Welcome to a new week y’all. I hope your weekend was refreshing. This week you will have to bear with me as I think this will be a bit of a rant. But an amusing one I hope.
I was watching Robin Hood Prince of Thieves this past weekend. The Kevin Costner one. And it really got me thinking about some silly things that occur in films. Most important, why are you giving the role of a British person to someone who can’t do a British accent? Please don’t think it is just his inability to do the accent. When you have a large role in a film and they chose you because they really want you, they arrange for you to have coaching on whatever accent you will need to perform during said film. Look at Matt Damon in Invictus. Great job by an incredible dialect coach, Tim Monich, to prepare Damon and Morgan Freeman for their roles. What I am saying is even with his coaching; Costner was unable to maintain even a remotely believable English accent for even part of the film. So why cast him? Please don’t misinterpret what I am saying. Kevin Costner is a very good actor. Just see Mr. Brooks. I just don’t see why you have someone attempt an accent for half the film. They could have had him just speak normal the whole film and it probably would have gone unnoticed with a few quips about a lack of accent.
Needless to say Hollywood is a very strange creature and as film has evolved since this rendition in 1991 so have actors in general. I do not believe the same sort of performance would be repeated in this day and age. After I saw Robin Hood it made me think about how far Hollywood has come in general for film quality and trying to place as much realism in each and every product no matter how farfetched the story is. Look at Invictus, Sherlock Holmes. Then look at how many actors from other countries come here and do an amazing job with American accents. My favorite by far is Damian Lewis. He was so believable with his accent in Band of Brothers that his cast mates did not believe he was from England and is completely British.
In short the only thing I can think of is Kevin Costner was a big box office draw in 1991 fresh off of Dances With Wolves and they threw him in and said to hell with his accent, let’s make a movie and have some fun and of course, make some money. And regardless of the accent, the movie is very entertaining. Although any film with Alan Rickman as the villain is a going to be great.
What do you say people???? Let’s bring back the bad accent movies and cheesy action and go all retro on Hollywood!! Thanks for that Expendables.
