MovieChat Forums > Appaloosa (2008) Discussion > Renee's face ruined this movie. One reas...

Renee's face ruined this movie. One reason why 3:10 to Yuma is better.

posted 15 years ago by MrAleisterCrowley
28 replies | jump to latest

Another poster proclaimed that he was ashamed to be a member of this website since voters rated 3:10 to Yuma higher than Appaloosa. Well I happen to be a fan of solidly made, interesting Westerns (both classic and contemporary), and there is no comparison between these two films.

3:10 to Yuma certainly had its flaws (and devoted fans of the original can debate these endlessly) but the acting was vastly superior to the acting in Appaloosa (Russell Crowe and Christian Bale were smashing in their roles -- Ed Harris was truly mediocre, borderline wooden, and Viggo was not at his most magnetic), which was mainly ruined by RZ's dismal turn. Her character was deeply unlikable and in addition to this her appearance was positively distracting.

The director should never have allowed this to happen -- either hire another actress at the last minute and work out the contract or get a majorly talented makeup artist to help Renee. Her face is abnormally puffy in this film -- as though she had been on a large dose of steroids for weeks prior to filming. Given the fact that Renee is eating-disorder thin when she is not working on Bridget Jones, something is going on with Renee's appearance. Whatever it was, the director should never have let this pass for his leading actress.

[–] pinzon44 15 years ago

I agree with you 100%, I was literally pulled out of the movie when she came on screen, I would have loved this film had she not been in it.

[–] jokeco68 15 years ago

And I will concur as well. Just watched this last night, I could not get over how horrible she looked. I think you need a truly attractive woman to kind of explain why Cole would put up with her indiscretions but Rene's appearance was horrendous, totally distracting, ouch!

Everyone gets everything he wants.

[–] spielberto 15 years ago

Yeah, cuz back in the hard west frontier towns, women looked like Pamela Anderson. Make-up was plentiful. Etc, etc.

Good god, people. Not EVERY WOMAN is a '10'.
I, for one, LIKE that there's alot of 'ugly' people in this film.

This is exactly why I think Megan Fox is gonna spoil the Jonah Hex movie.

[–] tinydancer1 15 years ago

Your right, there wasn't one 10 in the whole film. Which is just the way it should be. Ed wanted historical accuracy, and he got it. Right down to the skinny, builds of the male characters. And I've got to say I haven't seen that many man wrinkles since I last visited my grandpa at the nursing home.

Use Things, Not people.

[–] MrAleisterCrowley 15 years ago

I agree that the main maile characters looked authentic. Especially Viggo -- but Renee just looked stangely swollen, not at all authentic (the other main actress was much more believable).

The issue isn't that Renee needed to look like a "10." She just needed to be convincing in the part in which she was cast. And because she looks so strikingly odd now, probably due to bad plastic surgery and also perhaps excessive drinking/smoking, she was not remotely believable in the part.

[–] Noir-It-All 15 years ago

I posted this elsewhere but I have read that women were in such short supply in this area at this time that a woman looking like RZ would have attracted men's attention. However, I have no idea if this was the director's intention.

"Two more swords and I'll be Queen of the Monkey People." Roseanne

[–] naiad2014 10 years ago

Do you like her looks better now, after her most recent plastic surgery?

[–] missy (174) 7 years ago

I liked Renee for the part, but I did a double-take at her swollen face. If not for that, she would have been great as she played the role very convincingly. But her face was a distraction.

I like that Ed Harris wanted historical accuracy and didn't cast 10s; I appreciate historical accuracy. And he had it, except for Renee's puffy face.

[–] crunchbrry 14 years ago

"This is exactly why I think Megan Fox is gonna spoil the Jonah Hex movie."

They should have got someone like Eva Green. Similar looks, but not crazy as a *beep* rat with the same attitude as Kristin "I hate being famous, hate my fans, but sure don't mind the paychecks" Stewart.

