Was Elizabeth Shue a true talent?

She was devastatingly good in Leaving Las Vegas. A dark, soulful performance

I still remember an interview with Chloe Sevigny, who worked with her early in her career.

Sevigny made a face and said that Shue would give her (and other actors) line readings. I would have smacked Shue upside the head if I were Chloe.

I'm not advocating anything but Chloe could've used some guidance with text early on. She was odd until Boys Don't Cry. She could only get away with it because she was odd/ordinary looking. Like made for indies.

No, she was not. Uninteresting. Leaving Las Vegas was a dreary movie, and her only claim as a real actress. She's a washed-up zero now, for good reason.

She was ass gang raped in LLV. Ass to ass is more daring.

Boring in looks and presence, she had no "it" factor

Loved her in Soapdish (great cast all around) amongst films already mentioned.

Her brother sure was a hottie.

She had more range than your putrid cunt, OP.

I graduated with the guy that raped her in the hotel. He was our class President. On graduation day, in his speech he talked about being teased for being a nerd all through school and he was going off to make something of his life. And nicely told the class to f-off He's probably a member of DL. College Boy #3 on IMDB

R9=washed-up E. Shue

If only she’d got the right part, she’d have been a shue-in for the Oscar.

Who?

She almost ruins Soapdish. That's all I've got on her.

She was a revelation in Leaving Las Vegas. She never equaled it. However, she was quite good as Joseph Gordon Levitt's mom in Mysterious Skin.

She was a revelation in Leaving Las Vegas.

Oh, my sides! A "revelation" no one recalls.

She was okay. Her performances were not special or particularly memorable for the most part.

Totally unmemorable.

Mathew Rhys said she is his celebrity crush in front of his baby mama Keri Russell on some game show like reenactment

Who and who, R19?

I always think of Jon Stewart saying when he was an MTV host he had interviewed her and she was very flirty with him then afterwards she walked off and he was bummed because he thought she really liked him.

god, no.

I have always found Shue unlikable for some reason. There is a blankness, or perhaps a coldness, about her—I can't quite tell. The movie R2 is referring to is "Palmetto", in which Shue co-starred with Sevigny and Woody Harrelson. Not a great film. Chloë has expressed regret over being involved with it.

Barely serviceable. Why are we talking about this nothing? Her brother, ahem?

I don't remember where I read this, but didn't one of her brothers die in some horrific accident where he fell off a rope swing and was impaled on a broken tree branch? I remember gathering that there was family present when this happened, but I don't know if she was there.

At least it wasn't hot Andrew.

I thought she was very great in Season 1 of “The Boys” and her presence was missed in Season 2. While shocking to have her killed off at the climax of Season 1, she was an interesting character.

Whatever happened to Andrew’s career after Melrose Place?

Andrew married news person Amy Robach

Age sadly caught up with Andrew.

No, she wasn't, she isn't.

Why is there even a thread on this nothing?

R15 She wasn't good in Mysterious Skin. She was nothing.

"I'm just covering my ass. Looks like should've done the same." Her reaction was Oscar worthy without a sound.

She's blank, mildly exasperated, responsible, rich girl, decent character no matter WHAT. It was somewhat interesting to pull someone like that from teen movie obscurity and have her play a street walker but it wasn't something I believed or was touched by. I haven't seen that movie in 25yrs+ but still. Haven't revisited because it sucked. She's like the waspy, preppy, United color of Benetton penny loafer hooker. And she's never been interesting in the slightest before or since.

It's hard to say who was worse--Shue or Andie MacDowell. It's like who was worse--Candice Bergen or Ali MacGraw?

I've always liked Elisabeth. She was so charismatic in Adventures in Babysitting and I also thought she was excellent in Leaving Las Vegas and Mysterious Skin.

The problem is she didn't really capitalize on LLV. Within a few years she was doing crap like Hollow Man.

"She was so charismatic in Adventures in Babysitting"

Oh, my sides!

She has the demeanor of an apathetic English professor, and probably should have gone into academia (which she was apparently interested in doing, considering she went back to Harvard in her late-30s to complete her degree).

Even as a kid when I watched this movie I could tell the “tomboy” was gay.

I can't believe nobody has mentioned her true tour de force, Cocktail!

We get it r38, you hate her.

She's supposedly really really smart. So you have to assume to gets acting but doesn't take it too seriously. Her LLV performance was outstanding and lived in. Both Siskel and Ebert picked her on their annual "If We Picked The Winners" special.

I don't hate her, R42. But the word "charismatic" associated with this unmemorable actress in "Adventures in Babysitting" made me chortle.

R43, Candice Bergen is also really smart (and has a hot brother). Acting and intelligence are not related, and any actress who doesn't take acting seriously shouldn't be acting.

She has talent . . . REAL talent!

[quote]Leaving Las Vegas was a dreary movie, and her only claim as a real actress.

Hated that movie. Everything about it seems fake. It was like watching a film student's thesis project.

R46 = fun at parties

R46 has enough sense to recognize a dreary movie for what it is. So, yeah, more fun at parties than those who think the deadly LLV is a good movie. Looking at you, R47.

I thought she was great in Leaving Las Vegas. TCM aired it recently. I hadn't seen it in over 20 years. She really does carry the movie as Nic Cage disappears from the movie for stretches at a time.

She's the sober one in the movie. So you really watch the movie through her eyes if you're paying attention. It's a tricky performance that many won't "get".

I've only ever seen her in Soapdish. She doesn't have a funny bone in her body. God knows why they cast her, everyone else was superb.

Loving all the Soap Dish mentions. It's a small treasure and one of my favorite Garry Marshall movies. He's fucking great in it too.

All of DL knows: The true star of Soapdish was Miss Cathy Moriarty! (in a role that would NEVER be allowed today!!).

And of course, the iconic shopping mall scene with Sally and Whoopie.

Yaaaaas Kweeen!!!

I liked her take on her character in Leaving Las Vegas, that she was essentially an angel of death and didn't know it, but I don't think she really had the talent to pull it off.

Agree that she nearly ruins Soapdish.

There's a British tv show called Pointless where the contestants have to guess the responses of 100 people to a question and provide a pointless answer, so if the question was "Name a Meryl Streep movie" you wouldn't answer The Devil Wears Prada or Kramer vs Kramer or Mamma Mia but would maybe say Before And After or The Giver or Defending Your Life.

Anyway in one round there were photos of "Celebrities playing tennis" and one of the photos was of Elizabeth Shue and it was a pointless answer.

That's all.

I love the scene where Miss Carrie Fisher is pulling up her clothes after a casting meeting with hunk Costas Mandelor.

R50 Stupid. It would be cool if she managed to bring all that to it but she didn't.

Yes

[quote] She's the sober one in the movie. So you really watch the movie through her eyes if you're paying attention. It's a tricky performance that many won't "get".

She may do the correct things acting-wise but she can't escape her face and image, which makes playing a Vegas prostitute laughable.

R10 That’s interesting—a former student of mine was the college boy who says, “I want to fuck her in the ass.” I was so proud!

There was a video of a teenager punching a teacher in the face I think.

lol sorry that was meant for another thread at r63.

On Shue. I thought she did a good job in LLV but at the same time, she was not believable as someone who really knows what it’s like to be down. Like way down. And she’s not a good enough actress to fake it.

I didn't like her in The Karate Kid.

I thought she was good on CSI even when the writing was bad