Best Fake Accent In A Movie Ever...

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at the mo i'm torn between Tony Curtis' in Some Like It Hot, and Brad Pitt's in Snatch

so i suppose by 'best' i could mean 'hilariously inaccurate' as well

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:19 (twenty-three years ago)

i was somewhat taken aback by don cheadle's accent in ocean's 11

― maura (maura), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Benicio Del Toro's in The Usual Suspects is another contender

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Tony Curtis ownz this thread. I think eventually he stopped trying fake an accent.

― lawrence kansas (lawrence kansas), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Brad Pitt be the man.

alternatively, how about Sam Astin in LoToR?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, Sean Connery's convinshing Egyptian acshent in Highlander is shurely a prishe winner?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:37 (twenty-three years ago)

I was really convinced Lillian Gish was French in Orphans of the Storm.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:39 (twenty-three years ago)

alternatively, how about Sam Astin in LoToR?

well it fooled my Mum totally, but then she thought Elijah Wood was from the Home Counties too

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Dick Van Dyke as Bert the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins. I have never ever heard a cockney accent like it.

― C J (C J), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:57 (twenty-three years ago)

thats because no one really talked like that, ever!

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 21:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Dick Van Dyke owns this thread. Or as he would say, "Doick Voin Doike oiwns dis thraaaad". Best/worst accent evah.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 22:01 (twenty-three years ago)

You're forgetting EVERY Zorro movie where all the characters have fake accents and speak totally in English except for the words "señor" and "gracias"

― Curtis Stephens, Tuesday, 7 January 2003 22:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Tony Curtis saying "Yonda lies the castle of my fodda". Can't remember what film it's from. Some Arthurian nonsense, I expect.

If they ever make a Buffy or Angel movie, Angel's wondrous Irish accent will be a contender.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 22:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Between the accent and the various hairstyles, Angel is one big butterball of hilarity.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 22:17 (twenty-three years ago)

I can tell you the WORST is Rosanna Arquette's "French" accent in The Whole Nine Yards (set in Montreal). It was horrendous in any case, but the worst of it was that it' as if she had no clue that a Quebec French accent IS NOT THE SAME THING! (as a regular French accent that is)

― Kim (Kim), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 22:17 (twenty-three years ago)

tommy l33 jon3s r00ls this thr34d

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 22:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Shrek! Mike Myers' "Scottish" accent makes me SHUDDER.

― Mark C (Mark C), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 23:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, COME ON. Natalie Portman in Episode I?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 23:54 (twenty-three years ago)

But I'd have to have a better idea of what she was aiming at to know how badly she fell short!

― Amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 23:57 (twenty-three years ago)

She was just inventing an accent! And it sounded like she was trying to speak while forcibly holding back projectile vomit with her esophagal muscles!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:03 (twenty-three years ago)

She sounded uncomfortable, that's for sure.

My friend ran into Natalie Portman coming out of a bathroom stall in the Kendall Sq. cinema.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Ha I almost ran her down in the middle of the street with an SUV!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Deliberately?

― C J (C J), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:14 (twenty-three years ago)

She was charming when her discomfort in front of the camera could be read as being true to the discomfort of adolescence but now.... Hmm, well she's real cute I'll say that.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:18 (twenty-three years ago)

It was by accident. I didn't even realize it was her until we'd gone past her.

Just think, this fall I might get the chance to run over Sarah Hughes!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Harvard hasn't been the same since Gore's daughter graduated....

― Amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Which one?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Come on! Ewan McGreggor OWNS this thread!

Velvet Goldmine alone, he slid from Detroit to Glasgow to Noo Yawk and back in the span of one single sentance!

― kate, Wednesday, 8 January 2003 01:07 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought that was the point. And I did like how Toni Collette's accent intentionally made that slide -- very Angela Bowie.

thats because no one really talked like that, ever!

Talked, yes. Sung, no -- because Brett Anderson exists.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 01:41 (twenty-three years ago)

has anyone seen The Jackal?

― boxcubed (boxcubed), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 02:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Has anyone here NOT run into Natalie Portman? I ran into her in a deli by my house.

Anyway, I'm sorry but I have one thing to say: "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND".

― Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 03:46 (twenty-three years ago)

if you've seen the trailers for gangs of new york (non-americans) or seen the film (? - is it out yet americans?) then how about di caprio's oirish accent? jeez.

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 10:06 (twenty-three years ago)

AH but that's an historically accurate 300 year old oirish accent.

Maybe.

