The Great Actor: River Phoenix looked set to be massive. Breaking out in Stand By Me before gaining critical acclaim thanks to convention busting roles in Running on Empty and My Own Private Idaho, the young actor was beloved by audiences, with his veganism serving as a stark contrast to the problems that normally plagued child actors. He died of a drug overdose in 1993, with the resulting controversy bringing to question several elements of his character. What was never in doubt, however, was his ability as an actor. The Terrible Final Role: James Wright - The Thing Called Love Many claim that Dark Blood, which Phoenix was in the middle of shooting at the time of his death, stands as his final performance, but as it hasn't been released beyond a private screening of a rudimentary cut it can hardly count. That makes The Thing Called Love, a rather by the numbers look at the cost of success, his final film. Phoenix is fine as the country music artist/generic heartthrob, but the whole film's reputation has been highly inflated thanks to the proximity of its release to his death.
