Jon Bon Jovi is 'Tom Cruise' of Music

Yeah, here are a few comments from directors, co-stars, and critics for you. Jon's not blowing smoke out of his ass when he says he's been critically acclaimed. He has been--and by some of the biggies like Peter Travers, Owen Glieberman. Even Siskel & Ebert did a special video piece on him years ago.

I was a little apprehensive about putting him in the movie because I was doing a very realistic period piece and what I said to Jon was, before the picture, was I said "You have to be twice as good as anybody else because you have to be great for the part and you have to be twice that great to make me forget that you're Jon Bon Jovi."
--Jonathan Mostow, director, Bravo Profile 2001

He's so accessible that the audience watches it and they go, "I believe him. He's credible. I believe him. He's just like me."
Jonathan Mostow, director, Bravo Profile 2001

He fits into the ensemble of the crew perfectly. He just gets these looks of anxiety and fear in his face that are very pure and very raw. It reminded me in some ways of Christopher Wakins performance in The Deer Hunter. I think that level it's that level of fierce and very intense acting."
--Owen Glieberman, Bravo Profile 2001

I think he will eventually have an audience of people who are fans of him as an actor that may not even know his work as a musician.
--Jonathan Mostow, director, Bravo Profile 2001

I was impressed with the guy. He came in with none of what you would expect. There was no attitude at all. He wasn't a rock star; he was an actor. And he was an actor who delivered. I was ecstatic with his performance.
--Director, Jonathan Mostow

Every performance is top notch including Bon Jovi, who does very well in these small roles. Total guy movie with the girls coming in for Matthew, Bill and Jon. I give it an A.
--Chuck the Movie Guy

Most of the performers in 'U-571 have been cast subtly against type, an effect that's only enhanced by the severity of their military haircuts, and we're held, in scene after scene, by the emotion in their faces: the husky authority of David Keith, the surprising tremulousness of Jon Bon Jovi (completely unrecognizable without his rock-dandy mane), the prickliness of Harvey Keitel, and the tersely woeful heroism of Matthew McConaughey.
--Owen Gleiberman, EW

... Keitel, Noseworthy, and the ever-more-respectable Jon Bon Jovi give solid turns...
--Tor Thorson

I went to this film with very low expectations, based on the presence of Jon Bon Jovi in the cast, but enjoyed it immensely--such is the folly of preconceptions. Bon Jovi turns out to be a perfectly capable and engaging actor, the plot is delightfully mischievous, the script is both droll and naturalistic, the other actors are uniformly convincing, and there's a strong emotional resonance at the core of the drama.
--The Drum Media, 4/29/97

Jon Bon Jovi, quondam purveyor of simian rock music, manages to beguile us.... In fact, the one truly familiar face that Duigan has cast belongs to a fellow so famous in such a distinctly noncinematic context that his appearance is an ironic joke that actually lends credence to his presence... Such is the delicate poise achieved by Bon Jovi in his suprisingly subtle work here that we never can tell if Robin is earnest or sinister.
--The Oregonian 4/10/98

Rock stars dip into movies with the same attitude they apply to groupie sex--good for a quick thrill, not the long haul. Jon Bon Jovi is an exception. He had an engaging bit in Moonlight & Valentino in 1995 and damn near steals the upcoming Ed Burns film No Looking Back, in a supporting role. Bon Jovi takes center stage in TLM, playing Robin Grange, a cocky American movie star out to prove himself as a serious actor on the London stage.... Bon Jovi flashes out the role with rare poise and magnetism. Most stars from other media want to be loved onscreen and therefore choose sympathetic parts. Robin is a charming prick at times, but he is a prick nonetheless and that's how Bon Jovi plays him. He lets us see Robin's subtle skill at manipulation... Watching Bon Jovi ease into an acting career is even more of a kick. He's no Oscar contender yet, but he's no joke either. The kid from New Jersey is now 36 and on his way.
--Peter Travers, Rolling Stone.

Rock stars, as a rule, don't make very good movie stars. They're so accustomed to viewing themselves as the hottest thing in the room that they instinctively turn the tinest moments into extravagant gestures of self-regard. But, Jon Bon Jovi in The Leading Man, proves he's the rare celebrity musician who knows how to underplay... Bon Jovi, as Robin, ends up seducing everyone in sight, including the audience.
--OG, Entertainment Weekly

Jon Bon Jovi gives an assured, shrewd performance...sexy and sly as a fox.
--Dennis Dermody, Paper Magazine

The Leading Man brings together a diverse cast that works through its very differences. The camera loves Jon Bon Jovi, and we are graced with enough tight close ups to satisfy the fans. The surprise is how good he is in the role of Robin Grange. He brings such complexity and credibility to this manipulative character, as we go along for the ride.
--Louise Keller, Cinefile Reviews

Jersey's Jon Bon Jovi struts his considerable stuff in The Leading Man... In Moonlight & Valentino, New Jersey rock idol Jon Bon Jovi proved he was a natural screen presence. Now in The Leading Man, Bon Jovi shows he can act. Even more impressive, he holds his own among a cast of polished British actors... It's great fun watching Bon Jovi ooze his charm and get away with his triple-timing. He has a braod smile and economical moves; his manner is never artificial and one can easily see why all the women are impressed... It is called The Leading Man and the leading man in question has the kind of abs and smile that render such misgivings inconsequential. And, he can act.
--Eleanore O'Sullivan

