Badmovies.org Forum

 I just saw that someone posted about Jim Carey and it got me thinking of how great an actor Johnny Depp is. It seems that no one really noticed him until Pirates came out.

 I'm not sure if it is just me or not with this opinion. I just want to see what other people think about this.

I've been a fan of Depp for a while now.  I remember him being on 21 Jump Street but I was a bit young to really be a fan of the show (or to have my parents let me watch it).  But I remember liking him in Edward Scissorhands and became a big fan of his when Ed Wood came out.  I hated him in Fear and Loathing the first time I watched it and then gained a whole new respect for the film once I watched it again with someone who had read the book and explained the bare bones plot to me (I had no idea who Hunter S. Thompson was at the time).

When he signed on to do Pirates I was excited because I knew that he would play a fantastic pirate even though I wasn't sure if he was going to do it goofy or straight up (he ended up doing a little of both but got more goofy as the series went on).

I liked Secret Window and Wily Wonka (I know there's a lot of hate for Wonka out there but I enjoyed the craziness).  He remains one of my favorite actors out there and even though I hate musicals, I'll probably go to see Sweeny Todd in the theater.

Unfortunately, a lot of people never did seem to realize him until Pirates.

He's always given odd performances, and I like that about him.  He was in Nightmare on Elm Street and years later when Wes did New Nightmare, he ran into Johnny.  Johnny was like, "Why didn't you ask me to be in the movie?"  Wes was like, "I thought you'd say you were too big a star."

My favorite performance with him is probably Willy Wonka or Ed Wood.

Like Oldskool138, I first noticed Depp on 21 Jump Street, and I was old enough to be a fan of the show. I could tell even then that he was the best thing on the show. Edward Scissorhands confirmed that, and I can't say I've seen anything he's done that I've disliked. My sister is in love with him, and my daughter is in love with the Jack Sparrow character. Me, I just like what he brings to a role.

I loved him in ED WOOD, and WILLY WONKA was pretty great too.  My LEAST favorite of his movies is undoubtedly THE LIBERTINE.  That may well be one of the most depressing movies I have ever seen in my life.

I liked that movie Blow that he did, with Paul Reubens and Ethan Supplee.

Depp brings a lot of emotion to the roles he plays.  Have ya'll forgotten BENNY AND JOON?

Perhaps one of my favorite actors even way before the Pirates days.  There are so many actors out there that simply pretty much act the same in every damn movie they're in.  Luckily, Depp is not one of those actors.  He brings so much lfe to characters he plays and each one is unique. 

I just love Johnny Depp.  I remember seeing him in 21 Jump St and I thought he was awesome in that.

I haven't seen every movie of his, but I'm trying to trawl my way through his body of work.

He's talented and very cute, unfortunately it would never work out between us.  He's a Gemini and I'm a Taurus and I also think Vanessa Paradis would pitch a fit if she found out.    :bouncegiggle:

He does drama and comedy equally well and if he bungs on an accent, he sounds like it's natural.

I am probably the only one who has never seen 21 Jump Street.  Kinda wasn't in the target demographic back then, seeing as I was like, 4.

But he is a very talented actor.

Looking forward to Sweeney Todd.

To be honest, neve cared much about him. It was sad to see him take a lot of flak, though. The usual review of a Johnny Depp movie before Pirates was sort of "Depp is a mediocre actor, yet he does well in this one."

And that went on for years, literally. I sort of enjoyed his work, enough to see he was underrated, but never became a fan because his jobs were often in films I wouldn't feel like watching. I mean, I love westerns, for example, but I still have to sit through Dead Man, that film just reeks weirdness.

Johnny Depp can be quite the powerhouse actor if he's got a role that he can really sink into and absorb.

Ed Wood, Jack Sparrow (I only liked the 1st Pirate movie BTW), Edward Scissorhands are roles where I felt that his talent was shown as being quite tremendous when given the right part.

I only saw the first Pirates.  That was decent. 

I'm still gonna push and say Willy Wonka was an underrated flick.  It was twisted.

Surprised that nobody mentions either "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" or "Dead Man" -- Both of these films have a unique eerieness & showcase Depp very well --
Glad to see "Benny & Joon" get a mention -- Depp does a conscious Buster Keaton impression that's quite on the mark.
I would think everyone on this site would like to check out "Dead Man" -- set in the old West, Depp's fish-out-of-water Easterner meets his demise, but in a slow, stately, ritualistic fashion that parallels a sort of "crossing the River Styx".  He finally gets his send-off from some Salish Indians in North Washington State.  The scene where the cedar Big House opens up like the jaws of a giant seabird is quite stunning.  Shot in black and white, it's both ghostly and gritty/otherworldly and mundane.
"Grape" could have been just another teenage angst movie, but Depp is shocking in his tightly wound performance of someone in over his head who's fighting tooth and nail, albeit quietly, to keep his family together & protect his retarded brother (Leonardo DiCaprio -- doing a brilliant job).  Some film moments unlike any others I can think of, like when his 600lb. mother decides to leave her house for the first time in decades & go out in public.
peter johnson/denny crane

 Another one no one has mentioned would be Cry Baby. Although it would not be one most people would care for, I for one loved it.

Depp is one of my favourite actors. I really admire how many different roles he can play and make them seem so different. I mean you would not once think that Jack Sparrow and Edward Scissorhands are the same person, or Willy Wonka, or who the hell ever. That shows a truely brilliant actor.