Comments on: Can Shia LaBeouf open a movie?

By: Alicia

Alicia — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:14:03 +0000

This is a bit of counting chickens before they hatch. He isn’t yet old enough for us to label him an IT just yet, but he cannot be counted out of the races just because he is of the twenty crowd. If he succeeds or not is completely up to him, and it appears to me, as a public, that we should at least give the guy a chance and have an open mind. Just because he doesn’t look like the normal movie star type already has him at a disadvantage, which is wholly unfair, and to unload our doubts or our over fanatical praises on his shoulders is wrong of us and unfair to him.
Give him a chance. We might be surprised, we might not be, but just let the boy prove whether or not he can act. Let him grow, let him see mistakes he’s made, get better, or get worse. Who knows, we might have another Hanks. Or we might have another Baldwin.

By: CFTH fan

CFTH fan — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 05:56:13 +0000

Disturbia is a teenage thriller. Of course its gonna make around 15-20 mil opening. But who cares if the opening was “big.” It;ll drop 50% by next weekend like most movies. It’ll make very little money overall. And the movie was pretty good, nothing to do w/ Shia- he is capable. Shia is not a name yet. People didn’t go see Disturbia bc Shia was in it. Just a bunch of teenagers wanting to watch a movie that sells to them

By: Brad

Brad — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:07:25 +0000

The next big thing? Who knows? All I know is that he made “Even Stevens” watchable, he was great in “Holes” and he was excellent in “Greatest Game Ever Played.”
I would much rather watch a good actor, even if he/she isn’t a huge box office draw than I would a hack in a big budget job. Hence my reasons for them not to replace Toby Maguire as Spidey.
I use the same reasoning with directors. How many of you think Brett Ratner could ruin anything not named Rush Hour?
A good actor or director makes even the bad a little more watchable. Tom Hanks makes drinking coffee watchable. The guy is that good. Do I think Shia is that good. Not yet, but he is on his way. Provided he can steer clear of Michael Bay after “Transformers”. (Let’s hope Bay hasn’t ruined one of my fondest childhood memories.

By: Mozz

Mozz — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:51:32 +0000

I just realized, I had seen this same actor before, in The Greatest Game ever Played. I thought he was pretty good then, so this is what he went on to do… Horror Flicks. Looking it up; Greatests opened with a little more than 3 million in 1,014 screens at the end of 2005. Hmmm, can he open a movie in 2007? I think it’s a combination of things that open a movie. But not Shia alone… concept is a big factor… we’ll have to wait till he does a more performance/story less popcorn/mindless film to see what sort of b.o. power he has. But he was pretty darn good in GAME, which begs the question, what happenned to his acting?

By: melissa

melissa — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:25:13 +0000

Whether he can open a movie is as much about name recognition as it is looks or talent, and I think he isn’t quite there yet, though I’d predict a bright future ahead for him. What I’d like to see answered is whether adults can engage in a debate about anything without resorting to attacks and negative insinuations about the intelligence of those who disagree with them.

By: julian

julian — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:40:00 +0000

If people actually think this idiot can open a movie, then youre an idiot. Clearly, its the movie itself that opened the movie big. And to say Transformer?????? Come lets get real…..the name Transformer will open itself. You can put Pee Wee Herman in Transformer and people will go see it and oh yeah..directed by Michael Bay….hello!!! Stop being an idiot…this guy is a mediocre star

By: Heather

Heather — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:19:22 +0000

Right now, I don’t see any strong acting skills in him that really make him anything special. I think he’s got some people who are just shoving him into the spotlight and working hard to keep him there.
But I feel like giving the guy a chance. He may become something great, but right now I just think him being in all these big movies has much more to do w/being basically a “Mousketeer” or Disney talent than anything actually amazing on his part. (also see: Hillary Duff and Lindsay Lohan)

By: Cay

Cay — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:04:45 +0000

Hey.. don’t knock Legend. Best Tom Cruise movie ever!

By: Joshua Poor

Joshua Poor — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 08:42:48 +0000

Dear Joshua Rich, i sense your incredulity regarding Shia’s capability to open a movie because we all know he’s not that good looking. Many, like you, won’t be asking if he’ll be a box office draw if he looked like Tom Cruise in his teens or Orlando Bloom also. And why should we discuss if he can open a movie? You are putting a pointless pressure on him because of your incredulity – that a not so handsome kid with curly hair could open a movie. Why don’t you pick on Halle Berry instead! All that look and she can’t open a movie if it isn’t a franchise or an all-star cast. Shame on you face-ist. Love, Joshua Poor.

By: Brett

Brett — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:29:41 +0000

Shia pretty much carried this movie on his shoulders, and someone told me he improvised a lot of his lines, which makes his performance even more respectable..