Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Top 10 worst movie accents

This is topic The Top 10 worst movie accents in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 07-02-2003, 10:20 AM:

As voted by UK Empire magazine:

1. Sean Connery in The Untouchables (1987)
2. Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins (1964)
3. Brad Pitt in Seven Year in Tibet (1997)
4. Charlton Heston in A Touch of Evil (1958)
5. Heather Graham in From Hell (2001)
6. Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
7. Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly (1996)
8. Laurence Olivier in The Jazz Singer (1980)
9. Pete Postlethwaite in The Usual Suspects (1995)
10. Meryl Streep in Out of Africa (1985)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3032052.stm

I'd like to add:

'Primary Colours' - Emma Thompson and Adrian Lester

'The Gingerbread Man' - Keneth Branagh

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 07-02-2003, 11:26 AM:

Natalie Imbruglia in Johnny English would be on my list. She's supposed to be an upper-class English gal but lapses into an Australian accent about every three sentences!

There must be loads of WWII films with really corny attempts at German accents by English and American actors, but I can't think of any outstanding examples just now.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 07-02-2003, 11:56 AM:

Michael York and Jenny Agutter in "Logan's Run". How British and Australian accents could be found inside an isolated, centuries-old domed-city community, otherwise inhabited by Americans, struck me as odd.

Joe D'Allasandro in "Flesh for Frankenstein" and "Blood for Dracula". Likewise, how a thick 20th-century New York accent could be heard in the 19th-century German countryside remains a mystery.

Jack Nicholson in "The Terror". Jack plays a Frenchman who speaks with a completely provincial American accent.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 07-02-2003, 12:09 PM:

Harrison Ford in that K-something Russian submarine movie. Some actors, good as they are, should just never ever do accents. [Wink]

Posted by Mitchell Cope (Member # 32) on 07-02-2003, 12:21 PM:

Kevin Costner in "Thirteen Days". Not only was the New England accent bad, it was uneven. The movie, however, was interesting.

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 07-02-2003, 12:29 PM:

George Clooney in The Perfect Storm...Horrible Gloucester, MA accent--WAY too over done, even for a fisherman. Mark Walberg on the other hand did pretty good--he is from that area afterall. [Smile]

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 07-02-2003, 06:04 PM:

Kevin Costner. Yeah, he's done some bad accents. The one that bothered me the most was "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." I liked the description one film critic gave it: "Costner's Robin Hood doesn't sound like Robin of Sherwood Forest; it sounds more like Robin of I-70."

If Empire Magazine didn't like Keanu Reeves' accent in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" they must have missed out on his TERRIBLE attempt at a deep south accent in "The Devil's Advocate." Many actors just think they can do a "southern" accent but often come off as flagarantly cartoonish --even with the best and most subtle attempts. My feeling is Hollywood studios should stick to casting actors with real accents if they need someone to speak that way. Need someone with an authentic Texas accent? Cast actors like Powers Boothe, Bill Paxton or Matthew McConaughey. I can tell those fellows are from Texas just by hearing them speak. You can't imitate that. A really well trained ear can tell the difference between people from Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado and still differentiate that from Texas and deep south accents.

The thing I find more mysterious is how other people from Texas seem able to drop their accents. Steve Martin was born in Waco. Rene Zellweger is from Katy. Rex Reed is from Fort Worth.

Posted by Darren Crimmins (Member # 1116) on 07-02-2003, 06:12 PM:

The woman who starred opposite John Travolta in "Basic" (can't remember her name, she was in Gladiator). She does some terrible southern accent, have not heard one that bad in a long time.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 07-02-2003, 07:06 PM:

The king of dialects, Robert Easton.

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 07-02-2003, 08:07 PM:

My vote for worst accent...

Sean Connery as the Lithuanian Sub Commander in Hunt For Red October....

Sounded like some scottsman trying to sound more english than russian...

