17 Actors Whose Performances Completely Saved What Otherwise Would've Been "Meh" Movies

Recently, on my personal favorite subreddit, r/movies, redditor u/TotallyUnbiased666 asked, "What movies should have sucked, but the actors made it great?" and movie lovers really came through with some A+ answers.

So, with that in mind, here are just a few of the most popular responses shared:

"It's hard to imagine it being nearly as good as it is without Ryan Reynolds. I honestly don't know who else could even come close to filling that role."

—u/FirstLeftDoor

"It probably would've just been an average sports movie without Florence Pugh!"

—u/pi_face_ 

"That movie is as cliché as it gets. A sarcastic, trouble-making cop? It's been done a million times. Eddie Murphy is the reason it stands out as one of the best."

—u/TotallyUnbiased666

"I feel like on paper, it should have just been another forgetful teen party movie, but the cast and creators really all came together nicely."

—u/gahgah_

"Alan Rickman turned this into something worth watching. Honestly, Kevin Costner's English accent — or lack there of — should've ruined it, but against Alan Rickman, it just seems to work."

—u/christopia86

"It's hard to imagine being good without Nicolas Cage and John Travolta."

—u/farfetchedfrank

"I’m not sure it would’ve sucked, but it's definitely great because of Joe Pesci and Marissa Tomei."

—u/TeamStark31

"It would've been mediocre without Meryl Streep — instead, it's excellent."

—u/lgj202

"Guy Pearce singlehandedly made that a watchable movie."

—u/Miklonario

"If it hadn't been for Wesley Snipes, it would have been just another Sylvester Stallone movie."

—u/All_the_cake

"On paper, totally unremarkable and even a bit cliché. But it all somehow comes together perfectly — which the director gets credit for as well — and becomes something utterly charming and heartfelt."

—u/Dottsterisk

"It is the stupidest idea for a movie, but the whole cast really sold it. I love that movie so much."

—u/stateofbrine

"Tom Hardy’s performance made me enjoy it a lot more than I thought I would."

—u/callmemacready

"While not a bad movie, it's definitely elevated by its cast. Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Robert DeNiro, and Andy Garcia are all next-level good in that movie and make it so fun to watch."

—u/tramdog

"It's ridiculous and pretty dumb when you think about it, but the cast makes it so much fun you don’t care."

—u/bongo1100

"This is a B movie with one of the world's great casts."

—u/HPmoni

And finally:

"It would’ve been atrocious if it wasn’t for Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Their characters' chemistry was chef's kiss."

—u/Miserable_Track_1885

You've read their picks, but now it's your turn. Which actors/ensemble casts did they miss? What movie should've been "meh," but was totally saved by the actors? Share your pick(s) in the comments below!

Some responses were edited for length and/or clarity. H/T: Reddit.