MovieChat Forums > Knives Out (2019) Discussion > The myth of the southern accent.

The myth of the southern accent.

posted 4 years ago by aavfreak (3387)
15 replies | jump to latest

I see a lot of people on here complaining about Daniel Craig's southern American accent.

There is no such thing as a "southern" accent any more than there is a "northern" accent.

A NYC accent is different from a Boston accent is different from a Chicago accent is different from a Wisconsin accent. No one would refer to any one of those individually as a "northern" accent.

In the same way, South Carolina is different from Mississippi is different from Texas is different from Kentucky. No one should refer to any one of those individually as a "southern" accent.

The difference between accents of Georgia and Louisiana is as distinct as accents from the Bronx and Pittsburgh.

New Orleans is the most mixed up of them all. It's an odd conglomeration of French, Creole, and the drawl so typically associated to southern dialects.

The whole idea of a single southern accent seems to stem from the [incorrect] assertion that all people from the south are slow and dim witted. Although to see some of these dopes on here saying, "I'm from the south and no one here talks like that," it can be true, just not universally true. If you're from Texas, of course no one where you are talks like they're from Alabama. "herp derp, I'm from the south and we don't talk like that, hurr dee durr." Dumbasses.

[–] liscarkat (19396) 4 years ago

Y'all sound very angry about this.

[–] aavfreak (3387) 4 years ago

Big mad. Bless your heart.

[–] TimMC (9143) 4 years ago

That is true.

[–] Ace_Spade (9657) 4 years ago

So...how did Daniel Craig do? Is he close to any of 'em?

From what I can tell, this is one of many, many frustrations that Southerners have with films. Not only are they portrayed as a monolithic block of racist, backward, dumbf--k hillbillies, but films and television couldn't even be bothered to research long enough to find out that there's more than one accent. State to state are different cultures, practically, but even that surface-level thing of the accent is ignored by Hollywood (who then tell everybody in the southern states that they're ignorant).

[–] aavfreak (3387) 4 years ago

It was passable to me. However, I'm not from that area, so someone more intimate with the specific region may be able to recognize it as a fake more readily.

[–] Ace_Spade (9657) 4 years ago

Yeah, I thought it worked. There's a part of me that thinks it doesn't matter, either, because the movie on the whole is kinda quirky - Craig's character in-particular - so even if he was off by a bit, that's okay to me because the movie has that "vibe". Of course, if somebody from the South found it grating, I'd understand that completely.

[–] aavfreak (3387) 4 years ago

Now that you mention it, it could be taken such that his whole personality, to include the accent, was just a ruse to play on the "slow and dim witted" stereotype. It could be used to keep the suspects off guard, especially a rich family that's accustomed to looking down their noses at others.

I imagine that if he came in with a Sherlock Holmes British accent, then any suspect would be much more careful what they said and how they said it.

[–] Ace_Spade (9657) 4 years ago

It's possible, I suppose; I don't think that's the intention of the filmmakers, though. That would be a neat twist, though.

[–] Alex (1508) 4 years ago

The accent was too on the nose for me. Especially when contrasted against the rest of the cast.
It felt like the movie was slowed to 0.75 (like youtube speed) every time Craig started speaking. Quickly become annoying tbh. It just doesn't flow and distracts from the main story. I was like "JUST GET TO THE POINT ALREADY, FFS!"

Hercule Poirot this was not, alas...

P.S.: The black guy who portrayed "L" in Netflix's disastourous Death Note adaptaion was here too. Playing a Detective again no less xD.

[–] Alerra (244) 4 years ago

Have you ever read any of Douglas Preston? Craig might not be Hercule Poirot, but Aloysius Pendergast, he might just be. Every time Blanc started speaking, all I could think of was, "OMG, that's Pendergast." The accent, the cadence, the lines of questioning, everything.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (6543) 4 years ago

Why not just hire a southerner is what I was thinking.

[–] Druff (1845) 4 years ago

"Southern accent" has never been in reference to one specific accent. It means any typical accent from the southern states. They each have their unique characteristics, but they also share many common characteristics. Duh. Idiot.

[–] aavfreak (3387) 4 years ago

A NYC accent is different from a Boston accent is different from a Chicago accent is different from a Wisconsin accent. No one would refer to any one of those individually as a "northern" accent, meaning any typical accent from the northern states. Duh. Idiot.

[–] Druff (1845) 4 years ago

Because the "northern accents" don't share as many common characteristics as the southern ones do. Holy shit, you're dumb.

[–] aavfreak (3387) 4 years ago

For those that are not from there, they most certainly do. Holy shit, you're dumb.