Firstly, a disclaimer: there are great movies and there are great actors. Yet no matter how great an actor is, there will be the occasional floating log of film turd that will be skipped over on their resume if they are lucky enough. Bruce Willis had his Hudson Hawk, Tom Hanks plopped one out in The Ladykillers, but, hey, they still command our respect. Hell, even Al Pacino showed up in the giant Adam Sandler turd Jack and Jill, which scored extremely well with people of low intellect and Republican teenagers.
Once upon a time, these actors could only poop box-office gold, but something happened. One turd beget another and another and another. Now these former greats simply are shallow imitations of their past glories, struggling to find that right script that’ll put them back on top. They need to pull out a John Travolta circa Pulp Fiction to get out their ruts. Saying that, here’s is a list of 10 still actors that we once idolized who have fallen from grace.
10. Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer had the California surfer good looks when he broke into the scene in the Zuckerfest comedy Top Secret!. He was Ice Man in Top Gun, Mad Martigan in Willow and even took a turn as Batman. He got to hang with the heavyweights in Heat alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. He was so good as Jim Morrison in the Doors – both in looks and talent – it appeared he was destined for a long life of top billing… even if it was only for a Doors Tribute Band.
So what happened?
Val’s a bit of an enigma. His career started to take a downturn after his divorce in 1995, shortly after appearing as Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever and the widely panned remake of The Saint. Rumors persisted that he was difficult to work with from early on his career, including nearly getting in a fist fight with Tom Cruise on Top Gun and not wishing to work with Joel Schumacker again after Batman, resulting in George Clooney driving the final nail in the coffin of the ’90s franchise. He has had some critical acclaim in smaller roles such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and even was the voice of KITT in the short-lived remake of Knight Rider. So there’s that.
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24 Comments
Al Pacino should be here too, but otherwise a spot on list!
Edward Norton should have been here. De Niro and Kilmer are prime examples though.
edward norton?? u gota explain that!!
I was hoping that no-one would say Ed Norton. I don’t think he’s finished at all, or not what he used to be – he just chooses what he wants to do now. Huge environmentalist as well.
Dang it Hugh beat me to it. Pacino for the win. Maybe sprinkle in a bit of Costner.
Is it odd that it bothers me what happened to Kilmer? He was my favorite actor for years.
Nic cage, john travolta, stallone, seagal and kurt russell should also be here.
I have to disagree with de niro though.
There is something hypnotic about Nic Cage, even when the films are seemingly terrible and his acting is seemingly terrible, I just cannot stop watching, do you think I need help?
batman forever was not tim burtons batman 3, but joel schumachers first batman. thought I should just clear that up
Winona Ryder deserves an honorable mention.
There is no way De Niro should be on this list. He is the only actor on this list that has had success across numerous genres including dramatic roles (Goodfellas, Casino) comedic roles (Meet the Parents), Grindhouse (Machete) and even action adventure (Midnight Run). There are few if any actors with his range.
“…the soft-core torture porn of Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto…”
Spoken like a true shallow bigot, Jay (change the first letter of your name to ‘G’ instead of ‘J’, it would be more fitting), Mel Gibson is a tremendously talented director, and if all you see in those two aforementioned films is the violence, and not the depth underlying it, methinks you’re in the wrong business… you criticize because you have neither the smarts to appreciate nor the talent to make a work of art that has touched millions worldwide.
You’re a sad, sad little man, I hope your parents are proud of you…
wow. homophobe-troll much? i don’t even understand how changing his name to Gay would be more fitting, unless you find that stuff funny – in which case i’m surprised you are not defending Adam Sandler.
The writer isn’t talking about Mel’s directing, he’s talking about his acting, which is 2 completely different careers but you would know that because you sound really intelligent when you insult people.
Pacino should have been on the list. Like the guy said at the start, he’s even gone so low as to be in Jack and Jill.
Then why does the author mention movies he directed if it’s about acting skill? And even he criticise that too! Exaggeration? Get carried over? Or simply because Jay doesn’t know about how ‘completely different’ those 2?
Apocalypto is actually a pretty good movie. But somewhere around Braveheart, Mel decided that the more over-the-top he made his violence, the better. I like The Patriot (hell, Jason Isaacs has evil down pat), and Apocalypto is a surprisingly good narrative story, but his obsession with turning everyone’s innards into outards is kind of creepy. It’s like watching someone’s progression into madness. Each movie gets heavier in its reliance on the blood-n-guts until you already know what to expect.
I liked The Patriot (and Jason Isaacs can do evilly lucious with his eyes closed, IMO), but it gets bogged down with Mel’s insistence on slow-motion blood spewing and One Man Winning the Revolution.
What’s your fixation with poo, dude? People pooing, turds floating around etc.
Robin Williams didn’t rock the education establishment in DPS, his character did. Eternal sunshine of the spotless man? you mean mind?
Deniro is exactly where he should be on this list. He’d dancing a lifeless jig on his legacy as one of the greatest film actors ever.
I liked Val Kilmer in Bad Lieutenant, but agree that he has fallen from his former glory somewhat. Heat was probably his last great role.
I believe Val Kilmer’s last great film was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but since then he looks terrible and hasn’t made anything great since. I would have to disagree with DeNiro. His Oscar nominated role in The Silver Lining Playbook is proof of that.
I love Mike Myers – So I Married An Axe Murderer is a lovely little movie. Anthony La Paglis is very funny, which reminds me of Empire Records, another film I recommend you look up, it has early performances by Liv Tyler and Renee Zellwegger
Mira Furlan would be perfect as the twelth doctor
it’s time to see a woman play the role, that would be great
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oops right post wrong link section……….hehe
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Maybe they grew up and don’t need to live in a Hollywood fantasy world anymore!
That should be Punch Drunk Love, not Punchline in Sandler’s blurb.