Is it just me?
-
midwifecrisis — 19 years ago(August 06, 2006 01:53 PM)
I don't think he's under rated he is so over rated,when people talk about 5b4Easy Rider,well ok but that movie came out in 1969,just because you make one movie that is tolerable does not make you a great actor,it just means you were in an ok movie.
-
Squonkamatic — 19 years ago(September 19, 2006 09:49 PM)
Bootz has it: He is more of a screen presence who occupies roles and an iconic face of the counter culture. With that out of the way he is a different kind of an actor than someone like Jack Nicholson. He does not emote so much as he draws the role into himself and becomes that character at least in his "classic" roles that I am familiar with.
I would also suggest that you are confusing the message with the messenger here. Peter Fonda is a wonderful actor, it is EASY RIDER is a somewhat over-rated film that was really super important for when it was made & by whom rather than any specific cinematic breakthroughs which came about. The most important things that came out of EASY RIDER were Jack Nicholson and the music soundtrack album. As far as it's message of urban paranoia finding it's match amongst the hayseeds down in the sticks, that isn't such a new idea and in fact worked to solidify the stereotype of the south rural areas as hotbeds of intolerance and hatred. For a movie with a message about peace and love or whatever it sure has one hell of a downer ending, and I have read at least one essay by a writer who contends that if it wasn't for that ending and the soundtrack album the film may have passed on only remembered as Jack Nicholson's breakthrough movie. I don't necessarily agree with that conclusion I like the trip scenes in the cemetery and identify with the urge to shuck it all & hit the road but there is no doubt that Peter's status within the counterculture was boosted by the phenomenal success of the movie to the point where again, people confused the film's role as a social barometer with the film's merits both pro and con.
Such overwhelming social enthusiasm for any cultural form will inevitably generate some resentment by those who find such status to be unearned. But just because EASY RIDER might be overrated that doesn't mean the people who participated it necessarily are. Dennis Hopper is still the poster child of Hollywood out of control, Mr. Nicholson is a treasure (his football helmeted grinning face is the lasting iconic image from the film), the soundtrack album helped push AOR rock music into the mainstream of social consumption & continues to sell quite well to this day, as does the movie itself as a catalogue item loaded with nostalgic appeal. Peter was very much at the right time/right place and the right choice to play Wyatt just because of who he was. It is also important to remember how much the world has changed since 1969 when he literally was the face of the counter culture, whether or not he wanted to. He was a prisoner of his own age as we all are.
If nothing else I would assert that under the circumstances he comported himself quite well and actually did give the world some great performances in the years after wards. He may not have had such a bona-fide A list blockbuster hit, but you can't really fault the guy for having been born when & whom he was. And making a decent living at it. -
tay-15 — 19 years ago(November 21, 2006 12:33 PM)
He's simply fantastic in Ulee's Gold.
The most overrated are likely De Niro. Or Pacino. Both have had Oscar-worthy performances in their careers, but now are merely caricatures of themselves, completely incapable of the nuanced performance required for Ulee's Gold. -
Dilly22 — 19 years ago(February 12, 2007 01:00 AM)
he is absolutely aweful. He has a morose depressed delivery of every line, when he smiles he looks as if his face would crack. I just watched him in Thomas and the magic railroad and he put in such an aweful performance. That isn't the only film I have seen him in, he just plays the same role in almost every movie, he has absolutely no range what so ever.
DVD's
Firefly-$44
Serenity-$19
Kicking those who cancelled the show in the nuts?-Priceless -
mick987g — 19 years ago(March 05, 2007 09:13 AM)
He does a sort of dry delivery of lines. But then so did his Dad Henry.
How would can you think you are any good when you have that kind of father to look up to.
But he doesn't care he is laughing all the way to the bank. -
SamHardy — 14 years ago(October 06, 2011 03:42 AM)
"dry delivery" is the understatement of the century. There are actors who can deliver lines in a subtle way and communicate the feelings and intensity in other ways. Fonda is not one of them.
A good actor can play almost any role. Fonda has had to depend on roles that fit his laconic personality. He was quite good in Lilith, The Hired Hand, and Ulee's Gold. It is amazing how much work he gets in spite of this lack of acting ability.
I am sure he is a very nice man who treats dogs and children well. But I have seen very little of him that I thought was good. -
tangerine123 — 18 years ago(June 22, 2007 03:12 PM)
I agree with the original poster. He and Dennis Hopper were stoned/tripping/whatever in Easy Rider so I can't say that his acting wwas really that good. In fact, I think that he and Hopper just got stoned to make that movie cos they knew they were the beep actors in their acting class. Boy did they make a mistake by having the great Jack Nicholson in the movie with them.
When I watched Easy Rider for the first time I had never seen (as far as I can remember) Fonda or Hopper in any other movies and I guess that even though through their druggy behaviour, their acting was a bit dodgy, I guess, like many others, we put that down to that method being the 'style at the time'. The good ol' Jacky came along. Well, I hope we all know better now -
MrDKillian — 18 years ago(June 27, 2007 05:20 PM)
If it weren't for Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson wouldn't have a career. Jack was wonderful in the film and deserved the oscar. But IMO Jack is not that good of an actor and for sure should not have that many oscar nods. Peter Fonda's performance in Ulee's Gold was 500 times better than Jack's in As Good as it Gets, the oscar was given to the wrong person.
As for Easy Rider, it was not the cast who made it the iconic movie is it, the audience did that. Peter Fonda did better films after that and never fully got the credit.
The bottom line is there aren't that many really gifted actors. There are some that are great and most are good, some get lucky..but "really gifted" are few and far between. -
AtariBaby — 14 years ago(September 16, 2011 03:33 PM)
I think he's a maverick who doesn't really give a beep what anyone thinks. He's very good when he's in a good role. "The Limey" and "3:10 to Yuma" come to mind. But I don't think he's ever really cared much to earn anyone's approval or anything.