Good Movies thanks to Casting

[Excalibur]

Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction. He wasn't a big star at that time, but he made the movie memorable.

Not that all of the movies were good, but choosing Michael Gambon to replace Richard Harris as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter Franchise was brilliant. He was superior to Harris in every way.

Laurence Fishburne in The Matrix. Hard to believe they wanted Sean Connery for that role.

 

[billythekid]

Cathy Bates in Misery. I had been a big fan of the book and Cathy Bates as Annie Wilkes was exactly what I saw in my head when I read it. The movie might still have been good with a different actress, but she personified the role for me.

 

[nwhoopfan]

A non-star one, Almost Famous is one of my favorite movies, maybe a lot of actors could have done it, but Patrick Fugit augmented by the always amazing Frances McDormand is nearly perfect, possibly a great movie regardless of who was in it as its easily Kate Hudson's best performance too. Overall casting as good as the acting - but Fugit is perfect as William Miller.

Billy Crudup was another good casting choice as Russell Hammond, the rock star.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Dumb and Dumber" is one of the better stupid comedies of all time, and I can't imagine anyone other than Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey as Harry and Lloyd.

 

[nwhoopfan]

It probably would've been enjoyable anyway, but along the lines of unexpected casting, Colin Firth as a James Bond-type secret agent in "Kingsman: The Secret Service" was a stroke of genius.

 

[G0UCONN]

It would have been great anyway but Jaws with Robert Shaw as Quint was perfect.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Good thread idea. I will tweak it a bit and go with non-obvious actors. For example, I agree that Joe Pesci was excellent in My Cousin Vinny, but he was an obvious actor for the role. Same with Tom Hanks and Forrest Gump (although I believe he wasn't the first choice for the role). I think Robert Downey was not an obvious choice for Iron Man, and I think that casting choice was really interesting, and ultimately successful.

Two that jump to the top of my mind:

Ricardo Montalban - Khan in Star Trek II. The Star Trek franchise wasn't even a franchise, and was on life support after a lackluster Star Trek - The Motion Picture. If II flopped, there wouldn't be a III, and the studio wasn't even sure they wanted to do II. It was a ballsy choice to bet the franchise on making a feature length sequel to a single episode that broadcast 14 years earlier, with the villain a B/C level TV star whose show was widely mocked. Montalban crushed the part, and started a franchise.

Courtney Love - The People vs. Larry Flynt. I know she was basically playing herself, but I thought Love was fantastic in this movie.

Honestly, Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes wasn't obvious either, and it also worked.

 

[dbmill]

I've mentioned before that I am a fan of old classic movies. The one that sticks with me for casting is Charles Laughton in Ruggles of Red Gap, where he plays a British butler who's aristocratic employer loses him in a poker game to an American couple who live in a rustic western town in 1908. This wonderful comedic movie is filled with some great character actors, but it is hard to imagine it working without the great Laughton in the lead role. Laughton had a bunch of great performances, and this is certainly one of them.

 

[8893]

The Shining, Jack Nicholson.

 

[Excalibur]

It would have been great anyway but Jaws with Robert Shaw as Quint was perfect.

Do some reading on Frank Mundus, the man on whom the Quint character was based. Probably more eccentric than the fictional character.

 

[Bliss]

The Godfather (part one) with Brando.

 

[SubbaBub]

I think this thread is drifting to great casting choices vs. Movies that are good/great solely based on casting.

Brando and Nicholson were iconic in these roles but those are good movies even with a lessor actor.

Nicholson in a Few Good Men is a better example than the Shining. Without him you have Tom and Demi tryng to do who knows what. Heck, Kevin Bacon and Kevin Pollack done better job of carrying that movie.

 

[SubbaBub]

Honestly, Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes wasn't obvious either, and it also worked.

I think you are missing the obvious one. Iron man. Does the entire MCU happen if Jake Gyllenhall is Tony Stark? Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern edition)?

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think you are missing the obvious one. Iron man. Does the entire MCU happen if Jake Gyllenhall is Tony Stark? Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern edition)?

Not missing, it was mentioned. I was replying to that post.

 

[Rico444]

Dudley Moore in Arthur. John Gielgud was also fantastic, but Moore completely carried the movie.

