bad acting
Cringe-worthy stage presence
Bad acting is performance that fails to convince—wooden delivery, exaggerated emotions, or visible effort where naturalness should be.
The phrase covers everything from amateur stiffness to overwrought melodrama.
Often used as casual criticism: The movie had a decent plot but the bad acting ruined it.
What counts as bad acting shifts with era and style; yesterday's acclaimed performance may look hammy today.
- woodenMade from timber
- hammyExcessively theatrical in style
- ham it upPerform with exaggerated theatrics
- overactingExcessive theatrical performance
- chewing the sceneryExaggerated theatrical performance
over the top · stiff · cringeworthy · melodramatic · stilted · forced · unconvincing · cheesy · scenery-chewing · flat · monotone · phoning it in · soap opera · community theater · dinner theater · B-movie · corny · exaggerated
- B-moviesB-movie, exploitation film, exploitation films, cult film, cult classic