10 Movies That Actually Benefited From Bad Acting

Richard Linklater's legendary coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused is jam-packed with on-the-rise young actors who went on to become stars in their own right, such as Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Parker Posey, Matthew McConaughey, Joey Lauren Adams, and Renée Zellweger.

There's a laid-back naturalism to most of the performances on offer, and then there's Wiley Wiggins' toe-curling turn as awkward freshman Mitch Kramer.

Wiggins was a non-actor who was "discovered" by Linklater during production, and without getting too mean to a 15-year-old unprofessional performer, it shows.

Wiggins' performance is often singled out for its cringe-worthy affectations, namely the embarrassing sequence where he attempts to flirt with Sabrina (Christin Hinojosa) and awkwardly touches his nose repeatedly in an attempt to seem, well, awkward.

In recent years Linklater blamed himself for letting Wiggins touch his nose so much, and while it's basically infuriating to watch, it does feel strangely authentic for a goofy, nervy weirdo like Mitch.

Mitch is clearly supposed to be a bit annoying and try-hard, and to that end Wiggins' clumsy performance is actually accidentally perfect.