'The Ugly Truth'

DDD wrote:

This movie is very funny! Do not listen to the bad critics!

If those critics pointed out that Ms. Heigl is a lot less than a captivating presence on screen, I'll be in a rare agreement with them.

Aaron R

Ms. Heigl is cute...and that's about it, really. Seriously, she had more depth in My Father, The Hero (or whatever that one was called).

OCGirl

I think Heigl's main problem is her annoyance factor, that's very off-putting. the review i read for this movie did not celebrate her performance. I have not seen it, but i heard from a couple ppl that this movie was terrible. and i say who couldn't have guessed that from its ads? yuck.

Aaron R

I never much cared for her as an actress or as a regular person. She just comes across as a huge snob, when she really doesn't have anything to back it up. If she were the second coming of Katherine Hepburn, then maybe. As the second coming of Barbi Benton...not so much.

Rena Moretti

Aaron R wrote:

Ms. Heigl is cute...and that's about it, really. Seriously, she had more depth in My Father, The Hero (or whatever that one was called).

Funny you'd mention that movie. It's the only thing I've ever liked her in.

She was unaffected and real in that film.

Rena Moretti

Aaron R wrote:

I never much cared for her as an actress or as a regular person. She just comes across as a huge snob, when she really doesn't have anything to back it up. If she were the second coming of Katherine Hepburn, then maybe. As the second coming of Barbi Benton...not so much.

To be nice, at least she isn't Megan "I look like the cliche of a porn star" Fox

Aaron R

Well, yes, she was "unaffected and real" in that film because I think she was only about 14.

Although given some of the eleven-year-olds I've met recently, that's not always a sure thing...

:P

Rena Moretti

Aaron R wrote:

Well, yes, she was "unaffected and real" in that film because I think she was only about 14.
Although given some of the eleven-year-olds I've met recently, that's not always a sure thing...
:P

The problem with child actors growing up is generally twofold:

1) Expectations on acting ability grow and audiences are less satisfied with "I can't believe she remembered her lines" and

2) A lot of child actors are surrounded by people telling them how great they are when they need to be surrounded by people driving them to acting school.

Thus a number of child actors appear to become worse and worse as they grow older (Hayden Pannetiere being a prime example), they may actually be worse.

Of course, occasionally, you get a Roddy McDowall or a Michael J. Fox.:)

OCGirl

Rena Moretti wrote:

<quoted text>
The problem with child actors growing up is generally twofold:
1) Expectations on acting ability grow and audiences are less satisfied with "I can't believe she remembered her lines" and
2) A lot of child actors are surrounded by people telling them how great they are when they need to be surrounded by people driving them to acting school.
Thus a number of child actors appear to become worse and worse as they grow older (Hayden Pannetiere being a prime example), they may actually be worse.
Of course, occasionally, you get a Roddy McDowall or a Michael J. Fox.:)

i recently saw a clip from Hayden Pannetiere's new movie and i think your example was very apt indeed. she was so bad that i was almost embarassed for her. well, not really...i probably just got a snide laugh about it. but nevertheless, it was cringeworthy.

Aaron R

She's a great example of an actress who was terrific as a young girl (even up to her being cast in Heroes), but has become yet another in a long line of actors who just can't make the jump into adulthood unscathed. I personally think younger actors should have to take at least two years off to polish their craft at either a regular university, or perhaps a special academy set up specifically for former child stars who wish to make the transition into adult roles in a mature fashion. While it's true some actors go right from youngster to adult without blinking an eye (Thora Birch, Reese Witherspoon, Christina Ricci and Melissa Gilbert come to mind...no male actors, though, which is odd), most need a little extra push to make it.
Of course, having agents who tend to bring the worst scripts to the table doesn't help much either.

joe blow

Anonymous Proxy

something

OCGirl

yeah like Jodie Foster or Brooke Shields did, or even to some extent, like Natalie Portman.

male actor--Justin Timberlake?, kind of.

Rena Moretti

OCGirl wrote:

<quoted text>
i recently saw a clip from Hayden Pannetiere's new movie and i think your example was very apt indeed. she was so bad that i was almost embarassed for her. well, not really...i probably just got a snide laugh about it. but nevertheless, it was cringeworthy.

