Settling the "Accent" Issue Once and For All

Rating: Null/10 (11 January 2007)

Yes, DiCaprio's acting is fine--he's a good actor, not great, but good enough to carry a movie provided he isn't miscast. However, some actors are particularly adept at doing accents, but DiCaprio isn't one of them. Yes, he tries hard and obviously put a lot of work into it, but for those of us who are sensitive to regional accents in films, it wasn't good enough to pass without criticism. And this leads me to my main point: People who aren't accent savvy really shouldn't waste our time posting their opinions about how good a job an actor does with an accent. If accents don't matter to you, then say so. Accents do matter to me, and when an actor attempts a tough accent but falls even a little short, I find it distracting to the point where it makes it difficult for me to completely lose myself in the film. As an actor, it is DiCaprio's job to create a convincing character, and sometimes an accent is part of that job. This film was a pet project of DiCaprio's, so he set himself up for the task of nailing a subtle and notoriously difficult accent. Why are so many people eager to excuse him for falling short? There are several postings in which some obviously die-hard DiCaprio fans say silly things like, "I am not familiar with the South African accent, but I have a hunch that he got it right." I mean, come off it, people! I think Leonardo DiCaprio can manage to weather a little criticism without your starry-eyed attempts to defend him. We're not talking about a mentally or physically challenged child competing in the Special Olympics here--this is a universally-adored and well-compensated adult actor playing a part in a movie. Get over your adulation and judge his phony accent on its merits. Better yet, if you are not someone who cares about or is sensitive to accents, then keep your hopelessly biased opinion to yourself. By glossing over DiCaprio's shortcomings in the accent department, you take away from the achievements of those actors who really are able to perfect an accent that is foreign to them, such as Christian Bale in "Batman Begins" or Meryl Streep in "Cry in the Dark." DiCaprio should stick to doing an American accent, at which he excels. Case closed.