Was River Phoenix really that good of an actor?

If you watch interviews a few years prior to his death,....YES, he was a good actor. Completely different person and the real River matches his childhood upbringing.

He was a good actor. But Dean was far better.

He was a good actor. One only has to see that if one watches him in other films.
Obviously he will be put up high on this pedestal because he died so young.
One always wonders how far a talent might have reached when that talent is taken so early.
It's a shame.

Overrated and hammy to the OP, captivating and realistic to many others.

You can't expect every beloved actor that left a mark at such a young age (particularly ones like Dean and Phoenix) to please or earn every viewer's respect. But as far as I'm concerned, they earned their statuses for the right reasons.

pretty good

I view River as a very good "CHILD ACTOR"!
I use this definition because there are many good (and not so good) child actors that do their best work as a kid/teen but disappear from the acting field as adults.
It is not a level playing field for kids.
I feel that rivers best work was in Stand By Me. He did several other movies that were good as well. We never got to see a lot of his work as an adult, but from what I did see, I did not really see the same potential in him as an adult. Maybe he made some bad choices in his roles but he obviously was making bad choices in his personal life.
His brother, however, ended up making some very good choices and I deeply admire him for not following Rivers bad choices.

He was a decent actor, I think he was nice looking and played sensitive characters well... so this inflated his stature along with his untimely death. His brother is a spectacular actor though so if you project a similar growth arc in terms of his talent then it's fair to assume that he might have continued to improve with age. I'm not saying all siblings are equally talented but that it was certainly possible, especially since he did a good job in films like My Own Private Idaho and Running on Empty.

When you look at James Dean and Marlon Brando, you have to consider their performances in the context of their era. Big actors tended to be stars more than craftsmen. Actors like Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, who played recycled versions of themselves. What Dean and Brando did was bring a realism that didn't exist before. Look at something like Ozzie and Harriet and compare these depictions with Rebel Without a Cause. Dean and Brando would do things like mumble and whine, freak out... stuff teenagers would do in real life, but never in the movies. Sure it's probably overrated, but these guys were pioneers.

Yes, he was incredibly gifted. If you haven't watch Running On Empty.