Johnny Depp: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

And 5 That Sucked...

5. Willy Wonka - Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Fruitful though his work with Tim Burton has been, it's also unearthed its share of absolute dreck, especially in the last decade or so. One such effort is Burton's admirable if misguided Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which tries to take on a classic movie - and, above all else, a classic performance - but can't quite find the right tone to strike. Depp gives a wildly self-indulgent, irritating performance that he reportedly modeled on Michael Jackson among others, one rightly derided by the original Wonka himself, Gene Wilder.

I suppose one can't criticise Depp for just ripping off Wilder's attempt - it is new and ambitious, but it's just not very good. It's totally crazy and more than a little creepy, but there's the feeling here that Burton should have reined the actor in a little, rather than essentially letting him just do whatever he wanted with the cameras rolling. Had I watched this as a child, I doubtless wouldn't have slept for weeks.