MovieChat Forums > Blast from the Past (1999) Discussion > It could have been an excellent movie bu...

It could have been an excellent movie but, wow, was Silverstone bad.

posted 12 years ago by not_now123
24 replies | jump to latest

I'm not at all a Alicia hater and loved her in Clueless. I was really looking forward to her in this and thought she was well cast. But, my Gosh, was I wrong. Could she have produced a more whiny character that was less likable? Who thought this was a good idea for a character? If this was a funny action movie where her head gets blown off for humor, then her acting would have made sense. But this?

How did the producers see the first daily's and either get her an acting coach or fire her on the spot? What a waste of a good film. Is it a coincidence that her movie career went on a downward slope after this performance? The best thing for her would have been to bring in a replacement rather than allowing this embarrassing performance to be seen.

There were so many wonderful things about this movie. It could have been a memorable film if Silverstone wasn't in it.

I wonder who would have been better suited for the role? Any ideas?

[–] gothor 11 years ago

I thought she was a little grating, yes. I mean, I see what they were doing. She's got a tough exterior, and is first talked into helping this weird guy, then later having to fix him up with girls after she'd already fallen for him. So she's pretty much always in a bad mood. But then, she's also flooded with cash doing easy work, and falls in love. So some of that joy should have maybe shone through.

Maybe they could have played it more like Lea Thompson in Howard the Duck? She has a similar character arc. Streetsmart, helping a strange out of towner. Reluctantly trying to help Howard get home, even though she grows to like him.

Don't get me wrong, I love Alicia Silverstone in just about everything she does. But this is probably the least likable character I've seen her play. Which, I admit, is still pretty likable.

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[–] theeeyankeeswin1 10 years ago

Silverstone was Silverstone. It's what everyone was expected in 1999 from her. She had the look to be the ultimate snob and to be grating. Don't know what to say- that's who she portrays in many of her movies. Incidentally, Blast From the Past was one of her Top 3 movies, which says a lot about her as an actress to begin with, no offense to her fans. Just look at her resume.

She grew and learned her lesson in the climax of Blast From the Past.

[–] avnrulz 10 years ago

And she had great legs, not those 'Barbie' legs so many actresses have these days (just watched an epi of 'Garfunkel and Oates', the 'Speechless one, and there was nothing to keep me interested when they're in their work out clothes).

BOHICA America!

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] Wherethebeerflowslikewine 10 years ago

She bugged me too. But I think she did her job well and it was that the character was written to have a stick up her butt. Maybe she seemed more cynical next to Brendan's naiveity. After all he is a baby man :)

[–] akshaykumar101 10 years ago

I love Alicia, she is beautiful and endearing. I think her character Eve complimented Adam's character very well.

[–] brentnevers 10 years ago

You hit the nail on the head, notnow123..! Adam would have been much better off with Sophie...who was adorable and had the education and sophistication that Adam needed...

[–] music_man_fan 9 years ago

You totally got this right on, OP. You can be "bitchy" and difficult, and even unlikeable at the beginning, but you have to give the audience something that redeems the character. You can be whiny, but when you give the character zero reason to be sympathetic towards her, then ruin any sense of a romantic comedy? It's "Taming of the Shrew", not "Lady MacBeth".

Really one of the worst acting jobs I've ever seen in a comedy, ever. You just wanted her to be hit by a meteor in the end.

[–] eileen-guthrie555 9 years ago

You never use the M word, its a jinx for actors to say it out loud or write the word down.

Brendon was excellent and loved, loved, loved that dance scene. I didn't know he could dance. I've always like him as an actor in comedies, not so great in some of the drama's he's done.

[–] vyperman7 9 years ago

The ironic thing is that I've never been a huge Alicia Silverstone fan. However, I have to say that I think she nailed the role. You have to realize that she was simply playing the character she was cast for. It was done intentionally to show how opposites can attract and that she was on the opposite end of the spectrum. Adam is naive, optimistic, overly cheery/upbeat, etc.. Whereas she is hardened, skeptical, a bit whiny/high maintenance, etc.. Once she let her guard down though, she was a sweetie and matched up well with Adam.

I actually think a great scene is when the roles flipped and Adam became more take charge/dominant when he was patching up her knee, and she became Ms Vulnerable.

[–] TMC-4 (20123) 6 years ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/8tikuv/holy_shit_american_woman_is_awful_and_alicia/e17t4k2/

She was ok I guess in "Blast From The Past" but it's mostly Brendan Fraser and Christopher Walken who carry that movie. She has an unlikable air to her even in that movie. She's also known for treating people like crap and being just unpleasant in general.

https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/1999-2/blast-from-the-past/

https://lebeauleblog.com/2011/06/23/what-the-hell-happened-to-alicia-silverstone/