Gooding's acting so bad it was comedic in places. - Radio (2003) Discussion

[–] InvertedJoy 19 years ago

Yeah I too was surprized/dissapointed by his acting. But I guess that's just how the real Radio was.

you are not special...you are not a beautiful, or unique snowflake - Tyler Durden

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[–] kvoyerman 19 years ago

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. He was HORRIBLE! The whole movie was laughable. It was impossible to feel for the character with such bad acting. What made his character so lovable that he had the entire town tripping over themselves for him? Why didn't they give him the key to the city, too... or did they and I missed it?

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[–] splitvizionz 19 years ago

you guys are truly idiots... Congratulations

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[–] kvoyerman 19 years ago

Thank You.

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[–] EyeNixon 19 years ago

Having a mentally challenged sister myself, his acting couldn't have been better, the fact that you guys are morally challeneged idiots is none of my concern.

"Teh" is simple "teh" best typo ever.

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] Blimp821 16 years ago

thank u..i totaly agree..and cuba is an outstanding actor..so f off all u o posers that don't no crap about acting!

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[–] Defenseman13 10 years ago

lol, are these people trolls? HAVE to be.

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[–] aidanf2 15 years ago

Yeah, Any of you jerks talking like you could do better... He did outstanding, this movie was quite touching. You are all jerks who think that you should just offer criticism on a great movie. Well Dont!

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[–] bostonmovienut 12 years ago

I agree with you, My uncle is mentally retarded and when I saw this movie I thought he did a great job. While in general I'm not a fan of Cuba Gooding Jr., he did impress me here.

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[–] the_scotster-1 11 years ago

I know this thread is old but I have to say having just watched this movie for the 3rd time in 10 years, ignorance is bliss. Much like the critics who have completely lost sight of what the general viewing audience actually enjoy nowadays the comments on here seem totally unrelated to this particular role and how good, in reality, it was.

Spend some time with those less fortunate than yourselves (Given some of the comments I say that very lightly) and you may just see a completely different world unfold in front of your eyes.

Ignorance is always said to be bliss, but it's also very short sighted.

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[–] amarettodesi 19 years ago

well for people who critisize or have critisized Cuba for his " horrible" acting. i got just one thing to say...i'd like to see you step in his shoes and give a performance that is half as good. doesnt look so easy now huh?

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[–] hays-6 16 years ago

well for people who critisize or have critisized Cuba for his " horrible" acting. i got just one thing to say...i'd like to see you step in his shoes and give a performance that is half as good. doesnt look so easy now huh?

I'm pretty sure that if people were arguing over whether a surgeon did a poor job at removing a tumor, no one would say "think you could do better?"

How does that work as an argument tactic?

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[–] ms_grumpy_gills 15 years ago

My aunt and grandfather are both mentally disabled, and I can tell you from experience that Cuba Gooding Jr. did an awesome job. I put him up there with Dustin Hoffman as Rainman.

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[–] kvoyerman 18 years ago

Oh... I thought this was a movie message board. I guess when I said "acting", you thought I meant "a personal indifference towards disadvantaged people". My bad.

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[–] SlimAdey 18 years ago

I should think kvoyerman could do a better job than Gooding in this film - he doesn't seem to be as intelligent as Radio

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[–] Trapstar6 18 years ago

I just dont think it was bad acting on his part. You only laughed because his character was not associated with you. I may be wrong but, Im willing to bet you didnt find forest Gump to be as funny as Radio, Gilbert in "Whats eating gilbert grapes?" Or Rain Man for that matter. Did you? No. Subconciously In your mind you were probably thinking Look at this retared N***er , Ha ha he's funny. Not Touching.

Free Larry Hoover

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[–] XoWVChickoX 19 years ago

well,i think he did a good(great) job. it would be hard to play as a handicapped charater when your perfectly normal. so i give him props on that

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[–] kevin-caprani 19 years ago

interesting to find such opposing views on goodings performance, i thought it was a brilliant performance which was very true to my own personal experience of the behaviour of two similarly retarded people i have known , i think gooding quite clearly studied the subject and case histories to get a real feel for the part,if you compare it to cliff robertsons oscar winning performance of an adult retarded man in "charly" for example, goodings interpretation is far superior, it was an intelligent and sensative performance.

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[–] Bigwrestlerguy 19 years ago

I have met radio and he really is like that.

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[–] the_darkness_of_poetic_humor 19 years ago

I'm shocked were sitting here behind our computers discussing a mediocore performance, if not superb. I thought personally Cuba did a decent job...I'm even more shocked I'm commenting and I'm going to post this and join this forum.....oh well!!!

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[–] temple_bound 19 years ago

I know mentally challenged people, and I have seen radio too. Cuba gooding matched the real "Radio" His performance was outstanding, and it made it all seem so real. You ppl that think he did terribly must be movie critics, right? It would make sense.

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[–] muddychikk 19 years ago

He did a fantastic job, and anyone who thinks otherwise deserves to be slapped, because they have obviously never met anyone with mental issues.

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[–] boiliedude 19 years ago

I thought he was brilliant.
I only saw the movie last night for the first time..

