MovieChat Forums > Samuel L. Jackson Discussion > Anyone else think he's hugely overrated?...

Anyone else think he's hugely overrated?

posted 7 years ago by coolbrett
32 replies | jump to latest

I get why he's so popular, cos he's got attitude. People like watching confident, charismatic people who go against the typical behaviour of someone who goes along with the rest of society.. but he's just not that good of an actor. He has that presence that always makes me well aware I'm just watching a movie. Good actors get lost in the life of the character they're playing and help make the story convincing and hence, more enjoyable. You don't get that with Jackson.

[–] Kryptonian_Zod 7 years ago

I feel very much the same way you do with regards to Samuel L Jackson, there is probably only really a handful of roles that Jackson has played where he really gets into the character.

However i'd say probably 95% of the time Jackson plays himself, from one film to the next, it's the same attitude, same coin praises *beep* etc... You're watching Samuel L Jackson..

I wouldn't say Samuel L Jackson is a bad actor, but he's not a great actor either, the major problem with Jackson is that he does too many movie's at a time.

No chance or time to really invest in developing the character he plays, unlike other actors who might not be doing as many films. However I think with Samuel L Jackson it's solely about getting as many films under his belt and money as possible, rather then the enjoying the art of acting.

Over recent years, I think his appeal and popularity has diminished overtime with fans, I have noticed a lot on message boards people stating they getting bored with the same characters he plays in his movie's.

I think though if he limited his number of film projects and focused more on the characters he takes... He would show more versatility in the personality of the roles he plays. I have seen it in some of his films, so I know he can do it.

[–] biggums_t 7 years ago

Extremely. He's a bit. Nothing more, nothing less.

[–] aname-38202 7 years ago

I like how he curses. Funny how comedians can just curse and get paid. It's sad, but people make money off videos of their kids cursing.

[–] biggiebaby 7 years ago

Yes!

[–] R_Kane (15828) 7 years ago

Jackson hasn't turned in a good performance in more than a decade. The best part of Deep Blue Sea was when the shark jumped out of the pool and ate him in mid-sentence. It's time for this motherfucker to go away. Please, go away. No more welcome mat out for you. You're old, literally but more important, figuratively.

He's been doing the same fuckin' performance for the past 10 years! Enough! Go the fuck away.

[–] lukejbarnett (1869) 5 years ago

exactly, i'm more sick of him and jennifer garner in movies and on tv than i am sick of any other actor. he makes way too many movies and he's almost always the same in every movie, an over the top performance of an angry black man, he needs to go away right now.

[–] citircmlif (4) 4 years ago

ha ha ha, i've always said the same, my favourite film where he gets cut mid sentence doing the big american speech ! i love that movie just for that moment.

[–] lukejbarnett (1869) 5 years ago

exactly, really good point, i totally agree with you. everytime you see him in a movie it's always "oh, stop the presses here he is samuel l. jackson being his over the top way. he's just way too big of a personality in every movie. he needs to tone his acting way down in order to be convincing. did you think he was great in django unchained?

[–] Burk48917 (10979) 5 years ago

He was very different in kingsman.

[–] lukejbarnett (1869) 5 years ago

no he wasn't, he was the same look at me, over the top self.

[–] blissquest (133) 5 years ago

Part of the reason why Daniel Day Lewis is considered a great actor is the scarcity of his on-screen performances; about 21 films, not counting a few TV appearances before his big break of Room with a View. His acting career started in earnest in 1981, the same year Sam Jackson's career started in earnest. Mr Jackson has logged over 150 big screen performances, and with such on-screen ubiquity, people kinda get tired of seeing your face and what appears to be the same performance over and over. It not that the guy cannot act (A Time to Kill, Jackie Brown); it's more of the fact that a great performance doesn't seem to be his goal. His aspirations seem to be with Guinness, not Oscar.

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

"Django Unchained" was the one recent movie where he actually vanished into the character. I didn't recognize him at first, because he wasn't doing his "I'm SLJ and that makes me super-cool" schtick, he was actually playing the role of a horrible person and doing it well.

So he actually can act, he usually chooses not to.

[–] lukejbarnett (1869) 5 years ago

yeah and i mentioned this performance in this post as an exception to his playing the same character in every movie. so i give him respect for this performance. he needs to use more discretion when choosing roles and movies.

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

I suspect that all these one-note performances aren't entirely his fault, that directors bring him in and ask him to do that same SLJ schtick, because it's entertaining and audiences like it.

And if he takes these roles, well, the man is seventy years old, and when you're approaching retirement age if someone offers you easy money you take it.

[–] lukejbarnett (1869) 5 years ago

no 'cuz there's something called respect for your craft and then getting respect by audiences and if you do what he has done over the past like 20 years no one is going to respect you and he won't be remembered as a classic actor or even accomplished actor years from now.

just like how steve martin stopped being in good comedies about 30 years ago. and it gets to the point where if you go 30 years and make nothing but shit the first 30 years of your career are going to be less great, the bad overpowers the good to some extent. because you have to take their whole career in consideration in the end of their career before knowing how good their career was.

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

Spoken like someone who's never been offered easy money!

Or easy millions.

[–] Palanador21 (217) 5 years ago

If you truly think that Samuel L. Jackson won't be remembered as a great actor 20 years from now, you really don't understand Hollywood. Jackson is already considered one of the greatest actors of all time by most fans and critics alike..

[–] actionkamen (23176) 4 years ago

He is. Because he brings butts into the seats by being a supporting actor. This is what being a movie star is all about. He may not have the greatest acting or even subtlety, but for the one job he asked to do he does really really well. The best, probably.

[–] citircmlif (4) 4 years ago

come on really ? look at morgan freeman... he's an actor !

[–] tanyalawrence (352) 5 years ago

No.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 5 years ago

No to your no.

[–] Jones70 (6195) 5 years ago

Not really, he usually makes everything somewhat enjoyable imo.

[–] Palanador21 (217) 5 years ago

Jackson is simply one of the very best actors alive today.. He almost always steals the show in every movie he has ever been in... Django, Pulp Fiction and Jungle Fever to name a few.

[–] citircmlif (4) 4 years ago

what ? we ain't talking about the same person

[–] Palanador21 (217) 4 years ago

There is a reason why Jackson is one of the highest grossing actors in the world..