Basinger seemed a bit too prim, overwrought, hyper-sensitive and high maintenance to be credible as an ambitious, gung ho, war zone photo-journalist. Plus, to no fault of her own, Kim Basinger with her blonde hair and blue eyes looks more like Silver St. Cloud than the traditionally redheaded Vicki Vale.
I’ve heard the argument that had Sean Young actually played Vicki Vale instead of Kim Basinger, Vicki would’ve had more of a presence. Kim Basinger actually made a greater impression (in a good way) in the movies that she did prior to “Batman” like “Nadine” and “Blind Date”. Like maybe Sean’s interpretation of Vicki Vale wouldn’t have been so decidedly wimpy, mousy and hysterical. And maybe Sean’s Vicki would’ve figured her way into the Batcave instead of being literally escorted in by Alfred.
In hindsight, Kim Basinger really isn't that good of an actress. Sure she has an Oscar to her name but this really struck me when I came across this review for My Stepmother is an Alien:
This movie came along one year before Tim Burton's Batman so Kim Basinger was still technically small fry. She was mainly known for her steamy antics with Mickey Rourke in '9½ Weeks' so this goofball family comedy seemed like an odd choice. Who else would you cast as a super sexy blonde bombshell at this point? So Basinger naturally fits the part of the sexy alien, but anything else? Not really no. I have always thought Basinger was all looks and not much else (even in Batman 89) and this doesn't sway me. She really cannot act at all. She has no comic timing, looks uncomfortable in many scenes, and isn't funny. Unsurprisingly the only scene where she does come to life is where she has to strip for Aykroyd's character. It's plainly obvious they stuck that sequence in because that's all she could do and what she was known for.
Even in Batman her acting is often left to be desired. I'm not going to talk about her penchant for screaming because that has been discussed to death. But remember the controversial scene in which Alfred escorts Vicki into the Batcave without informing Bruce first? I recall Roger Ebert himself complaining about this scene, but Kim doesn't seem at all astonished at the fact that the guy that she has been dating is Batman. Now, I don't know if that's entirely on Kim herself or Tim Burton, but either way, the scene really sticks out like a sore thumb.
Yeah, Jon Peters also claimed that he got into a legit fight with Kim's husband (yes, Kim Basinger was married to somebody else before she hooked up with Alec Baldwin) when they were in England filming Batman. He claimed that her husband, Ron Britton was being abusive towards her at I think, a restaurant, and Peters essentially, stood up for Kim.