If we look back to the article on the top 50 highest grossing films of the decade, I think we can agree that brand loyalty is often a bigger driver than quality.
Add to that the fact that Bullock's movies, while bad, are forgettable and her "likability." With all of that you get America's BFF Sandy and a career that will continue to until Hollywood finds Bullock 2.0.
Love Sandy (we know each other like that) even in bad films.
Since it's based on bad script choices, I'm looking forward to your next installment of "Why Is Will Ferrell Still a Star?", "Why Is Vince Vaughn Still a Star?" and of course "Why Is Angelina Jolie Still a Star?"
@Cfegrl: But it was Pitt who made her more than Jon Voight's daughter, who made out with her brother, who's in the Wynona Ryder film and some kind of voodoo relationship with Billy Bob
She's the only one that knows where that dead hooker is buried.
Several high-profile producers decided to greenlight anything she wants because killing her is more trouble than it's worth.
And she's the only one that knows because she's the one who buried the hooker in the first place!*
Everyone loves Sandra Bullock, and that's just THAT.
I'm going to watch The Blind Side, simply because it's based on the Michael Lewis book, but yeah, when you know Sandra Bullock is in it you just know it's gonna be self-consciously "heartwarming."
The commenter who equated her with Sally Field is right, only Sandra would never have slept with Johnny Carson. Well, not sober. I only wish she'd had the chance to play opposite an age-appropriate Jimmy Stewart, because that would have been perfect.
She's not become the new Kate Hepburn of screwball comedy in LARGE part because nobody's writing screwball comedies that are that good anymore, duh.
Also, she hasn't reached her sell-by-date yet in Hollywood terms because she's got the best surgeon in the known universe (after a disastrous interlude when she was dating Heath Ledger and had her face stretched so much she looked like the Joker herself).
@raincoaster: Well, Hudsucker Proxy is a screwball comedy of sorts with a big lump of irony thrown in. But the Coen's cast Jennifer Jason Leigh, if I recall correctly in the female lead. JJL is one of my favorites. Bullock? Dunno, I saw her in The Net, which stunk, and have never had the desire to watch her again. She's so smarmy and goody-goody, and not very interesting to watch on screen.
@Trixie from Toronto: I've liked her in everything she's been in, including 28 Days (and not just because Viggo was in it). She's charming, she's a good dramatic actress when she lays off the Botox, and she's fantastic in chick flicks. And I, my friends, am a chick.
Her screen chemistry with Hugh Grant is phenomenal when (I'm sorry) the fabled Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant chemistry in Notting Hill was DOA. She's just an excellent, excellent costar who never steals a scene without permission.
And actually YES, Sandy, if you're reading this, I have a script for you. It's not mine, so I can't be accused of self-interest. But it's a drama that'll shut up the critics once and for all.
Babe, message me on my Gawker Page. It'll give Denton a thrill.
@tongue-tied: If you know anything about the history behind the Inslaw case, The Net is far more interesting to watch. It's not officially based on the case, but the timing of the film's release and the lawsuits do appear to be more than coincidental.
@lil red: Inslaw? Inslaw? Rings a bell, yeah. Was The Net based on that? As a "high-tech" "cybercrime" thriller though, it didn't work for me at all -- and Ms Bullock didn't help things much.
@tongue-tied:
Here's a refresher on Inslaw from Wired. [www.wired.com]
This article came out in 1993 in their second issue on the stands and ...The Net was released in 1995.
There was other software in development, but this was the only one that had mysterious deaths, intel and corporate intrigue attached to it.
You've answered your own question here. She's still a star despite making a long list of terrible movies. That’s a lot of likeability, an amazing amount, really. She’s obviously bad at picking material (I think The Lake House was the nightly entertainment at Guantanamo during the Bush administration), but then again so is everyone else involved. Studios have been profiting off her for years, and happily bank on the possibility of an even bigger payday—the day their extremely likeable star is in an extremely likeable movie.
It's all those those moderate potboilers or romances in which the average woman is free to use her as an avatar, and the average man can imagine she would date him. Slightly heightened realities, which feel like they could happen with only a little tweaking. Sandra Bullock is comfort food. Sandra Bullock is the zebra-print snuggie.
Why do people eat fast food? Why do people watch reality TV? Why do people waste their time leaving comments on inconsequential matters like this when they should be out living their lives...fuck.
@Perhaps Not: Really? I have not seen any of her movies post-Speed and I am not a fan of hers, but I always thought she seemed much like her on-screen persona: likeable, funny, low maintenance. Do you have stories? Tell!
