Entertainment Weekly put out an article citing Liev Schreiber as one of the great actors of his generation, and it posed the question: Why isn't Liev Schreiber a bona fide movie star yet?
Here's why: Because average moviegoers are often smarter than magazines like Entertainment Weekly give them credit for.
Liev Schreiber is overrated.
He's worse than overrated--he's overused.
One of the things I like about movies is that sometimes, despite how hard Hollywood might try to shove someone down America's throat.
Well, Hollywood's tried to shove Liev on us for a long time, and moviegoers like me just weren't having it.
So what did he do?
He retreated to New York, where he gets lavished with praise and roles that are way beyond his abilities.
Basically, he gets to be a big fish in a little pond.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think he's a horrible actor. I think he's all right. Just all right. What I resent is that it's clear he thinks he's much better than he is. That cockiness shines through in everything that he does, and it destroys likability in any of his characters.
If you want to be the "great actor of your generation," people of your generation have to feel like they can identify with your characters and their struggles.
Liev Schreiber is drawn to playing jerks, which isn't necessarily something I would fault him for, but rather than bring any sort of dimension to those characters, he simply skims the surface of them and manages to put enough intensity into his performances so that people feel like he's "acting."
Thankfully, magazines seems to be the only people he's fooling.
Here's why: Because average moviegoers are often smarter than magazines like Entertainment Weekly give them credit for.
Liev Schreiber is overrated.
He's worse than overrated--he's overused.
One of the things I like about movies is that sometimes, despite how hard Hollywood might try to shove someone down America's throat.
Well, Hollywood's tried to shove Liev on us for a long time, and moviegoers like me just weren't having it.
So what did he do?
He retreated to New York, where he gets lavished with praise and roles that are way beyond his abilities.
Basically, he gets to be a big fish in a little pond.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think he's a horrible actor. I think he's all right. Just all right. What I resent is that it's clear he thinks he's much better than he is. That cockiness shines through in everything that he does, and it destroys likability in any of his characters.
If you want to be the "great actor of your generation," people of your generation have to feel like they can identify with your characters and their struggles.
Liev Schreiber is drawn to playing jerks, which isn't necessarily something I would fault him for, but rather than bring any sort of dimension to those characters, he simply skims the surface of them and manages to put enough intensity into his performances so that people feel like he's "acting."
Thankfully, magazines seems to be the only people he's fooling.
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