Toni Collette in Clockwatchers too, and actually thinking about it even in The Sixth Sense its wobbly.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 10:35 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, Sean Connery's convinshing Egyptian acshent in Highlander is shurely a prishe winner?
-- DV

Abso-bloody-lutely. If there is a single most ludicrous accents scene in film, it is, without doubt, Sean Connery (a scotsman) acting the part of an ancient and widely travelled Egyptian, but with an obvious scottish "acshent" talking to Christopher Lambert (a frenchman) acting the part of a scotsman with an obvious french accent, and Connery innocently asking "What's a haggish?" "thatsh revolting!" etc

― Alan (Alan), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 10:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Every single Sow Theffricen accent, black or white, in every movie ever. Without fail they come out as Brummie retard. The white ones, that is. (Honourable exception: John Thaw in Cry Freedom, but he still wasn't great.) The black ones are better, but they can't resist Jamaicing them.

Most recent example of this infallible rule: cigar-smoking "I'm an arsehole" character in new Bond movie. See also Mission Impossible 2, The Beach, and the absolutely hilarious Lethal Weapon 2.

― Sam (chirombo), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 11:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Far and Away - why has no one mentioned this? Oi bejaysus.

― Anna (Anna), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 12:46 (twenty-three years ago)

hoil maury fulla groice indeed

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 13:15 (twenty-three years ago)

That bit where they are doing that land chase thing and Cruise almost gets pitched over a cliff and shout "Jaysus, The Edge!"

Which reminds us of another fine Brad Pitt accent: The Devils Own.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 13:15 (twenty-three years ago)

It's no secret that i no nowt about films, but don't I recall Mr. K. Reeves's accent in "Dracula" being spectacularly poor?

― Tim (Tim), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 13:17 (twenty-three years ago)

I was watching Back to the Future Part III last night and was surprised how good Michael J Fox and his (19th C) wife's Irish accents were. Especially after seeing clips of Gangs of New York.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 13:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Mr Reeves also has a lousy accent in Much Ado About Nothing - but that is ON PURPOSE.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 13:25 (twenty-three years ago)

I like how, when Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? first hit the theaters, film critics here in America kept trying to make a point of how bad George Clooney's southern accent was, how it sounded "fake" or "forced"...

...which is funny, 'cause as a Kentucky boy born and raised, Mr. Clooney is one of the only actual souterners in that film.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 13:29 (twenty-three years ago)

i want a back to the future marathon

― Alan (Alan), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 13:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Have one! The triple DVD is only £25.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 13:36 (twenty-three years ago)

i know i'm really late and it's been done, but i'd feel empty if i didn't crossbar in a quick "goooor bluuumey meeeeeery puppins".

sorry.

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 14:07 (twenty-three years ago)

crowbar, not crossbar, nooch.

*slaps forehead*

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 14:07 (twenty-three years ago)

geoffrey rush's trotsky in 'frida' was scottish!

but accent i really enjoyed = christina ricci and friend in '200 cigarettes', it was just like cyndi lauper

― minna (minna), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 14:15 (twenty-three years ago)

What about Renee Zellweger(sp?) in "Bridget Jones Diary" and how about Madonna when she adopted a British accent for a bit.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 14:18 (twenty-three years ago)

well, you're all wrong. John Malkovich's Russian accent in "Rounders" wins the prize

(i think Renée Zellwegger's English accent in Bridget Jones was pretty good, much more so than Gwyneth's various efforts, say)

― zebedee, Wednesday, 8 January 2003 14:19 (twenty-three years ago)

i quite liked RZ in BJ too.

― Alan (Alan), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 14:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Skipping 5 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

ND IS A VERY BAD MANG.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 15:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Sean Connery's Russian accent as Marko Ramius in The Hunt For Red October.

― C J (C J), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 16:01 (twenty-three years ago)

nobody has mentioned keanu in dracula! for shame!

"i knoooow where the baaaastard sleeps, dude"

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 16:04 (twenty-three years ago)

You mean apart from when I mentioned Keanu in Dracula, Greg?

― Tim (Tim), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 16:05 (twenty-three years ago)

It's no secret that i no nowt about films, but don't I recall Mr. K. Reeves's accent in "Dracula" being spectacularly poor?
-- Tim (hopkinstim@yahoo.com), January 8th, 2003.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 16:06 (twenty-three years ago)

There's an echo in here....

― C J (C J), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 16:16 (twenty-three years ago)

arrr, sorry. i'm trying not to get caught.

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 16:18 (twenty-three years ago)

how about kevin costner, prince of thieves? there was something amiss there. and christian slater, gee. at least kev tried. ish.

