History TookTheBadFilmSeriously / LiveActionFilms

* The consensus about the 2011 Creator/AdamSandler vehicle ''Film/JackAndJill'' is that Creator/AlPacino actually had a good performance in what was otherwise a trainwreck of a movie. [[https://www.vulture.com/2019/11/al-pacino-robert-denior-gq-interview-bad-movies.html In an interview]], Pacino admitted to having a habit of taking roles in films that he know will be terrible to see if he can make them mediocre.

* ''Film/{{ClashOfTheTitans1981}}''; you feel like you're watching a different movie when you see the scenes with the deities on Olympus. Not surprising given they're played by Creator/LaurenceOlivier and Creator/MaggieSmith.

* ''Film/SaloOrThe120DaysOfSodom'' was an inversion. Actress Hélène Surgère said that the mood on the set was actually rather jovial. The presence of teenagers, many of whom had never acted before, resulted in a lighthearted production process, including cast members playing practical jokes on each other. She added that the film was truly made in the editing room and that the filmmakers didn't realize how grim the film really was until it was completed.
* While most critics have bashed ''Film/Hellboy2019'' as a whole, even those who disliked it have admitted that it's not because of Creator/DavidHarbour, who does his damnedest to save the movie from itself despite the immense pressure of having to follow up Creator/RonPerlman's beloved performance.
* Creator/PamGrier invoked this regarding her GirlsBehindBars films:
-->"They were my sounding board, where I really learned filmmaking. I was working for Creator/RogerCorman...and making $500 a day. I was green; I was hungry. These were my first roles so I made them as close to Shakespeare as possible. That's how I approached it and it got me work. The characters stood out. I got recognized."
* This is a big part of what makes ''Film/NightOfTheLepus'' so [[SoBadItsGood godawful and hilarious]]. It’s a grim, serious horror movie about ''giant killer bunnies'', but the cast, including people like Creator/DeForestKelley and Creator/JanetLeigh, treat it all with ''absolute conviction'', like they’re talking about nuclear weapons and not [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail the Killer Rabbit Of Caerbannog]]. This extends to the rest of the film crew; the movie is an adaptation of ''The Year Of The Angry Rabbit'', a parody novel by Russell Braddon, but the studio played it completely seriously, apparently not understanding that it was supposed to be a comedic satire.
* ''Film/TheMummy2017'' was ''destroyed'' by both critics and audiences, being seen as a prime example of how to ''not'' set up [[TheVerse a cinematic universe]] and is viewed as one of the worst films of UsefulNotes/TheNewTens. However, two actors in the film are generally seen as having actually tried to give good performances in it--namely, Creator/TomCruise in [[TheHero the lead role]] (who is not much different from his other work) and Creator/SofiaBoutella as the villainous mummy Princess Amahnet, who despite being terribly written (as Cruise [[WagTheDirector meddled a fair bit with the script]] to enhance his screentime, hindering her character development), [[EvilIsCool still manages to steal]] ''[[EvilIsCool every]]'' [[EvilIsCool scene she's in]]. It made the decision to kill Boutella's character off and give Cruise the mummy powers (presumably for a SequelHook) all the more baffling.
* The live-action ''Film/ScoobyDoo'' movie is more along the lines of being ''extremely'' divisive rather than straight-up bad, due to the mixed feelings regarding the [[AdaptationalJerkass questionable characterization]] of the Mystery Inc. gang, [[DemographicallyInappropriateHumour crude jokes]], and [[{{Deconstruction}} making fun of many of the franchise's beloved elements]]. The [[Film/ScoobyDooMonstersUnleashed 2004 sequel]] is more closer to the cartoon but still garnered mixed reception from fans (while also receiving ''worse'' reception from critics). However, even detractors of both films will still argue that Creator/MatthewLillard did an amazing job playing Shaggy, being able to perfectly capture his appearance, personality, and even his voice. So much that, when Shaggy's original voice actor, Creator/CaseyKasem, retired, Lillard was chosen as his official replacement.
* ''Film/{{Cats}}'' was widely viewed as a flaming train wreck of a film, ruining a classic musical with [[SpecialEffectsFailure nightmarishly bad special effects]] that embodied the [[UnintentionalUncannyValley Uncanny Valley]], bizarre writing and directing, and ludicrous amounts of FetishRetardant. Despite all of this, the AllStarCast — including people like Creator/JudiDench and Creator/IanMcKellen — is clearly giving their all, acting their hearts out [[MundaneMadeAwesome as if it's the greatest role of their lives]]. Music/JasonDerulo infamously took it so seriously that he [[DearNegativeReader hurled venom at critics who gave the movie negative reviews]], ranting that it was [[SmallNameBigEgo one of the greatest pieces of art ever made]]. General agreement is that it all does nothing but make the movie even more [[SoBadItsGood embarrassing and hilarious]] than it would've been otherwise.
* ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' boasts campy plotting, absurd setpieces, and some pretty noxious gender politics even by ''Franchise/JamesBond'' standards. But Creator/ChristopherLee, making yet another showing on this page, plays the absolute hell out of the film's villain Scaramanga, showing off so much style and charisma that he entirely sells the character as The Most Dangerous Man Alive and steals every scene he's in. It says quite a lot of Lee's performance that while the film itself is considered one of the worst ''Bond'' films, its title character tends to be regarded as one of the franchise's best villains.
** On that matter, Creator/SeanConnery in ''Film/{{Zardoz}}''. The poor guy is trying his best, though he's clearly embarrassed by the costume. It's been said he did the movie to avoid being {{Typecast|ing}} as Film/JamesBond. So it's possible he wasn't even considering the role itself so much as what it ''wasn't''. It's also been said that at the time Connery was actually having trouble getting work because the historic paycheck he cashed for ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'' made him too expensive for most filmmakers to want to hire him, so director Creator/JohnBoorman was actually able to get Connery on the cheap for what was a very low-budget film. In fact, the budget was so low that Connery sacrificed most of the comforts an actor of his standing was supposed to get, such as having his own driver, in favor of just rooming with Boorman and hitching a ride to work with him on the condition that they split the cost of gas.
* Creator/OliviaHussey in her autobiography talks about starring in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozploitation Ozploitation]] film ''Film/TurkeyShoot'' - and when she met with the cast and crew, she saw the lead actor Creator/SteveRailsback had left "meticulous notes" all over the script and after the director talked about how he hoped it would become a CultClassic she began to wonder if she'd received the same script.
--> "We found Steve, who had started work the week before, suspended six feet above the ground, locked inside a cage and wearing an ill-fitting yellow jumpsuit. He looked concerned. The first thing he said to me was 'You knew all along what kind of movie this was going to be Olivia, didn't you?' I burst out laughing."
* The entire cast of the musical remake of ''Film/LostHorizon'' put so much effort into their song and dance training, not realising that the finished product would be a fountain of {{Narm}} and go down as one of the most enjoyably bad movies ever made.
* ''Film/FiftyShadesOfGrey'' has Creator/DakotaJohnson and Creator/JamieDornan, who not only have some seriously compelling screen chemistry, but do absolutely everything they can with what they're given and, particularly in the first film, manage to elevate the material beyond expectations. Unfortunately, the departure of competent director Sam Taylor-Johnson makes this far less feasible for the sequels. There is also Creator/MarciaGayHarden, who, as is usual with everything she does, [[SugarWiki/RuleOfSeanConnery makes every scene she is in automatically better]].
* ''Film/LastChristmas'' is an example of a film that is undeniably corny being saved from being downright bad ''because'' the actors took it seriously. Is the [[TheReveal big twist]] easy to figure out? Yes. Is it goofy? Sometimes. Is it overly-sentimental and cheesy? Unashamedly so. But no one among its AllStarCast is phoning it in, and all play their characters completely sincerely and earnestly, so the film is mostly viewed as "nice, feel-good holiday entertainment" at best, and "NarmCharm" at worst. [[spoiler:The scene where the aforementioned Reveal happens, and Kate finds out Tom has been DeadAllAlong is a prime example of this. Everyone and their mother guessed this twist -- from the marketing alone! -- and given the context of the story, it should've been ridiculous. But many people have admitted to getting teary-eyed during that scene, because when Creator/EmiliaClarke decides you are going to cry, ''you are damn well going to cry''!]]
* ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera2004'' is generally seen as a clumsy adaptation at best, and the performances (particularly [[QuestionableCasting the hilariously miscast leads]]) are a big part of that. But one actor who tends to escape these accusations is Creator/PatrickWilson's Raoul, who is both a Broadway-caliber singer (literally -- Wilson has played leading roles on Broadway for years) and a suitably charismatic figure to counterbalance (if not even exceed) the Phantom. This one sticks out particularly because Raoul is normally one of the least popular characters, being seen as a generic [[VanillaProtagonist "dashing leading man"]] who [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic frequently veers into flat-out unlikable]], making the idea of a genuinely well-liked and charismatic Raoul even more of a shocker.
* Music/AlanSilvestri is another composer known for making great music no matter how good or bad the movie he's working on is. His work on ''Film/MacAndMe'' is so incredible to listen to that it caused [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Crow T. Robot]] to exclaim "I wanna see the movie this guy ''thought'' he was composing for!".
* ''Film/BlackChristmas2019'' was quickly destroyed by critics and audiences alike for its laughably bad and {{anvilicious}} writing, more akin to a college lecture than a horror movie. In a cast full of unlikable and insufferable protagonists, Creator/ImogenPoots puts in a lot of effort and makes Riley come across as an actual person.
* Most critics lambasted ''Film/RunHideFight'' as a tasteless ExploitationFilm cashing in on the [[AxesAtSchool school shootings]] of the 2010s, but even the most negative reviews stopped short of criticizing the cast, with many singling out lead actress Isabel May for making the heroine Zoe a convincing ActionGirl. David Ehrlich of ''Indiewire'', who otherwise gave the film one of its [[https://www.indiewire.com/2020/09/run-hide-fight-review-1234585582/ most scathing reviews,]] said that she was worthy of better roles and a better agent.
* ''Film/TheConjuringTheDevilMadeMeDoIt'', while not outright ''bad'', is considered to be several steps down from its well-regarded predecessors -- with the exception of Creator/VeraFarmiga and Creator/PatrickWilson, whose convincing performances as the [[HappilyMarried devoted]] Ed and Lorraine Warren continue to remain the beating heart of the franchise.
* Despite being bogged down by bad writing, Creator/JamesMarsden is clearly trying his damned hardest in ''Film/{{Hop}}'', and is the only actor in the human cast who isn't phoning it in or just trying to make some easy money. He also had to act alongside a CGI rabbit who would only be completed in post-production, and therefore only had Creator/RussellBrand's pre-recorded lines to work off of, but still manages to give a convincing performance.
* Kurt Thomas really is ''trying'' in ''Film/{{Gymkata}}'', pulling off a lot of downright-dangerous onscreen stunts that showcased just why he was so grumpy that the US boycott locked him out of Olympic gold. He pulls a Thomas Salto (a move named after him and ''banned'' from most competitions for being too dangerous) while chatting up his love interest, and does so casually. Unfortunately, since he's very evidently not a trained actor and he's featuring in ''Gymkata'', the effect is more sad than impressive.
* {{Downplayed}} with ''Film/OfficialSecrets'': critics regarded it as a SoOkayItsAverage legal thriller in terms of plot that was significantly elevated by the performances turned in by its AllStarCast, which included Creator/KeiraKnightley, Creator/MattSmith, Creator/RhysIfans, and Creator/RalphFiennes.
* This is a given with any foreign dubbing (and many American ones as well), as the dubbers will give their all even for the lowest-quality productions. This extends to a wide variety of localized media, including reality shows!
* While ''Film/KnightAndDay'' was dismissed by critics as an entertaining yet forgettable SoOkayItsAverage summer action movie, they did praise the performances of Creator/TomCruise and Creator/CameronDiaz, and rightfully so; not only do they have stellar chemistry, they also bring a lot of energy to their roles and make the movie much more enjoyable as a result. In particular, Cruise looks like he's having a lot of fun [[AffectionateParody affectionally lampooning]] [[Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries Ethan Hunt]], while Diaz manages to make June a grounded yet likeable AudienceSurrogate and foil to Roy's more insane antics.
* In the notriously SoBadItsGood ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace'', Dudley Manlove is a LargeHam who's guilty of ChewingTheScenery. However, this means that at least he's putting an effort into his performance, while most of the other actors react to a ZombieApocalypse that's part of an AlienInvasion with DullSurprise.
* ''Film/{{Burnt}}'':
** While Creator/BradleyCooper's performance doesn't completely nullify Adam's terrible lines and DesignatedHero status, he does his best with what he's given. He manages to make a scene where Adam [[spoiler:tries to commit suicide by suffocating himself with a sous vide bag]]—a scene that is ridiculous as it sounds—a genuinely heartwrenching moment that almost makes viewers feel empathy for the character (the scene was improvised by Cooper himself). The movie was also reportedly a passion project for him, so he put a lot of dedication to the role, from shadowing real-life Michelin chefs to actually cooking the dishes that Adam cooks onscreen.
** While the rest of the AllStarCast qualifies as this, Creator/SiennaMiller puts in the most effort, and makes Helene, who mostly just serves as Adam's LoveInterest, come across as an actual person.
** Creator/DanielBruhl seemed to be aware that he wasn't in a great movie, and as such had a bit of fun with his role. Despite this, he also treats Tony with respect and sympathy, tries his best to flesh him out beyond what the script will allow him to, and much like Miller did with Helene, makes him come across as an actual person. The result is Tony becoming the movie's most likeable and sympathetic character.
* ''Film/Morbius2022'' was a very misguided attempt at adapting the comic book's "living vampire", yet the quieter moments have Creator/JaredLeto doing his best to sell Morbius's struggles with his emerging dark side, and Creator/MattSmith also toning his HamAndCheese villainous performance down to give a more sincere turn.
* ''Film/{{The Princess|2022}}'': Creator/DominicCooper and Creator/JoeyKing are clearly doing the best they can with the bad dialogue they have to spout and trying to make it sound good. King especially also seems to have put a lot of effort in her fight scenes.
* Like the [[Literature/TheGirlNextDoor novel]] on which it's based, the 2007 film ''The Girl Next Door'' (not to be confused with the [[Film/TheGirlNextDoor2004 2004 film]] of the same name) has been widely criticized for its insensitivity to a historical tragedy, taking a real life child abuse case that ended in the death of said child and using it as the basis for a sleazy TorturePorn flick. Nevertheless, it's generally acknowledged that lead actress Blythe Auffarth genuinely does her best with the material she's given despite the film's exploitative nature. Auffarth later stated in an interview that filming the torture scenes was a very harrowing experience for her, commenting that, "it's scary being helpless and it's humiliating hanging and dangling there, and it's even more petrifying to have your senses taken away from you."
* In a case where this trope turned out to be detrimental, in ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopIII'' Creator/EddieMurphy wanted to play Axel Foley as less of a "wiseass" and a more serious and mature character, as he wanted to be taken seriously as an straight action star. This is in spite of the movie being very DenserAndWackier, and the director even signing in thinking a weak script could be improved by Murphy's comedic talents (only for, in his words, Murphy try to subvert any possible humor in the film by deliberately not being funny). The result was widely considered a severe downgrade and an overall disappointment.
* As bad as ''Film/Firestarter2022'' was, everyone agreed Creator/RyanKieraArmstrong delivered a great performance as protagonist Charlie, comparable to Creator/DrewBarrymore in [[Literature/{{Firestarter}} the book's]] previous adaptation. The Usefulnotes/GoldenRaspberryAward nominating her for Worst Actress was so controversial - specially as it's basically bullying a child actor - it ended up rescinded.
* ''Film/{{Blonde}}'' wound up highly controversial as a movie that seemed like emotional torture porn overtly focused on the hardships of Creator/MarilynMonroe's life, only elevated by how amazing Creator/AnaDeArmas was as Marilyn. Tellingly, she wound up a contender in various acting awards, even earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, while the movie itself was a frontrunner on the Razzies.
* Creator/DavidWarner actually volunteered to play a second role in ''Film/QuestOfTheDeltaKnights,'' a pretty terrible sword-and-sorcery movie that would have been forgotten if it hadn't shown up in an episode of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000.'' He ends up putting together a solid, dignified performance in a film that, at one point, requires him to throw a pan of his own urine on a trespasser.

* ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans1981}}''; you feel like you're watching a different movie when you see the scenes with the deities on Olympus. Not surprising given they're played by Creator/LaurenceOlivier and Creator/MaggieSmith.

* Music/JerryGoldsmith said he tended to write music for the best possible version of the movie rather than the movie he was actually scoring. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who feels he failed more than he succeeded (''Film/TheSwarm1978'' comes to mind).
* Ferdinand Marian, star of the notorious Nazi propaganda film ''[[Film/JewSuss1940 Jud Süß]]'', tried very hard to make the titular villain a sympathetic, layered AntiVillain rather than a [[GreedyJew simple anti-Semitic caricature]]. Some glimmers of this peak through, as an early scene where Süß reacts sorrowfully to another character's anti-Semitism. Overall though, Marian's worthy acting is smothered by the movie's hatefulness. It's perhaps the most tragic instance of this trope: Marian felt so guilty about his performance that he committed suicide several years later.
* The Spanish flick "Ocho apellidos catalanes" (which got a US release as ''The Spanish Affair 2'') is, at best, an unremarkably mediocre romcom that tried too hard to cash in on its prequel's success, and critics gave it mixed ratings. However, it's clear that Clara Lagos, who plays one of the main characters, is dead serious about her performance, and manages to convey a wide range of emotions. It's a little jarring when you consider it's a ''comedy'', and every other actor on set was clearly having fun while filming.
* Most performances in ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' range from poor to OK, with a few cartoony HamAndCheese characters. But Creator/ZacEfron plays Troy with a real sincerity, ending up being one of the key things that lifts the film above the mediocre direct-to-TV Disney Channel fare it was intended to be.
* ''Literature/{{Beastly}}'' is mostly a forgettable ParanormalRomance designed to replicate the success of ''Twilight''. Vanessa Hudgens however delivers such an honest and heartfelt performance as Lindy.
* Aubrey Peeples is a talented actress and singer. Unfortunately the movie she got to show this off in was ''Film/JemAndTheHolograms2015'' -- a gigantic critical and commercial disaster. Her acting was praised as the only redeeming thing about the film. To a lesser extent, Creator/JulietteLewis as the CorruptCorporateExecutive.
* Creator/EricRoberts in all his questionable movies since 2000, as summed up by Webvideo/TheCinemaSnob:
--> Wanna see Eric Roberts in a Creator/ChristopherNolan film? [[Film/TheDarkKnight You can!]] A David [=DeCouteau=] film? [[Film/ATalkingCat You can!]] Or how about a [[Creator/PaulThomasAnderson PT Anderson]] movie? [[Film/InherentVice Absolutely]]! A ''[[Film/TheHumanCentipede Human Centipede]]'' film? Totally... all within a few years of each other! And one thing they all have in common is that Eric Roberts, despite the movie's lack of ambition, doesn't sleepwalk through it!
* ''Film/{{Doom}}'' is most charitably considered a mediocre ClicheStorm [[VideoGameMoviesSuck video game adaptation movie]], but one thing reviewers all noticed was how good Wrestling/DwayneJohnson is as the leading man. Despite a howlingly dumb script where the central twist is him [[FaceHeelTurn becoming a crazy zombie]] with [[SpecialEffectFailure bad makeup stuck on his face]], he injects a lot of humanity into it, showing cracks in the mask while still being likeable, and making the descent into madness convincing. This was early enough in Johnson's career that he was still being credited as "The Rock", so [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct was probably the role that showed studios how strong an actor he actually was]].
** Another video game adaptation with Johnson, ''Film/{{Rampage|2018}}'' has him and Creator/NaomieHarris as the standouts of a cast that is taking too seriously what is basically a giant monster movie (the exceptions being the HamAndCheese of Creator/JeffreyDeanMorgan and the two actors playing the human antagonists).
* Even though her character [[PinballProtagonist doesn't actually do much]] in the film, Creator/LeslehDonaldson still puts her best effort into her role as the FinalGirl in the 1980 slasher flick ''Film/FuneralHome''. She was, in fact, nominated a Genie Award[[note]]Canada's version of the Oscars, now known as the Canadian Screen Awards[[/note]] for her performance.
* Creator/DanOHerlihy is clearly enjoying himself in his performance as villain Conal Cochran in the otherwise terrible ''Film/HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch''.
* ''Film/HalloweenResurrection'' is almost unanimously regarded as the worst film in the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' series by a long shot for the utter hash it makes of the franchise and [[DroppedABridgeOnHim its treatment]] of [[VillainDecay various characters]]... but even its most vocal critics will stop short of criticizing Brad Loree's performance as Michael Myers, often considered to be the sole good thing in the film. To this day, some fans still hope that he gets a second chance to play the character in a much better ''Halloween'' film.
* Of the four ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' films in which Creator/KaneHodder donned the mask of Jason Voorhees, only one of them, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIITheNewBlood The New Blood]]'', is considered to be any good, and even that one is [[BrokenBase divisive]] thanks in no small part to the [[{{Bowdlerise}} massive edits]] imposed by the MPAA. The other three, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan Jason Takes Manhattan]]'', ''Film/{{Jason Goes to Hell|TheFinalFriday}}'', and ''Film/JasonX'', are usually held to make up the series' AudienceAlienatingEra. Fans still consider him to be the definitive Jason, and easily the best actor to play the iconic slasher villain. Hodder went on to play another famous slasher villain, Victor Crowley in the ''Film/{{Hatchet}}'' films, a GenreThrowback series that was marketed heavily on his connection to the ''Friday'' series.
* ''Film/DeathNote2017'' was generally trashed by critics and audiences alike, but the one thing everyone agreed was well-done was Creator/WillemDafoe's performance as Ryuk, who captured both the low-key sardonic and extremely hammy sides of the character perfectly.
* ''Film/{{Bite}}'', for the most part, is a rather unremarkable BodyHorror flick noteworthy mainly for two things: 1) Reportedly causing several audience members unprepared for its [[NauseaFuel gruesome content]] to flee the theatre in disgust. 2) The entire cast somehow managing to remain professional about the whole thing despite the hokey script and the rather silly dialogue they're made to recite, with varying degrees of success. This is most prominent in the case of female leads Elma Begovic and Annette Wozniak, with the former making a genuine effort to portray her character Casey as a TragicMonster rather than a simple archetype and the latter making a similarly genuine effort to portray her character Jill as someone earnestly trying to help her friend deal with her situation despite their past differences as she watches her disintegrate, which makes the later revelation [[spoiler:that she set her up]] all the more shocking.
* Poor Creator/MikeMyers in ''Film/TheCatInTheHat''. Stuck in a terrible, [[UnintentionalUncannyValley Uncanny Valley]] costume and given a crappy script that totally disrespected the work of Creator/DrSeuss, Myers nevertheless tried his best to make the movie watchable. Sadly, it doesn't help.
* ''Film/DeadSilence'' is riddled with {{plot hole}}s, dull acting, and bad special effects, and it prompted a CreatorBacklash to boot. The only aspect of the film about which everyone seems to agree is that Judith Roberts' performance as Mary Shaw manages to sell the otherwise hard to buy "evil ventriloquist" character. The flashback scene in which she performs some actual ventriloquy is considered by some to be more unnerving than her scenes as a ghost.
* ''Film/GreenLantern2011'' is generally seen as a disappointment that, [[SoOkayItsAverage while not terrible]], is a big waste of a story that should've made for an awesome movie. However, even the film's biggest detractors heaped praise on Creator/MarkStrong for his fantastic performance as Sinestro. And while many considered Creator/RyanReynolds a poor fit for the role of Hal Jordan, it's generally agreed that the blame can be laid on the casting directors rather than Reynolds himself, who made a sincere effort and does a fairly good job.
* ''{{Film/Maleficent}}'' is recognized as a very fan-fiction-type story, applying DracoInLeatherPants blatantly to one of Disney's [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty most evil villains]]. But Creator/AngelinaJolie -- a huge fan of Maleficent -- worked so hard on her role, adopting a flawless English accent and giving an honest performance. Ditto for Creator/ElleFanning as Aurora -- whose performance was praised as one of the high points of the movie.
* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'':
** ''Film/TheHobbit Trilogy'' is at best controversial, and the White Council/Necromancer plotline is considered one of its most pointless parts [[AdaptationExpansion (and that's saying quite a lot).]] But nobody told that to Creator/ChristopherLee, who [[PlayingAgainstType leapt at the opportunity to be a good guy,]] and did his level best in one of his last roles to instill the pre-corruption Saruman with a genuine heroism and determination while maintaining his pride and regality. It may be only a handful of lines and scenes that could be cut three times over and lose nothing, but watching the extras shows the passion he put into every frame of them.
** Creator/EvangelineLilly herself hated Tauriel's [[RomanticPlotTumor incredibly tacked-on love triangle subplot]], but she still clearly tried her best with it. Considering it features lines like "Why does it hurt so much?", she comes pretty close to selling it.
* ''Film/HowlingIIStirbaWerewolfBitch'': The acting of Creator/ChristopherLee is so serious and dramatic in comparison with the general stupidity of the film that it is incredibly narmy.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** The prequels aren't so much bad films as they are ''very'' divisive ones, but very few people would call the performances in them more than mediocre, with most of the actors either struggling with poor dialogue and direction (Creator/HaydenChristensen and Creator/NataliePortman), phoning it in (Creator/SamuelLJackson and Creator/LiamNeeson), or [[HamAndCheese having the time of their lives]] (Creator/IanMcDiarmid and to a lesser extent Creator/ChristopherLee). Then there's Creator/EwanMcGregor, who comes out as a pretty dang convincing portrait of a young Obi-Wan and manages to sell almost every line he's given (which, considering one of those lines was "[[LogicBomb Only a Sith deals in absolutes]]", says a lot for his professionalism); his grief-stricken rant at the end of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' is genuinely heartbreaking. When [[Series/ObiWanKenobi an Obi-Wan television series on Disney+ starring McGregor]] was announced, fan reception was roundly positive and even when it proved divisive his performance was still considered a highlight.
** Creator/IanMcDiarmid's [[EvilIsHammy Palpatine]] also deserves some note; much like Raul Julia as M. Bison, he's not so much chewing the scenery as devouring it, but it's also quite evident that he considers this to be exactly the right way to play Palpatine. He also dials it back whenever he's ''Chancellor'' Palpatine, rather than Darth Sidious, and ends up being pretty convincing at that persona too, coming across as amiable and charming but still shrewd and occasionally creepy. ("Did you ever hear ''The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise''?") It's not until after he outs himself as Darth Sidious and faces Mace Windu in battle that he pulls out a butcher shop's worth of ham. Even people who dislike the prequels as a whole tend to consider him to be one of the biggest bright spots, if only because he stands out so wonderfully in a world where everyone else is stoic, stiff, and miserable.
** ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' was very divisive among if not mostly lambasted by critics and the fanbase for its nonsensical plotting, thematic shallowness, and wasted development and characters. Nonetheless, it's generally held that Creator/AdamDriver delivered a very strong showing, managing to keep a sense of intrigue and gravitas about Kylo even as his arc spiraled into incoherence. His [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn]] is a particular moment: it's a RecycledScript moment that was driven by a plot point that most audiences found confusing and he's given almost no dialogue to work with, but he manages to mostly sell it through expressiveness alone.
** Creator/DaisyRidley in the same film is clearly doing her best to make Rey's character work. Even as the film transforms her into a borderline InvincibleHero and lays on increasingly silly retcons, Ridley still keeps up her down-to-earth and self-doubting nature--notably, there were points in production where Ridley ''didn't know what she was supposed to be reacting to'', since [[WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants the final plot twist had yet to be put in place]].
* ''Film/VanHelsing'':
** Richard Roxburgh is fed some of the worst lines you can imagine while playing Dracula, and he absolutely sells them.
** Elena Anaya went to a lot of effort to study bats and incorporate some of their movements into her character. Her charisma and delightful craziness helped make [[DarkActionGirl Aleera]] into one of the favorite characters of the movie.
* ''Film/JupiterAscending'':
** Creator/MilaKunis is doing her best to make Jupiter - a PinballProtagonist and WishFulfillment character - feel like a believable person. One scene where she discovers the liquid she's holding is [[spoiler: harvested from humans]] has a shockingly genuine reaction from her.
** Creator/ChanningTatum likewise imbues his character with a sincerity that makes him feel less like a DracoInLeatherPants brought to life. A ridiculous exchange where Jupiter responds to Caine comparing himself to a dog with "I love dogs, I've always loved dogs" is almost redeemed with the tragic bitterness with which he says his lines.
** Creator/EddieRedmayne very obviously had fun with his character, given the fact it’s one of the few times he’s played a non-{{Adorkable}} character. Many reviews said that his performance as the HamAndCheese villain Balem was the best part of the film.
* ''Film/{{Wired}}'' is harshly criticized for its reductive and inaccurate portrayal of Creator/JohnBelushi, ignoring his comedic talents and famously [[NiceGuy generous personality]] in favor of portraying him as a depraved drug addict, its heavyhanded attitude towards his addictions, its moments of tasteless and inappropriate comedy and the poor casting of important supporting players like Creator/DanAykroyd who was so insulted by its portrayal of his friend he refused to work with people involved in the project. However, many people, including Creator/BradJones, have given considerable praise to Creator/MichaelChiklis, saying that he nails Belushi's manic energy and comedic skill. Many have lamented that he didn't have a better film to work with.
* In-universe, Tugg Speedman and Kirk Lazarus are very clearly trying their best with the film in ''Film/TropicThunder'', despite the disastrous production and none-too-great script. Lazarus does the better job of the two; similar to Daniel Day-Lewis, he insists on inhabiting his character fully "'til I'm doing a DVD commentary," but Speedman's career is in dire straits and he therefore gives it his all. Speedman also put a lot of work into the commercial and critical bomb ''Simple Jack'', and is still fairly proud of his performance - in fact, Lazarus claims he did ''too'' good of a job in that film, and ended up an uncomfortably realistic portrayal of a mentally-disabled person when he should have shot for the more crowd-pleasing InspirationallyDisabled.
** Kevin Sandusky is another one (though a very different take), as while Speedman and Lazarus seem to mostly be hamming it up, he's the one who actually read the whole script and even attended boot camp. He's [[WorldOfHam pretty much the only actor]] to be playing his role fairly straight.
* Creator/RichardBurton, on many of the lesser films that marked his later career (''Film/{{Cleopatra}}'', ''Boom!'', ''Film/ExorcistIITheHeretic'') somehow managed to combine this with HamAndCheese; he was obviously taking his role terribly seriously and yet comes off as overacting all on his own rather than in comparison to the rest of the cast.
* Following in the footsteps of ''Franchise/StarTrek'''s extensive listing on this page, ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' has Sir Alexander Dane, a ClassicallyTrainedExtra who played the token RubberForeheadAlien. He had nothing but disdain for the role of Doctor Lazarus and the show as a whole, but still seems to have treated it with the professionalism of a Shakespearian actor, and continually chastises his fellow actors over the course of the film for not having taken their jobs seriously.
** Tommy, who played a Wesley Crusher-esque TagalongKid, seems to have been even more passionate with his role, coming up with a consistent method for "piloting" the ship (that is, to say, messing with the control pad). He was so good at it across the series that [[IKnowMortalKombat the Thermians were able to turn it into a functional set of controls]]--despite, you know, being the TagalongKid in a cheesy sci-fi show. This was based on actual accounts by many ''Trek'' actors whose job was to deliver their MandatoryLine and mess with a fake control pad, developing directions and "languages" for something the majority of viewers would never notice.
* ''Film/WagonsEast'', a twelfth-rate ''Blazing Saddles'' knockoff with a rare 0% on Website/RottenTomatoes, also boasts a surprisingly solid performance by Creator/JohnCandy, who manages to salvage the utterly dreadful material he's handed in the handful of scenes he's in (Candy died during filming). Unfortunately, his presence only serves to make the film's attempts to stretch that handful of scenes through lavish {{Fake Shemp}}ing all the more ghoulish.
* ''Film/UniversalSoldierTheReturn'': Creator/MichaelJaiWhite as the primary villain SETH gives a genuinely earnest performance without going overboard (along with Van Damme, but he has DullSurprise in literally everything he's ever done). By contrast, professional wrestler [[Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} Bill Goldberg]], who plays the secondary villain, is ChewingTheScenery the entire time.[[note]]In Creator/LeonardMaltin's negative review, he wrote that Goldberg displayed "all the dramatic range of WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn."[[/note]]
* Creator/PoppyDrayton in ''Film/TheLittleMermaid2018''. Even the reviewers that trashed the film have nothing but praise for her charming emotional performance as Elizabeth. More importantly, she demonstrated a beautiful singing voice. In fact the "When This Story Ends" sequence is starting to become [[BreakawayPopHit more popular than the movie itself]].

