MovieChat Forums > Tin Man (2007) Discussion > Worst Lead Role I've Ever Seen

Worst Lead Role I've Ever Seen

posted 16 years ago by DonnerParty808
26 replies | jump to latest

Zooey Deschanel wasn't bad in other movies I've seen her play but in this one she was so terrible I almost wanted to turn it off every time she talked. She had this dead personality and everything that came out of her mouth has this annoying sarcastic tone. I really hated how she carried her character. As a lead role you should carry on other characters but I felt every other character in this carried her. It was really bad.

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[–] littlegriff36 16 years ago

I have to agree with you somewhat. Some scenes she was awesome and carried the film, and then in the next she totally went deadpan and seemed to have no emotion. I thought she did well though, an overall good choice.

[–] will7370 16 years ago

She just seemed bored to tears with the entire role---and it came out in her voice. Example: "You guys are out of your tiny little minds." BORING!

[–] Chelocean_Jewel 16 years ago

I love Zooey, and that was the reason I watched this, but I have to agree too. Something was wrong. :(

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[–] Gabrielleb 16 years ago

I gotta say sometimes she did seem bored but I sorta think it added to her character, this is just my point of view. I feel that she does it fantasticly like when she say "your out of your tiny little minds" she was just thown into a different dimension and had lost her "parents" of course she woulden't want to be dealing with little painted men!

[–] Little_devil394 16 years ago

i have to agree, she was really boring. most of the time she was onscreen, she just had this blank expression on her face

[–] senshi05 16 years ago

Which is really dissapointing. Because she CAN act extremely well... just not consistently. Same with the other movies I've seen her in, Hitchhikers and Elf. She has some really amazing scenes...and others where I feel like slapping her just to get some sort of reaction.

[–] rainyday_woman 15 years ago

I'm liking the series so far but I can't help but agree with you, she's pretty bad...

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[–] goosh69 15 years ago

I agree with everyone else! Good in other roles...seemed to be doing this for a quick paycheck or something...

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[–] C.S.Wood 15 years ago

I hate to say it, but I must agree. Zooey Deschanel was the only reason I went out of my way to see this because I've liked her a lot in other things, but she was pretty bad in this.

But you can't blame her exclusively because the character was so damn weak. I can honestly say I enjoyed it up until part 3 where the DG character becomes a total idiot and I really just wanted her to kick the sister's butt and get it over with, but no it drags on and DG has to make dumb decisions. The "deer in headlights" look she kept making didn't help much either.

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[–] sabishop4 15 years ago

She did seem a little bored. She actually reminded me a lot of her sister's character in Bones the was she talked. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the whole series including her character...could have been a little better though.

[–] vicky_lc2001-1 15 years ago

I agree, though I liked her well enough in other films, she was more than HORRID here! She was so detached from the character & everything around her, she seemed sarcastically bored or dulled out of her mind. She was quite monotonous as well, & even when she injected intonations in her speech, it was so out of place or rhythm, like an android void of emotions imitating human emotions, & doing it badly. Her character was not sympathetic, she was not charming in this at all, I also agree that sarcasm was very prevalent in her portrayal of the character.

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[–] SrEditor 14 years ago

Yes, you've described those mannerisms well. In fact , I just tried my hand at it in the "Drugs" thread.

I think the "bored" - or flat and sarcastic - tone must be a family trait, because you hear it from her sister as well.

As I said in the other thread, it works for the socially unaware Dr. Brennan character, but not here.

[–] teenqueen772 15 years ago

Let it suffice to say that she was chosen for a reason. D.G. in a modern time isn't necessarily supposed to be the awestruck, happy-go-lucky, emotional Dorothy Gale of younger and earlier years. This is a 20-year-old from more modern times, and they wanted her to be a little less... dynamic. What do you think that says about the culture they're reflecting here? People in general aren't as much like Dorothy anymore. People are like D.G.

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[–] DonnerParty808 15 years ago

If you view her like that then sure.

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[–] Cosmic_Cre 15 years ago

There is a huge difference between being less dynamic and being emotionally barren. Zooey crossed that line and trust me, it's not just about her being an "adult". It's bad enough that the whole production suffers from a severe case of "writer's speak" (so called "clever" lines no person would ever say in real life), but her sardonic and monotonous delivery makes the audience think she has no kind of acting range whatsoever.

Everything that happens to her only seems to make her mildly disgruntled like someone in a restaurant who orders the fish and ends up with the chicken. People die in front of her and she's over it in a matter of seconds like this is something she sees everyday. I know she's suppose to be tough, but tough doesn't mean to be completely devoid of emotion, it actually means the opposite... to feel and express your emotions fully but doing what needs to be done is spite of them. That's what a hero/heroine is suppose be.

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[–] christlenb 14 years ago

I mentioned that to a friend of mine when we were talking about Zooey in this. Azkadellia's secretary had more of a reaction to that particular death than DG did.

[–] Samuraibro 8 years ago

What is writer's speak?

[–] Cosmic_Cre 8 years ago

That's when the characters' speak like they're reading out of a book. It sounds less conversational and more phony.

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[–] JackieAvocado 15 years ago

I too only watched it because of Zooey,but I disagree with her being the "worst".Everyone has their bad roles/ones they wished they never did,but I thought it was good.You also have to think about it a little,it was the Sci Fi channel after all and face it that channel sometimes has the worst movies/shows ever.

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[–] DonnerParty808 15 years ago

I didn't think she was that good in The Happening or Elf either :/
It's not just this being Sci-Fi

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[–] elraver 14 years ago

I can enjoy her work in plenty of her films but she works at her best when the situation her character in is 'real'.

Her style of acting is a minimalistic school which works by trying to be conversational. Basically, not giving in to many actor's urges to give in to each obvious cue and downplaying external displays to reveal more internal 'true' emotions.

Again, this can work pretty well in a realistic, or at least a truly hopelessly bleak, situation. In the story of Tin Man, it works in some scenes when she really is lost and confused, her memories a shifting sea of drifting lilypads she tries to find footing on. In other scenes, where there really is call for expressive emotion (like seeing Cain again after the prison), it was pretty forced.

[–] Natural_Blue 14 years ago

Good. I'm not the only one that feels this way. I somewhat liked watching Tinman, like the story and new twists, but the only thing I hated was Zooey's acting. I was thinking did she acted in enough movies and tv shows to not know how to act or something? I didn't understand... because everyone in the cast acted beautifully, great B-list actors pulling their own weight in the show, carried along the plot, practically pushing along the lead actress, Zooey. Until I watched (500) Days of Summer yesterday, she did a good job, she did a decent job acting in that indie movie, way better than Tinman. Why would she not put up better effort in her acting in a higher calibur project, but in an indie project like (500) Days of Summer? I don't get it...

[–] DonnerParty808 14 years ago

She was just not meant for the role...she played her own personality it seemed more than the character

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