MovieChat Forums > Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) Discussion > Sally Field's acting -- why was it so ho...

Sally Field's acting -- why was it so horrible?

posted 17 years ago by nigelfans
34 replies | jump to latest

I have a serious question regarding the absolutely attrocious performance given by Sally Field in this film.

As is well documented, her acting in this film is just mind-bogglingly bad. Its so terrible that I actually get angry whenever Im subjected to it during the occassional tv broadcast. Some of the other cast members also give horrible performances, but Sally Field's is so over-the-top bad that it seems like shes trying to give a horrible performance.

So why was this allowed to go on? Why didnt the director or one of the co-stars step in and tell her how awful it is? Was screeching your lines considered cute or avant garde at the time? I can't say that I'm familiar with her work, so is she like this in other films and tv shows she's done? If so, how does she have such a prolific body of work?

Basically, was this considered to be an acceptable performance to 1979 audiences?

[–] ANightToRemember 17 years ago

I loved her acting in it!

Welcome onto the S.S. Poseidon

[–] nigelfans 17 years ago

I wait two weeks for a reply and get this? I cant say I'm thrilled.

[–] ANightToRemember 17 years ago

Oh pardon me for expressing my opinion... this isn't a board people check daily.

Was she good? Yes, she usually is in almost all her films. She's an incredible actor. Her performance wasn't worth any award, it was an average, good Sally Field performance. Period.

Welcome onto the S.S. Poseidon

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[–] hingleyc 17 years ago

There was a certain prestige back in the day for appearing in an Irwin Allen epic and some of the best in the biz would have killed to get the chance to be in an instant hit. IAs' career as a producer of hits was faltering a bit but this was a sequel to a huge hit. Sequels weren't as commonplace as today (when films are designed to franchise). I thought it was a wise career move for Field to sign on for Beyond.. and I thought her charactor was fun and funny and sympathetic. The movie tanked but none of the cast suffered for it like Warren Beaty did for Town and Country.

[–] ChristmasStan 12 years ago

You have to remember the STAR of the film was the special effects. Actors do not want to be blown off the screen so in big adventure films like this a certain style of acting is needed

[–] cuckoy 16 years ago

It was I think one of her worst performances ever. But her style of silliness was probably more acceptable in 1979 back in the cornball days of Mary Tyler Moore etc. than it is Today.

"often times immaturity is a sign of a frustrated ego"

...

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[–] ddc300 16 years ago

Sally Field was in the wrong Irwin Allen film. She should have been in "The Swarm" the year earlier, that way she could have been reunited with Alejandro Rey who played 'Carlos' in her classic TV series, "The Flying Nun". He played a doctor in the unintentionally campy disaster-of-a-movie.

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[–] onnanob2 16 years ago

I would blame the script before I'd blame the actress. Look at the dialogue she was given, and the actions she was directed to take.

[–] Moon_and_New_York_City 16 years ago

I think Sally said she regretted making this movie, that her agent pushed her into it, as a chance to improve her bankability by being in a box office hit! Having said that, I agree with the OP - her performance was atrocious.

Sally Field is like that little girl with the curls in the classic HW Longfellow poem: When she was good (eg, Places in the Heart), she was very very good; and when she was bad (eg, Smokey and the Bandit), she was horrid!!!

[–] milliefan 15 years ago

Oh how the first post in this thead made me laugh! "Why was this allowed to go on? Why didn't the director or one of the co-stars step in and tell her how awful it is?" TOTALLY spot-on! Sally, in this film, absolutely stinks. That she went on to continue her career is nothing short of a miracle!

[–] fchilds 15 years ago

That she went on to continue her career is nothing short of a miracle!
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First off, with all due respect to Irwin Allen, he was a lousy director. He couldn't appreciate nuance, everything had to be over the top, so how could you expect him to moderate any of his actor's performances.

Second, and I remember this from a Playboy magazine interview from the 80's....her manager at the time pushed her to do this. Sold her on it, how it was going to be a big hit and how her career would flourish with a hit. Yo have to remember that at this point, she had two hit series under her belt, which only typecast her...from the early to mid 70's she's pretty much just making the rounds and appearing on other shows until Sybil, where she proved herself an actor. What came after Sybil? Smokey and the Bandit. Incidentally, if I remember correctly from that interview, she said she fired her manager after BTPA.

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[–] aachoo 13 years ago

Agreed.

She had the worst lines in a movie full of bad lines.

[–] billymac72 13 years ago

Naw, I didn't think her acting was bad, but she was perhaps miscast. I mean, why was she on this sea adventure to begin with? Additionally, her attitude is so light that you would think she was still in one of her Burt Reynolds films (perhaps the mood was infectious; after all, she had just done Smokey & the Bandit and Hooper before and still seems in "fun" mode). On top of this, the writing certainly was not great, and added a lot to the slapstick atmosphere, especially in the first hour. Who knew that Norma Rae was just around the corner?

But, she did look awfully nice!

I'm not sure how the poster above thinks Sally's acting is "horrid" in Smokey & the Bandit (a comedian once noted that this film is considered gospel in the South). To that, I can only say that everyone's entitled to their opinion, but if one thinks that way, then perhaps one just doesn't like Sally Field to begin with.

[–] StuOz 13 years ago

I thought Sally was very funny in POSEIDON.

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