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Author Topic: The Top 10 worst movie accents Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 07-02-2003 10:20 AM                     As voted by UK Empire magazine: 1. Sean Connery in The Untouchables (1987) 2. Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins (1964) 3. Brad Pitt in Seven Year in Tibet (1997) 4. Charlton Heston in A Touch of Evil (1958) 5. Heather Graham in From Hell (2001) 6. Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) 7. Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly (1996) 8. Laurence Olivier in The Jazz Singer (1980) 9. Pete Postlethwaite in The Usual Suspects (1995) 10. Meryl Streep in Out of Africa (1985) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3032052.stm I'd like to add: 'Primary Colours' - Emma Thompson and Adrian Lester 'The Gingerbread Man' - Keneth Branagh  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 07-02-2003 11:26 AM                        Natalie Imbruglia in Johnny English would be on my list. She's supposed to be an upper-class English gal but lapses into an Australian accent about every three sentences! There must be loads of WWII films with really corny attempts at German accents by English and American actors, but I can't think of any outstanding examples just now.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-02-2003 11:56 AM                       Michael York and Jenny Agutter in "Logan's Run". How British and Australian accents could be found inside an isolated, centuries-old domed-city community, otherwise inhabited by Americans, struck me as odd. Joe D'Allasandro in "Flesh for Frankenstein" and "Blood for Dracula". Likewise, how a thick 20th-century New York accent could be heard in the 19th-century German countryside remains a mystery. Jack Nicholson in "The Terror". Jack plays a Frenchman who speaks with a completely provincial American accent.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 07-02-2003 12:09 PM                        Harrison Ford in that K-something Russian submarine movie. Some actors, good as they are, should just never ever do accents.  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Cope Master Film Handler Posts: 256 From: Overland Park, KS, United States Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-02-2003 12:21 PM                     Kevin Costner in "Thirteen Days". Not only was the New England accent bad, it was uneven. The movie, however, was interesting.  |  IP: Logged Rachel Craven Madam Moderator Posts: 2190 From: Pensacola, FL Registered: Dec 2000 posted 07-02-2003 12:29 PM                     George Clooney in The Perfect Storm...Horrible Gloucester, MA accent--WAY too over done, even for a fisherman. Mark Walberg on the other hand did pretty good--he is from that area afterall.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-02-2003 06:04 PM                     Kevin Costner. Yeah, he's done some bad accents. The one that bothered me the most was "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." I liked the description one film critic gave it: "Costner's Robin Hood doesn't sound like Robin of Sherwood Forest; it sounds more like Robin of I-70." If Empire Magazine didn't like Keanu Reeves' accent in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" they must have missed out on his TERRIBLE attempt at a deep south accent in "The Devil's Advocate." Many actors just think they can do a "southern" accent but often come off as flagarantly cartoonish --even with the best and most subtle attempts. My feeling is Hollywood studios should stick to casting actors with real accents if they need someone to speak that way. Need someone with an authentic Texas accent? Cast actors like Powers Boothe, Bill Paxton or Matthew McConaughey. I can tell those fellows are from Texas just by hearing them speak. You can't imitate that. A really well trained ear can tell the difference between people from Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado and still differentiate that from Texas and deep south accents. The thing I find more mysterious is how other people from Texas seem able to drop their accents. Steve Martin was born in Waco. Rene Zellweger is from Katy. Rex Reed is from Fort Worth.  |  IP: Logged Darren Crimmins Expert Film Handler Posts: 130 From: Dallas, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 07-02-2003 06:12 PM                     The woman who starred opposite John Travolta in "Basic" (can't remember her name, she was in Gladiator). She does some terrible southern accent, have not heard one that bad in a long time.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-02-2003 07:06 PM                       The king of dialects, Robert Easton.  |  IP: Logged Dave Williams Wet nipple scene Posts: 1836 From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-02-2003 08:07 PM                        My vote for worst accent... Sean Connery as the Lithuanian Sub Commander in Hunt For Red October.... Sounded like some scottsman trying to sound more english than russian... However, great film, so I guess if the film is great no one gives a damn about the accents.. Speaking of bad accents... Same film, hunt for red october.... In the office of the russian military general, when he gets the letter from his nephew (sean connery) that tells him he is taking the sub to the US.... The personal assistant that gives him his mail and gets his coffee... is VERY AMERICAN.... not russian... They didnt even try at all.... but then, who the hell cares, it was a great movie.... Dave  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 07-03-2003 12:40 AM                        Actually I think Brad Pitt did quite well in "Seven years in Tibet", giving his character an Austrian undertone (likely modeled on Arnold). A really bad accent can be heard from German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl as Russian officer in "The Peacemaker". I think a lot of the characters in classic WWII movies were actually played by German actors. A funny accent is Gerd Froebe`s in "Goldfinger" - he is supposed to be an Englishman, but his German accent is so strong, Felix Leitner even tells 007: "He is English, believe it or not."  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 07-03-2003 01:48 AM                  I thought Michael Caine's British accent in "Goldmember" was terrible and so fake it reeked! >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 07-03-2003 03:43 AM                     David Prowse was Darth Vader, but James Earl Jones was the actual voice, as you all know. For some reason, Lucas didn't think Darth's voice was cool with a British accent.  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-03-2003 08:54 AM                     I remember hearing that Gert Frobe was dubbed over....  |  IP: Logged Christian Appelt Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 505 From: Frankfurt, Germany Registered: Dec 2001 posted 07-03-2003 04:39 PM                     Michael, I think in the book and/or the movie it is said that Auric Goldfinger has assumed the British citizenship, I remember vaguely that they thought him to be was Lithuian or Baltic. Ron, that`s right. Froebe was dubbed in the english language versions, for the German release, he dubbed himself. I will watch out for his voice in Terence Young`s TRIPLE CROSS (1965) where he plays a Nazi soldier...  |  IP: Logged

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