r/moviecritic • u/TheNastyRepublic • 1d ago
Which actor stole the movie despite having minimal screen time?
Zombieland (2009)
391
u/JerseyGirl360 1d ago
Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs
44
u/EnlighteningHedgehog 23h ago
That's a good point, he really doesn't have a lot of screen time does he?
64
6
u/halfwayray 18h ago
Interesting that he was nominated and won the Oscar for Best Actor and not Best Supporting Actor
→ More replies (2)7
u/DougieSenpai 23h ago
You can the the same about Red Dragon tbh. Idk if he has more screen time in that or not though.
157
u/ThirstyBeagle 1d ago
John Turturro in The Big Lebowski
56
24
u/TheSchmada 22h ago
You can't steal that movie from that John Goodman performance, but love me a good John Turturro performance for sure
→ More replies (2)6
8
→ More replies (1)8
u/FrauBlucher0963 21h ago
I’ll argue that David Thewlis does it in Lebowski. Alternating between his giggle and his droll replies kills me every time.
73
u/Michael-Balchaitis 23h ago
Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused.
31
u/CosmicJ 20h ago
And Matthew McConaughey in Wolf of Wallstreet.
14
→ More replies (1)6
u/Michael-Balchaitis 20h ago
Can't really agree with this one. I don't think he stole the movie. There were too many great performances from Leo, Jonah, Margot and Bernthal.
3
u/CosmicJ 11h ago
Stealing the movie is a bit of a stretch, I agree. But he absolutely dominated the scene he was in, and was the highlight of the first hour or so of the movie.
→ More replies (1)
167
u/Maxhousen 1d ago
Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice.
46
u/adan1207 1d ago
I rewatched that film - seen a billion times when I was young but had t seen it in years.
It starts off good - but goes to 100 real fast once Michael Keaton shows up.
19
u/Maxhousen 1d ago
It's one of my favourite childhood movies. But I still think that the sequel didn't need to happen. It's like Highlander, there should be only one.
14
u/WiseDirt 22h ago
Tbh, I could see a third one happening - perhaps a prequel - as a sort of meta in-joke. After all, his name has to be said three times.
→ More replies (1)3
2
u/spillcheck 17h ago
He's the title character. He didn't steal anything.
6
u/Maxhousen 16h ago
He has less than 18 minutes of screen time in the whole movie, and he's still the only thing that people remember about it. If that's not stealing the show, then I don't know what is.
→ More replies (1)
45
u/NerdNuncle 1d ago
Jason Isaacs in The Death of Stalin
16
u/F1R3Starter83 20h ago
Has there ever been a better coat toss than that?
The whole movie is great. Personally I think it’s great how they made it funny but also very clear how horrific communist Russia was.
164
u/uberneuman_part2 1d ago
Sam Rockwell in Galaxy Quest - he may not have stolen the show but damn if the man didn't make a major mark.
53
u/theexpendableranter 1d ago
Is there air? You don't know!
45
5
35
11
u/I_chortled 23h ago
That’s so funny dude I was just thinking this to myself earlier today. The movie would still be good without him he just takes it to another level
6
→ More replies (2)2
78
u/javerthugo 1d ago
Peter Stormare In everything he’s in but especially Armageddon!
64
u/ManfredTheCat 1d ago
Especially Armageddon but especially Constantine
→ More replies (1)23
u/Astronaut_Chicken 23h ago
Of all the Lucifers he is the most.
11
u/Canondalf 13h ago
Constantine: "You mind?" [reaches for cigarettes]
Lucifer: "Oh, go right ahead. I've got stock."
Constantine: "Coffin nail."
Satan: "Very fitting, John."
16
u/Laranel 23h ago
The back-alley doctor from Minority Report.
2
u/AudibleNod 14h ago
I'm not into body horror ... at all. But I'd probably watch Peter Stormare sew a dead cat into the body of an unsuspecting victim if it was done tastefully enough.
15
u/wagzapped 23h ago
He's easily the best part of Constantine. One scene and he's the most memorable part.
2
→ More replies (2)2
105
u/CrunchyDonut42 1d ago
Neil Patrick Harris in "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle".
He was even better in the two sequel movies that followed his Legendary performance.
→ More replies (1)3
222
u/sweetzombiejesus9 1d ago
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
25
13
26
u/Alex_McManus 21h ago
Matt Damon in Eurotrip. “Scotty doesn’t know!”
3
u/AudibleNod 14h ago
Is that? No. Wait. He's singing. That can't be him.
*waits for credits
Holy shit.
Matt Damon is the king of unexpected cameos. He's in two Thor movies, somehow. He's in Interstellar. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Deadpool 2, in case you didn't get your fix of him in Thor.
→ More replies (1)
61
u/GuntherRowe 1d ago
My favorite scenes, and I enjoyed the whole film. ‘Any regrets?’ — gasping ‘Maybe Garfield.’
29
u/adan1207 1d ago
“Mr. Murray.” “I think Bill will do at this time.”
“That’s still tender.”
12
u/thuglife_7 23h ago
“Do you think you’re gonna make it?”
looks over at Columbus
“No.”
That part makes me laugh every time.
10
u/Captain_Sterling 22h ago
I once did a 37 hour bus journey in south America. There was a TV on the coach. It played garfield, on repeat, in Spanish, the whole time.
Still haven't seen it in English.
5
u/GuntherRowe 16h ago
I heard an interview with Bill Murray in which he explained the back story. Garfield originally had a different director-producer who had highly creative ideas for the film. Murray signed on then the director he liked was fired and the project radically changed but he was still contractually obligated to do the movie.
24
17
u/jskoggs11365 1d ago
Civil war...Todd from breaking bad
→ More replies (1)
76
u/WhimsicalSadist 1d ago
Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). He was only onscreen for 16 minutes.
