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Post by pacinoyes on Jul 9, 2020 17:34:53 GMT
Decided to take a look at Brad Pitt (our previous subject) co-star in The Devils Own : Harrison Ford. Only Oscar nodded once (Witness) but he's given a lot of performances that many champion - was an enormous box-office star who didn't chase prestige and was a lot of Dads favorite actor for a long while. So what sayeth thee MAR - Overrated, Underrated, seen AS AN ACTOR as just right? What are his drawbacks - comedy, maybe? - his most underrated turns - the state of his career in 2020 etc.  |
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Jul 9, 2020 17:47:01 GMT
Overrated I'd say. Not a very interesting dramatic actor or movie star. Coasted by on his charisma in Star Wars and Indiana Jones without doing much, and Blade Runner was much the same but pared down to the point that he's actually quite boring (paralleling what Russell was doing in The Thing...not much). Oddly enough, I think my favorite Ford perf is Working Girl. A limited part but it played well to his strengths and it was fun seeing his energy channeled into rom-com territory.
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Post by countjohn on Jul 9, 2020 18:43:55 GMT
I have to say overrated. Let's keep in mind the GP thinks he's one of the best actors ever. A couple good dramatic performances in Blade Runner and Witness but for the most part just does generic action hero parts.
As I noted in the Hanks thread though, it's still inspiring that he could basically be a nobody in his mid 30's and then luck into a couple huge parts and become the biggest movie star in the world for a period of time.
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Post by pacinoyes on Jul 9, 2020 18:47:45 GMT
I'd be curious what people think of Mosquito Coast - that's a performance I think I need to revisit .......and was his one that didn't fit a mold where he seemed to be trying to break out into something more fully rounded (Frantic and Working Girl followed).
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Post by JangoB on Jul 9, 2020 19:13:36 GMT
Just right, I guess. Even though it's weird to think how underrated he's been by the Academy (only one nomination doesn't seem enough to me), he's been more than beloved by the audiences and has enjoyed some substantial box office success. So I guess it all evens out. I do think his acting talents are sometimes underpraised - performances like the Indiana Jones films, The Fugitive, Working Girl and especially The Mosquito Coast surely deserve to be talked about more. Honestly, I've become even more convinced of his acting talent while watching The Call of the Wild - considering that he had to play against this: ...he did an amazing job convincing me that he was reacting to his deeply beloved dog the whole time. |
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Post by JangoB on Jul 9, 2020 19:19:53 GMT
I'd be curious what people think of Mosquito Coast - that's a performance I think I need to revisit .......and was his one that didn't fit a mold where he seemed to be trying to break out into something more fully rounded (Frantic and Working Girl followed). It might be his very best for me. I kind of love these 'descent into madness' performances in movies that aren't about something mystical or horror-ish but are more about the very real obsession. Ford did a fantastic job rising to the challenge. It's easy to see why Weir believed in him after "Witness" and trusted him this much more difficult part and for my money Ford did an amazing job. |
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Post by cheesecake on Jul 9, 2020 19:22:30 GMT
My father-in-law thinks he's the greatest living American actor because he's such an absolute dullard in interviews.  I'm leaning towards him being rated just right. When I think about his career I take a step back and think it's odd he's only been nominated for one performance, but what else would they have really gone for?  He's such a joy to watch as Indiana Jones so good in The Fugitive and The Mosquito Coast, but this is still the best things he's ever done |
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Post by mattfincher on Jul 9, 2020 19:39:24 GMT
Definitely doesn't have anywhere near enough range to be considered underrated and I thought he'd be one of those actors who would improve as they got older and that never really happened. I guess given he only was nominated once it's hard to consider him overrated, but he's also one of the most popular actors of the last 50 years and he's just not that gifted as an actor. I'm somewhere between just right and overrated, but closer to overrated.
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Post by stephen on Jul 9, 2020 19:42:01 GMT
Taken for granted.
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Post by finniussnrub on Jul 9, 2020 19:46:40 GMT
One where I'd say it depends on who you ask. Hoity-toity types probably underrate him a bit as he does have more range than many claim, when he chooses to show it, and they'll also not give him credit for what he's really doing as say Indiana Jones for example, which is no small feat. General population might overrate him a bit in just saying he's awesome all the time, however I think even then the general consensus there even has come to accept the laziness of some of his later performances. So all things considered, I guess I'd say "Just right".
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Post by TerryMontana on Jul 9, 2020 20:23:57 GMT
I dunno, I guess it's just right. But maybe I'd nominate him for Frantic, also. Or Fugitive, who knows. I just feel he could have a second nod.
But overall I like the guy. He's not one of the greatest but he delivers every time. And I mean every time. No matter if it's an action movie, a comedy, a drama or a horror flick... He always gets the job done.
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Post by Mattsby on Jul 9, 2020 20:47:43 GMT
I'm going with Just Right. He has one upper case Great perf (Presumed Innocent) and several solid, rootable perfs (Blade Runner, Frantic, The Fugitive) - I think there's a kinda blankness to him that audiences might project onto which makes him likable, harmless, rootable? I don't love his Han Solo perf so much or the Indiana Jones movies, but I get the total appeal. And I grew up watching a lot of his movies so I'm a sort-of fan.
Mosquito Coast is a great character and fascinating story somewhat let down by its shapeless script contrivances and glum tone. Ford is committed for sure, but there's little going on underneath to set off the profuse raving so it felt surface-level and "pushed out" to me. Nicholson was meant to play the part, apparently, and would've devoured it with needed spiked humor around the outrageously misguided ego.....
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Post by quetee on Jul 9, 2020 21:34:01 GMT
I love Harrison. Sure, he's not the greatest actor but he still has that quality.
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Post by urbanpatrician on Jul 9, 2020 23:05:40 GMT
Good series, pacinoyes.
It's between the last 2 for me, but he's certainly not OVERRATED. Nobody on IMDB talks about him.
He's kinda like John Wayne, except people do talk about him. But usually when they discuss Wayne, they're talking about what a bad actor he is where Ford isn't talked about much at all. So in that vein, he's like John Cusack.... a guy we've seen enough in movies but we never actually really talk about much on IMDB.
And I also repeat what people are saying. He's a popular actor, but doesn't stretch himself much. Maybe his intention is just to be who he is, which is a movie star everyone loves, but there's no evidence that he's a tremendous talent. Unlike actors like Cruise who started very similarly to Ford, but later on started to change some roles he took. And unlike Cage who started to evolve as an actor around Leaving Las Vegas, there's a less defined evolution for Ford.
I personally find him more interesting POST-Indiana Jones Last Crusade/boyish looks....... he's that panting guy in a whole lot of 90s frantic thrillers to me, and even if he plays similar dudes he's actually good at that and is highly watchable. Can't say that about Wayne unfortunately, I get tired of him. He's like the American Bond/Sean Connery like that. So..... as a Bond/Sean Connery he's rated just right. But to the actual people who evaluate acting, he's underrated.
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I'm leaning towards him being rated just right. When I think about his career I take a step back and think it's odd he's only been nominated for one performance, but what else would they have really gone for? 
He's such a joy to watch as Indiana Jones so good in The Fugitive and The Mosquito Coast, but this is still the best things he's ever done