 

[SubbaBub]

Dudley Moore in Arthur. John Gielgud was also fantastic, but Moore completely carried the movie.

Russell Brand agrees.

 

[storrsroars]

The Shining, Jack Nicholson.

I might agree, but I resent everything about how Kubrick destroyed the novel. I also think Nicholson hammed it up in a few parts (e.g. with Lloyd the bartender).

I wouldn't mind seeing a remake done that stays true to the ending (Halloran doesn't get axed in the gut but saves the day, and there's no stupid maze but the topiary goes ballistic, which they can now do via CGI).

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Dudley Moore in Arthur. John Gielgud was also fantastic, but Moore completely carried the movie.

I thought Dudley Moore was terrible in the original. In fact, I just can't stand him as an actor, period. I actually liked the Russell Brand take on it better. Moore glorified alcoholism, while Brand's take was much more pathetic and unlikable, which made more sense. I also thought Liza Minelli was terrible for that role, in part because she is not remotely attractive enough to pull that part off, and in part because she is so annoying.

 

[storrsroars]

I thought Dudley Moore was terrible in the original. In fact, I just can't stand him as an actor, period. I actually liked the Russell Brand take on it better. Moore glorified alcoholism, while Brand's take was much more pathetic and unlikable, which made more sense. I also thought Liza Minelli was terrible for that role, in part because she is not remotely attractive enough to pull that part off, and in part because she is so annoying.

You obviously hate alcoholics. What did they do to you?

 

[storrsroars]

I feel I have to throw Jason Mewes in here in any Jay and Silent Bob movie. Because he's not acting. Therefore, irreplaceable. Discuss.

 

[dbmill]

I thought Dudley Moore was terrible in the original. In fact, I just can't stand him as an actor, period. I actually liked the Russell Brand take on it better. Moore glorified alcoholism, while Brand's take was much more pathetic and unlikable, which made more sense. I also thought Liza Minelli was terrible for that role, in part because she is not remotely attractive enough to pull that part off, and in part because she is so annoying.

I am not a Dudley Moore fan, but there is one movie I have seen that is partly great because of him. That would be "Bedazzled" (1967), the comic retooling of the Faustian selling your soul to the devil legend. The film stars Moore and Peter Cook, who were a highly regarded British comedy team at the time, and directed by Stanley Donen, best known for movie musicals such as Singin' in the Rain. Both my wife and I love this film for all its crazy happenings. Plus, the movie features Raquel Welch as "Lust" (one of the seven deadly sins), so what's not to like?

 

[Mano]

So a director like Spielberg can generally pull together any sort of cast he wants including getting bigger stars for smaller roles but one of my favorite casts of his would be Munich. I usually find Eric Bana to be too dry in most roles, but he and the rest worked really well there. Catch Me If You Can was another.

 

[8893]

I think this thread is drifting to great casting choices vs. Movies that are good/great solely based on casting.

Brando and Nicholson were iconic in these roles but those are good movies even with a lessor actor.

Nicholson in a Few Good Men is a better example than the Shining. Without him you have Tom and Demi tryng to do who knows what. Heck, Kevin Bacon and Kevin Pollack done better job of carrying that movie.

I disagree. I can't see anyone else playing Nicholson's role in The Shining; although his courtroom scene in A Few Good Men is legendary, I think Cruise was terrific (and I'm not a huge Cruise fan), and Kiefer Sutherland was excellent and essential, too. Hell, Dawson and Markinson were great.

 

[August_West]

Billy Crudup was another good casting choice as Russell Hammond, the rock star.

I have mixed feelings about that one. I thought he was great in the role and as the character. My problems with him are strictly the stage performances. Not believable at all on stage as a guitar hero. With Cameron Crowe, Nancy Wilson and Peter Frampton coaching the actors through that I expected more, but Crudup was the least believable on stage of the bunch. The movements and guitar positioning were all wrong.

 

[August_West]

I thought Dudley Moore was terrible in the original. In fact, I just can't stand him as an actor, period. I actually liked the Russell Brand take on it better. Moore glorified alcoholism, while Brand's take was much more pathetic and unlikable, which made more sense. I also thought Liza Minelli was terrible for that role, in part because she is not remotely attractive enough to pull that part off, and in part because she is so annoying.

I thought Dudley hit a home run in "10"