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Is Bruce Almighty the Jim Carrey comeback movie? (1 Viewer)

Seth Paxton

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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.
 

Rob Bartlett

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he's turning into John Travolta... made 2 good movies, then a slew of mediocre, but still demands a huge salary
That is absolutely the nicest thing I've ever heard about John Travolta in the longest time.


Great actors?


Anthony Hopkins

Michael Caine
Michael Caine is not that much greater an actor then Carrey, in the spirit of the conversation. (But still better). He had better taste in films in his youth. But He does more or less play the same character over and over. He's very good at what he does, but up until The Quiest American , was sort of one trick pony. (OK, a one-trick stallion ) If Carrey ever learns to reel it in, then he could run rings around Caine.

As for Hopkins, I won't be kind. Hopkins may be a very talented actor, but he's not a "great" one, anymore then someone who tests very well but never does his homework is a great student. He's a character actor who lucked, and as much as I detest the phrase, (and might not even use it if he didn't admit it) "sold out". He's willing to play his roles like a cartoon, and aisde from Titus I can't think of a single film in his last ten years that I don't consider a confrontational insult.


Carrey may not be one of the greats, but sadly, his filmography in the nineties eclipses Hopkins'. And I don't think Carrey's films are that outstanding to begin with. (and even his prime is dwarfed to almost pitiful status by others Dennis compared him with. Ian McKellen is outclassing him with action figure movies .)


That said, I think it's difficult for any star to become one of the greats. Especially when stardom is hit so young. When you achieve a certain amount of success, whether through fart jokes or prison dramas, you tend to get pidgeonholed for the sake of livelihood. You're no longer selling a craft, you're leasing an image. Look at Robert DeNiro. His performance in Goodfellas is great, but at best is it any more then a fine-tuning of his established persona? (And let's not get in further the decade.)

I know some people called Punch Drunk Love an admirable stretch for Sandler. But it really wasn't. It followed the formula all of Sandler's movies do, but it was retouched by a more visionary and disciplined director.

Also, the problem with Carrey is, he wants to be a star in the classic sense. he wants to be a throwback. That's simply not how its going to work. One becomes a star, a true star, not by channeling an actor, but by carving out one's own aura. Tomh Hanks and Jimmy Stewart are compared a lot, but do they share that many qualities. George Clooney is called "his generation's Cary Grant", but that's pretty much out of an evident disire to create a Cary Grant. All the great actors Dennis mentioned can't be compared to anyone, except McKellen, Hopkins and Holm, by virtue of being British stage actors.

I think another there's another problem, and this is the hugest one. Jim Carrey pidgeonholes comedies. He seems, unlike Sandler, to not want to push the boundries of the genre he's most sucessful in. It never occurs to him to do a Christopher Guest or Coen Brothers type film. He never tries to do a smart comedy . Rather he wants to mold himself into a leading man. Now, I have to admit, he's quite successful as a leading man. But will that make you remembered?
 

TheLongshot

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Jason
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.
That's the way I see him. He's very good at being an ordinary Joe, and like Stewart, he's able to extend himself as needed. (Thinking of "Road To Perdition" and "Catch Me If You Can".)

Actually, I'm thinking that Carrey's career is paralleling Robin Williams' a bit. They both started out being comedians doing their thing, then moved on to trying to be more dramatic. Robin has so far been more successful at this (tho he went to the well far too many times with Patch Adams.)

I'm more looking forward to ESotSM, personally. Bruce Almighty just looks like a comedic vehicle, which makes me think, "have I seen this before?"

Jason
 

Steve_Knutzen

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Actually, I'm thinking that Carrey's career is paralleling Robin Williams' a bit. They both started out being comedians doing their thing, then moved on to trying to be more dramatic. Robin has so far been more successful at this (tho he went to the well far too many times with Patch Adams.)
I couldn't agree more.
 

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