Monday 16 May 2011

Adaptable Stars


The Comedy genre might be their bread and butter, but every so often an actor or actress, known for their comedic performance, will star in a more dramatic film. A possible reason for this is that actors and actresses seldom receive awards or any type of recognition of their comedic performances. According to anomalousmaterial.com a common belief seems to have developed that comedy is a lower form of narrative art than drama. Let’s look at some actors that have broken their stereotypical mold and delivered a memorable dramatic performance.

The number one performance goes to Robin Williams for his portrayal as a psychologist in Good Will Hunting. The movie grossed a domestic income of $138.4 million and rated 8.1/10 on the IMDb website.

Second place goes to funny man Adam Sandler for Click (2006); a movie about a man (Adam) that comes into procession of a universal remote, controlling real life event and exepreinces. The movie grossed $137.3 million and rated 6.7 on the IMDb website, proving that even if the critics did not rave about the movie, the ultimate success depends on its viewers.

In third place is Steve Carell, best known for playing the incompetent boss in The Office. In 2006 Steve played a gay, French scholar who is temporarily living at home after a suicide attempt. Little Miss Sunshine grossed $59.8 million and rated a very rare 8.1 on the IMDb website.

Monique Imes comes in fourth place with Precious (2009), where she played Mary, the abusive mother. Monique is more prominently known for her role as Monique in The Parkers, an American spin-off from the sitcom Moesha. Precious grossed $47.5 million and received a 7.4/10 rating.

Fifth place goes to comedic genius Jim Carey for his portrayal in Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind (2004). The movie is about a couple who undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship takes a turn for the worst. The movie only grossed $34.4 million, but received an impressive 8.5/10 rating by the IMDb website and received an Academy award for most original screenplay.

There you have it, my top five actors/actresses adapting from comedy to drama to deliver stellar performances. Who else do you think should be added to the list?

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