I caught a couple of minutes of the Samuel L. Jackson reinterpretation of Shaft yesterday and I started thinking of how he’s one of the best actors out there but he makes some really bad movies. For example, Snakes on a Planewas absolutely dreadful in every way imaginable. Shaft wasn’t all that good either, and another good actor (Vanessa Williams) was in that one as well. So I started to think about doing a top 10 list but then I didn’t want to exert the energy so I’ll just name a few goodactors who made bad movies and vice versa. Al Pacino and Robin Williams are both phenomenal dramatic actors (I much prefer Williams in dramas than comedies) yet Insomia was a complete dud. Boring, unimaginative, and just plain bad. Robert De Niro is a genius, probably the best actor of his generation; yet that didn’t stop him from making The Fan or The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
But the converse is true. Some bad actors make some really good movies. Immediately Steven Segal in Under Siege and Jean Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport come to mind. I can get into the senseless violence of all of their older movies but in reality the majority of them are bad movies, yet these two stand out as good ones. I’ve never though that Ben Affleck was a particularly good actor either (his brother Casey is much better imo) yet he’s been in a ton of really good flicks like Good Will Hunting; Chasing Amy; School Ties; and Dazed and Confused.
In any event, those are a few who came to mind immediately. If I really put some thought into it I’m sure I could make top 10 lists for each category. Feel free to drop your bad actors/good movies & good actors/bad movies in the comments.
B”H
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth 
Oh man, too many examples to choose, but you are exactly right with good actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Robin Williams doing alot of terrible movies. Did you ever see the movie “The Spirit” where Jackson is the bad guy (the Octapus), because that could rival Snakes for campiness and badness. And for Williams, besides Good Will Hunting, Miss Doubtfire and Aladin I can’t think of a good movie he’s been in. Oh, and for another Jean Claude Van Dam good movie, I remember liking Time Cop when I was a kid.
Mike: I really wanted to see The Spirit but I never got around to it. I was wondering how Jackson’s character was going to come off in that one. Robin Williams has been in a lot of good movies, e.g., Good Morning, Vietnam; Popeye; Dead Poet’s Society; Jumanji; Hook; et al. I liked Time Cop too, and Hard Target.
Certainly Hulk Hogan’s movies explode this paradigm. He is both a great actor in some great moves. C’mon, you can’t tell me Mr. Nanny or Suburban Commando weren’t classics!
On a serious note, I tend to dislike Will Smith movies very much . . . but I do think he is one of the biggest names out there right now.
John: Let’s not forget No Holds Barred or his acclaimed television series Thunder in Paradise!
I tend to really enjoy Will Smith’s acting and his movies. He’s only made a couple that I didn’t like (e.g., The Legend of Bagger Vance & Ali).
I don’t think that any movie illustrates Ben Affleck’s shortcomings more thanJersey Girl. The girl that plays Affleck’s daughter is terrific. Liv Tyler is fetching. George Carlin is suitably crusty but lovable. Unfortunately, Affleck is a dead weight that makes the movie unwatchable.
I think that Denzel Washington is terrific no matter how bad the script is. Remember the Titans was mediocre treacle, but Washington made it worth watching. Gene Hackman has similar skill. Crimson Tide would be utterly forgettable without those two, but it is mesmerizing with them.
Viggo Mortensen did great as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings – but most of his other attempts at acting, in my opinion, have been total bombs. Elijah Wood had some fun movies when he was a kid but for some reason, so far as I see it, LOTR killed his movie career.
Is there any movie Brad Pitt hasn’t done well with? I didn’t particularly care for Fight Club but he did good in other movies such as the Oceans movies and A River Runs Through it.
Fight Club is awesome. How can you not care for it Brian?! But I agree on Brad Pitt.
On a related note, an actor that no one cans stand but he’s been in more good movies than probably anyone else I can think of is Tom Cruise.
Bryan L
It is very rare that an actor’s off-screen personality annoys me so much that I no longer enjoy his movies, but Tom Cruise comes close. A Few Good Men is still one of my favorites though.
Robin Williams was good in Awakenings and Moscow on the Hudson.
Vinny: Jersey Girl is the only Kevin Smith movie that I don’t like. And you’re right about Denzel. He’s a great actor, but he’s made a few movies that I can do without like Mo Better Blues and Virtuosity.
Brian: Hmm… let me think… Mortenson was pretty good in Eastern Promises even though the movie itself was dull as dirt. And I thought he was great in A History of Violence. I wasn’t impressed by any of his performances in horror flicks like the remake of Psycho or in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (or was that 3?). And Pitt makes good movies, period. I haven’t seen that Bejamin Button movie yet, but if ever he made a bad movie that would be the one. It looked dreadful from the previews.
Bryan: Yeah, Tom Cruise is right there with Brad Pitt in terms of making good flicks. I thought that Eyes Wide Shut was horrible and Vanilla Sky was pretty stupid too, but other than that I’ve liked everything I’ve seen him in. Next to Robert Downey, Jr. he was the funniest guy in Tropic Thunder.
my favorite samuel l jackson movie was pulp fiction.
Nathan: Mine is The Negotiator with Pulp Fiction coming in at a close second.
Well, Pulp Fiction is one of my all time favorite movies. Less Samuel Jackson and more the collective whole… I also found Snakes on a Plane to be so over-the-top that it was kinda funny.
Nathan: I tried to like Snakes on a Plane, really, I did, but in the end I couldn’t.