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 16:20 (twenty-three years ago)

It's TV, but Dennis Hopper's accent in "24" has to count for something...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 17:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Damon Wayans in "Bamboozled", esp. when directly juxtaposed with Michael Rapaport speaking, um, normally. Trust your actors, Spike, not their accents.

― weatheringdaleson (weatheringdaleson), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 17:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Marisa Tomei, In the Bedroom. "Yes, I love you. I always want to be with you, forever. Now just let me go to Stah Mahket and pahk my cah."

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 18:33 (twenty-three years ago)

That bit where they are doing that land chase thing and Cruise almost gets pitched over a cliff and shout "Jaysus, The Edge!"

Ah, so that was the inspiration for the U2 Christmas joke.

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 9 January 2003 00:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Sean Connery's displaced Irish cop in 'The Untouchables' sounds like Sean Connery's Spanish blade Juan Sanchez Ramirez in Highlander, who uncannily sounds like Sean Connery's dsahing spy James Bond and amazingly, Sean Connery's (Lithaunian?) Marko Ramius.

Uncanny. I see a pattern developing. Is Connery so A-league that he doesn't have to bother with accents, or so shit at them that he's made not to bother with accents?

Oh, every English character in an American show ever. Daphne in Frasier is passable, but her brother (from Manchester, remember) had an even poorer Cockernee accent than Dick van Dyke. Tchoh!

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 9 January 2003 01:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, every English character in an American show ever.

Hold on, what about Ian Buchanan as Dick Tremayne in Twin Peaks? Or is he actually English?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 9 January 2003 02:15 (twenty-three years ago)

I think he is Scottish? Maybe.

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 9 January 2003 02:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Hm, with a name like that you have a point!

*visits IMDB*

Quite right -- born in Hamilton, Scotland, 1957.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 9 January 2003 02:26 (twenty-three years ago)

"'ave oi mentioned 'ow incredibly Owstraylian oi am?"

(That one might just be for Ned. Sorry.)

― Chris P (Chris P), Thursday, 9 January 2003 02:39 (twenty-three years ago)

See, the thing is about that whole running gag is that the fake interstellar Australian rejects from the "Union of the Snake" video that crashed into the "Love is a Battlefield" video still had better voices than Kathy Ireland.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 9 January 2003 02:41 (twenty-three years ago)

Don't mention her Ned, you'll get Dang all excited!

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 9 January 2003 02:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh good god, don't tell me Dan has a fetish for her or something. She squeaks, Mr. Perry -- imagine trying to chat up a dog's chew toy. *waits for it...*

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 9 January 2003 02:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Surely you haven't forgotten this thread already?

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 9 January 2003 02:59 (twenty-three years ago)

*cackles maniacally, as Kim wished elsewhere*

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 9 January 2003 03:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Kevin Costner in the Prince of Thieves is fantastic. For half of the movie, he has a spectacularly bad English accent. The other half, he talks in his normal midwesterny accent. It's like, did he just give up? That's fantastic. "Well, I'm not doing well with it, so fuck it." That's like the best way to go about things.

OH MY GOD Tom Hanks in Catch Me If You Can, that just hit me, because someone mentioned it to me prior to me seeing it - his is ridiculous! He sounds like a bad impression of Ted Kennedy. And Leonardo's accent isn't much better, it's like an insult to Yonkers, which is like previously impossible.

― Ally (mlescaut), Thursday, 9 January 2003 03:17 (twenty-three years ago)

I never said she had to speak. And anyway, have you heard her since the speech therapy? ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWR.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 9 January 2003 03:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Speech therapy? Dare I ask?

"I was feeling depressed having to be stuck in this supermodel's throat and never being able to sound different..."

Oh dear, that sentence has too much vileness in it, doesn't it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 9 January 2003 03:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Daphne isn't really British? The things you learn on ILE...

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 9 January 2003 07:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Most of the cast of Steel Magnolias

― James Blount (James Blount), Thursday, 9 January 2003 07:56 (twenty-three years ago)

fukkk, I thought it was Worst Fake Accent

er, Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's

― James Blount (James Blount), Thursday, 9 January 2003 07:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Jane Leeves (who plays Daphne) is British - she is from East Grinstead in Sussex. I think she has lived in America since the mid 80s though.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 9 January 2003 09:03 (twenty-three years ago)

But she is playing someone from Manchester, Mary - a very distinct accent. It's a pretty awful attempt that we have just got used to as time goes by. When she first appeared most people here assumed she was an American actress cause it was so bizarre.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 9 January 2003 09:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, to be fair to Jane Leeves, I think a big part of the problem is not the accent itself but the ridiculous quaint 'British'isms the script forces her to come out with.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 9 January 2003 09:33 (twenty-three years ago)

But John Mahoney, who plays Frasier's dad, is English. He lost a lot of his accent over the years, but apparently, nothing ever happens on Wednesdays in Frasier, 'cause he still says it "winsdey".