@shostakobitch: Excellent ones, at that. However, Friedrich Krupp AG was the largest European manufacturer at the beginning of the 20th century. They infamously manufactured the bulk of the German guns (as in, long-barreled cannons) during WWI..
I think the likability factor is the key to Bullock's success. There really isn't anything about her to not like. She hasn't sold herself as a brand or a personality. She has remained out of the limelight and except for that latest custody battle thing, she has remained relatively scandal free. She's not a serial dater or a tabloid fixture. Her only crime is acting in horrible movies. She's harmless, just like her films.
Probably the first actress I'd want to go drinking with...and maybe the only one with low enough standards on how she spends her time to actually accept my invitation. So there you go.
Because she actually puts butts in the seats unlike a lot of marquee stars of either gender.
People like her and are willing to go to even badly-reviewed movies starring her because there's always an element of taste involved (that is even at 20%, that's 20% of reviewers who found the film in question to their taste).
I like a lot of her not-considered-so-great movies (Practical Magic is an all-time favorite), and she has done some really good ones, too.
@JennaW: I liked "Practical Magic," too -- at least until the last third -- that monster was ridiculous.
I also liked "The Net," including Jeremy Northam's performance -- people hated him for some reason.
And who doesn't like "While You Were Sleeping"? Her character's a little wimpy, but she brought her trademark charm.
Even if she's doing all those movies just to make money, who cares? Bullock is not the reason they're bad. As a female actor, her career is likely to be far shorter than that of a comparable male actor. Why shouldn't she salt it away?
With that kind of dough maybe one day she'll be able to direct or produce a movie of which Mr. Rushfield approves.
@karion: Why, hello! Pleased to meet you. I would never go as far as to say that I hate her--that kind of sustained effort gobbles up energy, and I'm not willing to expand mine on her--but she reliably annoys me on the screen. Like a gnat. Or a mosquito.
@snugbug: Oh, C'mon Snug B., you've seen at least one Sandra Bullock movie and said, "Campy maybe, but not a bad way to spend a Tuesday night. I mean I could'a watched Robin Williams do something slightly illegal with his arm hair, right?"
@karion: As a husband, I can say that as a general rule, a Sandra Bullock film is a lighthearted thing that we can rent and neither of us would run from the room.
I'm old, but I'd compare her likability and screen presence to Sally Field.
@Spirit Fingers: You busted me, lady! I admit I watched Murder by the Numbers and The Net on teevee all the way through and did not hate them. The latter, what with being a cyber-thriller made in the early '90s, is hilariously outdated though. Sandy is on MS-DOS in that film. LOL!
PS: And I almost, almost liked 28 Days--her AA flick. It's probably her best ever. Maybe because it was directed by a female filmmaker?
@Magister: Yes! Sally Field, she would be accurate. Big love for her. Her charm is/was undeniable. And it's sooo cliche' and sooo lady-movie typical....but I adore Steel Magnolias. Sinful, I know, but divine. (I'd replace that dreadful Darryl Hannah with Sandra Bullock in a friggin heartbeat.)
@snugbug: Yes, I saw The Net a couple months ago and yes, the infancy of the internet and all it's early hiccups and variations of DOS is pretty hilarious, especially while also taking note of Sandra's high-waisted, lady-pouch jeans. Ah, the nineties...computer crimes and a bare-chested (Marky) Mark Wahlberg.
I love Sally Field, but Sandra Bullock has always seemed sexier to me. She's the smart, pretty, sexy girl-next-door if you lived on a very exceptional block.
@Seeräuber Jenny: You know, I've never watched those ballyhooed movies that Meg Ryan is famous form--Sleepless in Seattle, etc.--but I caught The Women on teevee recently and she ignited a cinder of tenderness in my heart.
I mean, she's clearly a mediocre actress--prone to flipping her hair out of face and crossing her arms with alarming frequency, as if she has no idea what to do with her hands during a talky scene. Her face looks a little.. odd at this point, too. But she occasionally achieved a measure of emotional depth in that film. Enough to make me sympathize with her character. Oh, and I'm fully aware the Women remake was universally panned when it came out. I dunno. I liked it. Bottom line: Meg Ryan trumps Sandra Bullock in my book.
11/20/09
Add to that the fact that Bullock's movies, while bad, are forgettable and her "likability." With all of that you get America's BFF Sandy and a career that will continue to until Hollywood finds Bullock 2.0.
