MovieChat Forums > Liz & Dick (2012) Discussion > Unlike Others, I Don't Blame Lindsay For...

Unlike Others, I Don't Blame Lindsay For This

posted 11 years ago by inceptionisthebest
18 replies | jump to latest

Let me just say this, it's a Lifetime movie. I wasn't expecting anything more and none of you guys should have either. I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a great Lifetime movie. So, I'm not surprised the movie wasn't amazing. It was a passable film. The thing is, Lindsay didn't do as badly as I thought she was going to do. Years ago, I really believed in her ability as a great actress (I don't think too many kids could have pulled off what she did in "The Parent Trap"). As of late, I'm sure we all questioned her. She isn't as good as she used to be (no shock there though), but she really wasn't that bad. The reason the movie wasn't good was because of the writing. The writing did this movie in big time. Once again, I know it's a Lifetime movie, but the writing was cringe worthy. Not even the greatest actress could make this film amazing with the writing.

[–] jdw2691 11 years ago

Of course it's never Lindsay's fault, just like with everything else she does. Now, let's blame her horrible acting on Lifetime, right? Yes, the writing was cringe worthy, but so was her phoned-in performance. She had the acting range of a toenail in this movie. Her line delivery sounded like she just woke up after spending 8 hours at a bar, and she was still laying in bed while reading her lines.

As I stated in a previous thread:
Being a made for Lifetime TV movie does not excuse it from being a turd. There are 3 Lifetime TV moves that I can think of off the top of my head that were very good. "The Client List" with Jennifer Love Hewitt was good, and there were two that were outstanding..."Amish Grace" with Kimberly Williams Paisley, and "Prayers for Bobby" with Sigourney Weaver.

[–] bloorain82 11 years ago

All of Lindsay's line readings seemed awfully rushed and void of any kind of conviction or emotion. I kept wondering whether all the court stuff was happening during the shooting of this film and they just didn't have time to do re-takes.

Something was definitely off though. I dont remember her being this bad in Georgia Rule or Prairie Home Companion.

[–] inceptionisthebest 11 years ago

Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down there. I never said things in Lindsay's life aren't Lindsay's fault. As a matter of fact, I think pretty much every sh*tty thing in Lindsay's life is Lindsay's fault. And I wasn't blaming her acting on Lifetime. I do agree that "The Client List" was good (I really like JLH too, so that didn't hurt) and that "Amish Grace" was quite compelling (I also really like KWP). (Admittedly, I didn't see "Prayers for Bobby," but Sigourney Weaver is great in just about everything, so I expect nothing less from her.) However, these handful of movies don't outweigh the usual pile of steaming sh*t we get from Lifetime. My overall point was that Lindsay's acting wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though her acting was obviously not great. It's just that my expectations were so ridiculously low that it wasn't hard for her to rise above where I set my expectations. Also, I was trying to say that even if Lindsay gave a Meryl Streep performance, it wouldn't have helped this movie because the writing was so terrible. So, it's not that I was blaming the movie or Lifetime for Lindsay's lack of excellence in this film. I was simply trying to say that it wasn't only Lindsay that brought this movie down, but that the writing greatly contributed to that as well. There was a point in her career where she showed great promise, in my opinion. I thought she was great in "The Parent Trap" and "Mean Girls." I also thought she brought a lot to her role in "A Prairie Home Companion." And though it was magnificently spectacular, I thought she did a good job in the movie "Bobby." That movie had a huge ensemble cast and her character is one I remember the most. Her issue in this movie was two fold. One, the life she's lived for the past 4 or 5 years, and the writing. So, to sum up, Lindsay did nothing to help this movie by any stretch of the imagination, but she wasn't the only reason it was mediocre.

[–] TanteWaileka 11 years ago

I'm watching Jane Eyre with Orson Welles right now. The movie is okay but it is the acting that I find delightful. Mr. Welles is a superb actor! He enunciates words very well, has a great sense of verbal rhythm and tonal range. He knows how to 'manipulate the audience' (I am not critic just a movie watcher).... this is what is lacking in Liz & Dick.... Lohan is too young and apparently never studied acting, but goes on her own 'talent'.... but acting IS an artform and really should be studied by most actors / actresses, if they intend to improve in their craft.
Since I am only a 'viewer' maybe I do not realize how important the director's role is, perhaps the director is not very good (for Liz & Dick).... even the actor who played Richard Burton, although obviously somewhat trained for the stage, does not act well. Also the movie was based too much on just their sexual and alcoholic relationships. So it wasn't a good movie for those reasons.
It's sad when people who are dead are maligned, even though both Liz and Richard were sluts in real life, so maybe it 'serves them right'. Still, I think a biography of Liz would be a grand movie, if a really good actress played her and not an emotionally screwed up girl. Someone who can really act and who can 'get into' the character, and someone who receives direction from a good director.

