r/moviecritic • u/DesperadoKz • 21h ago

Best of all Wahlberg’s acting? Donnie Wahlberg in The Sixth Sense (1999).

907 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

82 comments sorted by

217

u/meatballsub42069 21h ago

Donnie Wahlberg was also really good in Band of Brothers

31

u/ViceroyInhaler 17h ago

Sgt Lipton!

4

u/omnipotentmonkey 17h ago

apart from his narration, he's a little flat there when he's narrating that Foy episode, but otherwise it's a fantastic character performance.

7

u/man_on_hill 10h ago

It’s been a while since I seen BoB, but isn’t he supposed to be flat

He had just witnessed members of his company get blown apart in front of him and is barely keeping it together so he has to be “flat” or else he’ll break down and lose it (they use that episode to show why Lipton would be a great platoon leader as he holds it under control when facing heavy pressure).

5

u/meatballsub42069 17h ago

Sure, I can agree on the flat narration. I thought he was really good with interacting with the others especially as he moved up the ranks.

1

u/Guroburov 9h ago

And in Dreamcatcher

200

u/KitchenMagician94 21h ago

Ive seen this movie so many times and never realized thats donnie wahlberg.

19

u/Callidonaut 15h ago

When you don't even recognise the actor, that's probably a sign that they're putting in a truly convincing performance.

26

u/otepp 20h ago

Holy shit - never realized that was Donnie. I thought he was surprisingly good in Saw 4 (I know, I know). Dude deserves way more credit.

11

u/KitchenMagician94 20h ago

I dont hate on Saw 4, i loved him in Dead Silence haha.

5

u/businesslut 19h ago

Saw 4 was arguably one of the best. And maybe the last watchable ones lol

1

u/gdoubleyou1 11h ago

Weird that I just watched a YouTube video about this movie. He lost like 40 pounds for the movie. I never recognized him either and being younger when it came out, didn’t realize the connection he had with the kid in the movie.

8

u/MajesticKrackenMagik 19h ago

He’s so skinny!

7

u/DrNinnuxx 20h ago

I haven't seen this movie in ages. Need to rewatch.

2

u/stepjenks 13h ago

Hey that's Donnie D to you.

1

u/lkodl 17h ago

it was an old kid on the block the whole time.

1

u/verocarter22 16h ago

I also never noticed the cameraman in the window

1

u/Whole-Debate-9547 11h ago

Same. Hearing his voice made it immediately clear though.

112

u/mikeydel307 21h ago

Mark may have the more successful career in the limelight, but Donnie will always be the better actor.

63

u/PaulZagram 21h ago

Primarily he doesn't deliver all his lines like he just ran a lap around the studio.

12

u/InfiniteAppearance13 19h ago

You gotta see it! You gotta!

8

u/STEELCITY1989 19h ago

He can piss in the urinal from 20 feet away!

4

u/duosx 13h ago

Ehhh, watch The Departed, The Other Guys and most importantly Boogie Nights, then get back to me

2

u/mikeydel307 12h ago

Not a whole lot of range, though I agree that Dirk Diggler is easily his most versatile role. He's kinda typecast as himself.

0

u/duosx 10h ago

No but in those three roles alone, he’s proven himself imo. He’s more of a case of unrealized potential because he’s seemingly happier playing boring action characters. He could’ve had James Mcavoy’s career

2

u/mikeydel307 10h ago

Hot take. Hard disagree.

1

u/Howard_Scott_Warshaw 12h ago

Don't forget about New Kids On The Block

32

u/Sad_John_Stamos 21h ago

Donnie in Band of Brothers too

50

u/numbersev 21h ago

This scene freaked me out as a kid. In fact the entire movie does. The scene with the mom and the one with the stairs during the party. The one where the kid reveals his ability to his mom is a nice one.

The Sixth Sense 1999 - "Do I Make Her Proud?"

25

u/JudiciousF 21h ago

First time seeing Toni Colette in a movie. Thought she really crushed that role.

29

u/Oldgraytomahawk 20h ago

She actually crushes them all. Her lack of an Oscar is wrong on so many levels

6

u/KindBrilliant7879 17h ago

YES!! I WAS JUST SAYING THIS TO MY PARTNER!

just rewatched About A Boy last night, she’s fucking phenomenal in that, too (which, side note, holy shit can we talk about how excellent Nicholas Hoult’s child acting was? he shows off an incredible range in that film at such a young age. i hasn’t seen the movie since i was a kid so his performance really blew me away). she absolutely nails being suicidal in every minute little way. i think it’s definitely supported by excellent dialogue, too (e.g., when Will confronts her asking her not to attempt suicide again, and she kind of awkwardly smiles with a scoff and says “well i don’t have any plans to commit suicide so it’s fine!”). i can’t really find the words to describe it, it’s just excellent. every film i’ve ever seen her in she knocks it out of the goddamn park.

1

u/LadyBug_0570 18h ago

I first saw her in Muriel's Wedding and this was a hell of a departure from that role.

7

u/Jcampbell1796 19h ago

I saw some interviews with Colette and Osmont after the “do I make her proud” scene and apparently after the take they were both in tears, hysterical. They were yelling to the crew, “did you get that?!” and assured that yes, it was all captured.

