10 Greatest Over-Acted Performances In Movie History
1. Nicolas Cage - Mandy (2018)
There was only one person destined for the number one spot on this list, but before we get into Mandy:
The Wicker Man remake made Cage the living meme he now is, thanks to hilarious screams of “Not the bees!” But, as funny as The Wicker Man is, it’s also awful, so it’s not topping the list. The same goes for Vampire’s Kiss. It makes for funny YouTube clips but it’s a dreadful movie.
When Mandy came out in 2018 much of the anticipation surrounded what wacky Cage acting we were all in store for - would we see Cage go into full on Beast acting mode?
Well, for the first third of Mandy not so. Panos Cosmatos’s movie is moody and hypnotic, with dialogue between Cage and titular co-star Andrea Riseborough naturalistic to the point of stillness and whispers.
But once Mandy is brutally murdered and Red (Cage) seeks revenge, it’s time to rock.
The scene where Red drinks a whole bottle of vodka and roars himself into revenge mode is an incredible piece of uninhibited Acting. Once Red begins his bloodbath the movie allows Cage-heads a few silly bits of Cage self-parody (I remember him snorting coke off of the scythe getting a great reaction at the cinema).
What Mandy does is use Meme Cage perfectly. The apex is Cage’s blood-caked grinning face after his quest is finished - staring directly into the camera, at us, reciprocating our manic glee.