I watched Cirque du Freak - The Vampire's Assistant last night. It's a poor film despite it having Salma Hayek and John C Reilly in it. It tries to be imaginative with a circus and weird creatures and so forth but it just does not really come together. Still, what maybe made it harder for me to endure, was that one of my favourites actors was in it - John C Reilly.
But why did he make things uncomfortable? He's an exceptionally talented actor. He was one of the best things about Boogie Nights and Magnolia. He works really hard and deserves to be seen. Yet, I was turned off. Why? Well, hard is the clue word.
Ever since he was in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, he has cemented that character in my head. He was brilliant in the film; a parody of Johnny Cash's life. I have seen the film 15 times, which may be why sometimes Dewey talks to me in my head. But, more than that, I fear he may have reached his comedic peak with Walk Hard. It's not that Cirque du Freak is a comedy but John has become a comedic actor in my brain and I cannot seem to get away from that. I hope Walk Hard was a standard for him and not the best he could ever do and something that he could never do again. I suppose he nearly replicated the brilliance in Step Brothers. I know he did serious in Cyrus but I have not seen that film yet.
Ultimately the question I pose is, can one role essentially be too good for an actor, meaning the rest of their career is a letdown in comparison?
Macaulay Culkin - perhaps? His performances were decent in Home Alone I and II but he's been eclipsed by his relations, Kieran and Rory.
I'm encouraging the commentators to come up with a few more.
Alistair Anderson
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