** In the same vein, Creator/FayeDunaway's performance as Crawford in the adaptation of ''Literature/MommieDearest''. She genuinely believed the script and film would be hard-hitting, provocative, and would win an Academy Award. Unfortunately, most of the unintentional humor is mined from her overwrought, ridiculously serious performance that borders on campiness -- the rest of the cast seemed to be in on the joke and [[HamToHamCombat hammed up their performances]]. The production studio turned its back on Dunaway and starting promoting the film in daily papers as a ''comedy'' once word got out about her performance.

* Creator/DanielDayLewis in ''Theatre/NineMusical''. The film was considered by many to be a catastrophe, but the man, who's a notorious method actor, delved into his character just as much as he has in any other character he's ever played. Many critics wondered if it would hurt his mostly unblemished career at all. He's seconded by Creator/MarionCotillard, who director Creator/RobMarshall viewed as the real star of the film. Her powerful, emotional performance of the MovieBonusSong "Take It All" nearly redeemed the film for some.

* Creator/CatherineTate in her almost cameo appearance in the Creator/JackBlack film ''Film/GulliversTravels2010''. She gets very little to work with as the Queen, but she does her best to make it funny. Compare with Creator/BillyConnolly, who's practically sleepwalking through the movie.
* ''Film/TRONLegacy'' isn't ''bad'' but it is a film StarringSpecialEffects with less of a story and acting emphasis. However, Creator/OliviaWilde gives a rather touching SkilledButNaive portrayal of her character Quorra, who could have easily ended up just another SatelliteLoveInterest. Additionally, Creator/JeffBridges puts quite a lot of work into making CLU a menacing and interesting villain since the script doesn't give him much help, and he's believably weary but likable as Kevin Flynn. Finally, Bruce Boxleitner doesn't get to replay Alan for long, but he does quite a good job in his brief scenes.
** Creator/MichaelSheen, by contrast, somehow manages to play a man who's playing a LargeHam ''in-universe'', but lets hints leak through. [[spoiler:Especially when he's trying to negotiate with Clu and Clu gives him precisely ''nothing''. No reaction, no words, he just stares. You can see [[OhCrap his manic grin become more strained]], his pitch gets just a little more desperate...]]
* Most everyone in ''Film/RaceToWitchMountain'' but especially Creator/CiaranHinds, who is trying hard to hold it together as the evil federal agent after the children.
* Some people consider ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' (particularly [[Film/TheMatrixReloaded the second]] and [[Film/TheMatrixRevolutions third]] installments) to be a glitzy B-movie (not to mention a geek's biggest fantasy -- you can do anything as long as you have the Internet). Creator/HugoWeaving seems to be one of the few people who recognizes this, as he injects a large amount of development for an ostensibly one-note character in Agent Smith, with a large side of HamAndCheese.
** In the same vein, Creator/KeanuReeves never succumbs to the ridiculousness of the plot, even as the twists get more and more ridiculous, and other characters start cracking jokes (some in the script, some improvised). He somehow manages to pull off intensity and pathos in the scene where (while blind) he talks to a literal DeusExMachina (it's even called such in the script) who uses the face of a baby to convey anger.
*** Gloria Foster as The Oracle doesn't do much but spew exposition, but she does it incandescently.
* ''Film/MySoulToTake'': While the film itself is generally panned as one of Craven's worst, most viewers acknowledge that the cast try pretty hard to avoid DullSurprise and make their characters likable, with mixed success. Creator/JohnMagaro (Alex), Zena Grey (Penelope), and Creator/FrankGrillo (Detective Paterson) probably get most of this sentiment.
* Anna Nicole Smith ''attempted'' this trope in ''Film/ToTheLimit'' (her first "serious" film), but she was such a bad actress here that her FauxActionGirl secret agent character edges closer to HamAndCheese. Actually, ''every'' actor in this movie is giving an inappropriately dead earnest performance in a T&A-and-violence-glutted B-grade action thriller that is woefully short of the [[{{Camp}} winking irony]] that might have made it a pretty good film, but only Anna Nicole is inept enough to make her character truly funny (although [[HarsherInHindsight slightly tragic when you think about it]], since Smith really did aspire to be a worthy actress and even wanted to play her childhood hero, Creator/MarilynMonroe). "Best" line? It's an angry "I don't have to explain myself to yew!" (Yes, [[FunetikAksent pronounced exactly that way]], in Anna's [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent lazy Texas hick accent]], even though her character is supposed to be a sophisticated woman of the world.)
* [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] turned down an opportunity to guest host Monday Night Raw because he was too busy promoting one of his films. The film in question? ''Film/TheToothFairy''. Although with good marketing, even bad films can make money -- which means more roles -- so this may be more taking 'making nice for the studio/people that employ you' seriously, than taking the film seriously.
* ''Film/TheReturnOfGodzilla'' is another example where it's not a bad film, but not the kind most actors would go to the mat for. When the film was getting ready to be Americanized as ''Godzilla 1985'', Raymond Burr was brought back to reprise his role from the Americanization of the first Godzilla film. He was told that they were trying to add a lighter tone to the dark, gothic film and that the writers had given him lots of funny lines. He turned them down cold, saying he took Godzilla's Japanese nuclear subtext very seriously, as it was portrayed in both the original and this film, and that he would only perform in a serious role. He likewise refused to help with any of the Dr. Pepper product placement in the film, and in the final product gives a deep, thoughtful performance.
* ''Film/TheLostSkeletonOfCadavra'' deliberately evokes this as part of the AffectionateParody. According to the commentary, the cast was given imaginary backstories for the "actors" portraying their characters. Andrew Parks played the role of Kro-Bar the alien as if it was literally the greatest role the actor ever had, and thus took it much more seriously than anyone else. Parks's performance, therefore, is a parody of the self-important, hammy style of acting you might see in an Creator/EdWood movie when it thinks it's making a really insightful point.
* According to ''Film/TheRoom2003''[='=]s script supervisor (and possible ghost director) Sandy Schklair, everyone knew full well what kind of movie they were making. Well, everyone except Creator/TommyWiseau.
** And Dan Janjigian as Chris-R, a role he took as a favor to his roommate (Mike Holmes, who [[TheDanza plays Mike]] in the movie). Janjigian, who wasn't even a professional actor (the ''only one'' in the cast who wasn't) went as far as to read up on Uta Hagen and Stanislavsky (the latter one of the codifiers of MethodActing) and kept character even off camera (in ''Literature/TheDisasterArtist'', Greg Sestero attributes this to Dan simply "not being the kind of guy to phone anything in"). His performance ended up the most believable in the film.
** Also, Claudette's actress, Carolyn Minnott. It was mentioned in ''The Disaster Artist'' that she wanted an acting role so badly that she gave the movie her all, and she even managed to nail a scene after ''going to the hospital for heat stroke''. Despite Claudette being [[TheScrappy wildly unpopular]] (even by the standards of [[SoBadItsGood this movie's]] characters), the effort Minnott put in can still be appreciated.
* The consensus about the 2011 Creator/AdamSandler vehicle ''Film/JackAndJill'' is that Creator/AlPacino actually had a good performance in what was otherwise a trainwreck of a movie. [[https://www.vulture.com/2019/11/al-pacino-robert-denior-gq-interview-bad-movies.html In an interview]], Pacino admitted to having a habit of taking roles in films that he know will be terrible to see if he can make them mediocre.
* In the ''Literature/LeftBehind'' movies, both Kirk Cameron and Brad Johnson take it seriously in different ways. Johnson takes his ''role'' seriously, despite the generally atrocious script, and does his best to make the most of it. Cameron takes the ''message'' seriously, since he subscribes to the same theology as the series' authors, and generally looks like he's about break character and rattle out something about calling now to pick up your free information pack. (Gordon Currie, meanwhile, gulps down HamAndCheese and goes back for seconds as TheAntichrist.)
* This is a pretty common issue with the movies that WWE Films makes. The WWE Superstars that end up performing in them will frequently be taking them very seriously (since they're aware that wrestlers have a short shelf life and are often trying to prove themselves in case they decide to explore acting after retiring). The actual ''actors,'' however, realize they shouldn't expect much from films made by a professional wrestling company, and decide to merely have fun. Take ''Film/TheMarine'', where you have Wrestling/JohnCena taking it ''dead'' seriously, compared to Robert Patrick, who is [[ChewingTheScenery picking the scenery out of his teeth.]]
* Creator/LiamNeeson in ''Film/{{Battleship}}'' gives a very noble performance as a naval captain, yet he doesn't seem to be aware that he's a naval captain fighting off an alien invasion in a movie [[MerchandiseDriven based on a board game]]. Contrast with Music/{{Rihanna}}, who's clearly having fun with her role; and Creator/TaylorKitsch trying to hold his own.
* Liam Neeson again in ''Film/AMillionWaysToDieInTheWest''. [[WorldOfHam Compared to the rest of the cast]], he takes his role so seriously that it almost feels like he wandered in from the set of a much better film. Compare this to Creator/CharlizeTheron, who isn't bad by any means, but is clearly just there to have fun.
* In ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInParis'', we have Creator/JulieDelpy as the lupine love interest. [[http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=2016 This review]] by James Berardinelli adds that her too-good-for-such-a-shlocky-movie performance "isn't necessarily a good thing, since it prevents us from relaxing and enjoying ''An American Werewolf in Paris'' as a completely mindless, campy entertainment experience." Delpy's later interviews would reveal that she gave such a good performance despite taking on the film [[MoneyDearBoy purely for the cash]], and disliking the experience so much that she avoided doing any other commercial Hollywood movies.[[note]]She eventually wound up in a small role in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' and admitted to enjoying the experience in part, as other actors have voiced, because Creator/MarvelStudios had a proven track record that could assuage their fears based on past experiences on a mainstream commercial project.[[/note]]
