Originally published Tuesday, April 04, 2006… then randomly deleted by myspace in late 2006.
Movie of the Week
Movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064115/
Length: 110 minutes
Why it’s worth watching/re-watching (without giving up any plot points): Great use of scenery, nice pacing, engaging story. But mostly, Paul Newman and Robert Redford. These two have legendary chemistry, (not of the Ledger-Gyllenhaal variety) and it’s just a pleasure to watch them operate. Come to think of it, I can’t think of better non-romantic duo than Newman and Redford. There are five main components of a good buddy team, as you’ll see below. Let’s break it down:
Newman & Redford ( BC&tSK, The Sting)
Acting skills: 5/5
Likeability: 5/5
Star Power & Charisma: 5/5
Chemistry: 5/5
Comedy: 4/5
Overall: 24/25
In relatively recent years, who can compare?
Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthou (Grumpy/Grumpier Old Men, The Odd Couple*)
Acting skills: 4.5/5
Likeability: 4.5/5
Star Power & Charisma: 4/5
Chemistry: 5/5
Comedy: 5/5
Overall: 23/25
* I have not seen The Odd Couple
Robert De Niro & Joe Pesci (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino)
Acting skills: 5/5
Likeability: 3.5/5
Star Power & Charisma: 4.5/5
Chemistry: 5/5
Comedy: 3.5/5 (Funny like a clown?)
Overall: 21.5/25
Mel Gibson & Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon Series)
Acting skills: 4/5
Likeability: 4.5/5
Star Power & Charisma: 4/5
Chemistry: 4.5/5
Comedy: 4/5
Overall: 21/25
Eddie Murphy & Nick Nolte (48 Hours)
Acting skills: 3/5
Likeability: 4/5
Star Power & Charisma: 4/5
Chemistry: 4.5/5
Comedy: 4.5/5
Overall: 20/25
Chris Farley & David Spade (Tommy Boy)
Acting skills: 2.5/5
Likeability: 4/5
Star Power & Charisma: 3.5/5
Chemistry: 5/5
Comedy: 5/5
Overall: 20/25
Brad Pitt & George Clooney (Ocean’s 11)
Acting skills: 4.5/5
Likeability: 5/5
Star Power & Charisma: 5/5
Chemistry: 2.5/5
Comedy: 3/5
Overall: 20/25
Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers)
Acting skills: 2/5
Likeability: 4.5/5
Star Power & Charisma: 4/5
Chemistry: 4.5/5
Comedy: 5/5
Overall: 20/25
Robert Downey Jr. & Val Kilmer (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)
Acting skills: 4/5
Likeability: 3/5
Star Power & Charisma: 3.5/5
Chemistry: 4.5/5
Comedy: 4/5
Overall: 19/25
And just for the hell of it…
Jackie Chan & Chris Tucker (Rush Hour)
Acting skills: 0.5/5
Likeability: 3.5/5
Star Power & Charisma: 2.5/5
Chemistry: 4/5
Comedy: 4.5/5 (mostly unintentional)
Overall: 15/25
Obviously this is not the definitive, all-encompassing buddy-duo list. I will probably think of more to add later and/or field any suggestions from my 2.5 readers. Back to the movie of the week…
Downside you may have to overlook to enjoy the film: The film drags a bit toward the end.
My favorite scene/line from the film: Who are those guys?
My rating (out of 4): 3.89
One-word soundtrack/score review (if applicable): Solid.
Movie of the Week
Movie: Super Troopers (2001)
IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247745/
Length: 100 minutes
Why it’s worth watching/re-watching (without giving up any plot points): Last night I was flipping through channels waiting for 24 to begin. I came upon Super Troopers on Comedy Central, and channel surfing ceased. Krista did not protest, and she even offered up this gem: It’s one of the best comedies ever. “Holy crap,” I thought, “she’s right.”
I have a theory. Expectations play a huge role in determining how one evaluates a movie. Super Troopers is a golden example. Back in ’01 or ’02, having seen what I considered to be lame previews, I had very low expectations when I first viewed this movie. Using my movie rating scale (0=worst, 4=best), I was expecting about a 1.5, and hoping for maybe a 2. What I saw was damn near a 4.
But Super Troopers goes well beyond just surpassing expectations. It has smart, witty, clever dialogue. It utilizes, but does not rely heavily on visual gags. In the end, it’s highly re-watchable and resides in the pantheon of great comedies along with Caddyshack, Animal House, Coming to America, and Christmas Vacation .
Downside you may have to overlook to enjoy the film: The same guys also made Club Dread.
My favorite scene/line from the film: You mean Shenanigans?
My rating (out of 4): 3.90
