MovieChat Forums > Central Intelligence (2016) Discussion > The Rock as an actor...

The Rock as an actor...

posted 8 years ago by Reznik_T
31 replies | jump to latest

I kept hearing how The Rock has learned to act, and that he is one of the great movie stars of our age. Now, I started watching this movie, but after 30 minutes I had to stop it, partly because it's so poorly written and edited, and the dialogues are so cringeworthy, but also The Rock's acting... I mean, c'mon guys! He's a wrestler, and some studio or agent must have decided that they're gonna make him the next Schwarzenegger, but he clearly lacks the talent, and it's impossible to take him seriously as an actor.
After seeing this I don't get how movie critics and reviewers I respect keep praising him, and saying how they want to see him in more and more movies. It almost feels like there's an unspoken agreement in Hollywood that no one will speak their honest opinion about The Rock's acting skills, but everyone will talk this nonsene about his "screen presence" and "charisma". Such BS.

[–] TheHandThatBleeds 8 years ago

I think YOU had trouble setting aside your prejudice and expectations about Dwayne Johnson as a person, so you couldn't see him actually being that character, which I felt he executed very well.

That rug really tied the room together.

[–] aer71367-313-155069 8 years ago

You have to let that Reznick freak go off on the numerous tantrums that he'll have (imaginary or not) He's often here typing something negative all the time.

[–] hal-9010 8 years ago

SPOILER...

Hey man, he may not be all that. But if you had watched it to the end you would have learned that his character was supposed to act as someone acting in the beginning. He was undercover in a way and was supposed to act off for the story to work.

___________
** I am normally not a praying man, but if you are up there, please save me Superman **

[–] Reznik_T 8 years ago

By the time I stopped the movie it had already been revealed that he was undercover.

[–] imstillmatic 8 years ago

Who judges anyone's acting on one film ? And a film where they are playing a character who is socially awkward?

[–] hal-9010 8 years ago

okay, but he was more than an undercover agent, it was an undercover undercover type thing. But more importantly I think he was purposefully asked to act off as we the audience were meant to doubt him until the very last scene... so what seem to be flat out bad acting may not have been.... at least not entirely. Listen, he is no acting Adonis to me either, but I have though seen him perform pretty well and so I give him the benefit of the doubt.

___________
** I am normally not a praying man, but if you are up there, please save me Superman **

[–] fu_jac 8 years ago

you're wrong...the rock WAS wrestler.....now he's an actor...

admittedly there are roles he'll never be good at but he seems to choose his roles carefully so that he doesn't let audiences down....

i mean, his role in fast and the furious movies, specifically number 5 was perfect for him....as was the role in pain and gain

try stop thinking of him as a wrestler and see him as a guy who used to wrestle and is now an actor

[–] tenlegdragon 8 years ago

See Pain and Gain. The dude can act. He's probably not going to out act Sean Penn and DiCaprio but he's excellent at the roles he does. Also, keep in mind that "The Rock" isn't a real person...

Dwayne Johnson is in a sense acting as The Rock acting as a crazy ass buffed dude. Come on. My grandmother was in her 80s and going blind and she still made an effort to watch his movies. And she was from a farm in Barbados. In that sense alone, in terms of international appeal, he's one of the greatest actors out right now.

His SNL appearances are always the best of the season. Come on. It's one thing if you don't like the movies he does, but he does what he does well, and I don't thnk you can argue that. Same way, Arnold did robotic soldier with an accent well. If you compare him to other sport stars turn actors, is he really doing that horribly? I mean, aside from Tatum in Foxcatcher, which other sport/entertainer out there is going for Oscars?

Clever people will recognize and tolerate nothing but cleverness.

[–] canuckteach 8 years ago

There is a difference between a movie star and an actor (there once was a documentary with that title: it compared James Caan & Arnold)..

For instance, DiCaprio is a great actor (notwithstanding Titanic, which suffered from a typically drippy Cameron script) - but the Rock is a movie star. I liked him in that movie about the star athlete who suddenly has to 'babysit' a previously unknown daughter ('Game Plan'). There's a place for movie stars, as long as they stay in that role, and don't start trying to do Hamlet, or something. We have Kenneth Branaugh for that. But Kenneth can't play an action hero either (he does play a troubled detective in 'Wallander' quite well).

I respect the right of the O.P. to voice his opinion of the Rock's acting ability. I just think he needs to put it in perspective, that's all. It's the movie business - Shakespeare is on the stage, for serious actors.

:-) canuckteach (--:

[–] tenlegdragon 8 years ago

Hey, Arnold had Maggie in him, and who knows what else? We don't need to get all picky about who is doing what.

Saying Dwayne Johnson can't act is like saying desert nomads can't swim.

[–] Sheldonshells 8 years ago

One of the greatest actors out right now? Going for the Oscars? Are you like mentally ill? The idea of this guy being a "great actor" or going for the oscars is a complete joke. Who even needs sports entertainer (that's if you can even call "professional" wrestling a "sport") going for oscars? Stay the hell at what your good at and keep out of things you're clearly mediocre at at best, and Dwayne Johnson is certainly nothing but a mediocre actor at best. I'm wondering if pegging him as the "highest paid actor" is really just a combination of the money he made in wrestling combined with his acting gigs and other endorsement deals too maybe. I don't see the appeal of this person, and it seems only not very bright people do like him, or people who strangely want to please not very bright people if it's somehow to their benefit, but that's it.