[–] StarrySkyWaltz 15 years ago

She's not a bad actress, but she really needs to lay off the plastic surgery. Since the character she was portraying is from the 1800s, I would expect someone a little more "natural" looking. An actress with obvious botox and lip injections was all wrong for this role. She's naturally very cute too.

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[–] jeaniebaby001 15 years ago

Her face is abnormally puffy in this film --

fillers, people....the word you're looking for is "fillers"...

[–] dlade-1 14 years ago

Have not seen "3:10 to Yuma." But just watched "Appaloosa" again last night and must agree: casting Zellweger was a mistake. Not only did her appearance make her not believable in the role of a creature who could drive not one but three men to distraction, but she portrayed Allie with the mannerisms of an annoying, whining child-woman brat -- not of a calculating woman willing to do what she needed to get what she wanted.

Yes, I know that women were tough to come by in the Old West, so even those of modest attractiveness were prizes. And I know that Allie' would-be helplessness is part of what made her attractive to Virgil. But she and her relationships with male characters came off as completely false. And given that is an important part of the movie's plot, it's a real problem.

I read on this site that Diane Lane had signed on for the role but bowed out early... what happened there? Lane would have been a much better choice. And did Harris try for other actresses, or did he just grab Zellweger and hustle along?

[–] peterczech 14 years ago

Appaloosa movie plot is unpredictable, unlike 3:10 to Yuma - I knew all the time what would happen next in Yuma.

Ed Harris and Viggo perform their roles just naturally, like real marshalls - a bit too strict, a bit too arrogant, but always brave and fair. I love the scenes they act "in the name of law".

Renee played a poor and desperate, but still desirable, wild-west widow. She simply was not allowed to look better. No doubt she looks just appropriately here.

And I do not mention your remarks about her eating disorders - just rude and personal, nothing about movie.

Have a nice day,
Peter, Czech Republic

[–] BB-15 14 years ago

From peterczech;

"Appaloosa movie plot is unpredictable..."

I agree with you from about the middle to the end of the movie. Appaloosa starts out like "Unforgiven" but then takes a very different turn focusing on story of the main characters over a long period of time.

"Renee played a poor and desperate, but still desirable, wild-west widow. She simply was not allowed to look better. No doubt she looks just appropriately here."

Agreed about Zellweger. Some people want the typical young Hollywood actress. But Harris is looking for authenticity with his actors. The women in the wild west were almost always not beauty queens. And there was such a shortage of women (who were mostly prostitutes) that a woman like Mrs. French would have been sought after. The Ed Harris character starts out asking if she was a prostitute. Then he explains why he wants her when talking about how Allison French washes every day and chews her food properly. It tells the audience what kind of choices men had in those days in the West.

BB ;-)

it's just in my humble opinion - imho -

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[–] catpetal-1 14 years ago

Since she's not meant to be a "bombshell", she's perfectly cast since she's an excellent actress. What kind of pleasure do people get being horrible about her?

Allie is a fascinating character, but she's no bombshell in the book.

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[–] Marlburian 14 years ago

I'm with those who felt that Renee's appearance was appropriate to the time and place. There are countless westerns where the hero arrives in town and immediately meets a couple of very attractive women (one respectable, the other not)with access to a great gown-maker and hairdresser and who don't look as if they would survive a week in a primitive township.

The entire film looked authentic.

[–] Danusha_Goska 13 years ago

Don't understand all this hate for Renee Zellwegger. No she's not drop dead gorgeous but she's hardly the monster some of these posts imply

[–] Mel_O_Yellow 12 years ago

Because she gives a pinched, nervous and frankly irritating performance that lends no insight into Allie's character.

Quite possibly the weakest performance of her career.

[–] kristen1165 12 years ago

But the men supposedly falling for her left and right, are quite homely themselves. It's not like they're wanting us to believe that Channing Tatum and Ryan Reynolds are falling in love with Susan Boyle. But men aren't judged by their looks, just their acting, so of course no one would mention them.

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[–] sized-2 8 years ago

You're right, no comparison. Appaloosa storyline is actually believable. That ending for 3:10 was absolutely ridiculous. Pure fantasy.