What is Acting Anyway?
Critics love Ryan Gosling. Many are throwing around the moniker of "Young Brando" in their reviews of his recent performance in Half Nelson. He does have some of that lithe physicality so, hey why not? I don't know shit about acting. When it comes to leading men and women, once the actor has shown him or herself capable of memorizing lines and doing a fair approximation of an English accent, it seems to me, that they are only as good as the material. Do you really think that if John Travolta's part in Pulp Fiction went to, say, Luke Perry of 90210 fame that it wouldn't be Luke Perry with the revitalized career and a fleet of prop-planes in his backyard?
I was subjected to watching The Notebook, Gosling's previous film, this weekend and, I'll be damned if he wasn't just another competent actor in a mediocre chick flick. Half Nelson on the other hand is a great movie. The premise is totally original, each scene punchy and about something, the dialogue is brilliant and subtle but I think Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains star turned religious nut) would have done just as good a job as "Young Brando".
I know I'm wrong, I'm just not sure why. I know acting isn't a science, it's an art, and Brando in, pretty much, everything up to The Godfather is undeniably it's greatest practitioner on screen anyway. Maybe I should read a book on it.
posted by Peter at 7:48 AM
5 Comments:
I need to see this!
And welcome back! Are you under the radar, or may I link you?
seems like everyone is the next brando until they aren't. does that make sense? I haven't seen that movie, but read the book. (DON'T TELL ANYONE.)
Lisa
i haven't seen this film or the notebook.
but i did see murder by numbers and he was decent in that.
Beth- Yeah, Half Nelson is a fantastic. It's by a brand new writer/director who is definitely going to be a heavy hitter in the future. Thanks for the welcome back. I'm sort of taking it slow but, by all means, link away!
Lisa- Yeah, just like everyone was the next Dylan (Bowie, Tom Waits, Springsteen) until they weren't. Not that those aren't wildly talented artists, it's more critics going for an easy and provocative declaration. Oh, you mean The Notebook! No shame in that. It was good for that genre, I think? The book was huge. Fuck it anyway--I've read The Davinci Code, four Harry Potters, a ton of Stephen King and I loved every minute of it. Sue me.
Brat- Half Nelson is a killer movie. The Notebook is decent; I thought Rachael McAdams was the standout actually. I haven't seen murder by numbers. Maybe I should just to make a study of this Gosling chap.
I don't think I've seen him in anything other than a few photos with Alanis and now that's gone to dust too I think? I've heard good things about this one too but may wait for the old dvd.
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