Seth Paxton
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 1998
- Messages
- 7,585
I think Hanks crossed over into great actor status with his mid-90's work. Gump might have seemed a bit "easy" for the Oscar win, but his Philadelphia win was decently earned. And on top of that I think a good argument could be made for his Apollo 13 and Cast Away efforts in regards to his acting ability greatly enhancing the picture.
While it's true that he tends to stick to the "everyman" character, the same was said of the actor he is most compared to - Jimmy Stewart.
And continuing this point, I also think that Cruise has probably moved a bit away from being just a "star" even though he doesn't display the range of some of the greatest actors. In the areas he stays in he is generally an outstanding actor. I think a lot of the power of Jerry Mcguire comes from his performance for example.
The idea that Jim Carrey could follow that road seems quite possible to me. The idea that it's ludicrous is the silly statement IMO. Certainly it could still be a long road ahead for him, but if you had said that the guy who starred in Bachelor Party and B.Buddies was going to win to Oscars for drama films people would have laughed at you before it happened.
The key for Carrey is that he does seem to be able to tap into emotional content. I mean I think he is an emotional guy and that this is where a lot of his comedy comes from. The trick is to unlearn some of the comedic props and schticks he sometimes likes to fall back into when he is playing serious and isn't sure where to go. Just doing lots of work is perhaps the best way to overcome this.
Steve Martin never quite got there, but he was still able to shift pretty far away from doing the late 70's version of Jackass - The Jerk. Let's be fair, cult classic, yes, but pinnacle of class and character at the time of its release, no way. Both Martin and Hanks were working in comedy with similar outrageous acts to Carrey's.
So rather than being a crazy idea, to me it seems quite feasible. The Truman Show wasn't that far off.
Besides, didn't anyone see Punch Drunk Love? No way you can tell me that Sandler is less silly than Carrey on a regular basis. Right material, great director = good chance of dramatic success.
While it's true that he tends to stick to the "everyman" character, the same was said of the actor he is most compared to - Jimmy Stewart.
And continuing this point, I also think that Cruise has probably moved a bit away from being just a "star" even though he doesn't display the range of some of the greatest actors. In the areas he stays in he is generally an outstanding actor. I think a lot of the power of Jerry Mcguire comes from his performance for example.
The idea that Jim Carrey could follow that road seems quite possible to me. The idea that it's ludicrous is the silly statement IMO. Certainly it could still be a long road ahead for him, but if you had said that the guy who starred in Bachelor Party and B.Buddies was going to win to Oscars for drama films people would have laughed at you before it happened.
The key for Carrey is that he does seem to be able to tap into emotional content. I mean I think he is an emotional guy and that this is where a lot of his comedy comes from. The trick is to unlearn some of the comedic props and schticks he sometimes likes to fall back into when he is playing serious and isn't sure where to go. Just doing lots of work is perhaps the best way to overcome this.
Steve Martin never quite got there, but he was still able to shift pretty far away from doing the late 70's version of Jackass - The Jerk. Let's be fair, cult classic, yes, but pinnacle of class and character at the time of its release, no way. Both Martin and Hanks were working in comedy with similar outrageous acts to Carrey's.
So rather than being a crazy idea, to me it seems quite feasible. The Truman Show wasn't that far off.
Besides, didn't anyone see Punch Drunk Love? No way you can tell me that Sandler is less silly than Carrey on a regular basis. Right material, great director = good chance of dramatic success.