Does anyone agree with me that Rob Morrow was miscast in this movie? This part needed to be someone who was smart and passionate. Don't get me wrong, I thought he did a good job for what he knows, however, I think it needed an actor with a little more depth, feeling and, here's the most overused word in 2004, Gravitas. Anybody agree/disagree?
--scotta
Redford would have been perfect for the role, if he was younger of course.
shareI think Rob Morrow is one of the hugely underrated talents in the business. He doesn't get more work, I believe, because he doesn't have leading man looks. I find every single actor in this movie just an exceptional cast, from Paul Scofield, a huge favorite of mine, to Martin Scorsese as the slick and greasy ad executive. Morrow more than held his own with these actors.
shareI just re-watched Quiz Show and the thought occurred to me that Morrow was just about perfect as Goodwin. And then I came here and saw this thread. I agree that the eyebrows and accent are a little distracting - and the reason I qualify "perfect" with "just about." But otherwise, I think he got the role just right. He's not really a leading man but is thoroughly believable as a gadfly with some clout.
And the rest of the cast is just as good and well-chosen. In particular, Ralph Fiennes and John Turturro are perfect as Van Doren and Stempel. That does not surprise me. Both are among the finest actors of their generation. Or any generation. I think either could have held his own with Jimmy Stewart or Frederic March.
Also, Johann Carlo - who I had to look up - was excellent in an unglamorous role as Stempel's nagging wife. And Mira Sorvino made the most out of a small but important role as Goodwin's wife.
Somedays it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.share
I just re-watched Quiz Show and the thought occurred to me that Morrow was just about perfect as Goodwin. And then I came here and saw this thread. I agree that the eyebrows and accent are a little distracting - and the reason I qualify "perfect" with "just about."
I partially agree -- I think he probably did a great job presenting the real Richard Goodwin. And for me, the eyebrows weren't a distraction. But the accent? My God! Now, I'm not a New Englander, so I can't really judge whether he got the accent right or not (although a couple of Yankee friends of mine have shared their own less-than-positive opinions with me). Which is why I followed your example and qualified my statement with "probably."
But here's the problem -- there were times I couldn't even understand what he was saying. Nor is that an unusual reaction, judging from comments I've seen here and heard from others. And although, to be fair, I sometimes have trouble understanding the real Goodwin, it's not as though his occasional incomprehensibility was any sort of point of plot or characterization in this movie. So what we were left with was an actor who sometimes couldn't be understood by the audience. Morrow really should have toned down the accent a bit.
But here's the problem -- there were times I couldn't even understand what he was saying. Nor is that an unusual reaction, judging from comments I've seen here and heard from others. And although, to be fair, I sometimes have trouble understanding the real Goodwin, it's not as though his occasional incomprehensibility was any sort of point of plot or characterization in this movie. So what we were left with was an actor who sometimes couldn't be understood by the audience. Morrow really should have toned down the accent a bit.I can understand how that would diminish his performance from your point of view. I have run into the same problem a few times. However, I'm surprised that someone has trouble understanding Morrow in Quiz Show, although I have not looked through many of the threads here. I'm from Kentucky in the U.S. - where the prevailing accents are very different from the Boston/New England accent Morrow affected - and had no trouble understanding what he says. Although I was, as I say, a little distracted by the accent.
Somedays it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.share
I'm from Kentucky in the U.S. - where the prevailing accents are very different from the Boston/New England accent Morrow affected - and had no trouble understanding what he says. Although I was, as I say, a little distracted by the accent.
So where are you from, if you don't mind saying?
Sorry for the delay, I've had a busy couple of days. By coincidence, I'm also from KY. And in all fairness, although there were a few instances where I had to rewind the VCR tape and repeat his lines a few times to get what he was saying, those were a few -- 99% of the time I had no problems understanding him. (Although the accent was always very noticeable.)
It's been a while since I've seen the movie, but one example I remember is the picnic scene when Goodwin is with Van Doren's extended family, and Mark Van Doren is teasing Charles about his quiz show appearances. At one point MVD says to Goodwin, "help me out here, Harvard," and Goodwin responds, "claim victory and depart the field." That particular line sounded as if Morrow was trying to swallow his own tongue while speaking. There were a few other cases like this, but again, it's been a while since I've watched the movie.
But I found the accent irritating for another reason. I can only guess that each actor wants to bring his or her personal interpretation of a character into the performance, but when one actor does something like a strong accent while no other performers do (and when there's no real need to point out the character's accent), it doesn't seem to jibe with the rest of the performances. Kinda like having an orchestra performing a symphony in D major, except that one of the musicians is playing his clarinet in A-flat.
