15 of the worst accents in movies, according to critics

Max KalnitzNov 17, 2020, 01:26 IST

Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan star in "Wild Mountain Thyme."Likely Story

Sometimes actors might look the part, but they just don't sound the part.
Dick Van Dyke gifted the world arguably the worst fake accent in Disney's 1964 classic "Mary Poppins" and still had to apologize for it more than 50 years later.
Even James Van Der Beek's son couldn't get behind his Texas accent in "Varsity Blues."
We rounded up 15 of the worst accents from the big screen, according to critics.

The trailer for the upcoming movie "Wild Mountain Thyme" was released last week, and the internet wasted no time roasting the cast for their lackluster accents.

The romantic film starring Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan takes place in Ireland, yet the Irish found the actors' accents to be so bad that the phrase "Oh Jesus" started trending on Twitter. Even Dornan, who is Northern Irish, wasn't safe, with one fan tweeting, "The saddest part about the wild mountain thyme trailer is that Jamie Dornan is an actual Irish person."

But Blunt, Dornan, and their castmates aren't the only actors to fall short when it comes to putting on an accent. From British to Russian, American to Japanese, here 15 bad movie accents, according to critics.

Critics felt Laurence Olivier embraced his character's Jewish and German roots a bit too much in "The Jazz Singer."

Laurence Olivier. EMI Films

Sean Connery's and Christopher Lambert's accents both missed the mark in "Highlander."

Sean Connery (top) and Christopher Lambert in "Highlander." 20th Century Fox

Mickey Rooney's accent for the character Mr. Yunioshi in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" has been heavily criticized.

Mickey Rooney in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Dick Van Dyke's performance in "Mary Poppins" was once ranked "the worst British accent by an American."

Dick Van Dyke as Bert in "Mary Poppins." Disney

Kevin Costner's accent in "Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves" is hated almost as much as Dick Van Dyke's poor Cockney.

Kevin Costner in "Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves." Warner Brothers/Getty Images

Critics and fans tore Nicolas Cage apart for his Italian accent in "Captain Corelli's Mandolin."

Nicolas Cage in "Captain Corelli's Mandolin." Universal Pictures/Getty Images

Critics slammed Anne Hathaway's Yorkshire accent in "One Day."

Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess in "One Day." Giles Keyte/Focus Features

Nobody knows what's going on with Jon Voight's accent in "Anaconda."

Jon Voight. Columbia Pictures

Fans and critics are passionately opinionated about Leonardo DiCaprio's accent in "Blood Diamond."

DiCaprio. Warner Bros.

American accents are tough even for American actors, as proven by James Van Der Beek in "Varsity Blues."

James Van Der Beek came under fire for his "Varsity Blues" accent. Getty Images

Critics felt Keanu Reeves' English accent wasn't convincing enough in "Bram Stoker's Dracula."

Keanu Reeves in "Bram Stoker's Dracula." Columbia Pictures

Harrison Ford delivered an underwhelming Russian accent in "K-19: The Widowmaker."

Harrison Ford. Paramount

Cameron Diaz's and Leonardo DiCaprio's Irish accents dragged compared to their co-stars in "Gangs of New York."

Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio. Miramax Films

Angelina Jolie caught flack for her character's accent in "Alexander."

Angelina Jolie. Warner Bros.

Critics couldn't figure out Jodie Foster's accent in "Elysium": Was it bad South African, or British, or French?

Jodie Foster. TriStar Pictures

12 interesting things you may not know about 'The Crown'

Cookies on the Business Insider India website