11/19/09
Since it's based on bad script choices, I'm looking forward to your next installment of "Why Is Will Ferrell Still a Star?", "Why Is Vince Vaughn Still a Star?" and of course "Why Is Angelina Jolie Still a Star?"
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/23/09
#tips
11/23/09
#tips
11/24/09
#tips
11/19/09
Several high-profile producers decided to greenlight anything she wants because killing her is more trouble than it's worth.
And she's the only one that knows because she's the one who buried the hooker in the first place!*
*This is my Occam's Razor explanation.
11/20/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
I'm going to watch The Blind Side, simply because it's based on the Michael Lewis book, but yeah, when you know Sandra Bullock is in it you just know it's gonna be self-consciously "heartwarming."
The commenter who equated her with Sally Field is right, only Sandra would never have slept with Johnny Carson. Well, not sober. I only wish she'd had the chance to play opposite an age-appropriate Jimmy Stewart, because that would have been perfect.
She's not become the new Kate Hepburn of screwball comedy in LARGE part because nobody's writing screwball comedies that are that good anymore, duh.
Also, she hasn't reached her sell-by-date yet in Hollywood terms because she's got the best surgeon in the known universe (after a disastrous interlude when she was dating Heath Ledger and had her face stretched so much she looked like the Joker herself).
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
Her screen chemistry with Hugh Grant is phenomenal when (I'm sorry) the fabled Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant chemistry in Notting Hill was DOA. She's just an excellent, excellent costar who never steals a scene without permission.
And actually YES, Sandy, if you're reading this, I have a script for you. It's not mine, so I can't be accused of self-interest. But it's a drama that'll shut up the critics once and for all.
Babe, message me on my Gawker Page. It'll give Denton a thrill.
11/20/09
11/20/09
Maybe if it were an instructional video. (Is it?)
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/21/09
Here's a refresher on Inslaw from Wired.
[www.wired.com]
This article came out in 1993 in their second issue on the stands and ...The Net was released in 1995.
There was other software in development, but this was the only one that had mysterious deaths, intel and corporate intrigue attached to it.
11/21/09
#tips
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
Take 2.
Why do people eat fast food...
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
People like her and are willing to go to even badly-reviewed movies starring her because there's always an element of taste involved (that is even at 20%, that's 20% of reviewers who found the film in question to their taste).
I like a lot of her not-considered-so-great movies (Practical Magic is an all-time favorite), and she has done some really good ones, too.
11/19/09
I also liked "The Net," including Jeremy Northam's performance -- people hated him for some reason.
And who doesn't like "While You Were Sleeping"? Her character's a little wimpy, but she brought her trademark charm.
Even if she's doing all those movies just to make money, who cares? Bullock is not the reason they're bad. As a female actor, her career is likely to be far shorter than that of a comparable male actor. Why shouldn't she salt it away?
With that kind of dough maybe one day she'll be able to direct or produce a movie of which Mr. Rushfield approves.
11/19/09
She can read the phone book on camera for all we care. Now ease up on Sandy and do away with that Megan Fox trollop, please.
11/19/09
11/19/09
What is not to love about this woman?
[www.huffingtonpost.com]
11/19/09
I know many women who hate Julia Roberts, Jennifer Anniston and Katherine Hegel, but I have never known a woman who cannot stand Sandra Bullock.
11/19/09
11/19/09
11/19/09
I'm old, but I'd compare her likability and screen presence to Sally Field.
11/19/09
PS: And I almost, almost liked 28 Days--her AA flick. It's probably her best ever. Maybe because it was directed by a female filmmaker?
11/19/09
@snugbug: Yes, I saw The Net a couple months ago and yes, the infancy of the internet and all it's early hiccups and variations of DOS is pretty hilarious, especially while also taking note of Sandra's high-waisted, lady-pouch jeans. Ah, the nineties...computer crimes and a bare-chested (Marky) Mark Wahlberg.
11/19/09
I love Sally Field, but Sandra Bullock has always seemed sexier to me. She's the smart, pretty, sexy girl-next-door if you lived on a very exceptional block.
11/19/09
This is how I feel about Meg Ryan in certain roles.
11/19/09
I mean, she's clearly a mediocre actress--prone to flipping her hair out of face and crossing her arms with alarming frequency, as if she has no idea what to do with her hands during a talky scene. Her face looks a little.. odd at this point, too. But she occasionally achieved a measure of emotional depth in that film. Enough to make me sympathize with her character. Oh, and I'm fully aware the Women remake was universally panned when it came out. I dunno. I liked it. Bottom line: Meg Ryan trumps Sandra Bullock in my book.