Brad Pitt.

[Bojangles17]

*zips up flameproof jacket*

Say what you will, I maintain Pitt is a fantastic actor, almost hindered by his good looks. A lot of people can't get past that to see that he's a genuinely worthwhile actor, and I'm pleased to be seeing him in Inglourious Basterds next year ^_^

[Jonesy]

I think Pitt can be watchable, but he has a tendancy to ham things up when he's trying to 'act' (see Twelve Monkeys), and he can also be atrocious (see The Devil's Own and Troy). I haven't seen him in Burn After Reading yet, so can't comment on his performance in that, but I do think that if Pitt didn't look the way he does, he wouldn't get so much Hollywood attention. But ultimately, you could say that about a lot of stars, particularly the women.

[AYBGerrardo]

Definitely agree with OP - brilliant actor, but his presence in women's magazines doesn't do him any good. Nevertheless, he might finally get that Oscar after Benjamin Button is released...

[Ancient One]

Pitt can act, usually fairly competently. Try the following..
Legends Of The Fall
Meet Joe Black
Interview With A Vampire
Kalifornia
Fight Club
Seven
Some are average but some are excellent.Hes certainly not just a pretty boy pin up.

[Jonesy]

But Legends of the Fall was terrible, Ancient! Pitt was completely out of his depth in that film. As for Fight Club, the character of Tyler Durden was so damn irritating, I just wanted to punch him ('scuse the pun), and to be honest, I think that as an audience we were supposed to have a least some admiraton/empathy/liking for the character. Meet Joe Black was just tedium from start to finish and in Interview with a Vampire, he was again out of his depth, and mumbled his way through the performance. Out of all those you listed, he was probably best in Kalifornia.
And in Thelma and Louise he was fairly charismatic and stole the short scene he was in.

[Justanotherfilmfan]

I'm a fan of Brad Pitt but not so much that i think he's a great actor as much as i like the film roles he takes on. I love Fight Club and Seven but more for those films stories, twists and styles rather than Pitts acting. I do think he acts well in Twelve Monkeys, Assassination of Jesse James and Snatch though.

[francis]

Originally Posted by Jonesy

But Legends of the Fall was terrible, Ancient! Pitt was completely out of his depth in that film. As for Fight Club, the character of Tyler Durden was so damn irritating, I just wanted to punch him ('scuse the pun), and to be honest, I think that as an audience we were supposed to have a least some admiraton/empathy/liking for the character. Meet Joe Black was just tedium from start to finish and in Interview with a Vampire, he was again out of his depth, and mumbled his way through the performance. Out of all those you listed, he was probably best in Kalifornia.
And in Thelma and Louise he was fairly charismatic and stole the short scene he was in.

I disagree with the suggestion that Pitt has a tendency to be overwhelmed in difficult roles. I actually think that he is one of the better actors around and is indeed hindered by his tabloid following. It taints his image and an actor but rather as a talentless "star". It is a similar effect as to what hinders David Beckham as a credible footballer, for example.

Of course Pitt has had one or two sub-par performances, as previously stated Troy is a good example of this. However, many of the films he has been in tend to be bettered as a result of his presence.

[bothy]

It really depends on the role. When he must be the cool guy (Mr and Mrs Smith, Oceans...) then he is great, full of charisma. When he must be the crazy guy (Twelve monkeys, Fight club) he is even better. But sometimes when he has to be intense... he just... mess it up a bit... Se7en is an example. He acts just fine until the end... where he... just ****s up... Troy is pretty bad too. Haven´t seen Benjamin Button yet, so I can´t coment on that one. But all in all I really like his acting and he seems like a good guy...

[BeetleJulz]

I agree, Pitt does level up the movies he plays in... i mean, 'snatch', 'seven', '7 years iin Tibet'...
And if you are a real Fanatic of him, check this out...

[hendrixisgod777]

Inspired by an old Totalfilm.com feature about stars who deserve a come back, I got to thinking about actors I used to enjoy watching but now avoid like the plague. I was a big fan of Brad Pitt whilst growing up and there was a time for me when it seemed that everything he touched turned to gold. Stand out performances include: homicidal psychopath (Kalifornia); stoned surf bum (True Romance); rookie cop (Seven); deranged animal rights activist (Twelve Monkeys) and bare knuckle prize fighter (Snatch).

My thesis is that since 'Ocean's 11', Pitt has produced a steady drip drip of mediocre perfomances with the awful 'Mr and Mrs Smith' being his worst offence (the dance scene in that film with Angelina Jolie being his acting nadir). 'Troy' was supposed to be Pitt's 'Gladiator' and while it was enjoyable in parts, I cringed every time he opened his mouth. I have yet to see 'The Assassination of Jesse James' but I have been reliably informed that he should of won an Oscar for it - if he was portraying a plank of wood!

Does anyone else share these thoughts or am I overeacting? I'll accept that 'Benjamin Button' was a step in the right direction but I'm talking about the overall trend of his latest films. 'Inglorious' looks promising but I'm still apprehensive due to the last 6-7 years of Pitt inspired dross. Does anyone else agree or disagree? Discuss and if anyone can point towards some recent Brad Pitt vintage acting please feel free to do so.