The film was OK, started out very good and then got a little boring. My biggest thorn, however, was that 3 of the top 4 actors were born in England. So, instead of an American doing a southern accent, you have 3 UK'ers doing it and it is very unconvincing. I can barely do a Brit accent, I can't imagine trying to convice someone of a cockney (sp?) accent on top of that.
Oh yeah, the movie... well, it was just OK.
I thought that very thing, actually - but you know right from the get go there has been a very strong British contingent in Hollywood - Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Cary Grant right up to today. It's got to be something to do with this common language business. I thought Jude Law was very good, he seems to have made himself a niche in southern parts. I had to look twice before I realized that Kate Winslet was in the movie - had they done something to her nose, or what??
shareThe reason why southern actors don't play sourthern parts that much is simple. They don't want to get sterotyped as "Southern."
sharehey check out the new batman movie ... brits or aussies most of them.
shareIt doesn't *beep* matter where an actor is from. Hence the point of acting. If they can pull off a character convincingly and well done with a different accent, then that just adds more to it. Some people can do it very well. Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Brokeback Mountain, etc. Others cannot. Jim Sturgess in 21, whoever the leading girl in Dan In Real Life was...
http://youtube.com/chrispalmieri
No one has pointed out the fact that under Union rules in the British film industry you are only allowed 2 American actors in a British movie.
Yet this movie had 3 British actors.
British actors should be thankful that the American film industry isn't so harsh.
no way really? thats ridiculous lol
To Die Would Be An Awfully Big Adventure!
Unless I have a completely wrong impression and view on actors as a whole, isn't acting all about being people you're not? Since when did films about the US need people from the US in it? And same goes to British films, and any other.
The language is English and English actors can do american accents with ease. English actors are also cheaper to hire and are more likely to have a theatre background which movie directors appreciate.
There are great English actors and there are great American actors, I think this film was cast pretty well.
With all due respect, you are so far off base that you're basically WRONG!!!!!
English actors have some horrible problems with speaking cleanly, Anthony Hopkins a True talent unlike anyone since Laurence Olivier - Anthony just cannot do an american accent! He sounds like some sort of hillbilly with a corncob up his you-know-what. I could give a basket full of other examples
What in the world makes you think they are cheaper to hire?!?!?!? that's is only relevant to each actor and the deal they sign on for.
Likely to have a theater background?? have you ever been to London? (I live here)
First of all the theater here ranges from excellent to so Bad that you can't believe it. London is the mecca of Jukebox theater (Playing a sound track while 'actors' lip-synch to the words)
So first of all Theater experience is not always a good thing, and secondly that doesn't always translate onto the silver screen. Theaters almost require actors to exaggerate movements and voice, in order to transmit their aura. Film often requires subtlety.
Mary Poppins, Dick Van Dyke scarred the British psyche because his british accent was horrible; and the Brits still cant forgive us. So I understand why you Brits are jealous of us Americans.... but enough already with Dick Van Dyke ... we had to endure him as well
Britain has not had an original idea since Wuthering Heights, almost all their TV programming is a direct rip-off from Hollywood, and they cant even get their production values correct..
Black Hawk Down - Ridley Scott directing..... start counting how many Brits he uses to play American soldiers.... and most of them do the same TIRED HILLBILLY SCHTICK when they talk.... and its not even authentic blue blood hillbilly... its some sort of flat twang they heard from some other idiot trying to sound "American"
At least they acted well (most of them) Ewan McGregor's character is great "Not too fine, not too coarse" (secret to grinding coffee beans for the best coffee)
I'm British but I agree with this. Jude law is overrated, Hopkins is a bore and as for Ms. Winslett...well let's not go there shall we...lol.
Americans seriously overrate British actors and it always puzzles me. maybe our plummy voices bamboozle you into thinking we are intelligent. We're not. Our homemade dramas are mostly utter rubbish, we can't do cop/detective shows to save our lives and we haven't had a decent sit com since the 80s.
I can only think that the reason US TV and Hollywood use so many Brits is because we're relatively cheap and you yanks have fallen for our "merchant ivory" line of BS. We're hucksters, posh hucksters, but still hucksters nonetheless.
The US-UK relationship is BS, and not just in matters of acting. Time we all grew up.
Thanks for that joestone99
And I will offer that Hollywood is not exactly the mecca of good taste, but man o man Hollywood is a machine that never stops....
All over the world its the product of Hollywood that is broadcast on local TV programming,
if you want a good laugh, go to the Czech republic sometime and watch what passes for entertainment on TV there!!!
Personally I really liked that 2nd Bridget Jones movie because I think that's the one where Colin Firth punches Hugh Grant in the face :-)))))
That said, every time I watch "About a Boy" i like Hugh Grant more and more..
Cheers mate, see you at the pub
D
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I hate that this movie used a bunch of actors who weren't really from Louisiana.
shareBrits work cheaper! At least that's true of the production crews. Individual actors may vary.
--
Drake
FYI
For the posters complaining about Patricia Clarkson's accent, just thought I'd point out she was born in New Orleans--making her the only lead actor actually from Louisiana. But her character was a businesswoman and therefore used a professional speaking voice with only a slight Southern drawl.
Signatures annoy me.
no: 'y'all c'mon back now 'ya hear!'
His name...was Julio Iglesias!
im with ya on this. the accents are overbearing
i also woulda booted sean penn. sorry to offend the rest of the country but really, nobody can do a southern accent right except somebody from down here
and that's the fact
"Cos... f__k's sake, who'd wanna keep trying to shoot a nice guy like me?" ---XXXX