Films spoiled by poor American accents

Forrest Whittaker in 'The Crying Game' - absolute shocker!.

Agent Krycek,
agree about Heath Ledger in 'Brokeback' although some say he did revert to Australian in a couple of scenes but it's being fussy I think.

His English in 'Casanova' was also brilliant - can turn his hand to anything now - I think he's terrific.
 
The very worst accent of any kind i've ever heard/seen on a film was Geordie actor Charlie Hunnam trying to speak in a 'cockney' accent in the film 'Green Street'. Seriously, it was so bad i'm surprised they released the film. Actually, the film was dire anyway....
 
Natalie Portmans plummy Brit in 'V for Vendetta'. Ruined the film.

Tom Wilkinson's Carmine Falcone in 'Batman Begins'.

Don Cheadle in 'Ocean's Eleven', but surely he must have put that accent on on purpose. :eek:
 
Some of the forementioned examples are pretty shocking.

However, this is nothing when you consider American actors attempting British ones. They can only do one accent for starters (London) and even this is a pretty awful representation. For reference, see Frasier, where Daphne's (she's from Northern England, and an actual British actor) brother comes into it and has this bloody awful cockney accent...

On an overall point, these actors are paid millions for their skills, yet only there are relatively few are competent enough to accurately portray various accents. Proves that many are chosen purely on looks alone. War films are the best example, if playing a German/Russian etc:

1. Speak the language/get actor from country and use subtitles. Obviously will never happen in Hollywood due to the fact that the average US citizen can't cope with this concept
2. Put on a good accent
3. Never, ever take the role if you can't do any of the above.

Example - Enemy at the Gates. Great film, but Jude Law should have had a Russian accent, Ed Harris should have had a German one. It was so false without this, and spoilt it IMHO.
 
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Totally agree, and what about Rachel Weiss with her pubic school English accent :rolleyes: just how you'd have expected her to sound right there.
 
:D Thats what I keep thinking cos it was sooo horrible - sounRAB like what people do when they are taking the piss out of Cockney people!

On the other hand Heath Ledger in Brokeback mountain made it very very difficult to understand a word he was saying, the accent was just really bad.
 
I was just going to say this, it was like a joke film, why they used him I wil never understand. :confused:

It was quite embarrassing to watch, especially with all the explanations of rhyming slang. "We're going for a ruby, Ruby Murray - that's a curry"

Then there was the one fan inside the ground jeering at the other fans, he might as well have poked his tonuge out.
 
I agree..i have never laughed and cringed so much during a film that was meant to be serious. It won an award in the US! How?!!! :confused:
 
Kari Matchett (Mariel in Invasion) played an Irish character in Earth: Final Conflict S1, recently shown on Sky 3. Very, um, inconsistent. Ok, bloody awful!

Aussie Melissa George (Angel from Home & Away) couldn't dedice whether to do American or Australian in her role in Alias S3. It ended up somewhere in between!

I did like Tom Hanks' Russian accent in The Terminal...

Gwynneth Paltrow does English so well, I was shocked when she gave an acceptance speech in her native US accent - "But she's British...oh, hang on - ooops" :)
 
Johnny Depp has probably had a go at most accents and has been good at them all.

Especially in 'Finding Neverland' with a Scottish accent!

P.S Why is it when most Americans do English accents, they have to resemble cockneys?
 
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