Nancy Kwan, an international star at the time, does a good job of
playing against type as a marine biologist who was Taylor's girlfriend.
Youngster Liam James holds his own against some great actors as the perpetually awkward wallflower, while Steve Carell
plays against type in a role that proves he may be a stronger dramatic actor than a comedian.
King Fergus and Queen Elinor
play against type with Billy Connolly's big, burly King constantly in the shadow of his cool, calm and collected wife, Elinor.
This settled peace is rudely interrupted by the arrival of Max's pompous older brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler, clearly
enjoying playing against type) who drops into town on «business» and hijacks Max and Annie's game night by inviting their friends over to his opulent rental house for an immersive Mystery Night game.
Together they just work, as all the characters bring something new to the table whether it be straight comedy (Nat Faxon and Jim Rash themselves as water park employees) or, for a lack of a better word, villainy, with Steve
Carell playing against type as a complete douchebag.
Here the
actor plays against type as street smart Jesuit priest Charles Clark, whose patron is Dismas — the «Good Thief» crucified at the side of Jesus Christ.
Efron here is
also playing against type in beginning the film as a straight - laced corporate lawyer who is far more conservative and respectable than his horny grandfather.
Brooks is particularly memorable,
playing against type so confidently it might shock many who know him mostly for his more recent roles in fairly average comedies like The In - Laws.
Critic Consensus: There's a certain amount of fun to be had from watching Bateman and
Reynolds play against type, but it isn't enough to carry The Change - Up through its crude humor and formulaic plot.
Ewan McGregor
plays against type by lending a mean streak to the film's hardened convict, playing against Brenton Thwaites» greenhorn rookie.
Again playing against type in Stanley Kubrick's antiwar movie, Douglas brims with decency as a French colonel in World War I who fights against an unfair court martial of his men.
Laurie Metcalf is so subtle and tender in Lady Bird, and Allison
Janney plays against type as Tonya Harding's foulmouthed mother in I, Tonya.
Georgia comes out throwing — as with the Rose Bowl, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney chooses to
play against type out of the gates — and Alabama's ready for it.
After all, Bateman's not
exactly playing against type, here: Beneath his competitive core, Max is a calm - headed Everyman who deals with erupting chaos by deflating it with bemused asides and the very mildest exasperation.
It's nice to see Will
Smith playing against type without making a big deal of it, and Robbie's performance does have a gleeful quality which sets it apart.
Patrick Stewart has a
blast playing against type as a soft - spoken white supremacist holding a punk rock band as his temporary prisoners in Jeremy Saulnier's nicely crafted, low - budget comedy - thriller.
Yet it's still not quite Oscar - winning caliber (but still worthy of a nomination), and Stiller's
playing against type doesn't come off as honest a performance as, say, Michael Keaton, in Clean and Sober (1988), that comic's first dramatic role.
Robert Glenister spits and hisses with rage like water droplets in a pan of fat, while Kris
Marshall plays against type as the uptight, inscrutable office managers.
Ricki and the Flash is a strange little movie, especially for Streep who
plays against type once again in the title role.
It is nice to see
Mann play against type as a meek, ditzy housewife, and her chemistry with Diaz is real, so here's hoping they get another chance to team up in something more worthy,
The Change - Up does give us the chance to see its two
stars playing against type with obvious relish — after all, Bateman does his most scene - stealing work when he's adorably sleazy, and Reynolds is a lot more appealing when he's not in asshole mode.
Still, a complication, in the form of a dead body, threatens to derail those plans, while creating an awkward alliance among a boozing detective (Colin Farrell,
somewhat playing against type), a brooding highway - patrol motorcycle cop (Taylor Kitsch) and a sheriff's detective (Rachel McAdams), each of whom sports a constipated look indicative of a painful past, a personal secret, a bad attitude or some combination of all three.
Walter
Matthau plays against type as a bank robber who knocks off a small town bank, only to find he's hit the very place where the mob launder their money.
This Friday, «Mirror Mirror» presents a comedic spin on the Snow White story with Lily Collins as the titular princess, «Social Network» actor Armie Hammer as Prince Charming, and Julia
Roberts playing against type as the wicked queen.
Playing ineffectual New York talent agent Danny Rose, Allen leads a film that has a little bit of everything: a wronged man, car chase, lounge singers, mobsters, adultery, and Mia
Farrow playing against type as a smoking, brash «other woman.»
Actors
playing against type included, once again, Charlize Theron, who won for «Monster» in 2004 by playing a serial killer who looked nothing at all like the glamorous actress, and was nominated again this year as a hard - working Minnesota miner in «North Country.»
He's always been one of our very best character actors, and now that he has
brilliantly played against type, he has finally grabbed the attention of the Academy.
It's amusing to see Messrs. Craig and
Ford playing against type, but 10 minutes of their charade are enough to make you wish Mr. Favreau had cast Viggo Mortensen and Sam Elliott instead.
Poisoned by unresolved daddy issues, Erica's troubled relationship with her mom (Kathryn Hahn) comes to a head when her nice - guy boyfriend (Tim Heidecker,
playing against type for no clear reason) moves in with his teen son, Luke (Joey Morgan), an overweight recovering opioid addict with crippling shyness.