Pajiba

No Charming Potato? Is he excluded on the grounds of being a root crop?

It's a bit early for Odette Yustman or Cam Gigandet to make this list, isn't it? I mean, they've barely been around.

And I enjoyed Ashton in The Butterfly Effect.

Anyone else?

...

Anyone?

...

::cricket... cricket:::

Nevermind.

Paul Walker gets a life time buy for Running Scared. A total guilty pleasure for what it is worth. Also, Vera Farmiga sex on a dryer.

What about Alba in A Killer Inside Me? I haven't seen it so I'm not able to comment on her performance but it would seem to be a decidedly uncharacteristic role. Sin City is not an exception in my opinion. She rode a pole, that's it.

The Butterfly Effect is Assmouth Kweefturd's exception.

Dude, Where's My Car is not a good movie.

Josh Duhamel is completely worthless. Nothing he does is good. His soul is dogshit.

Almost Famous is one hell of an exception. I mean, I've been willing to forgive Kate Hudson's everything else because she was positively luminous in that one role. I don't think any of the other exceptions even come close to that one.

The Gay, Butterfly Effect is one of those movies that makes me wish they invented a specified mind-erasing device so that I could have someone remove all memories of that film from my brain. The scene with the dog will haunt me forever and I think it also permanently traumatized my mother, who watched it with me when we rented it after I got my wisdom teeth out.

It's one of those film scenes that pops up on me at the most mundane moments...driving home from work, eating breakfast, walking my SAD INNOCENT DOGS...and it fills me with such absolute dreadful awfulness it's like I want to scream until the images go away. I don't understand how anyone can like that movie.

What about Elisha Cuthbert? I think she just gets photographed at Starbucks for a living now.

Cam Gigandet is a guy's name? A recent, still working, Ac-TOR?
He has the name of a once popular star of beach sex comedies who just barely clings to the remnants of the fame she once had.
Low level gay icon. Might get a guest spot on Glee.

Kate Hudson was luminous in Almost Famous mostly because she was 20 and her character lived to please men just that much cooler than you. She was the slumming hippie chick you had a crush on in college -- but once that feeling's gone, it's gone for good.

You might as well add Kristen Bell's movie career to this list. Aside from her tv work, her movies have been utter crap.

Cam Gidget portrayed Volchok on The OC and killed Marissa Cooper.

Third season. Underrated. Also, fuck you for judging me.

Stella, you've made an enemy of me. Regardless of her missteps, Kristen Bell holds a special place in Hollywood and in my bathroom next to the lotion and tissue box.

I can't believe I'm going to defend Dane Cook on the Internet but ... he was good in Mr. Brooks.

Plus, (SPOILER!), you get to see him killed with a shovel. What more could you ask for?

I'd include Jessica Biel in this list. She's largely useless in cinema. I suppose she could valet other celebrities' cars during Oscar night or something, so she's not entirely useless.

Courtney,

I completely agree about Volchuck. Cam Gigandet was completely badass on The O.C. Along with the killing of Marissa, he contributed to the death of Johnny. Well, not really but kind of. AND the the Marissa death wouldn't of happened if Ryan has just stopped the car. Pull off to the side of the road, bro.

Anywhoo...
Josh Duhamel was great on "Las Vegas."

"Waiting…" wasn't really that good and certainly not enough to spawn other movies.

Odette Yustman at least wins over Alba in the pure beauty department for me. I never saw Cloverfield, but as somebody who has seen some of Alba movies(thanks roommate?), I can't image she would be any worse.

Bell at least has a TV show and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Penny Lane was more about the movie and part versus Kate's performance. Not that she was bad mind you. (remembers the crush I had on her during said movie)

Wow that is a short list. I was expecting at least a 100 actors listed. Here are some other who should be on the list:

The entire cast of the American Pie movies.

The entire cast of Dawson's Creek, except for Michelle Williams.

Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Rob Lowe, and Emelio Esteves

Ashley Judd

Jennifer Aniston

I second the nomination for Elisha Cuthbert (exception of course being The Girl Next Door.)

And for your consideration: Scott Speedman.

I second the notion that these exceptions are more successful exceptions for the people around these non-acting celebrities, as Kissing Girls Makes You Sleepy points out. Citing Jessica Alba for Sin City gives her far too much credit. The Heigl was more of an interesting placeholder in Knocked Up, which parlayed into far more goodwill than she's ever deserved.