* The CelebrityVoiceActor cast of the Creator/RobertoBenigni's ''Film/Pinocchio2002'', perhaps owing to the fact that it was a HongKongDub that may have been ChristmasRushed (it opened in North America less than 3 months after the Italian release), has the whole spectrum of approaches to voice acting in a curious movie -- a faction of large hams (led up by Creator/BreckinMeyer as the title character, who has the excuse of dubbing Benigni himself), a faction of actors who just can't get their tongues and emotions around the alternately floral and flat dialogue (led up by Creator/GlennClose as the Fairy), and a faction of actors who ''can'' and fall under this trope instead (led up by, as it happens, two members of Creator/MontyPython -- Creator/JohnCleese as the Talking Cricket and Creator/EricIdle as Medoro).
* ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries'':
** As bad as Creator/MichaelBay's films can be, there's no denying Creator/PeterCullen brings his A-game as Optimus Prime. As his most famous one, Cullen is very devoted to the character and puts the most effort into his dialogue.
** Creator/LeonardNimoy's performance as Sentinel Prime manages to make him one of the most complex characters in any of the films. Nimoy manages to give a great performance as both the wise mentor of Optimus, as well as [[spoiler:the true villain of the story]].
** Creator/AnthonyHopkins handles his character in ''Film/TransformersTheLastKnight'' with as much professionalism as he can manage, which is impressive as his main role in the plot is to be MrExposition for the film's remarkably dumb worldbuilding.
** In the same vein of Music/JohnWilliams and Music/JerryGoldsmith, Music/SteveJablonsky does a great job at composing the music for the films, no matter how bad they are.
* There is an absolutely terrible Canadian made-for-TV movie called ''Film/ToCatchAYeti''. The only bright spot in the entire film is that they cast Music/MeatLoaf as the villain, Big Jake, and he's ''incredibly'' serious about his performance. Many viewers walk away from the film wishing that the movie had focused on Big Jake instead, as Meat Loaf imbues the character with a palpable sense of menace.
* Franchise/SpiderMan:
** ''Film/SpiderMan3'' isn't as much a bad movie as it is a very divisive one, but it is a case where the technical achievements of the film overwhelmed the story. Regardless, most of the cast does a good job with the material they were given. Creator/TobeyMaguire continues to play Peter Parker with an earnest performance with an occasional side of HamAndCheese when he plays the Symbiote-poisoned Peter. Creator/JamesFranco probably gives his best performance as Harry Osborn throughout the trilogy in this movie, and Creator/ThomasHadenChurch was phenomenal as Sandman, lending a surprising amount of pathos to the role. Creator/KirstenDunst also does her best as Mary Jane Watson, even as the script calls for MJ to cheat on Peter with Harry. Only Creator/TopherGrace and Creator/JKSimmons really take advantage of the story's cheesiness, [[ChewingTheScenery as they have way too much fun for the most part]], and even that is downplayed for the latter, as while Mr. Simmons's primary motivation is [[MoneyDearBoy money]], he will give his all on whatever role he takes.
** ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' is frequently perceived as [[{{Sequelitis}} a step down]] compared to [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan its predecessor]], with an overly convoluted plot, and [[HamAndCheese over-the-top villains]], but both Creator/AndrewGarfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Creator/EmmaStone as Gwen Stacy give the same conviction to their characters that they did in the previous film. Many called their scenes the best part of the film, but subsequently lost any hope for a third film being good due to [[spoiler:this film killing off Gwen Stacy]]. [[FranchiseKiller The franchise was rebooted shortly after]], and a significant amount of fans were calling for ''TASM 2'' to be retconned so Garfield and Stone could return (instead their characters were recast.)
* ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' was thrashed by critics, but their actors were praised for playing their characters with genuine sincerity. Creator/BenAffleck and Creator/GalGadot, having previously raised eyebrows for being cast as Franchise/{{Batman}} and Franchise/WonderWoman, delivered great performances, and even Creator/HenryCavill got some recognition for his portrayal of Franchise/{{Superman}}, even if he got less dialogue than the other characters. This goes back to ''Film/ManOfSteel'', where it was commonly observed by Superman fans that Cavill, especially offstage, seemed to be a near-perfect live-action Superman, with an easy grace and a genuine charm and kindness belied by a slightly aloof attitude, but hobbled by the film's narrative and tone giving him very little to work with.
* ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' was [[CriticalDissonance blasted by critics]] for its pacing and [[{{Narm}} embarrassing]] performance by Creator/JaredLeto as ComicBook/TheJoker. However, they all praised Creator/ViolaDavis's scary charisma as Amanda Waller (which is enough to make the IntroDump first 25 minutes compelling), Creator/WillSmith's portrayal of ComicBook/{{Deadshot}} (who is warm enough to make his hitman character charming despite his sexist dialogue), and Creator/MargotRobbie as ComicBook/HarleyQuinn (who was very funny, had NoStuntDouble including for the sequence where she had to ''[[CombatStilettos run across the ceiling in stiletto heels]]'', and acted well enough that her over-the-top NightmareFetishist [[TheMadHatter Mad Hatter]] character was convincing). The movie's portrayal of Harley even made her into a BreakoutCharacter or even an EscapistCharacter, far more popular than anything else about the movie. Some praise was also reserved for Jay Hernandez as El Diablo, who has an actual character arc and provides a subdued performance that conveys how it's a tragic one.
* ''Film/OceansTwelve'': While not exactly a ''bad'' film, it's seen as [[SophomoreSlump not being quite as good]] as [[Film/OceansEleven its predecessor]] or [[Film/OceansThirteen successor]], in large part because [[VacationDearBoy everyone involved has admitted they just wanted to get paid to party at George Clooney's villa]]. Everyone, that is, except one: Creator/BradPitt said he thought it was funny that Creator/CatherineZetaJones "thought we were making a movie." Her performance stands out in the film, although that's not necessarily a good thing.
* Everyone in ''Film/TheGoldenVoyageOfSinbad'' is well aware they're in a fantasy film StarringSpecialEffects and play their roles with copious DullSurprise and ParentService. Except for Creator/TomBaker as Koura, who goes out of his way to play his generic evil wizard as a Shakespearean TragicHero with an inner world, going along with the FridgeHorror (that the character is probably a teenager who merely appears older due to his CastFromLifespan magic powers) and going against the script in places to make his character come across as noble and fascinating rather than the CardCarryingVillain he was written as. He's a strong enough character that when he finally accomplishes his evil plan at the end and has to be killed, it's actually upsetting because of how sympathetic he was. He even ramps up the sexuality to upstage all of the pretty people without shirts that he's cast against, moaning magic prayers orgasmically and smoulderingly. Since it was this role that the producers of Creator/TheBBC saw him in to check he could act before casting him in [[Series/DoctorWho that role he defined]], it is probably for the best.
* While almost every other cast member in ''Film/LittleFockers'' not called Creator/OwenWilson or Creator/DustinHoffman phones it in, Creator/JessicaAlba gives the role of a perky pharmaceutical rep character her all and basically comes off as the only person on screen who actually seems to have motivations other than [[MoneyDearBoy dollar signs]].
* Creator/KateWinslet in ''Film/AKidInKingArthursCourt,'' as one of the two princesses [[spoiler:and the Black Knight]].
-->'''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic:''' Don't try to class up this movie, lady, it's not worth it.
* Jerry Jones in ''Film/DolemiteIsMyName'' is depicted as this, firmly believing that he's doing a film about real issues and true-to-life experiences in inner-city communities rather than a low-budget {{Blaxploitation}} schlockfest.
* ''Film/FollowMeBoys'' combines all the corniness of early '60s {{Creator/Disney}} and Boy Scout media [[EndingFatigue for over 2 hours]]. Nevertheless, Creator/LillianGish, silent film legend [[NoStuntDouble who once froze her hand and face for the art]], puts her all into playing Hetty Seibert, the town's forgetful but still sharp-witted chairwoman. She commands the film in her final scene where she [[spoiler:tearfully remembers her sons lost in World War I]], a scene that comes right after [[MoodWhiplash a subplot about the army trying to slaughter the Scout troop]].
* ''Film/MastersOfTheUniverse'', a film that, while cheesy and with a plot far removed from the rest of the franchise, had a stellar cast that put the effort into it, helping to make the film tolerable as well -- Creator/FrankLangella's Skeletor is downright EVIL compared to his cartoon version, and the others -- Creator/DolphLundgren, [[Film/{{UHF}} Billy Barty]], [[Series/StarTrekVoyager Robert Duncan [=MacNeil=]]], Creator/CourteneyCox -- also deliver good performances.
* ''Film/SelfLess'' features a rather convincing performance from Creator/MatthewGoode, making his stereotypical MadScientist into a genuine JerkassWoobie. Natalie Martinez, Victor Garber, and Creator/RyanReynolds are also clearly trying to take the ClicheStorm seriously and salvage it. Martinez and Garber come close, but Reynolds [[DullSurprise does not]]. Creator/BenKingsley also turns in a powerful performance in the film's first quarter or so, after which he unfortunately gets turned into Ryan Reynolds.
* ''Film/Joy2015'' was panned when it came out, being instantly recognised as a tacky piece of OscarBait with a cliche script and fountain of {{Narm}}. Yet Creator/JenniferLawrence manages to make the a lead character somewhat watchable, and she actually got an Oscar nomination for her role -- the only award the film got nominated for.
* ''Film/MayDecember'' has this happen InUniverse: For an upcoming film, Elizabeth researches the lives of the Atherton-Yoos, a Mary-Kay Letournau inspired couple who are decades past their scandal. [[spoiler:She prys to an insane extent, trying as best she can to get into the mindsets of both the husband and wife. She seems convinced the film will be good and have something to say. However, at the end, we see a scene being shot and can already tell the film will be a shlocky Lifetime flick.]]

