Anyone can say they don’t like Jim Carrey movies, or that they love Steven Segal movies (really, though?) because those two have been typecast in so many similar roles that they became a one-man genre, basically. It’s like eating your favorite pizza every single day for the rest of your life – starts amazing, but gets boring after a while. So, just like with pizza, sometimes actors like to switch things around, giving us completely unexpected performances. Whether or not we like those movies is irrelevant, really, but we do get to see a whole new side to our beloved actors. For better or for worse, these 8 movies changed the way we perceive some of the biggest Hollywood idols.
Nicolas Cage – The Wicker Man
Nowadays Nic Cage is considered by many to be a real acting prodigy, a one-of-a-kind genius, while the other 90% of the viewers see him as a total nut. And nobody ever said a bad thing about Cage until his agent started giving him all sorts of ridiculous roles. He’d even won an Oscar and was considered to be rather good, but… in 2006 “The Wicker Man” the memetastic “bees” happened. This was the end of Nicolas Cage as a great actor, and the beginning of his bizarre performances. At least in my opinion.
Jim Carrey – Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
I personally love Jim Carrey and all of his wacky characters (even the Grinch!) but it’s not surprising that there are those who can’t stand him. Why? Well, mainly because they’re mental and need to re-evaluate their life choices, but also because it’s their opinion which they’re entitled to. After his 90’s hits like “The Mask”, “Liar Liar”, and “Ace Ventura”, some people started to hate him with a passion. But then the “Truman Show” came along, which was less about making funny faces and added some dramatic light to Jim’s character. But, it wasn’t until he took an incredibly mellow role in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” that the world realised he’s not just a rubber-faced jester. As Joel, he didn’t even need to chew on the set props and decorations to give an intricate, and tender performance.
Channing Tatum – 21 Jump Street
Who knew that this guy who’s been playing generic macho alpha-males his whole career, mainly because “he looked good”, would one day become one of the highest-earning Hollywood actors. All thanks to the hilarious “21 Jump Street” and Jonah Hill, of course. He is simply hilarious as an undercover cop, and it was great seeing Tatum in a role that wasn’t bland, male lead in yet another rom-com. Now everyone loves him and we’re still waiting for Gambit. Make it happen, FOX!
Colin Farrell – In Bruges
Colin Farrell is the opposite of Channing Tatum, though. Pretty much all of his movies are being marketed as the biggest hit you’ll ever see in your life. But, as it often happens in life, the loudest mouths are usually wrong. Most of the time it feels like he needed a quick buck so he took that role. It all changed when he took it upon himself to show the critics that he was actually worth something and in 2008 he got a main role in “In Bruges” – a movie about an Irish hitman, who escapes to Belgium for the weekend. Que in the Belgian shenanigans!
Tom Cruise – Magnolia
Whenever you hear Tom Cruise is in something, you immediately jump to “oh, another action movie, cool!”, unless you’ve watched “Magnolia”. It’s one of those movies where Cruise got to show everyone he can act by delivering all his lines and monologues like a champ! Seriously, if you still think he’s is an untalented hack, look this movie up.
James Franco – 127 hours
Similarly to Adam Sandler, James Franco usually prefers comedies to serious drama flicks, so seeing him in a serious role was kind of weird. Franco would prove to be the ideal choice for the movie “127 hours”, which is now considered to be one of his best performances. He made the viewers care about some poor guy trapped under a rock, and that made the moment where he cuts his own arm off way more hard-hitting and filled with emotions, instead of being just a gory saw-type scene.
Adam Sandler – Punch Drunk Love
Ah, Adam Sandler, aka Happy Gilmore, aka the Comedy Reaper. What’s there to say about this manchild that hasn’t been said before? How about “he’s not as bad as you think he is”! No, seriously, all jokes aside (hah, get it? Because he’s not funny), Adam Sandler hasn’t always made trashy comedies like “Pixels”, “Jack and Jill” or “Little Nicky”. Sandler did a serious role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Punch Drunk Love”, in which he played Barry Egan, a guy who sells toilet plungers and get caught up in a romance. Here Adam Sandler is subtle and with hidden depths, making him virtually unrecognisable! Too bad it’s a rare sight these days.
Ben Affleck – Argo
Remember “Daredevil” movie? Oh, what a jolly mess it was… at least that’s what people like to say. It was alright, that’s all I’m saying. But let’s not beat this dead horse with a billy club (sorry, couldn’t resist). It’s pretty much a fact at this point that in early 2000’s Ben’s made some bad decisions here and there, which made people wish he’d just disappear forever. Hence the “recent” Batfleck outbreak. But even that bad streak didn’t stop him from becoming the Batman we need AND deserve today. All thanks to “Argo”, for which he really chiseled his six-pack as well as his acting chops. And today, even if you hated “BvS” as a whole, you have to admit that Affleck did an amazing job as Bats. And it’s only the beginning.
