Best & Worst of 2017 - Acting

A random side character in Disney’s The Rocketeer once said, “Acting is acting like you’re not acting.” On the other hand, the late great Paul Newman once said, “To be an actor, you have to be a child.” As strange and silly as both these quotes may seem, there is a great deal of truth to them both. Acting is about playing an elaborate game of let’s pretend. Taking it upon yourself to play with your imagination and conviction to create and embody characters to tell a story. In my experience, good acting can potentially save a lousy movie. But horrible acting can drag the rest of the film down with it. Here are my picks for 2017s best and worst performances. 

Best acting of 2017 

Tulip Fever

Character driven dramas like this one require a cast that is all at once talented, committed, skilled, and passionate about their craft. This film has all of that in spades. The movies cast successfully carries the whole movie. Everyone in this film gets to be funny, dramatic, over the top, subtle, and a little crazy. This movie is terrific in many departments, but it is worth watching for the acting alone. It fills me with joy to see performances on screen with such grace and nuance. So much so that I’m a little annoyed that it didn’t get nominated for anything. Oh well. 

Worst acting of 2017 

Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets

Before I share my feelings on the horrendous acting in this film, I would just like to point out something a little odd. This film is based on a series of French science fiction comic books titled Valerian and Laureline, named after the male and female lead characters. So, why is it that the male character gets to have his name in the movie title, but the equally crucial female character does not? I can’t help but feel that’s a little sexist. But I digress: Anyway, this movie had a lot riding on it, and I wanted to like it and for it to do well. Sadly, it failed on multiple levels. Not the least of which is the acting from the main cast. As I stated before in my review for this film, the two main leads are far too young, far too inexperienced, and far too limited in range to play these characters. Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne (both of whom were also in Tulip Fever and were actually good in that one) are so miscast in this film that it’s baffling. They have no chemistry, no charisma, and are just not convincing as a pair of partners who have worked together in dangerous situations for years. This movie might have been saved it if had two older and more experienced actors with better chemistry in the leads. I for one still think that they should have cast Jeremy Renner and Amy Adams. If you must see this movie, see it for the effects spectacle it is. Don’t see it for the main cast. 

Coming soon: The Best & Worst films of 2017. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.