* Anything Creator/EdWood's ever done. ''Film/GlenOrGlenda'', especially, to the point where some audiences even find it unironically kinda good (if very weird). Creator/BelaLugosi, in Wood's ''Film/BrideOfTheMonster'', despite being, well, an Ed Wood film, plays his role with utter conviction, particularly Dr. Vornoff's lamentation, "Home? I have no home!"

* Speaking of Creator/KyleMacLachlan, this seems to be true of most of the cast of ''Film/Dune1984'', which featured convincing performances from him, Creator/PatrickStewart, Creator/MaxVonSydow, Creator/DeanStockwell, and a few others. It's rather telling that in spite of the film's failure, Stockwell's career was revitalized by it and [=McLachlan=], who had never appeared in a movie before, was not instantly banished from Hollywood forever, making enough of an impression that he would star in several later projects for [[Creator/DavidLynch the director]]. This is a big part of why the movie's cult fandom enjoy ''Dune'' for the things it gets right, and not [[SoBadItsGood for the things it gets wrong.]] On the other hand, there's Music/{{Sting}}'s performance.
* If anybody's watched the documentary ''Best Worst Movie'', then they know that Claudio Fragasso of ''Film/Troll2'' infamy takes his film VERY seriously.
* Creator/JohnCarradine in practically anything. The man made a career out of this trope, in fact.

* Sienna Guillory tried her damnedest as the role of Jill Valentine in ''Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse,'' even going so far as watching game footage to get her movements right. This hits further when you listen to the movie commentary; Creator/MillaJovovich (Alice) and Creator/OdedFehr (Carlos Olivera) were cracking jokes and being good-spirited throughout, while Guillory was deadpan serious the entire time (admittedly, she recorded her commentary separately, but it aptly demonstrates their differences in attitude toward the film).

* For the ''Film/FantasticFourDuology'', Creator/MichaelChiklis wanted to give the most authentic in-person portrayal of The Thing regardless of the films' qualities. As such, he insisted on wearing cumbersome make-up and costume instead of just simply voicing a CGI character for the same pay and less effort. Needless to say, even the most vocal haters of the ''Fantastic Four'' movies applauded Chiklis for his dedication.