All just MHO, of course. ;)
[A]lthough there were a few instances where I had to rewind the VCR tape and repeat his lines a few times to get what he was saying, those were a few -- 99% of the time I had no problems understanding him. (Although the accent was always very noticeable.)Ah, yes. The Movie Dark Ages, or 1994 B.S. - before subtitles.
But I found the accent irritating for another reason. I can only guess that each actor wants to bring his or her personal interpretation of a character into the performance, but when one actor does something like a strong accent while no other performers do (and when there's no real need to point out the character's accent), it doesn't seem to jibe with the rest of the performances. Kinda like having an orchestra performing a symphony in D major, except that one of the musicians is playing his clarinet in A-flat.Well said. I think that fairly describes the way I feel about to Morrow's accent. It added nothing at the cost of distraction.
Somedays it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.share
Ah, yes. The Movie Dark Ages, or 1994 B.S. - before subtitles.
For a moment I thought you were going to say "before DVD players." :)
I just thought of an even better (worse?) example, maybe the worst ever: Kevin Costner in Thirteen Days. I think that is a great movie. But Costner's accent - "repohrt caaahd" - belongs in a cartoon.
Agree on both counts -- great movie, Costner's bad accent. But my personal vote for worst ever, and I know some will regard this as blasphemy, goes to Meryl Streep. In particular I'm thinking of two of her performances (and to be fair, these were from early in her career).
In Holocaust http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077025/, a miniseries which followed a fictional Jewish family in Germany from the early 1930s to late 1940s, Streep played the Gentile wife of the family's eldest son. The other actors were mostly American and British, and spoke in their natural voices. Streep, alone, elected to don a strong German accent for her character. Now, in one way, the effect was no worse than what I described with Morrow and Quiz Show -- one performer being "out of tune" with the rest. But I've always thought that one of the strengths of Holocaust (which was made for US television) is that the main characters talked like people we all knew. Sure, it's unrealistic, but whatever was lost in that small sacrifice of realism was more than made up for in familiarization and empathy, and even horror. A lot of Americans might think "oh, that sort of thing could never happen here," and I suppose some people find it reassuring to support that thought by believing that the perpetrators and the victims of the atrocities weren't like "us" -- a little psychological distance. But the family in Holocaust really could have been the folks next door -- in so many ways, they acted and even talked just like us. And for that matter, so did many of the Nazis, some of whom rather creepily reminded me of certain American corrupt, small-town cops I've had the displeasure to know over the years. I'd go on, but this is OT for a Quiz Show/Rob Morrow thread -- so I'll just say that I can't help thinking that the viewers were yanked out a little from that sort of personal identification with the characters whenever Ms. Streep opened her mouth and said things like "Yah, I vanted to buy a new vatch for Villie for his vedding anniversary."
In The Seduction of Joe Tynan http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079875/, she once again broke ranks with the rest of the performers and did an accent -- a Southern accent. Specifically, her character was from Louisiana. Now, I don't know much about New England or German accents, but I did live further south than Kentucky for several years. I know dozens of people from Louisiana ... and dozens more from Arkansas ... and many more from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, etc. -- none of whom talk like Streep did in that movie. She made the same mistake many actors make when trying to do a Southern accent -- she overdid it by about a factor of twenty.
I have seen and am familiar with Holocaust. I consider it one of the most powerful mini-series ever produced. A top-notch cast working from a good script about one of the most horrific events in the history of mankind, how could it miss?
As for Meryl Streep's approach to her character, I had forgotten that she spoke with a "German" accent. Probably because I wanted to forget. I agree that she should have just spoken in her normal voice and accent, whatever that might be. Instead she chose what is, to put it kindly, the most perplexing approach I've ever seen. Less kindly, it is just dumb to portray a German character speaking in English with a German accent. I know it's been done many times with many nationalities/accents. But it was and is dumb every time.
So no blasphemy, in my opinion. But how can someone like Meryl Streep not know better?
Also, regarding your take on the appeal of the victims and tormenters in Holocaust, what do you think of Michael Moriarty's Erik Dorff?
I am a big fan of Moriarty, or at least I was before he stopped being an actor and became a lunatic instead. I don't consider Dorff his best work. But I thought it was an excellent and important peformance nonethless.