One of the reason I do pick on her a lot is that in addition to her lack of acting chops, she is very full of herself and apparently thinks of herself as a huge star that all should worship.

Rena Moretti

Aaron R wrote:

She's a great example of an actress who was terrific as a young girl (even up to her being cast in Heroes), but has become yet another in a long line of actors who just can't make the jump into adulthood unscathed. I personally think younger actors should have to take at least two years off to polish their craft at either a regular university, or perhaps a special academy set up specifically for former child stars who wish to make the transition into adult roles in a mature fashion. While it's true some actors go right from youngster to adult without blinking an eye (Thora Birch, Reese Witherspoon, Christina Ricci and Melissa Gilbert come to mind...no male actors, though, which is odd), most need a little extra push to make it.
Of course, having agents who tend to bring the worst scripts to the table doesn't help much either.

Funny you'd mention the agents.

Something I found about them is that a lot of them don't care about the quality of a project. They only care who's bringing it in.

Many a nascent career has been killed by agent passing on all opportunities while waiting for the Big Giant Studio offer.

Aaron R

A great case in point of a non-child star, but who meets the criteria set forth in earlier posts, is Cuba Gooding, Jr. He had the possibility of a career to die for after Jerry McGuire (perhaps like another Denzel Washington), but I think his agents and others working for him pretty much torpedoed his career with one atrocious movie after another. True, Gooding could have said no, and I'm honestly surprised that more, better (note the comma in between, rendering that duo gramatically correct) scripts weren't offered to him, but most if it does come back to the agents.

I'm glad literary agents tend not to be like those in the entertainment industry...otherwise, authors like Margaret Atwood and John Le Carre would be writing comic book movie adaptations instead of novels like The Handmaid's Tale and The Spy Who Came In From the Cold.

(A side note about The Ugly Truth...the movie was, according to box office figures and word of mouth, a success, even though it proves yet again what I've long grown tired of in movies of this genre: love and romance do not automatically equate with sex, which modern filmmakers just can't seem to get through their thick skulls. A movie like Casablanca, which is in my opinion the epitome of a romantic film, would probably flop today because it didn't have snarky dialogue and the inevitable sex scene/scenes. It's sad and just a little pathetic.)

Aaron R

That should read,..."most OF it...", not "most IF it..."

Damn twitchy ring finger.:P

OCGirl

Rena Moretti wrote:

<quoted text>
One of the reason I do pick on her a lot is that in addition to her lack of acting chops, she is very full of herself and apparently thinks of herself as a huge star that all should worship.

damn, my post went into topix washing machine-ugh. but i'll write it again...

Agreed, she is very full of herself and so sure that she's "all that." Funny thing is, i watched the first season of Heroes (and that was the first i ever saw of her), and i thought she was cute but kind of in a funny-looking way, an all-american girl-next-door type. Certainly not drop-dead gorgeous, so i was shocked to find out that was her opinion of herself!

OCGirl

Aaron R wrote:

{length edited]...
(A side note about The Ugly Truth...the movie was, according to box office figures and word of mouth, a success, even though it proves yet again what I've long grown tired of in movies of this genre: love and romance do not automatically equate with sex, which modern filmmakers just can't seem to get through their thick skulls. A movie like Casablanca, which is in my opinion the epitome of a romantic film, would probably flop today because it didn't have snarky dialogue and the inevitable sex scene/scenes. It's sad and just a little pathetic.)

I heard reported that Ugly Truth had an apporx $23M opening weekend, nothing to write home about but not bad either, esp for its genre. However, i heard terrible word-of-mouth for this movie has led to serious drop-off. Overall, i wouldn't be surprised if the box for this movie falls flat.

As for Casablanca flopping today, pls don't underestimate the audience! With a decent star or 2 and proper promotion, it might be successful. after all, Titanic struck a chord and that movie didn't rely on snarky dialogue (yes, a little salty here and there, but not so much) and blatant sex scenes to sell the story/picture. Maybe if more quality films were made, they would see the public can be more sophisticated than they give them credit for.

Rena Moretti