Miscast Movies That Still Work
Sorry to Tom Hanks and Kevin Costner
This weekend the film adaptation of the Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen hits theaters. Since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, much has been made about Ben Platt, the movie’s 27-year-old star, playing a high schooler. This got us thinking about movies that still work even with a miscast lead character.
We have no idea if Dear Evan Hansen will work out despite the questionable casting (early signs point to the answer being “no”), because we haven’t seen it yet. But the movies we are recommending today somehow ended up being pretty good despite a major casting misjudgement.
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Drew recommends...
Road to Perdition (streaming on Hulu)
On paper, Road to Perdition is one of the more intriguing movies we’ve had this century. After all, this is a Depression-era gangster drama starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig, and Jude Law. However, it has one almost fatal flaw: a miscast Tom Hanks. It gives me no pleasure to say this about America’s most beloved actor, who is so often exactly perfect in the roles he chooses. And yet, everything else about Road to Perdition is good enough that this miscasting doesn’t sink the movie.
Michal Sullivan, Sr. (Hanks) is an enforcer for Irish mob boss John Rooney (Newman) during the Great Depression. Rooney raised Sullivan and considers him to be like a son, in stark contrast to Connor (Craig), his impulsive and irresponsible actual offspring. When a hit is put on Sullivan that kills his wife and younger child, he goes on the run with his older son to escape and then ultimately track down the killers to get his vengeance. As good as Hanks is in so many different parts, the role of Sullivan is not one that fits his strengths.
Unfortunately, it’s not believable for Hollywood’s most famous nice guy to suddenly, on screen, become a cynical and violent man out for blood. Hanks had been convincing in many different performances in the years preceding 2002’s Road to Perdition. He’d become an astronaut (Apollo 13), a soldier (Saving Private Ryan), a rom-com lead (You’ve Got Mail), and an animated toy cowboy (Toy Story). But a ruthless mob enforcer brandishing a Tommy Gun? It just didn’t work, and now the role seems like an outlier in Hanks’ career. Never again did he play such an indiscriminately brutal character.
Maybe you disagree, and that’s fine. I do appreciate Hanks stretching himself as an actor and I wouldn't even say he’s necessarily bad in the movie, just miscast. He’s such a better fit in his other 2002 movie, Catch Me If You Can, as the capable FBI agent on the tail of DiCaprio’s con man. Plus, the other parts of Road to Perdition -- the handsome Oscar-winning cinematography, the great Paul Newman in his final performance -- are so good that the movie somehow doesn’t fold up due to Hanks not being right for the lead character.
Billy recommends…
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (streaming on HBO Max)
Please excuse me while I try to connect why I like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to Paths of Glory. The only connection that I want to point out is the lack of trying with accents. It took me about half the runtime to get over Kirk Douglas not even trying to do a French accent in Paths of Glory. It’s the French army! Why are there no French accents?! Eventually, it dawned on me, why do I care about complete accuracy in film? It’s ultimately an adaptation of events. More films should feel entitled to take those liberties. Obviously the difference with Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Paths of Glory is that one is based in a historical context and one is complete fantasy. Today, I am here to stop all the complaining about Kevin Costner’s accent in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
The problem with Costner’s portrayal of Robin Hood is that he is trying to do the accent throughout. At a certain point you can tell he got direction to stop trying with the accent and the movie is better for it. Once the distraction of a very American Robin Hood wears off we are able to sit back and enjoy an entirely too long fantasy adventure movie. Little pockets of fun elevate this movie to an above average Robin Hood adaptation. Costner and Morgan Freeman do what they can with their by-the-numbers characters, but whenever the conflict is centered around a wonderful Alan Rickman performance, the story soars. It’s almost as if the Robin Hood villain (Sheriff of Nottingham) is stealing the better performance from Robin Hood and giving it to the audience. It’s a reverse Robin Hood!
Ultimately this is a watered down story that drags along for far too long, but where it shines is when it leans into the absurdity. That absurdity happens throughout, but it is at its best during the last 30-minute action set piece. Director Kevin Reynolds clearly lays out the landscape and gives each of our lead characters moments to shine. Whether it is an inspiring speech from Freeman or witty banter during a super fun sword fight between Rickman and Costner there is just enough here to end the conversation about Costner’s accent. It’s bad, but isn’t that part of the fun? More movies need to take liberties that better help serve the story rather than have a distraction throughout. On the bright side, though, this movie probably wouldn’t be talked about 30 years later if it weren’t for the obvious gaffes.
Recent Release Mini-Reviews
Cry Macho (in theaters and streaming on HBO Max)
Drew: Cry Macho is nowhere near Clint Eastwood’s best work, but I can’t help but be a little fascinated by his late career. The man just keeps trucking with these old-fashioned oddities into his 90s now. Despite the undercooked screenplay (Eastwood is playing a character meant to be much younger and they didn’t really edit the screenplay to reflect this??) and iffy acting (inexperienced actors tend to struggle in Eastwood’s films; I’m guessing because they only get one or two takes), it’s another late period reflection on the macho cinematic myth that Eastwood spent his early career building. The movie might not work all that well, but Clint’s presence will always lend a certain gravitas that elevates the material. - 3 / 5 Apples
Links
This week we got our first teaser for Joel Coen’s (his brother Ethan is sitting this one out) The Tragedy of Macbeth starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. I see Oscars in this one’s future. It hits theaters on December 25th.
After years of delay, the Academy Museum in Los Angeles is finally opening on September 30th. The $484 million museum will be a monument to all things movie history. If anyone wants to fly DYLA out to tour the museum and review it, I think we’re free.