What a ham!

[Newt]

Mommies Dearest as a whole. The hamminess manages the impossible: making a film about child abuse somewhat funny.

Good call. Faye Dunaway is a fine actress, but she is the ultimate ham in this film. I really like what Variety said about it: "Dunaway does not chew scenery. Dunaway starts neatly at each corner of the set in every scene and swallows it whole, costars and all."

I couldn't agree more.

However, there are some ways in which this film is entertaining, but certainly they are bad movie reasons.

I do not disagree: but having grown up with a parent whose parenting style was all too similar, I found many of Dunaway's scenes chillingly realistic and familiar.  Still, I can see how it would look to the majority of viewers: over-the-top and even laughable.  Count yourselves lucky.   

[66Crush]

There are bad ham's like David Hasslehoff and Erik Estrada, who are weak actors that over compensate. However, there are great actors who like to ham it up too. William Shatner is a damn fine actor, but there are some who feel like his isn't because he has the tendancy to go over the top. Same with Bela Lugosi. But if you examine Shatner and Lugosi, you will find a lot of genuine emotion in they're performances. There are some so called "great actors" like Brad Pitt, that deliver the same bland performance, no matter how much emotion they put in. Most people wouldn't know a good actor from a bad one because of hype. But talent will stand the test of time. I'm a huge Clint Eastwood fan, and it's hard to believe that there was a time people considered him a bad actor, but today we all know that he is amazing.

[Flick James]

I'm surprise noone has brought up an actor who hams it up almost every role:

TOM CRUISE!

I could post examples but we'd be here all day.

[Psycho Circus]

I'm surprise noone has brought up an actor who hams it up almost every role:

TOM CRUISE!

I could post examples but we'd be here all day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-q__knBahs

I actually thought Tom Cruise was excellent in Magnolia.

[Flick James]

I'm surprise noone has brought up an actor who hams it up almost every role:

TOM CRUISE!

I could post examples but we'd be here all day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-q__knBahs

I actually thought Tom Cruise was excellent in Magnolia.

Well, I did say "almost every role," didn't I? 

Actually, I'm agreed on Magnolia. Fine performance. But even there I would argue there's a little pork product on display.

[66Crush]

I hate Tom Cruise, but I have to reluctantly admit that he's not a bad actor. That said, he is a ham and that just adds to the list of many things that annoy me about him.

[JaseSF]

Funny thing about actors who can be a bit hammy at times, a lot of them also tend to be my favourites personally. William Shatner, Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Charlton Heston - I could watch those guys all day and all night. I see Brad Pitt get criticized a bit but I still love his performance in 12 Monkeys which featured another guy who can be hammy at times - Bruce Willis, another guy I like more oft than not.

[zombie no.one]

agreed with Nic Cage in the Wickerman. I don't think he's a bad actor but in that remake he becomes ludicrous

nice clip from darkplace...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjOEcoMy2fI

[Trevor]

The biggest ham: Joss Ackland as Arjen Rudd in Lethal Weapon 2.

[Allhallowsday]

Watch ham cure: SPENCER TRACY from CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (1937) to DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1941)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgrlfKzc8t4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3M1wEe3hUs 

I do think TRACY got very good when he was older in films like BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK, INHERIT THE WIND, JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, others...

[Psycho Circus]

Crispin Glover in The River's Edge...........Game Over!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNgP0Px5rlI

[Doggett]

Alan Rickman in 'Die Hard'.

But isn't that part of his appeal?

[RCMerchant]

"MUST.....STOP.....EMOTING.....!"

[bob]

.Nicholas Cage (again!) in the BAD LIEUTENANT:PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS. (Great movie,by the way!)
.Vincent Price in THEATER OF BLOOD.
.Bela Lugosi in the PHANTOM CREEPS.

Great calls RC.  Glad you liked BL:POCNO.  An amazingly bad/good perf by Cage, reigning King of the Hams!  "Shoot him again!  His soul is still dancing!"

Lugosi, you could pick a dozen performances by him.  This is probably my favorite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHkXFsK6UUg&feature=related

more Lugosi, because you can never get enough

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-8j8c7iL3E

[RCMerchant]

^ Agree!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0UerfV4zVQ