7

u/STEELCITY1989 19h ago

"She told me she saw you dance..."

2

u/KindBrilliant7879 17h ago

that scene always makes me tear up big time

7

u/Djoarhet 20h ago

This was definitely the scariest movie I watched as a kid. Also don't forget the scene with Mischa Barton.

2

u/KindBrilliant7879 17h ago

ooh fuck the scene where Osmet finds that girl vomiting in the blanket fort, runs away, and attempts to approach it again, and the collapsed blabket reveals the frame of a person underneath it

that freaked me the fuck out as a kid

1

u/biggy2302 15h ago

The fact that Haley Joel Osmet didn’t win an Oscar for this, is damn near criminal.

16

u/Own_Cloud2579 21h ago

I always liked Donnie in Dream Catcher

8

u/ydkjordan 20h ago

I Dudditz!!!

3

u/DJJbird09 19h ago

Wow I didn't know that was him in that movie!

2

u/BVRPLZR_ 19h ago

Ooby ooby do!

13

u/Vaportrail 20h ago

When I first saw this (at like 14 years old), I thought this was a scene of what happened at the end of the story, I forget why. Probably why I didn't figure out the twist. So hey, ya got me M. Knight.

8

u/FreshLiterature 19h ago

Donnie is the better actor, but Donnie has focused more on series.

He did Blue Bloods for 9 years and the time commitment for a series like that makes it impossible to do movies.

1

u/unpronouncedable 13h ago

Try 14 years

6

u/mickey91292 20h ago

He was good in a mini series called The Kill Point too

5

u/Suitepotatoe 20h ago

Sometimes I see it. But wow. I would have never thought it was him.

5

u/Resolution_Powerful 20h ago

Dude had to kill himself so he can be Captain Lipton

5

u/THE_RANSACKER_ 19h ago

Wow I didn’t know this was Donnie .. simply amazing

4

u/Without_Delay 18h ago

Yo no quiero morir

5

u/Wendi_Bird 18h ago

This scene scarred the fuck out of me.

5

u/red_cobra88 19h ago

I wish he would have said, "Here's Donnie!" And started doing the dance from good vibrations. That would have really capped off this scene.

2

u/LanguageIllustrious2 19h ago

Agree without question!

2

u/xxfallen420xx 19h ago

Idk he was really good in band of brothers as well

2

u/saintkev40 19h ago

He was awesome in Band of Brothers

2

u/desandmol 19h ago

Jesus I forgot he played this role.

2

u/Coffee_achiever_guy 18h ago

This part scared the hell out of me as a kid

2

u/Shot_Pop7624 17h ago

Thats crazy, I thought this was Michale Reid Mackay this whole time.

2

u/Wide-Matter-9899 17h ago

"I see Wahlberg brothers!"

4

u/Feralcat01 20h ago

Wow! I haven’t seen this since I saw it in theaters, and while Wahlberg wasn’t as big as an actor yet then, I never realized this was him. I didn’t know he could be confused with good acting, however brief the role.

2

u/LadyBug_0570 18h ago

Back then he was a still a New Kid On The Block to me, so I was very impressed with his acting.

1

u/EffectNo1899 17h ago

Saw this a kid and don't even remember this part. Gonna have to watch again

1

u/Gunslinger510 16h ago

This scene gives me chills every time

1

u/Glum-Assistance-7221 11h ago

His motivation was ‘I’m living in the shadow of my brother Mark’. Jokes aside he is an awesome and under-appreciated actor

1

u/Sad-Attempt4920 11h ago

The same Donnie Wahlberg from blue bloods or NKOB?

1

u/CaptainHowdy_313 10h ago

He really looks like he's Hangin Tough!

1

u/Icy-Assistance-2555 9h ago

It took me 15 years to realise this was Donnie Wahlberg. Brilliant performance.

1

u/PiaggioBV350 9h ago

I had no idea it was him until long after I saw the movie.

1

u/SnooKiwis2796 9h ago

Wow, you really do learn something new every day

1

u/P-B-Town 8h ago

Shit that was Donnie???

1

u/SkibidiTop 2h ago

Its so ugly when people have that neanderthal ass forehead. Dexter was bad for that.

1

u/bruswazi 7m ago

Shit, didn’t even recognize him in this movie.

1

u/Suitepotatoe 20h ago

Sometimes I see it. But wow. I would have never thought it was him.

1

u/preciousmetal99 10h ago

Creepy movie

-10

u/HaroldCaine 19h ago

Dude, it was a cameo. Relax. Dude got super skinny and acted creepy for a few minutes. End scene.

Mark in "Boogie Nights" blows this out of the water. Stop trying to be so edgy with this pick.

7

u/LadyBug_0570 18h ago

Mark, your brother was great. Knock it off and stop being jealous.

8

u/No-Zookeepergame5954 19h ago

I dunno if the most important scene in the movie is just a cameo lol

3

u/ShredMyMeatball 17h ago

I'm so sorry for your inability to notice good acting.

Blink twice if Mark is in the room with you.