Is anyone else frustrated by Johnny Depp lately?
The actor toiled away for years in Hollywood, turning in one sharp performance after the next, but he couldn’t get mainstream audiences to embrace his high-wire act.
Enter Jack Sparrow.
Depp’s Oscar-nominated turn as the swishy, saucy swashbuckler in “Pirates of the Caribbean” endeared him to the masses while keeping his acting chops pure.
The actor’s subsequent work has left me deflated – and worried he’s started believing his own press clippings.
Consider “Public Enemies,” last year’s disappointing biopic which cast Depp as John Dillinger. Talk about great casting … so why didn’t the film leave an emotional mark?
Depp’s work in the two “Pirate” sequels felt like a greatest hits compilation of Sparrow tics, nothing more.
And Depp’s Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland” proved similarly chaotic, as if he no longer feels the need to build a character from the ground up. He just has to be … Depp-like and audiences will cheer him on.
My sour feelings for the actor likely started with “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Tim Burton’s unnecessary remakeof the Gene Wilder classic.
Depp’s Willy Wonka was … weird. Not wonderfully weird, like Wilder’s version. Just awkward and charmless.
Perhaps his best recent turn came via “Sweeney Todd,” a film which showcased his singing talents and ability to bring a tortured soul to life.
Depp’s future still looks bright. He’s gearing up for a fourth “Pirates” film (sigh), a project all but guaranteed to print money. His other intriguing projects include “The Rum Diary” and “Happy Days” with director Terry Zwigoff.
Let’s hope he remembers the quirky, singular work that proved he was more than just a teen idol on a glossy Fox show.
(Photo: Johnny Depp played John Dillinger in “Public Enemies,” but he couldn’t get under the skin of the famous outlaw)
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
To be brutally honest, he’s never been that good of an actor. He’s got talent and charisma, to be sure, but he’s better at finding the humanity in weirdos and outcasts than he is at showing any real character depth. If Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam hadn’t come along, he probably never would have found his niche.
Who made you the king of movies? Johnny goes above and beyond with his films. I don’t like All of his films but he puts everything into what he does. If you don’t like them, don’t go see them. Some of his best indepth characters were panned by critics who just got their panties in a twist. If he wasn’t that good, why is he always in the top 5 of the A-listed movies? What’s the matter? Jealous?
My full title is Emperor of Movies, H … but I accept your apology for getting it wrong.
If you don’t like them, don’t go see them.
Wait, you mean people have a choice about whether they watch a movie or not? Wow, thank you for clearing that up.
Oh, I see, what you were really saying was, if you don’t like them, shut up. I guess you’re actually the King of Movies, huh H?
What’s the matter? Jealous?
Am I jealous of a man who by the age of 40 was a multi-millionaire movie star who owned his own tropical island and was married to a supermodel? Uh, yes. But my jealousy of him is only surpassed by his mediocrity as an actor.
You might be an award-winning journalist but your reviewing skills suck. Personally I NEVER trust a review. I am one of those weirdos and outcasts who has the temerity to judge for myself whether I like a movie or not and why I do so.
While I do agree that Public Enemies lacked something, it wasn’t the fact that Mr. D did not get into John Dillinger’s skin. He did so, rather well in fact. It was I think that they tried to cram too much into too small a space with the storyline. The average viewing attention span these days can hardly remain in the seats for 90 minutes. Anything longer and people tend to complain and whine. The movie ran long as it was, but there were too many characters and too many details that were skimmed over for the sake of time.
And do you mean The Rum Diary, by any chance?
Jimmy C… He “never would have found his niche” eh? LOL. Um, actually he has tried to avoid the niche. For which I am eternally grateful. I mean have you seen him in The Libertine or The Brave? Wait, back up… have you seen him in Platoon?
Your “To be brutally honest, he’s never been that good of an actor,” just floors me. Clearly you are not looking beyond his pretty face and I can see how one would be distracted by Mr. D’s very good looks. But to say such a thing, well, clearly you don’t know brilliance when you see it. It would be so easy to take such characters too far, way beyond the tipping point, but Mr. D knows just how far to push it without falling over that delicate edge. If that’s not talent, then I don’t know what is.
But you are right. He can find “the humanity in weirdos and outcasts.” And for that alone, he has my vote as a very talented actor. Let’s face it, he always brings us something shiny and new.
Rock on, Mr. D, says I. I humbly await his next role.
Attack of the Johnny Depp fanboy!!!
Seriously though, why can’t somebody offer a little sober criticism of an actor without being attacked with ridiculous statements like the ones H has made?
