With Uncut Gems, it's proof that some actors tend to find themselves in bad movies a lot and it has nothing to do with how good they are.
He was just one of the actors that Reddit singled out as someone with a real talent for it despite his patchy filmography. As well as stars like Idris Elba and James Marsden, Redditors think that several actors could do with picking their movies better.
Adrien Brody
As the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Pianist, no one can deny that Adrien Brody is a ferocious talent, and he certainly has a charisma that makes him consistently interesting to watch. Unfortunately, though there are a few notable exceptions, his filmography since then has been less than stellar.
One Blonde this year, so perhaps a revival is due.
Naomi Watts
A co-star of Adrien Brody on Peter Jackson's The Desperate Hour.
Redditor wlu1 laments that Watts hasn't found her way into better movies by now, especially because "the fact that she’s still fantastic in those bad movies make it even more frustrating." Being the best part of a bad movie may not be that hard, but it's still a testament to the British actress's star quality.
James Marsden
Whilst the excited for the future of the movie franchise, the fact that those moderately well-received movies are the best of his recent movie career says a lot about an actor who has taken on a lot of questionable projects.
Since he obviously has the charm and good looks to make for a likable leading man, Redditors like X-Men franchise) he was always getting the shaft too." Many are hopeful that Sonic the Hedgehog has put an end to his bad luck.
Mackenzie Davis
It's obvious from when she is in a good movie or TV series, such as her performances in The F Word, Black Mirror episode "San Junipero" that Mackenzie Davis has some serious acting chops for someone who's only been in the industry for a decade. However, the last few years have been largely disappointing for the Canadian actress.
Redditor Happiest Season, and it was considerably better-received.
Charles Dance
In shows like Dracula Untold, which sits at 25% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Redditor watchman28 speculates that the British actor "takes almost any job that comes up" and it just so happens to have worked out better for his small-screen career. Even so, as an actor who's been appearing in movies since the start of the 80s, it's surprising he hasn't appeared in more good films.
Idris Elba
Idris Elba astonished the world with his breakout performance as Stringer Bell on DCEU.
Redditor The Suicide Squad have been a lot better, so there are signs of improvement already.
Adam Sandler
As the star of a whole host of Razzie-nominated movies, Adam Sandler is one of the most notorious "bad movie" actors in Hollywood, and, for a good period, his name being attached to a project was a warning to stay away. However, he's certainly not without his acclaimed performances, from The Wedding Singer to the more recent Uncut Gems.
The latter is the performance that convinced one Redditor of Sandler's real talent and they said, "when he wants to be powerful," Sandler can produce a really impressive performance. However, they also acknowledge that the actor who has mostly taken on roles in gross-out comedies in the past just "doesn't do that often".
Toby Kebbell
Toby Kebbell's acting skills and charisma have meant he's often the best part of any movie he's in. Unfortunately, those movies include Ben-Hur, and that's not even the full list of notorious flops and critically-panned movies that have featured the British actor.
Redditor BooshAC wasn't alone in thinking this was a shame as they consider the actor "so talented" that he should be in far better movies. Though his track record may be a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point and only lead to more bad roles for Kebbell, a starring role in the Apple TV+ series The Servant proves he can work well in a better project.
Michael Caine
Having established himself as a charming leading man in The Italian Job all the way back in the late 60s and grown into a fan-favorite character actor, especially with his collaborations with Christopher Nolan in the last couple of decades, it's fair to say that Michael Caine has had a legendary movie career no matter what.
However, anyone who did take a dive into his full filmography would notice a lot of blips in between his best work, and Redditor asromatifoso explained that "Michael Caine was famous for this" and that he always treated acting as a normal job. With that in mind, it makes sense that Caine would take on less-desirable roles when better work wasn't forthcoming.
Eva Green
Having gained international recognition for Kingdom of Heaven and for playing Vesper in Dumbo (2019), they haven't exactly been beloved by critics or fans.
Redditor The_Vampire_Barlow has stronger words for her movie career, saying "outside of Casino Royal Eva Green has pretty much made a career out of being the best thing in a bad movie." There is definitely some truth to that because, just as Green's talent makes her stand out in better movies, it also makes her stand out as one of the few good things in poorer offerings.