All the things that make Paul Walker perfect for this list made him perfect for his role in Pleasantville. Alba actually was suited to play one of the vacuous "Barbies" in Never Been Kissed. Odette Yustman, on the other hand, should be given no exception, period. Adequate looks with sub-par talent. Why we spent all of Cloverfield looking for her is beyond me!

Wait ... were there really 10 photos up there? Seemed like only seven or eight ...

*1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10*

*sigh*

I guess that proves your point.

"Kate Hudson was luminous in Almost Famous mostly because she was 20 and her character lived to please men just that much cooler than you. She was the slumming hippie chick you had a crush on in college -- but once that feeling's gone, it's gone for good."

AMEN. I am so tired of this "performance" being lauded.

There is a related list that needs to be spawned by this list: Movies That Are Great In Spite Of...and on THAT list goes Knocked Up. It was a solid movie and even Heigel could not ruin it.

Dude Where's My Car is great...in spite of The Kutcher Factor. I contend it would have been good with any of a trove of actors pl;aying his "part."

The In Spite Of Factor needs to be explored. (Cough*AndieMcDowell*Cough)

I would remove Gigandet and Yustman since, like so many young actors, they haven't done anything of consequence.

I would add two people to the list: Hayden Christensen and Jessica Biel. Quick, name the last movie either of them were on that you had to watch (not named Star Wars, of course).

Thank you, coveredinbees, for defending my Pacey. Now back away. MINE.

OK, I've had hours to think about this. And here's what I've come up with:

Ahem.

First of all, Fredo, Biel was in The Illusionist, which was swoony and great and had Ed Norton and Rufus Sewell and Paul Giamatamatamatamatama in it. So...shwing.

Next, I nominate Kate Bostworth, because she's...wait...who is she again? Popsicle stick with a (arguably) pulse.

Lastly, while I feel the pain of the Anti-Aniston Faction (she does after all, blow AND suck...), she was in Office Space, which was great and yes, I KNOW, was great IN SPITE OF HER, but still...It's like being in The Zapruder Film -- she was (unfortunately) there. It's inarguable.

So. There's my day's work on that thread.

Hours, I tell you.

"Kate Hudson was luminous in Almost Famous mostly because she was 20 and her character lived to please men just that much cooler than you. She was the slumming hippie chick you had a crush on in college -- but once that feeling's gone, it's gone for good."

Couldn't agree more. That movie held such a dear place in my mind... until I re-watched it a few years ago. I'll never be able to watch a single scene again (well, maybe except for the part after the almost-plane-crash with Neil Young playing Cortez acoustically in the background).

Im with RedTuna. Running Scared kicked ass and Paul Walker can do no wrong in my book.

What's that? Into the Blue? Lalalalalala I can't hear you......

Good list.

I can abide almost every contribution in the comments, too, except for the remarks made about Jennifer Aniston. No, I know. It hurts. I hate her. But don't let her work in I'm Still Alone! and My Best Gay's Baby overshadow the better stuff -- The Good Girl, for instance.

I kinda also like(d) The Butterfly Effect and Asshat wasn't unforgivably terrible in it. This is based on having seen it on TV again less than a year ago, and yet, I couldn't help but wonder how the movie would have been with a different actor.

UM HELLO? While Ashton's MOVIES have sucked what about That 70s Show?!?!?! Or does that not count as "film"??

Secondly, KATE HUDSON IS AWESOME.

The rest, yeah okay, I'll give you them. They suck.

Kate Hudson has proven, more than a few times, that "Almost Famous" was beginners luck!! She is a terrible actress.

Who is Odette Yustman?

I love Katherine Heigl!! Can't help it.

I think saying these people will be forgotten in 20 years is giving them too much credit. Most of them will be forgotten within the next five years, bet!

Also, Kristen Fucking Stewart

Thanks schmerpes. I should point out that I'm not criticizing the performance -- she embodied perfectly a girl I chased 10 years before the movie came out. The level gaze from behind curly blond locks...the slim, energetic youthfulness....slightly corrupted but not yet cynical....I'd do anything just to spend some time with her -- meanwhile, she was out with any guitar player in town (and there were a lot of them in Athens GA in the late '80s, lemme tell you). The pain she caused me was so delicious....

sansho1,

yup, when I was a boy I wished I had been that girl.
(resisting. hard. to draw. a smiley face.)

