#without realising 'wait this guy is becoming/is a legit ICON bc he has a very specific dichotomous genteel energy ppl love'

[reachexceedinggrasp]

blah blah blah, I ramble about stuff. today, this:

Knox's film career and how he was underutilised for a bunch of it

A problem I have with some of the parts he's been put in is that they feel like casting directors not understanding him as a screen presence. A lot of them seem to want to cast him as straightforward sleazebags or douches who are effective characters/funny because they are awful, sleazy, obnoxious assholes with no redeeming qualities. And I understand this impulse from people who know about Jackass but do not watch it. They think that's what's going on there, that it's a bunch of dudes being irredeemable assholes and that's the appeal. They think they're casting him to his persona and taking a shortcut to the effect they want.

But it's a mistake. The reason no one has been able to replicate the huge and enduring success of Jackass despite loads of other pranksters and daredevils being available is that there's more to it than that; it has a deep sense of joy and camaraderie and incongruous innocence which people who dismiss it out of hand don't get. It's special because of the people and the spirit they bring to it, not least the man himself, who sets a unique, cohesive tone nothing else has. It should probably go without saying that Knoxville is also a massively charismatic person, because the entire franchise would almost certainly never have existed if he weren't. People putting him in movies know this and that's often why they want to cast him. The thing is, he doesn't have 'magnetic asshole' charisma, he has 'effortlessly endearing' charisma. His most profound quality is a disarming air of affability which gives him this irrepressible boyish charm. People want to like him.

He comes off as a loveable mischievous scamp and not a menace to society, even when doing things that are pretty borderline menacing to society, and that's because of his deportment and like... aura. The innate vibe he has is just super positive and personable, his attractiveness is weirdly wholesome. So, what I think they've missed is that any time you cast him as someone we're not supposed to like, he is actually playing against type. It requires more effort on the film's part, not less.

He can still be a bad guy if that's really what they want, he does great shady, but he doesn't work in those flat heel roles that are just meant to be instantly and thoroughly detestable. He's fantastic as a conman where he can be using his natural allure to manipulate people and he's also good in the sort of 'harmless lackey' villain roles (like Big Trouble or MIB2) because those characters are allowed to be endearing. Dirtbag is fine if it's a lovable dirtbag, though having him play idiot clowns can be kind of waste imo. But idk, it seems it isn't very often that someone in Hollywood realises you need to put him in a role that acknowledges he's handsome and charming rather than insisting the audience instead accept he's repugnant or gross or gormless. Because he's really handsome and charming. It will be the first thing you notice. You want to look for something redeeming or secretly sharp in his comic characters even when it is not intended to be there and film makers should be aware of this.

tl;dr I rewatched failed screwball comedy Life Without Dick for the first time in years and remembered how sick that movie feels because it totally relies on you being so repulsed by his character that your sympathy is with the leads while they get into a bunch of sociopathic romcom shenanigans surrounding his murder. Doomed from the outset. The comedy isn't consistently black enough to cross the threshold while still being deeply fucked up, played with a silly tone. Dick, we're reassured as we reveal the reason she killed him was a misunderstanding, was still just the worst (and thus deserved it?), but he's too humanised for us to laugh at his death. The absurdity is generally grim instead of funny, the leads are not likeable, and the assumption we could cheer for them was very misplaced. That and the poor direction, which makes everyone seem super awkward.

And also Harry Connick Jr's acting is real bad. But Craig Ferguson was amusing. I still quote his 'do you like them lattes?' line. That's funny.

#and also also HCJ in a scene with Knoxville where HCJ is supposed to be the handsome prince to Knoxville's evil ogre #and I'm sorry #I won't say it but I'm very sorry #no. #johnny knoxville #life without dick #so many of these roles are just so... like he got the attention to get here bc he is the most charismatic and was just born with star power #I have literally never seen someone describe meeting him for the first time without mentioning how charismatic he is #but then they cast him in roles that don't acknowledge that at all as shit like 'generic gross asshole' #'generic man child' #'generic someone's idea of what the kind of dudes who would be on jackass would be like' #without realising 'wait this guy is becoming/is a legit ICON bc he has a very specific dichotomous genteel energy ppl love' #(and is no joke extremely funny and talented as well as being marquee leading man hot) #'maybe we should play to that' #and then there's Barry Sonnenfeld who understands he is funny and cute but does not understand that he is sexy #watching an interview with Preston recently where he said he told Knoxville Jackass was a terrible idea and he should do a talk show #because 'he's charming as hell' #which: true #but can you imagine the format of a talkshow where he was in charge? #tune in next time if I ever post my stream of consciousness ramble about Rosy and how I wish I knew what the point of it was #I review movies almost exclusively with long tangents about themes and random commentary on details I noticed I'm not sorry #some of his middling films only work as well as they do bc of his charisma- why r we rooting for DC in Action Point? it gives you no reason #at face value he should be in jail and we should not like him at all #but we do bc it's him and he's just loveable- drunk negligent danger to the community? nah! champion of fun! #that is the kind of part he's a huge asset to- just let us root for him and he can carry a whole movie on his back