Tough Guys & Tenderness In Movies DON'T Mix!
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Awesome Applesauce: Charles Quevedo
I love "tough guy" movies. There's nothing like sitting in a darkened movie theater and watching some big, muscular action star on the big screen whuppin' the bad guys' asses all over the place. You see them breaking down doors, engage in shoot outs, and survive mind-blowing explosions. And while watching all that, you have the goofiest grin on your face because you know that you're enjoying yourself. As a dude, I love all that stuff!
We first know them as tough guys in "action" movies, shooting people and blowin' stuff up. When you see them doing roles like that, it's hard to see them doing anything else. When you see those same tough guys dancing in a "tutu" (or doing something else equally ridiculous), your mouth literally drops open and that priceless "WTF?!" expression is frozen on your face. Dudes are NOT the only ones who DON'T want to see their once favorite tough guy do stuff like that. I've actually seen chicks in movie theaters lower and shake their heads in disbelief as that "Oh, God.." moment shoots through them.
Hey, I understand why these action stars decide to do "comedies. They DON'T want to get stereotyped in the same kind of role. They just want to explore their more tender side. I'm sure that they get tired of seeing themselves on the big screen, jumping over cars with a gun in their hands. They want to try something new and different in hopes that it will change their image and possibly further their career (yeah, this isn't the way). Members of the viewing audience that are willing to plunk down $12.00 per ticket want to see their favorite action star "tough" and "macho". Leave the comedic roles to actors like Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler. Look what happened to those who have tried:
Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of cinema's biggest action stars (in the 80's & 90's); performing in films like "Terminator", "Predator", "Total Recall", and "True Lies". He had his greatest downfall playing a pregnant man in the film, "Junior". Seeing Arnie with a big round belly kinda turned off his hardcore fans and they never looked at him the same way.
Vin Diesel had great potential as an action star. He soared to stardom in Hollywood overnight, performing tough guy roles in films like "Pitch Black", "XXX", "The Fast And The Furious" and "The Chronicles Of Riddick". We wonder what the hell he was thinking when he decided to star in the film, "The Pacifier", where he played an undercover agent posing as a babysitter. Seeing Vin ride that girl's bike just told audience members that it was gonna be quite a while until we see him in another "tough guy" role.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shocked everybody when he earned a whopping $5 Million for his first leading role in the film, "The Scorpion King". He then went on to perform in action films like "The Rundown" and "Walking Tall". But when he decided to star in the Disney film, "Tooth Fairy", even The Rock's charm and charisma couldn't save his career from falling a bit. Seeing Dwayne in fairy wings was just plain sad.
*A little suggestion to those "tough guy" actors...
"DON'T try to fix what isn't broken! If you read a lame script, drop it and run!"
Follow Charles on Twitter: @FuglyCharlie