So... Kristen Bell had a good tv show (I'd even argue GREAT tv show) and one good movie (which I have yet to see) but the rest of her ouvre sucks, and somehow she's still the bee's knees...

Ashton Kutcher had a good tv show and one good movie but makes this list because the rest of his movies sucked and everyone's on board?

Hypocrisy is SO unbecoming, Pajiba-folks.

Also, whoever added Jessica Biel, I'm so there with you. She was the weakest part of the Illusionist.

Nailed it.

Oh sweet bebe Besu, that Paul Walker guy - all I can think of is him in that movie where they go back in time? And they stand together in a lengthy group exposition-of-plot scene - and his head whips back and forth and fro, back and forth and fro, three points, again, again, again like an epileptic, myopic turtle on speed, in the mistaken idea that he somehow looks like he's following along, as though this imbecilic conversation was some kind of tennis ball distributing IQ points to the most needy...

uh...yeah. Why isn't that an animated Gif already, is what?

I started reading a random book a few months later, and I realized - THAT WAS THE BOOK FROM THE MOVIE and I began to develop an eye tic and had to make the book go away.

Aw but Rep, that book is REALLY good. Timeline by Michael Crichton. It deserved so much more that Walker screaming TREBUCHET!!!! And NIGHT ARROWS!!! (arrows, lit on fire, at night, natch)

Once again Pajiba shows its dark hipster underbelly. Paul Walker gets unfairly slammed yet there's no mention of Hayden Christiansen? What about Zooey Deschanel? What the fuck has she ever done in film beside looking surprised?

I could give The Butterfly Effect a pass if it weren't for that ending. Now I know there are several, but I saw the one where (POSSIBLE SPOILER JUST IN CASE)

he strangles himself in the womb with his umbilical cord. There's just no coming back from that.

Posted by: The Gay at November 30, 2010 11:54 AM

I was TOTALLY going to say that yesterday, but then I got interrupted by my job expecting me to work or something. Stupid job. I would still like to know where in hell my Sugar Daddy is, because this working for a living crap is crap.

"I'm not a big fan of Goldie's girl, but her exception is far and away superb relative to the exceptions of all the others on this list, it just doesn't seem fitting to have her on this particular list. It's as if her fall has been the farthest and deserves a special notation rather than placement in the middle of the pack.

Almost Famous was great and she absolutely stole every scene she was in. What the hell happened to her and all that talent?"

Setting aside the profoundly flawed premise that AF was "great" (I can muster a "competent" or even "it held my interest for a little while", but that's it), I'd actually argue that Heigl is more misplaced on this list than Kate. Hear me out: Heigl spent years on a very popular TV show doing a pretty good job. Again, not "great", but pretty good. She also had the lead in "Knocked Up." Kate's competent performance in a depthless, entirely supporting role doesn't measure up to that.

I thought Ashton Kutcher was good in Butterfly Effect, and Paul Walker in Running Scared was also excellent.
Probably worth a mention.

I'm not nominating her because she is too brilliant, but why can Alia Shawkat not get into anything but horrible teen comedies that are played mid day on Showtime 14? Prom Wars? Whip It? The Runaways? Bart Got a Room?

She has great comedic timing. She nearly saved Whip It (ok, there was no saving that,) until they forgot about her for the last 45 minutes of the movie except the broken "jealous friend" plot device, then set her up with the awkward manager. Horrible.

She's as misused in movies as teenage boy's couch cushion.

Paul Walker's exception should be Running Scared, in my opinion. I really dug the dark, violent, modern day take on Alice in Wonderland.

I can't believe I'm going to defend Dane Cook on the Internet but ... he was good in Mr. Brooks.

Plus, (SPOILER!), you get to see him killed with a shovel. What more could you ask for?

Posted by: Terri at November 30, 2010 12:53 PM

To personally kill Jeff Dunham with a shovel.

I can't believe I'm going to defend Dane Cook on the Internet but ... he was good in Mr. Brooks.

Plus, (SPOILER!), you get to see him killed with a shovel. What more could you ask for?

Posted by: Terri at November 30, 2010 12:53 PM

To personally kill Jeff Dunham with a shovel.

Posted by: Devil Child at December 5, 2010 2:56 AM

^
This literally made me spit my egg nog latte onto my monitor.

Many of the so-called exceptions are eyebrow-raisers.