During the run of a particularly awful interpretation of Richard III, the star, Anthony O'Malley, begins to frequent a rough pub to develop his character. He meets Barreller who he discovers owes someone he's never met a considerable sum of money. Seeing an opportunity to make some fast money, O'Malley convinces hapless extra, Tom, to meet Barreller as the debt collector.
Simon J. Willis Douglas Murray Neil Conlon John Fitzgerald Gerard Roche Michelle Cunniffe Caoimhe Doyle Andrea King Jean McGrath
Actorii, השחקנים, A nagy alakítás, Артисти, Les acteurs, Els actors, Herci, 戏剧演员, Aktorzy, Glumci
USAR
France
UK15
France
Norway
PortugalM/12
Norway
Sweden15
France
France
Norway
Portugal
Sweden
UK
USA
This is a real oddity, the kind of film where you can wonder how it was ever made. Based on the script's quality (or lack of it), how did the filmmakers manage to secure the acting talents of Michael Caine, Lena Headey, Michael Gambon and Miranda Richardson? The Actors was produced by Neil Jordan, who Richardson has an association with, so I guess that went some way. Sometimes one prestigious name can hold a lot of cachet and get similarly big stars on board.
On other occasions, people simply want to work together for the fun of it. Dylan Moran - who co-stars alongside Caine's cynical old ham as a bumbling extra, the two men attempting to use their acting…
A rather tepid comedy which teams Michael Caine, pitching well below his weight, with Dylan Moran, at the time still riding high for the TV series Black Books.
There is a great cast, and whoever convinced Michael Gambon to wear that terrible wig deserves an award all of their own, but the script is weak and just not very funny.
Written and directed by Conor McPherson (far better was his debut feature, I Went Down but he's disappointed since), this misses its mark by quite a long way and you end up just bewildered at why it exists at all. And as soon as it finishes, you completely forget it.
Moran is far better in his stand-up comedy, and although Caine appears to be having a fine old time, he has clearly just turned up for the cheque.
If interested in some lesser known Irish-themed movies have a look at my list of decent to very good (non-depressing & non-political) Irish-themed movies.
4.5/10
Written and directed by an Irish playwright and set and filmed in Dublin, but this movie is barely even a touch Irish. Michael Caine, Dylan Moran (who does a variation of his 'Black Books' series' role) and Lena Headey are the main leads. There are a few scenes in which their acting rises above the inane dialogue of this poorly executed plot, but even all together they cannot save this movie from itself.
... and the otherwise talented Michael Gambon put in a performance even worse than the script.
I had never heard of this film but seeing as it had Dylan Moran in a main role I had to seek it out. I did not have high hopes after reading that this was not that great a film and unfortunately after watching it I have to concur. Whilst the performances by all are good, it is the plot/story that lets this one down. It tries to be a black comedy/old school fare but it really just doesn't pay off in the end. There are some good moments in there and Moran is in his element playing himself but its just not enough to make this better than what it ends-up being, which is a disappointment.
i haven’t even got to the end yet but i’m logging it now because i don’t want to forget because this is a masterpiece dylan moran looks hotter than ever
Bernard Black working with Alfred to rip off Dumbledore but falling for Cersei Lannister, what's not to love?
Also, gotta appreciate a blink-and-you'll-miss-it performance from Reeling in the Peers regular, Kimmage Native Actor, David Patrick Scanlon.
Absolutely my favorite thing I watched in 2021. The Actors isn't what you'd call *great* but it is disarmingly and relentlessly enjoyable. An increasingly surreal black comedy about a pair of deadbeat actors impersonating gangsters in a series early-aughts London dives. Low key & delightful. It's got Michael Caine in drag and Lena Headey singing karaoke and if that's not getting you on this train we look for very different things in trains/movies/metaphors.
2022 #302
The Actors is very silly but largely entertaining stuff. Yeah, it kinda borders on being a little too far-fetched, certainly in terms of nobody recognising Dylan Moran's various characters, but if you go in not taking the plot too seriously, it's actually pretty enjoyable.
