MovieChat Forums > The Getaway (1972) Discussion > Worst performance of all time by any act...

Worst performance of all time by any actress

posted 12 years ago by yakikorosu
30 replies | jump to latest

I have seen thousands of movies and Ali McGraw in The Getaway was by far the worst performance by an actress in any major film I have ever seen. I can't think of anything even remotely this bad. Elizabeth Berkeley in Showgirls blows her away. Sofia Coppolla in Godfather 3? Far superior. Her acting is so bad that even in scenes where she doesn't talk it's painful just to watch her vacant, unchanging facial expression. Every line she says sounds like it was memorized phonetically by someone who has no understanding whatsoever of what her character is supposed to be feeling, thinking or even doing. I began to literally cringe every time she would appear on screen. Every scene with her not in it automatically became my favorite scene in the movie. If she and Keanu Reeves had a contest for most wooden acting, she would win by such a large margin the referee would have to stop the match less than half the way through.

I now know what Marlon Brando's character was doing in Apocalypse Now when he says "The horror, the horror": he was watching any scene in this movie with Ali McGraw in it.

[–] davechoc 8 years ago

I agree, painfully bad acting by Ali McGraw. She went on to also torpedo the otherwise watchable miniseries "Winds of War" before slipping into obscurity.

[–] meguroutsubo 8 years ago

"Great beauties are seldom great actresses, simply because they do not need to be." — some wench.

I could stare at her gorgeous face all day long, but if I'd set my mind to it, I probably could've imagined half a dozen actresses that could do that role just as well.

[–] lolarites-68701 8 years ago

Yep, she's terrible. Gun molls aren't usually very good, with the exception of Faye Dunnaway. Ali had a lot of luck and when it was out that she and McQueen were hooking up then it just guaranteed a huge hit. McQueen was Hollywood's Peck's bad boy and everyone loved him and she got some of the love by osmosis, kinda like Lauren Bacall when it was known that Bogie was dying. When McQueen's days were numbered, Ali was loved because Steve was. Winds of War finished her off and also Bob Evans probably worked his magic too. He could make you or brake you.

[–] vpinon 8 years ago

I agree, McGraw is just awful. Saw the movie for the first time last night on TCM, and her performance was terrible.

[–] brucedgo 8 years ago

LOL, I came here just to say that. Every scene she was in was just terrible. One expression -- worried, with her mouth open. The only time her mouth was closed was while saying a word with an "M" in it. How could it have been so bad? At least if she smiled once in a while she would look good.

[–] johnmiller (3755) 7 years ago

She was Producer Robert Evans wife, and that's how she got the part. Of course, as "thanks," she dumped him after this movie wrapped and took off with McQueen! :-)

[–] ecarle (14979) 7 years ago

She was Producer Robert Evans wife, and that's how she got the part. Of course, as "thanks," she dumped him after this movie wrapped and took off with McQueen! :-)

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...and then, Evans turned on her. When producers on his lot offered a package of McQueen and MacGraw to star in The Great Gatsby(THEY offered themselves), Evans fought with his Paramount Board NOT to cast MacGraw, "hot" as she(and certainly McQueen) were. We ended up with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.

MacGraw was supposedly under consideration for Chinatown, but that script wasn't even written til after the Evans/MacGraw divorce. Her name was probably just "on the list." Jane Fonda was first sought for Evelyn Mulwray before Faye Dunaway got the part. (Methinks Henry Fonda's daughter in a film about incest was perhaps not a good idea for Jane.)

[–] MikeCable (1784) 7 years ago

I found her character to be the most memorable thing about the film. She certainly had some quirks in her acting and I think that her odd personality/delivery made it a lot more interesting when next to Mr. Cool McQueen.

[–] jsully99 (20) 5 years ago

I can say that anything Renee Zellweger has done, is the most horrific sh!t ever filmed in Hollywood.