If Depp did do a poor job in “Public Enemies,” I’d give the blame to Michael Mann, though I’m apparently in the minority in thinking that Depp and Bale did fine work. Mann’s script admittedly didn’t go far out of its way to crack open Dillinger and see what made him tick. But I loved the attention to detail when it came to tactics and the difficulties of law enforcement during the period.
The fanboys (and girls) are after you CT. Let this be a lesson to you. Never ever, under any circumstances, offer the slightest bit of criticism towards a popular celebrity or you will have your status as a film critic mocked and ridiculed by people who have nothing better to do but rush to the defense of a person who is neither aware of nor cares about their existence.
I always get a kick out of hate mail where the writer assures me that they NEVER EVER EVER EVER take film critics seriously, ever, no matter what, and then proceed to devote 1000 words to what an idiot I am, as if they would ever do that to someone they didn’t take seriously.
I love it when people disagree with me here, so long as it’s done in a gentlemanly fashion (is that sexist?)
I’ve dug Depp for a while, particularly some of his film choices. But I’ve become less enamored with him over the years.
Although when someone boasts, “I never trust a film review” that usually causes my eyes to glaze over. Even lousy reviews can be informational.
What they mean is that they never trust a film review except for when those reviews reinforce their opinions. That’s the only thing that explains how personally they take opinions that conflict with theirs.
Why is someone a fanboy/girl if they disagree with your take on things? If we are allowed to disagree then why are there so many personal attacks? I am a Depp fan. I do think he’s wonderful. I don’t like all his movies. I think that lately not all the material has been up to his normal standards but that he does very well with what he is given(ie Public Enemies). I like Jack Sparrow but I think Disney is pushing it with P4 (I’ll still see it though). Not every fan is a nut bar and can have a balanced and realistic view of him. I think he has made some of his recent film choices based only on the fact that they would make his kids happy. He does things for himself and his family…and that’s about it. He doesn’t want to fit a niche, he has never wanted to be a teen idol or sexy leading man. He has done everything he could to not be any of those things. (he can’t do much about the fact that his face is near perfect) He goes out of his way to be kind to his fans. As a person that say a lot about him. This, of course, is just my opinion.
It would be so easy to take such characters too far, way beyond the tipping point, but Mr. D knows just how far to push it without falling over that delicate edge.
Right, because when I see his work as Jack Sparrow, Sweeney Todd, Willy Wonka or The Mad Hatter, I’m mainly thinking about how he never, ever goes over-the-top.
S – I think the fanboy/girl flag got thrown here because the poster took the ‘you must be jealous of him’ argument and threw in a side order of, ‘then don’t watch his movies.’ It’s a weak retort – and it sounds a bit fanboy/girlish to me.
As for Depp, I’m a fan (minus the boy) … but I feel like his recent performances haven’t been up to his usual standards. He does appear to be a nice fellow … I covered him at a junket for one of the Pirate films and he was gracious.
S – Simple disagreements are not preceded with statements like “What are you, the king of movies?” That is a fanboy response and deserves to be called out as such.
Now, if the commenter had said something along the lines of “I disagree, I actually liked him in___________ because _________” I would not have felt the need to make any of my above comments.
I think this criticism of Depp is even more valid for Tim Burton, who was properly skewered for falling into a rut by this week’s South Park…
KBX- I think you have a good point there. Tim, as much as I like him, has been kind of redundant in some of his latest works. I even commented that the opening music for Alice sounded just like the opening title music to Sweeney Todd(that may be Danny Elfman’s doing though).
oops I mean KXB Sorry :\
Elfman’s stuff often sounds the same … although I still dig it.
Burton’s films often stand on the cusp of greatness but never get there.
I’d have to agree with you on this one!
Blow; Donnie Brasco; What’s Eating Gilbert Grape; Hell, even Ninth Gate (get it??! hahaha). I enjoy Depp’s work, he’s developed a variety of characters that clearly present the reasoning of people who feel detached from the American Mass Culture. I mean the guy was close to killing himself during Jump Street, thanks to Burton (another isolated soul) gave him a great shot with Edward Scissorhands. But with that said, he is a very introspective actor — much of that owing to his study of the Chekhov take on Stanislavski’s system. That is juxtaposed to his recent Jack Sparrow extroverted character (one that I have a tougher time relating too because of his wacky extroversion).
Step back and view his career over from step one and you’ll realize that his resume, much like his performances, has developed fluidly and consistently in the shape of a great actor. As for the Dillinger work, I have read/scene a lot of footage relating to Dillinger, and I thought he was spot on in recreating the mobster. If anyone was weak in that film, it was our dear Christian Bale….
Johnny Depp along with Brad, Elvis and some other stars shooting close and far is still by far the hottest man for over one decade!