Oh well, that's the way it goes.

Life is a journey not a destination. Fear nothing.

[–] ewaedan 11 years ago

Did you realize that Liz Taylor played Helen, the young orphan you died, in that production of Jane Eyre? It may have been her first movie and I don't think she got screen credit, but she easily recognizable, at least by me.

[–] inceptionisthebest 11 years ago

I've learned in my life to differentiate between what I want and what I expect. I may have wanted a movie befitting Liz's memory, but I didn't expect one by any stretch of the imagination.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Falconeer 11 years ago

Sorry pal, but you cannot blame bad writing for the putrid performance of Lohan. No way! It is hard to believe this bimbo ever saw an Elizabeth Taylor movie or even heard the woman speak, judging by her ridiculous performance. I was mortified for her, and felt a bit sorry for her, because her "performance" here has exposed the fact that Lohan has lost any acting ability that she might have had. Her "acting" was high school play quality, and i mean that literally. I don't know what her problem is; she performed like it was just a big joke, like she didn't care at all. Luckily Taylor is dead; she would have been appalled and saddened at this travesty; it is an insult to her memory, and the classy lady that she was. Who ever thought that this cheap bimbo could portray a class act like Taylor? As far as Lindsey Lohan is concerned, I suggest she pose for Penthouse and Hustler and turns some high end tricks, and saves up every penny, before she loses what remains of her looks; and judging from that double chin she is sporting, she doesn't have a whole lot of time..

"IMdB; where 14 year olds can act like jaded 40 year old critics...'

[–] doktorf 11 years ago

LL has put in decent performances in her career. She is not a great actress by any stretch, but I can think of plenty who are way worse who have bigger profiles in Hollywood. Give her a good script and she will turn in a credible performance as in Mean Girls for instance. She does not, however, have the chops to redeem a crap script.

[–] Falconeer 11 years ago

The problem with Lindsey Lohan is that she is only capable of acting like a 16 year old girl that likes to hang out at the mall. "Mean Girls," "Freaky Friday" and "I Know Who Killed Me" are all Lohan doing variations on the same character. and now she has exposed her lack of talent by playing Elizabeth Taylor like.....a 16 year old girl who likes to hang out at the mall. This becomes a problem when the actress is a 28 year old that looks 35...

[–] magnusplin 8 years ago

doing variations on the same character

Sounds exactly like what Elizabeth Taylor herself did.

[–] Red_Dust 11 years ago

I agree with you about the writing. I really don't think Lindsay was bad. Did she do Taylor justice? No, but there were times that I forgot about the acting and just payed attention to the dialogue. I think everyone is just biased. The worst thing that Lindsay's acting was her voice. That voice did not work for the portrayal at all. She sounded like a teenager that smokes too much and has a sore throat. Oh, and Lindsay's crying at the end looked real. How could anyone say that was horrible acting? I can't believe that I'm defending Lohan because I always have something negative to say about her for the past few years.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] MydnightRose 11 years ago

Lindsay must have been desperate for a job; first 5 mins and the writing is gawd awful. Whoever came up with the crap should be fired. As for Lindsay I think she is definitely passable; if this project had been in HBOs hands and Lindsay got her *beep* together I think it could have been great.

Clark Kent + Lois Lane 4ever
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[–] fifacup84 11 years ago

She was one of the things that dragged this crappy movie down. It was already a sh*tty production, and her performance just made it worse. The only passable one, but barely, was the guy who played dick. Even if Lindsay starred in a HBO production of this film, she still wouldn't have been right for the part. She doesn't look like elizabeth, nor can she sound or act like her. HBO wouldn't have cast her at all in the first place.

[–] pt100 11 years ago

Even by Lifetime Network standards, this one was so bad that, after its first airing, Lifetime actually panned the film ("So bad that you've got to see it") in a promo for the re-airing a few days later. Maybe they're trying to snatch some small ratings victory from the jaws of defeat.

[–] 11 years ago

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