The best performance by a child you've ever seen (film or tv)

[DaveCinzano]

I nominate Charlotte Burke in Paperhouse.

 

[The Octagon]

I'm not sure whether to put the kids from City of God, as they were not having to 'act' too much (they were still captivating though).

Definitely Portman in Leon, and River Phoenix in Stand By Me.

Henry Thomas in ET too.

Finally, the little boy who played Bruno in Bicycle Thieves, heartbreaking stuff.

 

[electrogirl]

Jodie Foster in Bugsy Malone is pretty amazing, she just IS an adult, the rest of them look like kids playing adults, but she just seems to BE an adult.

I saw an interview with chachi/bugsy and he said about her 'she acts me off of the screen'.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Oh, and Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon, obviously. And I second Hayley Mills (she's very good in Whistle Down The Wind too). How about Jenny Agutter in The Railway Children?

 

[5t3IIa]

Oh, and Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon, obviously. And I second Hayley Mills (she's very good in Whistle Down The Wind too). How about Jenny Agutter in The Railway Children?

Nope. Too stage school

 

[purplex]

The jewish boy in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

 

[DaveCinzano]

Nope. Too stage school

Which one?

 

[5t3IIa]

Which one?

Agutter

 

[DaveCinzano]

She's playing a middle class Victorian girl trying to hold her family together. Works for me.

 

[idioteque]

Leon/Portman

Best one in recent memory, Portman is a good shout (shame about the rest of her career)

Definitely Portman in Leon, and River Phoenix in Stand By Me.

Seconded/thirded/whatever we're on to all of these. And the main boy in This Is England too, I know someone's said it up there ^ already but I forgot to quote it.

 

[spawnofsatan]

The feral kid in Mad Max 2

 

[danny la rouge]

Jean-Pierre Leaud in 400 Blows.

 

[spanglechick]

abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine

 

[DotCommunist]

I'm amused how the annoying shite out of Sixth Sense is getting no love whatsoever

 

[belboid]

Yes, Empre of the Sun was awesome. Got a fair few haterz on here though.

only cos it was fucking shit.

Ben Marshall & Andrew Shim are stupendous in Room for Romeo Brass, even tho I don't like the film as a whole at all.

 

[The Octagon]

I'm amused how the annoying shite out of Sixth Sense is getting no love whatsoever

I nearly put him in as he was good in parts, but yes, irritating as hell too.

 

[dodgepot]

Jodie Foster in Bugsy Malone is pretty amazing, she just IS an adult, the rest of them look like kids playing adults, but she just seems to BE an adult.

yeah, everyone else is really hammy compared to her in that.

 

[DaveCinzano]

yeah, everyone else is really hammy compared to her in that.

Fat Sam is not hammy, just big boned.

 

[Pieface]

el jefe posting

Ivana Baquero in Pan's Labyrinth

 

[dodgepot]

yeah, that's a good'un

 

[electrogirl]

I hate moon eyes Haley Joel Osmond and his stupid lispy mouth, his female equivalent is that one who played Matilda who is just as lispy and has Jamie Oliver tongue syndrome.

 

[DotCommunist]

wasn't she in Chocolate?


good book that.


shite film, mind

 

[spanglechick]

Fat Sam is not hammy, just big boned.

did a proper long, chuckly lol.

 

[Diamond]

I reckon Natalie Portman's best adolescent performance is in Beautiful Girls as opposed to Leon.

 

[gsv]

I was going to mention Haley Joel Osment specifically in The Sixth Sense. Compare his scared-as-fuck performance all the way through witht the much happier little boy at the end.

I think Haley-Joel-Hate is a backlash to AI (shit script and film, not his acting at fault) and generally to his being highly successful and feted.

GS(v)

 

[electrogirl]

I think the backlash is due to his annoying mouth and moon eyes.

 

[DotCommunist]

I was going to mention Haley Joel Osment specifically in The Sixth Sense. Compare his scared-as-fuck performance all the way through witht the much happier little boy at the end.

I think Haley-Joel-Hate is a backlash to AI (shit script and film, not his acting at fault) and generally to his being highly successful and feted.

GS(v)

probably more to do with him being one of those massive headed precocious little shits that nobody likes. See also: the swollen headed kid from The Shining

 

[gsv]

Ah, you mean "he's really good but too young so we hate him" ?

GS(v)

 

[Dandred]

15 year old Olivia Hussey in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet

Am I a peodo for thinking those tits are great?

 

[Barking_Mad]

Aleksei Kravchenko in Idi I Smotri (Come & See) i think he was 15.

^^ Agreed.