Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – 8
You’ll like this movie if you like
- End of the world stories
- Steve Carell
- Gentle comedy
I believe Steve Carell is this generation’s Steve
Martin. When it’s all said and done he’s
going to have a nice body of work that made us laugh. That will be a nice legacy.
In this movie an asteroid is hurtling toward earth and there’s no way to stop it. The world will end in 2 weeks, no doubt about it. What would you do?
Steve’s character is an earnest, simple guy whose wife looks
at him upon hearing the news, and jumps out of the car, never to be seen
again. He keeps going to work as a lot
of crazy things happen around him, none of which is terribly surprising. He meets his lovelorn neighbor, played by
Keira Knightley. They appear to have
little chemistry as they embark on their end-of-the-world quests, but with a
few days left, who’s going to quibble?
You know what’s going to happen, but the ride is enjoyable.
You’ll like this movie if you like
- 80’s rock
- Tom Cruise
- Julianne Hough
Now I’m not that big a fan of 80’s music and that limited my
involvement here. There aren’t enough
musicals made, and this is why. They are
hard to do. If you’ve seen the movie
Burlesque, you’ll know this plot. Small
town girl who can sing and dance goes to Los
Angeles
Nevertheless the earnestness of the whole effort kind of
wins you over. Julianne Hough continues
to show that she’s got the screen presence to be a star. Singing – good, dancing – great, except she
doesn’t get to get footloose nearly enough.
Please Hollywood
But – the reason to see this movie is to see Tom Cruise as
over the top rock star Stacie Jaxx. Who
knew he could sing? I kind of snickered
when I heard he would play a rock star.
I should have to eat a Snickers.
He’s amazing in the role.
It’s going to be a rough upcoming year
for Cruise. His third divorce (of a 33
year old woman – isn’t that bizarre?) is going to be very public and probably
reveal a lot of creepiness about scientology.
While he struggles through his private life, his devotion to the craft
of movie making is undeniable. I submit
the following:
He’s the greatest movie star of all time.
You may not like his beliefs. You may not like him as an actor. But he has put together a string of iconic
roles in classic movies that he has carried with his intensity, attention to
detail, and yes his desire to be a star.
He’s played by the rules and has never once just gone through the
motions. He’s advanced the art, and
we’ve come to expect more from movies because of a handful of people. Speilberg.
Lucas. Scorsece. DeNiro.
Cruise. It’s Cruise that puts
himself out there, on screen, in larger than life roles that he has to make you
believe. You usually do, and you're not the only one. His box office numbers are staggering.
Look at his filmography:
Taps – first signs of his intensity on display
The Outsiders – what a cast!
Risky Business – He slides across the floor and forever
injects himself into every movie montage that will ever be made.
All the Right Moves – you believe him as a football player,
and his athleticism will become a hallmark.
Top Gun – how many people do you know that can recite every
word of this movie?
The Color of Money – he helps Paul Newman win his only Oscar.
Cocktail – charisma if not much else
Rain Man – he helps Dustin Hoffman win an Oscar. His great performance may be overshadowed by
Hoffman, but without Cruise this movie wouldn’t have been what it was.
Born on the Fourth of July – an amazing transformation nets
him an Oscar nomination
Far and Away – Great with Nicole Kidman
Days of Thunder – Terrible with Nicole Kidman
A Few Good Men – admit it, you know every word to this movie
too. His tangle with Jack Nicholson is
legendary. We got the truth.
The Firm – He lands the lead and then nails it in the most
highly anticipated movie of that year.
Interview with the Vampire – Nobody thought he could do it,
but he did.
Magnolia – some say his best role ever
Mission Impossible – He launches an empire
Jerry Maguire – another iconic role in a legendary movie
which I admit I don’t care for that much.
Eyes Wide Shut – Divorces Nicole after a movie I can’t stand
but many think is a classic.
MI2 – more box office
Vanilla Sky – highly regarded and a stretch.
Minority Report – Begins teaming with Speilberg. This movie is incredible science fiction and
is both of them at their best.
The Last Samurai – I’ve never seen this one, but I have a
friend who claims this is his best movie.
Collateral – I just bought this one on Blu-ray. Some truly amazing work. His dedication to preparation is evident as
he totally embodies a hit man.
War of the Worlds – The second teaming with Speilberg
doesn’t go as well, but still an entertaining movie.
MI3 – more money. By
the way he cements himself as the best movie runner of all time, even if nobody
can actually sprint 2 miles like he seems to do in this movie.
Lions for Lambs – fares pretty well with Redford
and Streep, but the movie falls flat
Tropic Thunder – you have to see it to believe it. Unrecognizable at first, but the talent is on
display.
Valkyrie – Nice try, but doesn’t work
Knight and Day – Great chemistry with Cameron Diaz, but
absolutely ridiculous movie
MI4 – Ghost Protocol – amazing stunt work highlights this
huge comeback hit after two misfires.
Rock of Ages – Who’d a thunk it? Another role you’d never think he could play.
Folks – Now that’s a resume and there’s more to come. Appreciate his movie making. He’s advanced the art and movies are held to
a higher standard because of what he’s done.
By the time he’s finished there won’t be any doubt. Spencer Tracy once said the key to acting was
“just say the lines and don’t run into the furniture.” Tom Cruise has done so much more than
that. Don’t misunderstand. He isn’t the greatest actor of all time, but
he’s the greatest movie star. Grab some
popcorn and enjoy.
