I remember thinking the same thing the first time I saw the movie... he just come off as very condescending and patronizing, making his early scenes with the much younger looking Rachel McAdams look, well, awkward and kind of creepy. But rewatching it the other day, I came to appreciate his more subtle acting towards the end, when the director stops jumping all over the place and really focuses on his inner struggle and fear of dying.
I still think someone like, say, Ryan Gosling (who looks more vulnerable in general and can play broken like nobody), would have killed it, but Eric Bana did a decent job with the material he was given.
In an interview with the author Audrey Niffenegger, she said the she wrote the part of Henry with Adrien Brody in mind, so I'd said they got in bargin with Eric Bana instead of big nose Brody.
yeah i picture Adrien Brody as Hanry and how great it might have being because of his other film The Jacket but i actually liked Eric Bana very much. someone like Ryan Goslin who looks broken enough without any additional drama wouldnt have been suitable as Hanry because he wouldnt have had enough presence and depth which Bana delivered perfectly. maybe little restrained at times but still nothing major in my eyes
Respectfully disagree. I thought Bana was fabulous in this role, and very convincing as the afflicted Henry. I'm not sure why you would find him unlikable.
I can't comment on whether Bana was right or wrong for the part since I haven't read the book, but I gotta disagree on your assessment of his acting talents. He's a very good actor and I often find his performances to be the best part of whichever movie he's in. He comes through best when he's intense, like in Black Hawk Down, Star Trek, or Munich. There's a subtlety to his acting, so that may be why you didn't like his performance in this particular movie.