He was superb.
Really made you feel and experience his struggles and what he went through in his life.

Couldnt of been easy.
It also cant be easy to have to act like that upon what someone else was like.

Well done to Gooding. He was awesome!

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[–] Look_IM_JESUS_err_NEO 18 years ago

This...I had to point out...

Do you know the real Radio?

Do you by any chance...Know what its like to portray someone from a true story?

Its not acting. Its mimicking.

Its been said by nearly all the people on this board who are from Anderson, however rare they are, that Cuba did his role perfectly.

Yet his performance in Radio was easily outshined by Sean Penn's in I am Sam, and even by Adam Sandler's in Punch Drunk love.
These are generic "mentally challenged person" movies right? ( i have seen I am Sam, not Punch Drunk Love)
I am not sure if I am Sam was even about a real person or not, but I do know Punch Drunk Love isn't. And do you know why? Adam Sandler is in it. He is a funny actor, but I cannot see him portraying a real life person. He can portray himself maybe, for that shows a lot in his acting, but certainly not a real person.

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[–] hypergirl_cchs_2006 15 years ago

i'm not sure how to just add on to the end of a comment on this thing... i just clicked a random statement... anyhow.

i was there when radio was filmed. i saw the real radio &i saw cuba act out some of his scenes.. his performance was dead on. he acted just like radio acts.

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[–] tristan-55 18 years ago

I disagree Cuba Gooding Jnr gave out a good preformance as a Autistic Man. I have met people who act exactly like Radio does.

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[–] cybercreep88 18 years ago

I wouldn't say the guys are idiots..but think it thru..I'd say he's acting was very good, almost the best, if not even..the best....Now I`m watching the cast of the movie as it just finished on HBO.

It's the first time I've seen it. People I know..evem my father told me to see the movie only for Gooding's acting...

If you take a deeper look..You would analyze his acting in movies such as Boyz n' Da Hood, Boat Trip, Radio..and The one with Robert De Niro..I can't remember how it was called...

I would say he is a complete actor..really knows how to act in different movies, always gets 'underneath' the character he has to play, not like others you see this days that do this for the fame..or the money. I think he is one of the best actors of his time...

And yes, playing the role of autistic Radio..what do you want from him ? To play a regular character, like James Harold or anyone else ? At some parts in the movie..I looked at him and I almost thought the actor himself was autistic..

A really great movie and great acting from Cuba Gooding Jr., if I would say..a little bit under-rated.

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[–] thewaever 18 years ago

It sounds like people are disagreeing on what "good" means.

If you mean that Gooding realistically presented Radio, then he is a good actor. I work with challenged students, & I believe his acting is good.

However, if you believe that "good" is the same as "funny," it sounds to me like you're watching the wrong movie.

___

Filmmakers need bibliographies at the ends of their movies.

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[–] stef_hunt 18 years ago

I thought Cuba Gooding,Jr. did a great job. I mean, look at his work in Jerry Maguire and then at his work in Radio. They are totally different characters and yet he makes you believe him in both movies. I love this movie. It is inspiring and also teaches us to always try to help someone less fortunate.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] wildhart 18 years ago

*sigh* Considering this appeared to be a support of Gooding's acting, which I also found very realistic, HOW ignorant is it to even use the phrase "another retard movie".... The Gilbert Grape role was tremendous as well. I'm not one to jump on the politically correct bandwagon, but come on... "retard movie"??????

One thing vampire children have to be taught learn early on is don't run with a wooden stake

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[–] nocturnalninja 18 years ago

THIS MOVIE IS FUNNY LOL

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[–] kpalmisano 18 years ago

no... it wasn't funny. You guys are all so rude, and on so many levels. It's so offensive. The charactor he played, had a mental problem. You all are making fun of anyone with a problem like he has. I'm very saddend by y'all.

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[–] takdizzle 18 years ago

yeah! it was funny when he talked all retarded like. LOL.

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[–] jmf200 18 years ago

It's impossible to say that Cuba Gooding Jr's performance was bad compared to Sean Penn's or Adam Sandler's, THEY AREN'T PLAYING THE SAME CHARACTER. I'd say Cuba Gooding's character was dead on if you consider the REAL LIFE person he was playing.

JMF
"One is always considered mad when one perfects something that others cannot grasp."

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[–] puzzlejason 18 years ago

is it just me, or does Cuba Gooding Jr. Look a lot younger than 35 in this movie. Even younger than he did in Jerry McGuire. How did they do that?

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[–] oscarstegland 16 years ago

So I can't claim that Leonardo DiCaprio was better in The Departed than Keanu Reeves was in The Matrix (in any movie for that matter, he's absolutely terrible) because they're not playing the same character? Just because they're not playing the same character doesn't mean one can't outshine the other. I'm thoroughly confident Cuba Gooding Jr. is an excellent actor but I felt in parts that he wasn't all that convincing in Radio. Sean Penn was truly outstanding in I am Sam, as was DiCaprio in Gilbert Grape. Although not mentally challenged, Russell Crowe in a beautiful mind is some of the most outstanding acting that has ever graced the screen.

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