* In the opinion of Creator/RichardRoeper and A.O. Scott, Creator/DenzelWashington in ''Film/DejaVu2006''.
* Due to its extremely dysfunctional production and many competing explanations for what went wrong, we may never know exactly ''why'' Creator/PeterSellers underplayed the role of Evelyn Tremble in ''Film/JamesBond'' spoof ''Film/CasinoRoyale1967'', but his work (while funny) certainly clashes with that of the hammy stars brought in to make up for his being fired from it. ''Film/TheLifeAndDeathOfPeterSellers'' suggests he underplayed it deliberately so he could be taken seriously.
** Later Sellers top-lined the 1979 comic version of ''Film/ThePrisonerOfZenda''. According to biographer Alexander Walker, it was upon reading the completed script that Sellers ''desperately'' tried to get out of it, but couldn't because his only-recently revived career and his plans to finally make his dream project could not withstand the legal morass it would result in. In the finished film, he does a fine (though not hilarious) job with the roles of hero Syd and goofier Prince Rudolf, again in contrast to some hammier supporting actors, but there's an air of defeat hanging about him throughout; one can tell he knew he couldn't save the movie no matter what he did on- or off-screen. (He got to do [[Film/BeingThere that dream project]] next, and thankfully, it worked out much better for everyone involved.)
* Despite what you might think, Creator/LeaThompson does not consider her performance in ''Film/HowardTheDuck'' to be an OldShame. Watching the movie, you can tell Thompson was actually giving the role her all, without even the vaguest hints that she was aware of just how ridiculous the whole undertaking was.
* Laurence Luckinbill (Sybok) is unique among the ''Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier'' cast in that he's seemingly the only one doing his darnedest to do an earnest acting job. Well, Creator/DeForestKelley, an old-school character actor, carries on as he always did (the scene about deciding to end his dying father's pain is considered a high point for [=McCoy=]'s character as a whole), and Creator/WilliamShatner also takes it seriously, [[LargeHam in his own way]]. Most of the rest of the cast are clearly enjoying their HamAndCheese, with the notable exception of Creator/LeonardNimoy, whose groans you can see and eyerolls you can hear.
** On that note, Creator/TomHardy in ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'' - which goes a long way to making up for some of the film's flaws. He may be playing a villain who's a fifth-rate Khan knockoff at best and a GenericDoomsdayVillain at worst, but you can really see the guy who'd go on to star in much better movies in there.
* ''Film/{{Hounddog}}'' has the following critical consensus (by and large): Creator/DakotaFanning's acting - excellent. Other children's acting - very good. Adult acting - good (from most) to average. The script, directing, editing, and post-production - horrible.
* ''Film/{{Skinwalkers}}'' is a now all but forgotten werewolf film notable for only two things. 1) The Gun-Toting Werewolf Granny. 2) The entire cast and crew play the extremely silly plot and spout off the absolutely atrocious lines dead-set-seriously. In the entire film, there's only one intentional joke, but it's nowhere near as funny as the hilarious stuff played absolutely straight elsewhere. (Even the Gun-Toting Werewolf Granny is meant to be taken seriously!)
* ''Film/StreetFighter'' suffered from this...though oddly enough, it wasn't because of the actors (especially Creator/RaulJulia, who made HamAndCheese a [[{{Pun}} gourmet delicacy]] with his portrayal of General M. Bison); it was because of the director, Stephen E. De Souza, who directed it as a super-serious action movie instead of the campy [[VideoGameMoviesSuck Movie Of The Game]] it was supposed to be. This is in fact, what made ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' successful where ''Street Fighter'' failed.
** To be fair, De Souza suffered from ''extreme'' ExecutiveMeddling with the film. Creator/OrsonWelles would not have turned in a good product in [[http://www.polygon.com/features/2014/3/10/5451014/street-fighter-the-movie-what-went-wrong those conditions.]]
** Also, funnily enough, Raul Julia also counts, in his own way. Yes, he's practically consuming pieces of the set on film with how hard he's going in on the ham, but it's also clear that he thinks this is the best approach for the character (and let's face it, even in the games M. Bison is a total ham). He took the role because his kids dearly wanted to see him do it while he was still well, and by ''god'' you can tell he's doing his absolute best to give a performance that will entertain and delight them. He also did research and based his performance on the mannerisms of real-world dictators, so the man really did his homework for this role.
* ''Film/SuperMarioBros1993'' showed right away how VideoGameMoviesSuck, but the blame is not on Creator/BobHoskins as Mario, who is trying to give his best performance in spite of [[TroubledProduction a horrible time behind the scenes]] (where the cast even stopped caring about learning the script given how much it was being rewritten).
* ''Film/StarshipTroopers'': It is not necessarily a bad movie, but most of the main cast doesn't seem to realize that it is actually a parodic take on military jingoism. In fact, Creator/MichaelIronside and Creator/ClancyBrown seem to be the only people who know what kind of movie they're in. Creator/NeilPatrickHarris [[PuttingOnTheReich might also have realized.]] This probably helped a lot in making the movie such a very successful StealthParody that pretty much everyone at the time thought to be just a bad attempt at an ultra-patriotic action movie.
* Creator/MorganFreeman and Creator/KevinSpacey in ''Film/{{Edison}}'' don't phone in their performances. As a result, any scenes featuring them (and lacking Music/JustinTimberlake and Creator/DylanMcDermott) are much more suspenseful than the rest of the film.
* Creator/HilarySwank:
** Creator/HilarySwank in ''Film/TheCore'', especially in contrast to the screaming HamAndCheese provided by co-star Creator/StanleyTucci and the visible amusement of Creator/DelroyLindo. Creator/AaronEckhart is a borderline case in that his performance is fairly straight-faced, but he recounted in a later interview that he and Tucci nearly peed themselves laughing during certain scenes because the movie was SO ridiculous.
** Creator/HilarySwank again in ''Film/TheAffairOfTheNecklace'', which ensnares much of its principal cast in this trope. The only exception is, naturally, Creator/ChristopherWalken.
* ''Film/WildThings'' isn't necessarily a ''bad'' movie. While the film seems to be trying to be a StealthParody of the erotic thriller genre, the cast doesn't seem to agree on how seriously to take the script. As a result, many see it as [[SoBadItsGood unintentionally hilarious]].
* From a review of the terrible low-budget {{Mockbuster}} ''Nazis in the Centre of the Earth'':
-->"The star of the movie is Christopher K. Johnson's Dr. Mengele. It's as if he's in some other far more sophisticated, far better film (perhaps with Sir Creator/IanMcKellen?) and his scenes have been cut and pasted into this Asylum movie. It's like watching a person who is taking this seriously and has actively made the decision that he's going to pretend he's in ''Film/MarathonMan'' no matter how horrible the movie is turning out. This is a professional. This is some Creator/PatrickStewart shit going on right there."
* According to Creator/MelBrooks' commentary on ''Film/BlazingSaddles'', this occurred with Frankie Laine when he recorded the title song. He simply didn't realize the film he was singing for was a parody, and Mel didn't have the heart to tell him after he'd recorded the song so passionately and sincerely.
* Creator/DanielDayLewis in ''Theatre/NineMusical''. The film was considered by many to be a catastrophe, but the man, who's a notorious method actor, delved into his character just as much as he has in any other character he's ever played. Many critics wondered if it would hurt his mostly unblemished career at all. He's seconded by Creator/MarionCotillard, who director Creator/RobMarshall viewed as the real star of the film. Her powerful, emotional performance of the MovieBonusSong "Take It All" nearly redeemed the film for some.
* ''Film/TheLastAirbender'':
** Creator/DevPatel as Zuko and Creator/ShaunToub as Iroh have been cited by many reviewers as positive standouts among the film's generally wooden performances, as they are clearly invested in their characters and try to inject some genuine emotion into the often stilted dialogue.
** Asif Mandvi as Zhao is a curious example in which taking a role seriously overlaps with HamAndCheese: while his performance is almost comically over-the-top in its smugness and villainy, it is also perfectly in line with the character's portrayal in the original series.
* Director Rob Bowman knew that ''Film/ReignOfFire'' was essentially a B-movie but he and most of the people involved in the production decided to play it straight. Only Creator/MatthewMcConaughey really cut loose in his performance, but his character was supposed to be legitimately deranged.
* Creator/MorganFreeman's sheer presence and awesomeness is the only interesting thing in the otherwise entirely unremarkable ''Film/AlongCameASpider''.
* Creator/JacksonRathbone is actually an ''awesome'' actor.
** His role as [[spoiler: a split-personality unsub]] in the ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "Conflicted" put this beyond doubt. Unfortunately, he got the role of Jasper in ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga''.
** ''Film/TheLastAirbender'', when he played Sokka as Jasper with a boomerang, was worse in this regard.
* Creator/PeterFonda provides a heart-wrenching dramatic performance as the character Burnett Stone in the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' movie, ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndTheMagicRailroad''. His seriousness is actually justified, as the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen original script]] gave his character a lot more story and the character had all the reason to be as depressed as Fonda portrayed him to be. According to [[http://www.sodor-island.net/themagicrailroadminisite/article_prodnotes.html these production notes]], Fonda compared his character to Ulee, a character he previously played in the adult drama ''Film/UleesGold''. Peter saw Burnett as a man who lost touch with the world after enduring the revenge of P.T. Boomer, a cut character. Due to major cuts demanded by an uninformed test audience, Burnett’s serious performance ended up seeming out of place in the final film.
* In addition to Rathbone, the ''Film/{{Twilight}}'' series is full of examples of this trope.