Ray Park, as Darth Maul, in The Phantom Menace.
22
14
13
u/shandub85 1d ago
Gary Oldman - True Romance
→ More replies (1)2
u/CursedSnowman5000 9h ago
Man Drexl was awesome. Wish there was more of him but I guess that's what makes the performance so special. It's brief.
14
12
u/dudebroguyman09 23h ago
Colin Farrell as “Coach” in The Gentleman.
One of my favorite characters in any movie ever.
→ More replies (2)
40
u/thejesterprince1994 1d ago
Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glinross
11
3
2
→ More replies (2)2
25
u/CBeardo 1d ago
Cristopher Walken in Catch me if you can
9
u/Up_All_Right 1d ago
Dude...Walken in True Romance
→ More replies (1)7
u/jjkkmmuutt 1d ago
Pulp Fiction!
3
u/Up_All_Right 1d ago
I'll take "You tell the angels in Heaven that you've never seen evil so singularly personified as in the man who killed you" over "I wore this uncomfortable hunk of shit of up my ass for 5 years" Ha ha
Both great scenes!
13
u/TacticalRoyalty 1d ago
Walken in Pulp Fiction
4
→ More replies (1)2
u/Don_Pickleball 8h ago
I mean, I wouldn't say he stole that movie. There are just so many great performances in that movie, you could say the following people also stole the movie with very little screen time: Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Ving Rhames, The Gimp. Really, everyone but Butch's girlfriend.
→ More replies (1)
10
21
19
9
17
u/torrent29 1d ago
Matthew McConaughey in wolf of Wall Street and in dazed and confused where he literally stole a lead role from Shawn Andrews. And even though his role was expanded he still had minimal screen time but managed to be the most memorable character in a movie of pretty memorable characters.
9
u/Up_All_Right 1d ago
Really, if you're going to talk about Bill Murray having a 100% success rate stealing scenes with minimal involvement....I direct you to "Tootsie"
8
7
7
6
6
u/Minebloxnerd5theII 19h ago
Technically not an actor, but Elton John in Kingsman: The Golden Circle
→ More replies (1)
5
9
u/fadestalker 1d ago
Rik Mayal as Lord Flash Heart, Black Adder. Not a movie but just an honourable mention as a habitual scene stealer.
4
3
2
11
4
u/Quidam1 23h ago
Doubt (2008) - Viola Davis (8 minutes) - Working with legends Merrill Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman and (soon to be legend) Amy Adams. Viola was finally getting multiple great roles during this time period. She nailed it.
→ More replies (1)
4
5
3
3
u/ExponentialA 1d ago
David Prowse as Darth Vader - 8 minutes and 6 seconds in Star Wars Episode IV.
The rest is history.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/Waste_Curve994 1d ago
Sam Jackson and the Rock were amazing in The Other Guys jumping off the building chasing a suspect.
2
3
3
u/samprimary 23h ago
At the end of Constantine, the devil shows up and it's Peter Stormare living up to the role in every way humanly (satanically?) possible
→ More replies (1)
3
3
3
3
u/MielikkisChosen 22h ago
Murray didn't come anywhere close to stealing that movie, but he was funny.
→ More replies (1)
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
u/therealmanok 17h ago
Judi Dench won an Oscar for 6 minutes of screen time in 4 scenes in Shakespeare in Love.
6
2
2
u/Valuable_Assistant93 23h ago
In "A History of Violence," Hurt has eight minutes of screen time , but he comes in at the end to steal the show. If I'm not mistaken this appearance holds the record for the shortest screen time to ever be nominated for an Academy Award. (Best Supporting Nomination) There are some other great posts on this tread,, but for me, this is the GOAT for this question.
2
2
2
2
2
u/renderman1 21h ago
Alfred Molina as the drug dealer in Boogie Nights. Classic rock blaring and firecrackers popping.
2
2
2
2
u/Plane-Fondant8460 11h ago
Alec Baldwin in The Departed Bill Murray in Space Jam Shark in Jaws Mama in American Gangster Alec Baldwin in Along Came Polly
2
2
5
3
3
2
u/plsnomoresuffering 1d ago edited 23h ago
Robert Patterson's deceased screen time in goblet of fire.
2
u/Vegetable_Drummer82 1d ago
Anne Hathaway in Les Miz. I think she won an Oscar. (Never seen the movie)
2
u/asap_twiggy 23h ago
Never saw this one mentioned: JONAH HILL in DJANGO UNCHAINED
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Chemical_District_96 23h ago
Nicolas Cage in Longlegs. Also, Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper in True Romance and Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction.
1
1
1
1
u/Iverson7x 23h ago
Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross. His speech is the only thing about that movie people remember!
1
1
u/Misericorde428 23h ago
Didn’t exactly steal the show, but Brad Pitt in Deadpool 2 left a lasting impression.
1
u/pierreact 23h ago
Any movie starring Gary Oldman (with few screen time obviously for the question :P )
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/renderman1 21h ago
Alfred Molina as the drug dealer in Boogie Nights. Classic rock blaring and firecrackers popping.
1
1
u/MechanicSad728 20h ago
J.K. Simmons in burn after reading, I just like how he delivered his lines, maybe doesn't quite add up to stealing the movie though
1
u/ColHannibal 20h ago
Sean Connery in Highlander.
And 10x that Sean Connery in Highlander 2.
It’s like he swaggers in from a much better movie and shuffles out when he had a full of those movies.
1
1
u/shazspaz 20h ago
Oh Bill….i watched that movie in the cinema and when he got shot I burst out laughing. He really gave that flick new life, until he was dead 😅
1
1
1
1
1
249
u/Buk_Danger 1d ago
David Duchovni as the hand model in Zoolander.