Okay, I admit it I really hated Titanic. Not the film. I like the film, specially Kate Winslet who is perhaps my favorite female actress for her roles in films like Little Children. But I digress. There was also this supposedly epic film I sat through with my then very pregnant wife to pass the time called The Aviator. And most recently J.Edgar.
They all annoyed the shit out of me. Or more specifically Leonardo (who names their kid that anyhow?) annoyed the shit out of me. Why does this little boy with the slicked back hair and the tendency to talk out of the side of his mouth take on larger than life characters that there is just no way he is ever going to be able to live up to? Go back to Growing Pains and The New Lassie, I say Mr. DiCaprio (yeah that can’t be his real name either).
“Have you seen Blood Diamond or the Departed?” my 16 year-old son Seamus just asked me.
I would never admit this to him, but I am going to have to give LD some props on Departed. It was the first time I realized he was a man of any proportion. Before I always pictured him as some under-sized boy. But that was a great film and he didn’t fuck it up.
But I still hate the man and the actor. He is no Robert Redford in my book.
My son loves the Great Gatsby. What kind of kid am I raising? A literary minded young man of import and consequence? I admire him greatly since at 16 I was mostly focussed on far lower minded pursuits. But I just received the most troubling email from Seamus, pointing out who is staring not only in the upcoming film of GG but also a new Quentin Tarantino film (let’s get one thing straight right now, the best film of all time is Pulp Fiction).
The email was entitled, “Pick Your Poison.” It included the following two clips.
So help me out here, and let me know how to respond?
Leo is not THAT bad, he’s not phenomenal either. Definitely has some good flicks, the Beach, Basketball Diaries, this Boy’s Life come to mind. Lately he’s just been picking terrible roles. Roles that are way above his abilities (for that I agree with you). But since we’re talking about shitty actors and QT, honorable mention goes to Jamie Foxx. Now that’s crap acting!
Love him. Would go see a movie knowing nothing about it except he’s on the cast. It didn’t use to be like that. I used find him overrated and transparent. Titanic? Bah. The Beach? *sigh* But then Catch Me If You Can came out, and I had to reconsider. I realized – and movies like Blood Diamond and The Departed really drove the hove – that he was miscasted for years. He’s got the good looks, so Hollywood sooo wanted him to be the next silver screen loverboy. Turns out that while he’s got the looks, those roles are terrible… Read more »
I liked him in Basketball Diaries best but then came the one/two punch of Romeo and Juliet and Titanic and that was the end of my like for him. Ever since the I’ve just been “bleh” about him in roles.
was a big fan until titanic. for me, he peaked with basketball diaries – it’s… perhaps the last moment when he wasn’t “Leo” but rather could be an actor, inhabiting the proto-punk….
” Spencer Tracy, Bogart, Paul Scofield, Richard Burton, Olivier, or more contemporary actors who stand out as giants on the screen. ” – note how you didn’t actually name any “contemporary actors” ? perhaps thats because you’re old and like most old people you can’t believe that anything happening now could be as good as the stuff that’s had a good long time to sit on the shelf and gather nostalgia value. (and in terms of actors, for their shitty roles to be forgotten) LD is one of the great actors of his generation. Any contemporary actors you did name… Read more »
Titanic started my hate for LD so many years ago, but I’m pretty sure he’s paid it in full by now with his more recent-ish movies. Shutter Island gave me a reason to give his talent a second look, and I ended up going back to watch the Departed, Blood Diamond, and some others. (The ones I named were the only good ones though, IMO.) For Inception, the premise for the movie was the better selling point than the actors, but it should still be noted in LD’s defense, if his acting were as poor as it was in Titanic,… Read more »
Titanic sucked, I agree.
I can’t put LD in the same category as Spencer Tracy, Bogart, Paul Scofield, Richard Burton, Olivier, or more contemporary actors who stand out as giants on the screen. LD strikes me as an actor who, while not busy munching on scenery, is a pretty boy pedestrian actor. LD plays himself on screen.