** Creator/DakotaFanning gives the best performance of anyone in the whole ''Twilight'' series. Creator/KristenStewart, who is critically acclaimed in anything that's not ''Twilight'', tries for a serious performance as well. Her interviews indicate as much, but ultimately she just makes Bella come off as wooden. Much like Tina Louise below, Stewart also seems to the cast member most resentful of her ''Twilight'' fame.
** Billy Burke consistently gives an emotionally honest performance in the role of Bella's concerned father Charlie. If Fanning's performance isn't the best in the series, then Burke's is without a doubt.
** Nikki Reed hardly gets much screen time in the films. But when she does, she manages to deliver shockingly good performances. Her scene in ''Eclipse'' where she tells Bella about her life, or in ''Breaking Dawn'' when the Cullens discover Bella's pregnant.
--> '''Rosalie:''' Say it -- Baby! It's just a little baby!
** When Creator/AnnaKendrick appeared in ''Literature/UpInTheAir'', one review said, "Some of you may know her from ''Twilight'', but you know what, that's not her fault."
** Creator/MichaelSheen as Aro is one of the most convincing portrayals of a human-eating monster in the series. His giddiness and HamAndCheese performance are completely in character and give off the feel of a serial killer.
* Creator/ArmandAssante in ''Film/JudgeDredd''. He looks like he's actually about to cry when he gets to the "That's your family! I'm your family! I'm the only family you ever HAD!" Careers are built on less sincere performances. Especially notable since he actually manages to combine it with its supposed foil HamAndCheese -- that line comes almost ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxfrziN7jNo right after]]'' ("LAAAAWWWW!") and then sounds like he's about to start ''crying'' seconds later.
* Everyone in ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'' plays it straight. Even the Psychlos, who come from a WorldOfHam, seem to be taking their ham very seriously. Only Creator/ForestWhitaker seems to be having fun with his role, and he stated that the only reason he did the role was MoneyDearBoy, and even later came to regret that.
* Creator/MichaelGough[[note]]who also played Alfred in ''Film/Batman1989'', ''Film/BatmanReturns'' and ''Film/BatmanForever''[[/note]] was literally the only actor in ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' who wasn't given (only) horrid one-liners for dialogue or forced to act like a ham-crazed clown. Consequently, his scenes end up being the closest thing to sincerity that the film has.
** While [[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger The Ahnuld]] spends most of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' dishing up HamAndCheese like pizza is going out of style, he also manages to bring across the CrusadingWidow aspect of Mr. Freeze in a way no adaptation before or since has managed, and give poignancy and tenderness to... well, a comic-book villain. Creator/RogerEbert praised the near-wordless scene where Freeze makes an ice sculpture of his wife in prison as his favorite moment of the film, which Schwarzenegger plays absolutely straight. It's especially worth noting in light of the fact that the Mister Freeze costume was an absolute ''nightmare'' [[DyeingForYourArt to wear]]; he had to put electric lights in his mouth, and at one point nearly drank battery acid as a result.
* ''Film/TheExpendables'' is essentially a knowingly-cheesy pastiche of every action film made in the '80s, to the point of exaggerated gunfights, ridiculous contrivances, and HamAndCheese acting by all the main cast...except Creator/MickeyRourke, who seemed to think he was in a totally different film and gave a nuanced performance as an ex-member of the team who waxes poetic about their past missions. He also gives the best speech in the film (about how he felt dead inside after doing that job for so long). It's totally at odds with the subject matter, but his performance works brilliantly.
** The same goes for Creator/MelGibson and Creator/AntonioBanderas in ''Film/TheExpendables3''. While most of the new additions to the cast are clearly aware what the franchise was going for (a traditional passing-the-torch tale), Gibson has an odd look of defeat about him - caused by media backlash over the intervening years - and plays everything either ultra-serious or in full-on [[Film/LethalWeapon Riggs mode]], while Banderas oscillates from HamAndCheese to the most sincere and serious moment the film has when he tells Barney (Creator/SylvesterStallone) about the reasons why he couldn't work with a team for a long time.
* ''Film/SundownTheVampireInRetreat'' is a BMovie through and through, but many of the actors playing the redemption-seeking vampires, particularly Creator/DavidCarradine as their leader, put on genuinely moving and nuanced performances.
* Creator/ChristopherReeve had to have known that the ''Film/SupermanFilmSeries'' was on its last legs when he signed up (with stipulations) for ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace''. To note, Reeve would only take the film if several conditions were met, one of them being a strict anti-nuclear message. While other members of the cast understand how bad the script is (Creator/GeneHackman was there for [[MoneyDearBoy a check]] and Creator/JonCryer was camping it up), Reeve gives it his all and delivers the only emotionally honest performance in the film, which is especially evident in the scenes where he prepares to sell the Kent family farm and the sequence where he delivers a stirring speech to the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations. It's enough to make the viewer wish that the film wasn't [[ExecutiveMeddling screwed over]] with (among other things) the most ridiculous villain ever seen in a comic book film, Nuclear Man.
** ''Film/SupermanIII'' wasn't exactly a brilliant film either, with villains who were arguably even lamer than Nuclear Man (or even Hackman's Lex), but damn it all Reeve gave a valiant effort in that one too, as did his one time leading lady (and future Ma Kent of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'') Annette O'Toole. Even Creator/RichardPryor's goofy antagonist has sincere moments when he isn't being put through slapstick paces (his explaining to his employer that Krypton was destroyed, for instance); in fact, the character could have been even goofier but Pryor, a longtime fan of the superhero, objected.
** From the same franchise and era, Creator/HelenSlater actually gave a very likable performance as [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} the title character]] in ''Film/{{Supergirl|1984}}'' -- sadly, her sincerity got lost in an incoherent plot.
** From the same ''producers'' and era, with the exception of Creator/JohnLithgow as B.Z. (who is a case of EvilIsHammy as this film's equivalent to Creator/GeneHackman's Lex Luthor, which works in context), ''Film/SantaClausTheMovie'' has a wholly sincere cast working to put over a near-EpicMovie about a character whose nature, associates, and setting don't exactly cry out for the gravitas of a Superman spectacular, with a story that gets sillier as it goes along. Creator/DavidHuddleston as Santa Claus is the most obvious example of this working, but Creator/DudleyMoore's endearing performance as Patch the elf is a ''lot'' less hammy/indulgent than one would expect from a comic actor who was the biggest name in the cast back in the day, and Creator/BurgessMeredith is a OneSceneWonder as the dignified Ancient Elf.
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%%* Ryan O'Neal in ''Film/AnAlanSmitheeFilmBurnHollywoodBurn''.
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* In ''Film/TheSeeker'', the only actor who seems to be taking it at all seriously is Alexander Ludwig, who plays the protagonist, Will. He's so earnest and such an awful actor that it's hilarious when it's not cringeworthy. Going by ''Series/{{Vikings}}'', he seems to have gotten better, much like Ed Speleers.
* In the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker series of film comedies, this is done ''on purpose''. If it weren't, the "stories" (such as they are) [[TheComicallySerious simply wouldn't be as funny.]]
* Music/JohnWilliams is known to have taken several bad or even very polarizing films seriously, improving them as a result.
* Creator/JoanCrawford started to act like this towards the end of her career. After ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane'', Crawford starred in a string of B-horror films that included ''Strait Jacket'' (playing a psycho ex-wife), ''Film/{{Berserk}}'' (as a circus ring-mistress accused of murder), TV anthology shows and her final film ''Film/{{Trog}}'', which had Crawford playing a researcher who discovers a man (running around in a ratty ape suit) that's supposed to be the missing link between man and ape -- reportedly, she only did this final film as a favor to a director friend. However, she still acts as though she's doing ''Literature/MildredPierce'' or ''Theatre/TheWomen'', and indeed, eyewitnesses remember her promoting ''Trog'' as a piece exploring humanity towards nature. She would later admit how awful her horror films were.
** In the same vein, Creator/FayeDunaway's performance as Crawford in the adaptation of ''Literature/MommieDearest''. She genuinely believed the script and film would be hard-hitting, provocative, and would win an Academy Award. Unfortunately, most of the unintentional humor is mined from her overwrought, ridiculously serious performance that borders on campiness -- the rest of the cast seemed to be in on the joke and [[HamToHamCombat hammed up their performances]]. The production studio turned its back on Dunaway and starting promoting the film in daily papers as a ''comedy'' once word got out about her performance.
* Creator/HonorBlackman in the original ''Film/JasonAndTheArgonauts'' promptly steals the show in a movie that has stop motion skeletons fighting Greek soldiers and mermen holding clashing rocks apart, mainly because she's the only one with well-written lines that don't sound forced or hammed up in the delivery.
* Similar case with the original ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans|1981}}''; you feel like you're watching a different movie when you see the scenes with the deities on Olympus. Not surprising given they're played by Creator/LaurenceOlivier and Creator/MaggieSmith.
* Non-actor example: Music/AlanMenken is a celebrated living accolade of {{Creator/Disney}}, having done the music for over half the movies of [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation Renaissance era]], so many people consider the songs and music of ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange'' to be the only saving grace of the film. In a behind-the-scenes interview, he talks about how 9/11 happened during the film's production, and the song, "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again?" was meant to aid the embalmed and go out to the people who suffered.