Anthony Stewart Head's accent in Buffy is fake as well: he really sounds like Spike.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 9 January 2003 10:57 (twenty-three years ago)

The weird one was when Brian Cox played Daphne's Dad in Frasier - he managed to do exactly the same ridiculous accent as her - which made it seem all the more plausible.

That said the so called pub Niles went to to find him was not convincing at all.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 9 January 2003 11:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Every Irish accent in any film ever except actual Irish people talking has been terrible as far as I can remember. Brad Pitt in the Devils Own, bad accent bad film, stuff like that just made me hate films. Last night I watched Swingers and I mean what a piece of shit, the guys were all so irritating, their conversation was irritating, their clothes were irritating, there is nothing worse than a film or tv prog which tries to rope you into some cool vibe it hasn't even successfully created.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 January 2003 11:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Swingers is great - you're a mentalist.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 9 January 2003 12:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Fair enough, I was going to start a thread but are they meant to be so hateable? I think part of the problem is I know guys who worship the film and I mean being a teenager I still had some faith in watching it and thinking "wow cool" but I just thought they were idiots. Also they were drinking and driving alot.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 January 2003 12:17 (twenty-three years ago)

they WERE idiots. i still liked swingers though.

Ptee's ob re the Manchester Pub in Frasier is OTM. I thought it was funny. it looked like a coffee shop set.

― Alan (Alan), Thursday, 9 January 2003 13:34 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm with Ronan. Then again I casually loathed that whole scene and style anyway, and for a while there Combustible Edison was my least favorite band EVER.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 9 January 2003 15:53 (twenty-three years ago)

So I'm getting confused now...are we talking about actual good movie accents, or are we bringing up the worst?

As far as good ones go, Alan Cumming is da shit. I love when he talks "American". Spot ON.

And bad ones...I'm gonna go with all of Rob Shneider's movie accents ever. However, his guy that sat by the copier...CLASSIC!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 9 January 2003 16:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom Wilkinson's American accent in "In the Bedroom" was astonishingly good/unnoticeable. In the Bedroom In the Bedroom In the Bedroom.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 9 January 2003 16:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Slightly taken aback no-one mentioned the obvious - Meryl Streep.

― Ben Mott (Ben Mott), Monday, 13 January 2003 22:15 (twenty-three years ago)

I would just like to say congrats to zebedee for the John Malkovich in Rounders check. There cannot be a more amusing bad accent in any film ever. I love the end where he just goes nuts and starts air humping and shouting in "russian".

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Monday, 13 January 2003 23:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Emma Thompson in that fucking awful adaptation of Primary Colors, anyone?

And let me add my voice to the growing chorus of Swingers haterz. Thank God nobody I know tries to talk like that anymore (although I do occasionally say 'baby you're so money' if i really hate the person i'm talking to).

― Dave M. (rotten03), Monday, 13 January 2003 23:42 (twenty-three years ago)

I haven't seen Catch Me If You Can, but before that I'm pretty sure Tom Hanks's only attempt at altering his accent is his absurd Yalie upper-class snob voice as "Volunteers'" Lawrence Boone III.

Since Arnie Schwarzy's accent is never explained in most movie (usually he even has names like Mark Smith or something equally uneuropean), does he qualify for this? Cuz he's never been convincing as a natural-born American.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 00:56 (twenty-three years ago)

Are you some kind of racist?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 01:07 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

Revive to, um, celebrate Tom Hanks' "Krakhovzian" accent in The Terminal. (And of course since Anthony M's last post we've had The Ladykillers remake too!)

Incidentally, just 30 seconds of the TV trailer for The Terminal was enough to put me off this movie, let alone the dire reviews it seems to be accumulating.

― Jeff W (zebedee), Friday, 3 September 2004 12:30 (twenty-one years ago)

no one mentioned that guy in ghostbusters 2?

― cutty (mcutt), Friday, 3 September 2004 12:36 (twenty-one years ago)

This wasn't the best thing to see with memories of Bring It On still fresh in my head.

― R.I.M.A. (Barima), Friday, 3 September 2004 12:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Benicio Del Toro said of his Usual Suspects accent:

"Black/Chinese/Puerto Rican/Jew"

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 3 September 2004 13:09 (twenty-one years ago)

which incidentally sounds like a line from "get your freak on".

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 3 September 2004 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

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