Bon Jovi, stuck with the thankless job of playing decency, does it with such subtle humor and raw feeling that you wonder why Claudia would ever stray. The rocker turned actor is strikingly good, and his scenes with Burns are the best and most honestly rendered in the film.
--Peter Travers, Rolling Stone 4/16/98

Bon Jovi impresses in the nice-guy role that Burns usually plays. Most musicians taking a stab at acting suffer from either typecasting or an extreme case of vanity, but not Bon Jovi. The singer wisely underplays his role as Michael. His decent, quietly natural performance following a nice supporting turn in 1995's aimess Moonlight and Valentino, suggests he could yet become an actor of note.
--Mike Boon, Calgary Herald
Bon Jovi is the only sympathetic character in the whole movie. His acting talents are much greater than they might seem, but he is given a mostly bland and ineffective role to work with.
--Matt Williams, Cinematter

A tearful moment between Claudia and Michael reveals a great future for the expanding acting career of Bon Jovi, here providing the only three-dimensional performance in the film.
--Elias Savada, 4-10-98

When a rocker-turned-thespian is the best thing in a movie, you know you're in for it. Actually, Bon Jovi isn't bad in this trite tale of a small-town waitress torn between her fiance (played by Mr. Multiplatinum) and a former boyfriend who drifts back into her life.
--Entertainment Weekly

In many scenes here, singer Bon Jovi is better than his co-stars. This includes the often lauded (Blythe) Danner as Claudia's mother.
--The Sun Herald Timeout, Australia

Winner of the Week: Jon Bon Jovi: When the hair-metal-has-been took up acting, most sane people thought he was livin' on a prayer. Apparently not: His work in the new movie No Looking Back is garnering glowing reviews. --Entertainment Weekly, 4/17/98

"The character is such a working-class Joe," he says, "I thought how audiences might react to seeing a rock star in that role. But Jon's acting coach, Harold Guskin, had been telling me for years what a good actor Jon was. And he just sort of slipped into the character's skin. Unlike a lot of rock stars who've tried to act, it's not an affected performance," says Mr. Burns. "Jon doesn't feel the need to try and act. It's very still and internal."
--New York Times, 3/22/98

I find it pretty ridiculous to compare praising Scientology with campaigning for the homeless.

Yeah, looks idiotic to me.

YES. I was trying to word that myself but couldn't find a way to not offend any scientologists here. Assuming there ARE any.

At any rate, the two don't compare. What other personal vendettas has JBJ shoved down our throats? Well coiffed hair? I mean really. The sports thing is annoying but he's hardly screaming at us not to take medication.

It doesn't matter exactly what they're campaigning about, the point is they do. I wasn't saying JBJ is wrong to do it, but you have to admit it's rare to see a story about JBJ these days that doesn't talk about his work in that field. You're letting your disdain towards Scientology and your admiration for philanthropy skew your view here. So no, not an idiotic analogy at all.

Are those just the ones off the top of your head?

interesting read. thanks for posting. i'm a recent fan so it's all fresh to my eyes.

i am surprised because i have seen/read interviews where jon is very self-depreciating about his acting and what others have said about his performances.

i would be interested to read English critc's views too. i just presumed those were all US based?

Then what is your point here when there is nothing wrong with it? There's nothing skewed when I disdain Scientology and admire philanthropy. You obviously let your discontent with Bon Jovi skew your view so that you need to disdain Jon's philanthropic appearances. If the point was THAT they're campaigning you could also compare him to Hitler. The point is you can't.

Yeah. I'm *that* good. LOL (kidding)


I believe The Drum Media was an English pubilcation, though I wouldn't swear to it. Back when I was accruing a lot of this stuff (pre-U-571), I didn't have an internet connection, so many of the items came from pen-pals who either had interent connections or got them out of local papers or whatever. Some were in magazines I bought. Some I found online later, but, as with most news articles, many articles referencing the earlier movies would have been dead links by the time I would have had a chance to find them. Basically, what I'm telling you is that I didn't have a great source for English critics for the earlier films.

Nice quotes. But, did you watch Vampires and Pucked? Jon is the worst actor EVER. And you know what is funny? he used to be a regular actor in the 90's but these days he makes wrong decisions. You forgot that directors and actors will never say bad things about a "professional" in their cast, but PEOPLE knows that he suck.




(i have other scenes in my mind if you're interested)

Is this a really good acting?? Jon is one of all time best song writer/musician/frontman but in acting Jon is worst than Joey Tribbiani.

I really honestly don't think that Jon shoves any of that down people's throats. Yes, he promotes habitat , big deal, it's a good thing he has done. But i don't see him telling fans to go out and join it. Sure he has made people more aware of it but they choose to participate if they want to. Yes he promotes the Philly Soul (which i agree with someone who said it is so annoying, but it's perrogative!) but it's not like every Jovi fan feels obligated to become a football fan now, (I sure don't).

He is also a HUGE DEMOCRAT supporter and while yes, he campaigns for people like Gore, Kerry, Clinton, it's not like he brings up his political views at concerts (like some other bands/artists do).