Somedays it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.share
Hey folks, have you ever heard the real Goodwin speak? I thought Morrow captured his inflections perfectly.
shareI agree. While Morrow hasn't panned out to be a great actor, he was perfect in this role. I believe quite a bit of thought went into casting this role. The role calls for a brilliant, ernest, young idealist who comes from a somewhat humble background; a character who is also a bit niave, inexperienced and gullible. He is seduced and somewhat distracted by Charles Van Doren, but in the end he completes his mission. Rob Morrow nails this role, although his performance is not in the same league with some of the iconic actors in this film.
The casting for this film was near perfection. I think Paul Scofield's performance was the best in the film, although John Turturro and Ralph Fiennes also give Oscar worthy performances. It hard to think of a film with so many great actors giving such memorable performances.
This is undoubtedly one of the 5 best films of the 1990s. Its a crime that it got shut out at the Oscars. Paul Scofield lost best supporting actor to Martin Landau, "Ed Wood". It was his bad luck to be nominated in the same year with Landau's once in a generation performance as Bela Lugosi. It goes to show what a golden age for film the 1990s were.
If "Quiz Show" were made in 2012, it would easily sweep the Oscars.
The problem is that he did quite a good portrayal of the real Richard Goodwin. Goodwin, a rather brilliant man, oddly enough in real life comes off far less the intellectual and less passionate than the way Morrow portrayed him. Goodwin in real life "seems" more like John Turtorro's portrayal of Herb Stempel. That in effect is one part of the dilemma of the real story. Goodwin's personna does not reveal whom he really is and what he really has going for him. His accomplishments at that time and later in life; in other words it was his deeds that showed people what kind of person he was. He was though in appearance and demeanor, the antithesis of what he really was.
On the other hand, you have Van Dorn who is handsome, erudite and in reality is merely portraying a role as a Genius.
For me Morrow did a good job as Goodwin.
I think this was all intentional on Redford's part. The real hero does not look and act like a hero at all. While the person with all the "right stuff" so to speak, has little other than the appearance of wit and passion.
JMOHO
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I hear you, fentress. But the truth is that other than having a more gravelly sounding voice in recent years-- good accent or not-- that is very close to how Richard Goodwin speaks. In real life Goodwin does not have a traditional "Bahstan aaaccent".
I thought Rob Morrow was brilliant as Dick Goodwin.
Several people have criticized Morrow's clipped and gravel voiced New England accent. I've seen old film footage Goodwin cross-examining Herb Stempel at the Congressional hearing and Rob Morrow had Dick Goodwin's eccentric speech patterns and Yankee accent nailed. Not many American screen actors have an ear for doing a highly nuanced regional accent. Granted Morrow grew up in New Rochelle NY but the Boston working class accent has little in common with stately form of English as spoken in the affluent Westchester County, where Rob Morrow grew up.
In fact three of the principal actors John Turturro, Ralph Fiennes and Rob Murrow in "Quiz Show" did very good voice impersonations of their real life characters as well as having a very close physical resemblance to their real life characters.
I can't imagine anyone other than Morrow doing a better job at playing Dick Goodwin. I've seen "Quiz Show" a half dozen times since it's theatrical release in 1994, and it's message has grown even more relevant since the rise of 24 hour news cycle, tabloid journalism and reality game shows. "Quiz Show" remains one of the great historical docudramas of the 20th Century.
I thought he was really good. No miscast.
shareDefinitely miscast. Perhaps without the silly accent and eyebrows, he would have been better, because those things were definitely distracting.
shareLOL!!! That is what Richard Goodwin looked and acted like. Actually Morrow even with the make-up is still much better looking than the real Goodwin was, lol. And that accent is the way Goodwin speaks. It was a dead-on performance, not an imitation-- but a fine performance.
Goodwin is supposed to be nerdy and somewhat annoying in contrast to Van Doren's good looks and charm. Here's a photo of the real Richard Goodwin, unibrow and all. A brilliant man lives behind that awkward exterior and he wrote some of the greatest speeches of the decade of the 60's for two presidents. And the picture you're looking at is actually a bit touched up, lol.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_N._Goodwin
Totally agree.
He was a weak note in an otherwise excellent movie.
I thought he was great, although his accent sounded a little forced to me...
shareAgreed. While Rob Morrow is not in a league with some of the other actors in this film, he works well in the role of the ernest young lawyer, out to make a name for himself. But, like you say, the accent is uneven throughout the film making it sound forced.
Overall the casting and acting in this film is about as good as any film in recent memory. I thought both Turturro and Scofield deserved nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Scofield would have won that award in almost any year, but he had the bad fortune to be nominated in the same year as Martin Landau's once in a generation performance as Bela Lugosi in "Ed Wood".