* Creator/PaulGiamatti in ''Film/LadyInTheWater''. Despite the film's general badness, Giamatti is good enough to make his climactic monologue a legitimately emotional moment.
* Many people, fans, critics, and regular movie-watchers alike, agree that the only saving grace that the ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet2010'' remake has is Creator/JackieEarleHaley's awesome portrayal as Freddy Krueger. While the movie has a lazily-written story and dull characters and overall is just seen as a cheap attempt of the company to get some extra cash, Haley does his hardest to make his Freddy as menacing, dark, no-nonsense, and evil as he can. This gives us an extremely horrifying and monstrous Freddy (even in spite of the [[SpecialEffectFailure awful CGI burn makeup]] he was under) that perhaps even surpasses Creator/RobertEnglund's Freddy in the question of sheer evilness (not in acting though), and so is the only thing that makes the movie tolerable to watch.
* For that matter, Creator/RobertEnglund himself. Even when the ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' franchise was sinking into the depths of {{sequelitis}}, Englund always seemed to be giving it his all as Freddy, no matter how ridiculous the writing and kills got.
* Creator/PeterCushing has said of his Film/HammerHorror career that, no matter how cheesy the script was, he would treat it with as much dignity as he would ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
* Another classic example is Creator/VincentPrice; maybe "serious" isn't the right word for many of his performances, but the man usually gave it his hammy all, no matter the calibre of the movie.
* Late composer Music/ElmerBernstein made a living during his later years by scoring comedies. By suggestion of ''Film/AnimalHouse'' director Creator/JohnLandis, the comedy would be much more effective if the music sounded dead-serious. For example, the theme for the ZAZ parody ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' features a main theme that sounds as if it belonged to an actual thriller (a key component of the movie's humor is [[TheComicallySerious playing all sorts of ridiculous gags with a completely straight face]], so the soundtrack works perfectly). Bernstein later said that he approached ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' as though he wasn't in on the joke and thought he was scoring a serious DisasterMovie.

* In the opinion of Creator/RichardRoeper and A.O. Scott, Creator/DenzelWashington in ''Film/DejaVu2006''.

* ''Film/{{Blonde}}'' wound up highly controversial as a movie that seemed like emotional torture porn overtly focused on the hardships of Creator/MarilynMonroe's life, only elevated by how amazing Creator/AnaDeArmas was as Marilyn. Tellingly, she wound up a contender in various acting awards, while the movie itself was a frontrunner on the Razzies.

* Of the four ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' films in which Creator/KaneHodder donned the mask of Jason Voorhees, only one of them, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIITheNewBlood The New Blood]]'', is considered to be any good (even with the [[{{Bowdlerise}} massive edits]] imposed by the MPAA), with the rest (''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan Jason Takes Manhattan]]'', ''Film/{{Jason Goes to Hell|TheFinalFriday}}'', and ''Film/JasonX'') making up the series' AudienceAlienatingEra. Fans still consider him to be the definitive Jason, and easily the best actor to play the iconic slasher villain.

* Creator/SeanConnery in ''Film/{{Zardoz}}''. The poor guy is trying his best, though he's clearly embarrassed by the costume. It's been said he did the movie to avoid being {{Typecast|ing}} as Film/JamesBond. So it's possible he wasn't even considering the role itself so much as what it ''wasn't''. It's also been said that at the time Connery was actually having trouble getting work because the historic paycheck he cashed for ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'' made him too expensive for most filmmakers to want to hire him, so director Creator/JohnBoorman was actually able to get Connery on the cheap for what was a very low-budget film. In fact, the budget was so low that Connery sacrificed most of the comforts an actor of his standing was supposed to get, such as having his own driver, in favor of just rooming with Boorman and hitching a ride to work with him on the condition that they split the cost of gas.