As far as LD’s so called outstanding performances are concerned, even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
“Broken Clock”….LOL
I believe people are failing to remember one of his best acting jobs and possible his best movie, “Catch Me If You Can.” While I think he’s a great actor, I judge actors more on the overall product of movie they are in instead of their actually acting skills, since I don’t feel like I know enough about the profession to give any serious critiques. Therefore, here the Oscar nominations and wins for the movies he has been in. Movie Oscar Nominations Oscar Won Inception 8 4 The Departed 5 4 Blood Diamond 5 0 Titanic 14 11 Catch Me… Read more »
Those are some nice stats Seamus. One question though: has the little big man ever actually WON an Oscar for anything? I keep looking and don’t seem to find a record of his taking home the hardware as an actor in a leading or supporting role…
Gangs of New York! Forgot that one!
Seamus, did you like Shutter Island? The acting in the scene at the lake was so good that my friend actually had to leave the theater… It was unbelievable. I don’t even know how an actor gets to that place.
Tom, you see Shutter Island, come back and tell me Leo’s not a great actor and at least you’ll be informed! 😉
I am with Seamus on this one Tom. Plus, actually winning the Oscar can be a false indicator. Just look at Denzel Washington -one of my favorites- who won an Oscar for one of his least compelling roles (Training Day). Of course the reasons behind that are a different topic. I am a solid LD fan for the most part. Loved Departed, Blood Diamond and Gangs of New York. Shutter Island completely exceeded my expectations. Usually, if I am underwhelmed by one of his films, it is the entire movie, not just his role that was the disappointment. You should… Read more »
Agree with you on all the film comments. Departed was awesome, Titanic, to me, was just embarrassing. When Kate Winslet said recently tht hearing “my Heart Will Go On” makes her want to barf I was a little gleeful. (It’s enough of that song now). I think you feel about Leo (does that work for you?) the same way I feel about Cindy Crawford; what is all the fuss about??? Sure there are some natural good looks and a bit of talent there, but she’s hardly a goddess. Anyway, when my kids ask me about celebs, more like Miley Cyrus… Read more »
“Titanic”: The Leo-tardo School of Acting: “Rooo—oose! Rooo-oose!” (You just know if that was him in real life, he would have pushed Kate off that piece of wood and floated himself over to that lifeboat!)
“Gilbert Grape”: He is acting appropriately like a Leo-tardo (easy stuff…quirky, great movie, BTW!)
“The Aviator”: Hubby liked it….while I thought all the performances in there were so contrived….
“Blood Diamond”: Very convincing as a selfish, driven a–hole…(GREAT MOVIE!)
“The Departed”: Hubby thought this was his best! (All right, I wanna see it…please prove me wrong, Leo!)
Seamus saw Inception 8 times, I believe. I don’t need to see it because he has a quote from the film for every circumstance.
No, you really do need to see it!
Tom, you gotta spend a day with your son watching the really, really good ones. Yes to Blood Diamond. Basketball Diaries. Yes. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?! If you haven’t seen that, go rent it, you will change your mind! Total Eclipse, from when he was young, too… Shutter Island was insane, even if you don’t like the film he’s incredibly good in it. Devastatingly good, actually. THE BEACH!??! He’s amazing in that! Movie is like a B- but he blows the mind in it. And the movie is important in other ways – Tilda Swinton for example, is insane in… Read more »
I’m going to be the brave man and admit I hated Leo for a while because he was everything I’m not. Devastatingly handsome, wealthy, powerful, nuanced…need I go on? It’s hard to be truly critical of the kid who didn’t so much as perform Jim Carroll in the Basketball Diaries as deliver his story with such compelling and careful devotion. Go back and watch that movie again and then tell me the kid can’t act. Furthermore, Django looks amazeballs. I am falling in love with Quentin Tarantino all over again for the way he is going back and attacking issues… Read more »
With you on QT. Pretty much love every film he has every done.