MovieChat Forums > Broadchurch (2013) Discussion > Gracepoint > Broadchurch

Gracepoint > Broadchurch

posted 9 years ago by Avocado4
11 replies | jump to latest

I just finished Gracepoint and came to watch Broadchurch. My goodness the acting by the Latimer family is horrible in comparison. The dad and daughter you couldn't tell if they were snickering or not, and the mom went way overboard. The dad seeing Danny in the examination room was pretty much just like "oh dear me sonny is dead, too bad..." and walks out straight faced.

Olivia's constant surprised frog face wasn't helping it feel serious either.

If you can watch both pilots back-to-back and honestly try and tell me that Broadchurch has better acting, I'll laugh.

[–] jalola298 9 years ago

Which show did you like better than the other?

Anna Gunn was in Gracepoint. Olivia Colman was her counterpart in Broadchurch.

And it seems to me Gracepoint's Mark Solano (Michael Pena) was stonefaced in the exam room compared to Broadchurch's Mark Latimer (Andrew Buchan).

[–] Avocado4 9 years ago

I haven't finished Broadchurch, but so far I get a lot more feeling from Gracepoint. Gracepoint hit the "just lost a son" feel a lot better in my mind. I didn't even feel bad for the family in Broadchurch because they didn't seem very sad.

You're right, I had just seen the name Gunn, I screwed up. Still though, does she always look like that or is that an oversold expression for the show?

To me, his stone faced look was better because he was crushed. Buchan just looked nonchalant and was talking normal.

I don't know, maybe I am being too hard on them because I just watched Gracepoint, but I expected a lot better acting after reading about it.

[–] Semi_Sweet 9 years ago

You're really not watching the show if you think Buchan's reaction was nonchalant. At first it hit him because he was in denial, he said as much when he spoke of his travel to the morgue. But when he speaks to Danny, there are clear tears in his eyes and a struggle to not break down in front of Ellie.

It's still a great night! Still a great night.

[–] DendelionBlu 9 years ago

You're not British are you?

British people express their emotions in a different way than many other people

If you spent any real time with Brits and you watch the scene where Latimer identifies Danny you see that he's devastated

The way he expressed it is the way lots of Brits I know express devastating pain

[–] Semi_Sweet 9 years ago

How the hell does Whittaker's portrayal come across as overboard? What greater pain is there in this world than for a mother to find out her teenage child has been murdered? You can't overreact to something like that. And if you can't tell a snicker from a grimace then I'm sorry but maybe one needs to pay more attention to what they're watching.

If you prefer Gracepoint, then sure, go for it, however in the minority you may be. But it seems like the only basis you have of saying Gracepoint is better is to attack Broadchurch. The acting on the show is stellar, the only suspect acting from me comes from the guy who plays Nigel, he made me laugh a lot unintentionally.

I watched the trailer for Gracepoint, and honestly it looks pretty cringey. I won't bother to watch seeing as how like most shows that America tries to adapt, or have adapted, it failed.

It's still a great night! Still a great night.

[–] aoxg28 9 years ago

I agree on all points and whilst the OP has the freedom to like one show over the other, I don't think it helped that they saw Gracepoint first. Watching something very similar after it would seem like a copy and the 'lesser' show, even though the reality is the other way around.
The acting was highly praised for Broadchurch. I can't say that I heard that for Gracepoint. Most of the comments I heard after Gracepoint aired were saying it was a pale imitation and advising people to stick with the original.

But as you say, they are in the very small minority with their views. I think which one is the better show is quite clearly by one version of the show getting it's third season and the other version has been cancelled. It says it all.

[–] InglouriousSister 9 years ago

I haven't seen Gracepoint, though I may at some point for Tennant and Anna Gunn. I just binged the first season of Broadchurch last weekend and really loved it.

Are you American? I'm not British either, I'm Finnish, but I often find expressions of grief, joy etc in American productions phony and exaggerated because we are a more reserved people, and that kind or a behavior seems theatrical to me. The reactions in Broadchurch from the family and the community rang really true to me, I was touched and impressed. It's a cultural difference.

The first series was simply amazing, I started on the second right away, though I've heard it's not as good. I notice it's still about the same case, I rather hoped it would be Hardy and Miller going off on a separate case entirely.

'Dead' is just Time Lord for 'man flu'.

[–] kellyseekellydo 9 years ago

Then laugh because the acting was better.

For the type of people involved, it felt a lot more realistic. The acting on Gracepoint seemed derived out of soapy/talk show emotion than the real life responses would have likely been.

[–] crazygreen1126 8 years ago

The acting in GP was horrible aside from Tennant & the woman who played the mother. None of the other people who were cast meshed together at all. The Solano's had no chemistry as a family & Pena came off very wooden. He just wasn't believable in the role. The kid who played Tom was cringeworthy. The fact that they even did a lot of the same lines word for word made GP look like a soapy parody.

I thought it was interesting when they switched up the ending, but it felt unfinished so it ruined the change.

"What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?"

[–] InglouriousSister 8 years ago

I thought it was interesting when they switched up the ending

I haven't seen Gracepoint and have no immediate plans of watching it, but I read that twist online by accident. Funnily enough it's exactly the thing I was sure was going to happen at the end of series 1 of Broadchurch, but didn't. It almost makes me want to watch Gracepoint, maybe some day.

'Dead' is just Time Lord for 'man flu'.

[–] b_paul123 8 years ago

I watched Gracepoint, but didn't really have any interest in watching Broadchurch, so I am guessing they didn't have the same killer at the end of season 1 of broadchurch, i am guessing it was the dad(joe i think is his name), like in gracepoint his son is the one who accidentally killed danny, but joe did it in broadchurch. It sucks that there was no season 2 of Gracepoint because it does end on a cliffhanger.