However, great film, so I guess if the film is great no one gives a damn about the accents..

Speaking of bad accents...

Same film, hunt for red october....

In the office of the russian military general, when he gets the letter from his nephew (sean connery) that tells him he is taking the sub to the US.... The personal assistant that gives him his mail and gets his coffee... is VERY AMERICAN.... not russian... They didnt even try at all.... but then, who the hell cares, it was a great movie....

Dave

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-03-2003, 12:40 AM:

Actually I think Brad Pitt did quite well in "Seven years in Tibet", giving his character an Austrian undertone (likely modeled on Arnold).
A really bad accent can be heard from German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl as Russian officer in "The Peacemaker".
I think a lot of the characters in classic WWII movies were actually played by German actors.
A funny accent is Gerd Froebe`s in "Goldfinger" - he is supposed to be an Englishman, but his German accent is so strong, Felix Leitner even tells 007: "He is English, believe it or not."

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 07-03-2003, 01:48 AM:

I thought Michael Caine's British accent in "Goldmember" was terrible and so fake it reeked!

>>> Phil

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 07-03-2003, 03:43 AM:

David Prowse was Darth Vader, but James Earl Jones was the actual voice, as you all know.

For some reason, Lucas didn't think Darth's voice was cool with a British accent. [Big Grin]

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 07-03-2003, 08:54 AM:

I remember hearing that Gert Frobe was dubbed over....

Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 07-03-2003, 04:39 PM:

Michael,

I think in the book and/or the movie it is said that Auric Goldfinger has assumed the British citizenship, I remember vaguely that they thought him to be was Lithuian or Baltic.

Ron,

that`s right. Froebe was dubbed in the english language versions, for the German release, he dubbed himself. I will watch out for his voice in Terence Young`s TRIPLE CROSS (1965) where he plays a Nazi soldier...

Posted by John Spooner (Member # 1565) on 07-04-2003, 11:35 AM:

We are currently running "Johnny English" as a support and the terrible French accent used by John Malcovich as the French crook would certainly qualify as an entrant in this poll.
At least the film is a comedy!
John Spooner.

Posted by Fred Georges (Member # 505) on 07-04-2003, 12:31 PM:

Al Pacino SCARFACE...Hands down [Big Grin]

Posted by John Spooner (Member # 1565) on 07-04-2003, 01:29 PM:

At the risk of going over old ground as I have commented on the gentleman before, one of the worst accents and embarrassments to Australians generally would have to be the Crocodile Hunting man, Mr Irvine.
The vast majority of Australians do not speak like him or act like him, he presents a totally false image of us.
At least Mr Hogan was a bit more like us.
John Spooner.

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 07-04-2003, 03:04 PM:

Micheal, Gerd Froebe voice was dubbed in Goldfinger. He doesn't speak word of English. The director said he was perfect for the part so they just dubbed his voice. They explain all this in The Making of Goldfinger.

What about Sandre Bullock's country accent in "A Time to Kill", hell the whole cast tried to sound country. Kevin Spacy's nasil nosed country accent was a joke.

Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 07-04-2003, 03:17 PM:

Keanu Reeves: Devils Advocate and Dracula
Kenneth Branagh: Dead Again(sure it may not be an obvious bad accent, but it did sound like he was trying too hard to sound casual).
Rod Steiger in the Specialist

Posted by Travis Hubrig (Member # 1745) on 07-05-2003, 10:13 PM:

Every actor in the movie "Fargo"

If you have been to ND it doesn't get that bad unless you are talking to a 80 year old farmer.

You-betcha,

it is not good.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-06-2003, 07:50 AM:

quote:
Gerd Froebe voice was dubbed in Goldfinger

I watched Goldfinger recently (yes, in English), and it was definitely his own voice with the heavy accent.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 07-06-2003, 08:05 AM:

William, quit picking on Ms Bullock...she's my neighbor and a real nice person. [Razz]

>>> Phil