Foxx has been more or less annointed to the top of the game based off of the strength of 2 films. Tom Cruise acted circles around him in Collateral yet he got most of the platitudes and his impersonation of Ray Charles would have been a legitemate perforamnce had he done so much as sang a single song in the film. Hopefully with his guaranteed Oscar win he can follow the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr. and Halle Berry back into mediorcity and eventual annonymity leaving the real actors to do their work.
Brad Pitt. I'll never understand why he's considered to be '10x the actor Tom Cruise is'. He does his job in Se7en, and he has his moments in 12 monkeys, but I've never left one of his films thinking he alone could have played that role.
brad pitt has definetly just been playing himself lately.. or a charicature of himself.
Johnny Depp?! Have you seen Edward Scissorhands?
Overrated Women: Kate Beckinsale, Halle Berry, Gwynneth Paltrow, Dame Judi Dench.
Overrated Men: Ralph Fiennes (excepting "Spider"), Anthony Hopkins, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConatthy, Orlando Bloom, Cuba Gooding Jr. and yes, Colin Farrell (and for that matter, Will Farrell)
Most Overrated Directors: Mel Gibson, Stephen Sommers, Michael Bay, Anthony Mingella, Lasse Halstrom, Oliver Stone.
I should have said Depp was overrated in his performance for Finding Neverland. I just hated that movie and how predictable it was. It tries its hardest to make the audience cry and I hate that.
I have to add Al Pachino to the list. Just take another agonising look at the "absentee landlord" scene from Devils advocate again if you find doubt in your heart. Speaking of the devil, Keanu Reeves haven't done anything remotely good actingwise since... Well since he started actually.
Im not sure if she can be concidered overrated but while I go on my matrix rant I may as well add Carrie Ann Moss to the list because she lack any form of screen presence. Maybe thats why the Wachovskys paired her up with Keanu in the first place. We need someone who can match Mr Reeves lack of charisma.. Wait! I know, lets call Ms Moss publicist.
I'll agree on Depp - NEVERLAND really turned me off. It amassed so much good press but was such an obvious attempt at "awards formula" filmmaking.
I'll also throw in votes for Colin Farrel, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tobey Maguire for the guys; Scarlett Johannsen and Halle Berry for the girls.
Those are off the top of my head, and it should be noted I don't think any of them are bad actors - it's just I feel like they're over-praised for doing competent work and nothing more.
I really think the Depp nod for Neverland was a make up for him not winning last year. It's irritating, but the voters do it all the time ...