MovieChat Forums > Mary Reilly (1996) Discussion > Julia Roberts should stick to what she d...

Julia Roberts should stick to what she does best...

posted 12 years ago by missscoobyca
11 replies | jump to latest

...playing a no talent bimbo. Mystic Pizza and Satisfaction had practically the same character, then of course Pretty Woman, and Erin Brokovich. She cannot act. The only thing she can pull off is the wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights look, and the horse-toothed grin. Pathetic. I'm not even going to go into the disgustingly horrendous attempt at an accent she murdered in this movie! Uma Thurman would have been a much better fit, they should have went with her. Anyone else think Julia Roberts is an over rated hack?

[–] jayehawk 12 years ago

I wouldn't go as far as to call her a hack, but definitely overrated.
Personally, I don't get the appeal.
And she should definitely not be doing period pieces...she is out of her depth with that.

[–] davidwile 11 years ago

Hey folks,

Sorry, but this is one person who thinks Roberts and Malkavich both did well in this film. Then again, I usually like both Roberts and Malkavich in most all of their work.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[–] fiatlux-1 9 years ago

Sorry, but this is one person who thinks Roberts and Malkavich both did well in this film.

Agreed 100%. Both acted well here.
But I will say I've always thought of both Roberts & Malkovich as hit-or-miss actors. They can be great or terrible.

But BOTH of them rocked their performances here. Roberts, on a side note, looked even more beautiful to me here than when she is all *dolled up*.

I was genuinely stunned that Roberts was so convincing as Mary, she truly garnered the necessary vulnerability & conflict needed to pull it off.
Ditto Malkovich.

I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.

[–] scoup 11 years ago

I'm with you.

[–] solitaryinthestreetlights 11 years ago

Funny - I thought Uma Thurman for this role as well. I don't particularly dislike Roberts, but Thurman would have been great.

[–] moistsnackcake 11 years ago

I will never EVER understand the appeal of Julia Roberts.

For laughs, we used to do impersonations of JR's reaction to the car bomb in Pelican Brief

If John Q. Public had more discerning tastes when it comes to film and actors we'd have far less "movie stars" to deal with

to/too - their/they're - through/threw...any questions?

[–] bsteward-2 11 years ago

She cannot act. The only thing she can pull off is the wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights look, and the horse-toothed grin. Pathetic.

Julia Roberts seems to get criticized, by some, for her "Acting", but as you read through a "critique", like yours, it always reads more like an angry mess of personal attacks than an honest critique of her work... I believe she is adored far more for her character's personality than her looks and that would come from her acting ability, in my opinion, since her real personality and demeanor in interviews seems vastly different... I'm not sure I'd even like Julia Robert's real personality, from what I've seen and heard from her Off Screen.. So, I would totally disagree that she can't act or is a hack..

Bill Steward

[–] martialwest 10 years ago

I cannot disagree more. Your criticism is superficial, with no basis given or explanations made. I think this role was a challenge for Ms. Roberts that she met with grace; perhaps your difficulty is with seeing Ms. Roberts in an unfamiliar type of role (one in which she struggles to overcome both internal and external conflict based on prior abuse). Your physical descriptions of Ms. Roberts are not only inaccurate but cruel... she is a beautiful woman who purposely downplayed her looks in order to carry the character, and she carried Mary well.

[–] intuitsteve 10 years ago

Very spot on. She couldn't act if her life depended on it.

[–] sjbradford 10 years ago

...which is doing crappy romantic comedies and stealing other women's husbands.

[–] activista 9 years ago

@sjbradford

...which is doing crappy romantic comedies and stealing other women's husbands.

Oh, c'mon---I think what she did was wrong as hell (messing around with another's woman's husband, whom she later got married to) but, uh, that was like what, over ten years ago? And, hell yeah, she can act her a** off---she wasn't one of the top box office stars at one time for nothing---she's always brought a genuine realness and a toughness to her roles that I like, and she dosen't always play the good girl all the time. Her best films, I think, are Something To Talk About, Pretty Woman, My Best Friend's Wedding, Dying Young (only because of her performance.)