MovieChat Forums > Twelve Monkeys (1996) Discussion > Brad Pitt Can't Act

Brad Pitt Can't Act

posted 17 years ago by jjd430
263 replies | jump to latest

I just watched 12 M. for the first time, all the way through. Is the reason that IMDB describes it as a black comedy because Pitt's performance is so clownish and exaggerated? Was he not directed!? I don't think he was at this undeserved exalted place in pop. culture at the time, so why didn't they fire him after the first few dailies? He's just awful and distracting in every scene.
I was never a Brad Pitt hater, but his performance in Seven was bad, too. I also saw him in an earlier obscure flick and he was terrible there as well. 12 M would have been a much better movie, and possibly a cult classic, without him in that key role. Brad must've been a pool boy for some influential producer back in the day. He surely can't act.

[–] odog42 17 years ago

And a lot of people miss the fact that his character, who was crazy to a certain extent, but wasn't really. So his character was a person pretending to be crazy, so he his antics would be overboard and exaggerated.

[–] rothste3 17 years ago

Ok jjd430 you are saying Pitt's performance as a crazy person is "clownish and exaggerated" right? Sorry I didn't realize crazy people were only believable by showing some civility! You're absolutely ridiculous to think he didn't play that role to perfection! I am surprised to hear how absurdly critical people are of good actors. If you are so enlightened perhaps you can tell us how to play an insane person correctly? Because I'd say he Pitt did it just right.

[–] jjd430 17 years ago

Watch Cuckoo's Nest. Notice how professional actors play crazy people. Also, like I said, this isn't the first movie that he's pretty much ruined for me. He has great trouble exhibiting the correct, believeable emotional pitch when needed. Without that skill, you shouldn't be in the business.

[–] oscarstegland 16 years ago

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is excellent but that's a completely different type of film. Here's the really interesting part: these disorders deal with the psyche, which means there are endless possibilities and there's no way to tell how a person will react to being emotionally and mentally unstable. Physical disorders such as down syndrome are documented with case studies and so on. If Person A goes "crazy" due to a traumatic event for example, there's no way of telling if Person B will go "crazy" in a similar way or go down the complete opposite path.

[–] snihan 15 years ago

Well said. Pitt is pathetic.

[–] igotitithink 17 years ago

Have you ever had any real interactions with the mentally ill? Pitt was stellar in this role. It greatly increased my respect for him.

[–] dechristel67 17 years ago

I have to agree - for a long time I've sworn that when Pitt is attempting to play a normal person he is so unbearably monotonous (Seven!)that he's unwatchable. Then I saw Snatch and thought, okay - if he's playing a nut, in a sort of over-the-top role, he's actually good. Which is why I thought I'd be safe renting 12 Monkeys. But boy, was I wrong - he was awful! Unbearable once again, and not due to monotony - he just cannot act. He's pretty enough - and let him continue building houses in New Orleans - but he needs to stay away from the big screen!

[–] farmerbob42 17 years ago

yeh, such a terrible performance he was nominated for an oscar!

[–] jjd430 17 years ago

It means nothing to me that he was nominated for an Oscar for this or anything. Half of the voters are gay or women. I hate to say it but you know it's true. And yes, it IS that simple. I'm not saying that he was just bad, he ruined this movie for me. And since so many people have read my comments and agree, then yes, I'm onto something and not imagining his awfulness.

[–] PB_Rescuer 17 years ago

"Half of the voters are gay or women"

So gay people and women would not be able to vote but straight men could? WTF kind of logic is this? Because he is good looking you think that people who have the responsibility to vote can't do it well if there is a cute guy in the running? Geez, you must be 12.

[–] eyoak 14 years ago

half of the voters are gay or women, do u have ANY REMOTE IDEA you sound like the biggest nutcase on IMDB?
Move on , nothing to see here, just a loonybin.

[–] eerwicker 17 years ago

A tenth-rate actor (and, with his lack of charm or charisma, a pretty poor film star to boot). He's at his considerable worst here, horribly over-indulged by Gilliam. Wrecks a good movie, I'm afraid.

I am a sick man... I am a spiteful man. An unattractive man. I think that my liver hurts.

[–] nas_tribe 17 years ago

ppl. with that ilnes act like that, get the dvd, watch the extras, brad pitt is taking ques from doctors to do the part, to get the movment of one with the ilnes. half of hes movies have been badly preformed! but not this one.
if you dont like the movie thats ok, but to hack on things thers nothing wrong with?
i did not like lord of the ring, but i dont go around trying to tell ppl. the CGI was crapy in them.

