TA TALKS BACK: CAN ROB ACT???
TA fan Jen writes in about Rob’s acting skills:
For many a Twilighter, the name Robert Pattinson meant little until the man who’s now become the obsession of every teen and 20-something (and, in some cases, their mothers) hit the screen as the ideal man – okay, if you forget he’s a blood-thirsty vampire. But no matter how popular he’s become with the tweens or how hotly he’s pursued by the paparazzi, the question remains – is Robert Pattinson’s appeal merely the infatuation of the female audience or can he actually act?Based on reviews for his recently-released “Little Ashes,†it depends on who you ask. While the London Daily Express calls his portray of the late Salvador Dali “a spirited performance,†others, like MTV’s Kurt Loder thought the film collapsed as soon as Pattison – dressed to look like a foppishly twisted version of Little Lord Fauntleroy – appeared on screen.
It’s certainly difficult to judge Pattinson’s acting talent based on his brief appearance as Cedric Diggory in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire†and, I would argue, equally as difficult in “Twilight.†The film’s oftentimes silly dialogue would have made it difficult to identify Kristen Stewart’s acting chops had I not seen her strong performance in so many other films (“Into the Wild†and “The Cake Eaters†among them).
While Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight†offered a compelling story with some of the most entertaining characters I’ve encountered in a long time, I still argue that the movie, particularly its dialogue, fell far short of expectation. Of course Meyer’s book had campy dialogue and Stewart is rumored to have lobbied for some script changes, arguing that 17-year-old girls didn’t talk the way screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg wrote the script.
The question of Pattinson’s acting talent raises a larger question about an actor’s ability to properly convey a character when faced with, in this case, a script wrought with iffy dialogue. Edward is a character torn between what he knows is right and what he wants. He can’t reconcile one with the other and “Twilight†viewers clearly see that in his long pauses and distant stares. What many critics say is merely brooding, I think is an actor’s attempt to make us feel an uncomfortable and his character.
But when that same actor is given material that’s downright cheesy (“You’re like a drug to me. Like my own personal brand of heroin.â€) do we hold that against the actor or the screenwriter? Meyer’s original “drug†references in the meadow scene were far from the ridiculous dialogue that hit movie screens in November.
Juxtapose Pattinson’s brooding Edward to his earnest portrayal of Art in Oliver Irving’s “How to Be.†Filmed before the “Twilight†film craze, it’s an awkward, funny and realistic movie about a 20-something experiencing a quarter-life crisis. Unlike the cool, charismatic Edward, Art is confused, torn and – at times – ridiculous in his attempts to figure out his life’s direction. He blends easily with the film’s ensemble and really has viewers believing his struggle.
Once more, “How to Be†showcases Pattinson’s comedic timing. During an April screening of the film in Chicago, Irving reported that he allowed his actors to improvise several scenes, adding that some of the film’s funnier moments came when Pattinson added his own mannerisms and ad lib. It’s difficult to identify those moments, further evidence that the “sparkly one†actually understood the character he was portraying.
As for “Little Ashes,†I’ll be the first to admit I laughed the first time I saw Pattinson in the twirly Dali moustache, but his mannerisms, wide-eyed looks and lurching Dali-esque posture in the trailer have me wondering if the actor’s much more a chameleon than film critics are giving him credit for.
Talk Back to us….what do you think?