It just seems odd and almost kind of disturbing to me, like when you described how your grandma is going blind and still makes an effort to watch his movies. What would some grotesquely overmuscled mediocre actor be such a need to see? Excuse me, but maybe your grandma's going senile, in fact sometines it seems this whole society is going senile, which might explain why anyone would ever praise or pay Johnson such money for his crap movies. Just face it, the guy's not only not anywhere near a "great" actor, but he's actually pretty bad. Not to mention jus the aesthetic unpleasantness of seeing some gross looking over musclehead for 2 hours in some movie try to act and speak well. The whole arnold muscleman thing is stale and out of style these days, the only people who would be supporting it are people who are also stale and out of style, and maybe there's a lot of those unfortunately but the don't convince me.

[–] TheCommenteer 8 years ago

...since we are now generalising and stereotyping people for their opinions I'm going to assume that you've been picked on a lot by jocks and bigger guys and you're taking it out on others. Is your boss a bit into lifting and he keeps giving you a hard time?

You sound like a whiny idiot, but please tell us about your acting, directing or film qualifications so we can see what well founded knowledge you're basing this on. You know, so you aren't just an armchair critic with a keyboard acting like your opinion actually means something.

[–] JackMillion 8 years ago

I like Dwayne as an actor! Sure, he's no Cary Grant, but he's thoroughly entertaining on the big screen! He's just fun and funny to watch! He has charisma, he doesn't take himself too seriously, and he's just a big goof! Have fun with it, man.

---

[–] cestfromage 8 years ago

I agree with tenlegdragon. Dwayne Johnson sold me on his character in Pain and Gain. And I actually enjoyed Mark Wahlberg for once. DJ was also great in the Gridiron Gang.

[–] VirtualMark 8 years ago

I mean, c'mon guys! He's a wrestler

Wrestlers are actors lol. You don't think that stuff he did was real?

You think that's air you're breathing now?

[–] Reznik_T 8 years ago

They are peformers, but not necessarily actors. They're not the same thing.

[–] jsgilm-63457 8 years ago

The Rock is a great performer and a decent actor. He sold the character as being basically the same overenthused, awkward kid in a beefed up highly trained body pretty well. I believed it. On the other hand, his eyes seem kind of dead to me, contrast that with Kevin Hart, who communicates a ton in just a look, and Hart isn't Lawrence Olivier or Bob DeNiro.

[–] VirtualMark 8 years ago

They are peformers, but not necessarily actors. They're not the same thing.

He acted and performed. He made speeches, and played a character. The Rock isn't his name, it's his characters name.

You think that's air you're breathing now?

[–] jsgilm-63457 8 years ago

It's so over the top and stylized, its mean for an arena, not a screen. Actors have to be able to convey a lot just from their faces, almost the opposite of what pro wrestlers do. The Rock isn't terrible, not even bad, he's just not "good."

[–] VirtualMark 8 years ago

It's so over the top and stylized, its mean for an arena, not a screen.

So anyone that has acted in theatre isn't an actor by your standards? After all, it's not meant for a screen...

The Rock isn't terrible, not even bad, he's just not "good."

Stating your subjective opinion as fact does not make a strong argument.

The fact is that he has a huge fanbase, and makes consistently successful movies. You may not like him, but it would appear that your opinion is not that of the majority.

You think that's air you're breathing now?

[–] Reznik_T 8 years ago

he has a huge fanbase, and makes consistently successful movies

What does it have to do with anything? The discussion is about Dwayne Johnson's acting skills, not the size of his fanbase or the box office numbers of his movies.

[–] VirtualMark 8 years ago

It shows that many people enjoy his acting.

I note that you ignored the rest of my points. As such, your tacit concession on the matter is noted and accepted.

You think that's air you're breathing now?

[–] Sheldonshells 8 years ago

Stating your subjective opinion as fact does not make a strong argument.

The fact is that he has a huge fanbase, and makes consistently successful movies. You may not like him, but it would appear that your opinion is not that of the majority.

Well that YOUR subjective opinion, which is also not fact. The reason why his movies make money is basically because big dumb loud action movies have what you call an inset audience, like the Star Wars audience no matter how bad the movies are they'll keep making money due to a large, mostly non-critally thinking meatheaded audience, perhaps some of them fetishize grotesquely overmuscled meatheads in movies and cream in their pants when they see that, but mostly it's just a bunch of morons who probalby don't even really think about or know what they're doing, with this and problaby many other things in their lives. So in short, that *beep* don't convince me.

What's with your cheerleading for this mediocre actor? He consistently makes successful movies? pfffffffff, NOPE! If anything his movies are consistenly panned, though, like I was saying above, with the inset lemmings marching to a cliff audience that action movies get, that still make good money.

[–] chilone 8 years ago

Maybe they're not morons. Maybe they just have different tastes than you. The reason I think you're a moron has nothing to do with your tastes.

I don't love her.. She kicked me in the face!!

[–] happytlk52 8 years ago

I really enjoyed this movie. The "Rock" as an actor, shoot, he made me laugh and still be tough. I thought the combination of the Rock and Hart was sure and hilarious. I will probably watch this movie again and again, just for the laughs. It was fun and entertaining.

[–] ramcamcole 8 years ago

Nobody thinks the Rock is a serious actor but that doesn't mean he's not a good entertainer and isn't perfect for movies like this