[–] fortysevendemarco47 17 years ago

lol...
gay people have a skewed perception of good acting then?

That's a pretty lame claim, brother.

[–] jjd430 17 years ago

No, gays (and women) are just horny for him. Acting be damned. People have known this kind of stuff for years. Welcome to Hollyweird. I'm still trying to figure out who "advanced" this third-tier actor to such prominence.

[–] fortysevendemarco47 17 years ago

I'm not trying to sound like a Brad humper...
I'm not saying he's one of the 'greatest actors of our time'
I'm just saying that there are worse....

Have you seen:
Fight Club
Snatch
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Babel
and dare i say, the Ocean's movies

Your opinion is your own, but there is some exceptional work done in a few of those movies

[–] ChefC 17 years ago

Agreed Fortysevendemarcho

That is exactly what I was going to say, he plays all his roles in each of those movies well, and in some (namely snatch and fight club) I'd say he performs exceptionally.

I think people who dislike Brad Pitt are just clouded in their judgement by all the media attention him and Angelina get, I also find it annoying, and don't get me started on how retarded the guy must be to cheat on Jennifer Anniston! But you cannot let it take away from his acting ability.

Id also say he played his roll in Troy pretty damn well also. As for Twelve Monkeys, I personally thought he played the mental patient really well, and in no way "ruined" the movie.

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If everybody had the same opinion, it would be a very boring world.

[–] TimelyPersuasion 17 years ago

I'm not a big Brad Pitt fan either, but I thought he was great in both 12 Monkeys and Fight Club.

But his absolute best role by far has to be his bit part in True Romance.

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www.timelypersuasion.com

[–] lindgrek 17 years ago

Wow, so all gay men and straight women (I'm assuming you meant straight women, because I don't think that many lesbians are attracted to Brad Pitt) are so reigned by their emotions that their capacity for rational or objective thought is completely wiped out whenever they see a pretty male face? Gee, it's a good thing that we have straight men like you around to keep us guy-lovers in line whenever we lose our heads like that! </sarcasm>

I don't even find Brad Pitt to be especially swoon-worthy - he's much too old for me.

[–] Anakin_McFly 16 years ago

No, gays (and women) are just horny for him.

I'm not. I don't even think he's good looking; just average, maybe even slightly below at times. I have no idea what everyone sees in him.

And my brother (who's straight) (I think) thought that Pitt's performance in 12 Monkeys was brilliant.

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www.freewebtown.com/anakinmcfly

[–] cassbtt 16 years ago

Maybe in an otherwise understated and complex film such as this, it's natural for people to gravitate to the single over-the-top performance.

Pitt's character provided that contrast. It was fun and pretty well acted, and his character plays an important if diversionary function to the story, but after several viewings his part holds my attention the least.

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Links to "Twelve Monkeys" Pages

[–] Maximillini86 15 years ago

Wow, that's incredibly offensive jj.

"Why always with the fighting?"
-Dr. John Zoidberg

[–] eyoak 14 years ago

My god, you sound more and more like a young frustrated dumb person!

[–] dklustick1 17 years ago

you kidding me he made that movie

he plays a great crazy guy

[–] bamaopoly 17 years ago

"Pitt's performance is so clownish and exaggerated?"

Um, hello, he's playing a severely disturbed mental patient. And if you want to poke at "clownish and exaggerated", Dr. Stranglove wouldn't have been near as good had it not been for George C. Scott going over the top with his portrayal, and he was directed to do so. I'm surprised that this film wasn't nominated for AFI's top 10 Sci-Fi movies.

[–] milcarb86 17 years ago

umm i don't know but, wasn't this like his best ever performance, i mean being nominated for an Oscar surely you did something right, and i think he was great to be honest...probably the best performance in the film

"Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone"

[–] Moviefannumerouno 17 years ago

I'm not a big fan of Brad Pitt but there have been movies where he has been a part of what made the movie great.
He has also been crap in other movies such as Babel, Troy, Spy Game and more.
But in this movie I really liked his performance and thought he deserved every word of praise.
I also liked Al Pacino's performance as Scarface.
I don't think they were over the top in either movie, but just doing what the part called for.
Brad Pitt has been in some movies that I thought were great such as Fight Club, Seven, Legends of the Fall and now I saw him doing this role in 12 Monkeys which I thought was great.
The Oceans movies I like because they are entertaining and not supposed to be taken seriously and because I can imagine that group of actors really enjoying themselves making the movie.