Wrong casting calls
February 23, 2007 | 12:00am
In light of the horrible reviews of the new Ghost Rider movie starring Nicholas Cage, I think it’s safe to say that casting the right person to play an ageless character in a film adaptation is critical to the film’s creative success. You make a mistake and cast somebody like Screech from Saved by the Bell to play Tyler Durden in Fight Club and the film is doomed before anyone has even seen it. Conversely, you make a genius move like casting Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin or Michael Caine as Alfred, Batman’s butler, and you set yourself up for success, creatively at least.
This whole Ghost Rider/Nicholas Cage thing got me thinking, what were the most poorly cast roles of recent memory?
• Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider: When I think of Johnny Blaze, I think of an unconventional, edgy, dangerous-looking biker, not a 43-year-old guy with a receding hairline. Not only did they have to fit him with a goofy hairpiece, they had to chisel his body with some CGI effects to make Cage look ripped. I know Nicolas Cage has some star power, but at his age, he’s better off playing a geeky treasure hunter in search of the Templar treasure. Speaking of geeks and Templars…
•Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon: Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, says Robert Langdon resembles Harrison Ford in Harrison Tweed, not Forrest Gump with The Undertaker’s hairstyle. Tom Hanks has starred in some of the most memorable roles of the past decade, but this one just doesn’t fit the bill. Hanks looked awkward and uncomfortable in Langdon’s shoes and the movie ended up a disappointment.
•Keanu Reeves as John Constantine: Keanu Reeves delivers his lines and showcases his expressions the same way in every movie he stars in. He gets a pass when playing roles like Neo in The Matrix, where being laconic and dry is part of the atmosphere of machines and computers. John Constantine, however, is a cocky, adrenaline fix-chasing Englishman with a sense of wit and sarcasm. The laidback, slow-speaking, dull-eyed acting of Reeves is better suited for lines like "There is no spoon."
•The entire cast of Batman and Robin: I think it’s safe to say the George Clooney experiment didn’t work. But honestly, he wasn’t the worst part of this movie (he may have actually been the most bearable). What really doomed this serving of Batman was Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. The Batgirl character destroyed this movie. She was inconsequential and irrelevant and a lame attempt to add diversity. Add to that a healthy dose of Alicia Silverstone, who’s best acting job was, fittingly, playing somebody clueless, and you’ve got a big problem. And of course, everybody knows that Ah-nold can’t possibly pull off a noisy, eccentric, cornball scientist-gone-mad role like Mr. Freeze. It’s just out of his range (if any).
On Feb. 23, be at the Embassy Superclub for a lesson on social studies like no other! Party with the social DLs of ADMU, DLSU, UA&P and UP and help send kids to school through the Kabataan Nationalista Foundation as we bring you Crash Course – The ACOMM year-ender party!
For free entrance, simply sign up for the guest list and arrive before 12:30 p.m. with your complete course requirements.
The guest list is strictly for ADMU, DLSU, UA&P and UP students only. However, the party is open to all, and those not on the list can simply pay the club’s regular entrance fee.
For more details, view the flyer at ZGJmNnFJQTY0b0I1 VEE9PQ" yousendit.com/download/ ZGJmNnFJQTY0b0I1 VEE9PQ and contact Jay at 0917-8663027 or Alicia at 0917-9917710 for inquiries.
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