Franco, Autism and Word Theatre

James Franco delivered a landmark performance as James Dean in a Mark Rydell-directed TV movie six years ago, and without dismissing his subsequent work in any way (I'm a fan of his performance in '03's City by the Sea and his small but solid performance in In The Valley of Elah, which should have been larger) this is what I mainly think of when I see or run into Franco.


A performance he gave six years ago...right. Like those Woody Allen fans who say to him in Stardust Memories, "We love your movies, especially the earlier, funnier ones!"

And yet...hold on...a new Franco performance got through to me today when l heard a recording of him reading a piece by Rajarshi "Tito" Mukhopadhyay, an 18 year-old Indian writer and poet. Franco doesn't exactly breathe fire or rip the roof off. It's just an unforced, gently emotional reading of some heartfelt probing words and thoughts from a kid who happens to be autistic. You can feel the kid's patience, intelligence, curiosity, acceptance.

I always feel aroused when I hear movie actors do live performances (be it plays or readings) because movies never seem to allow them to go to town with a speech or a poem of any depth. Which is why it's very cool and unusual to listen to actors act or read outside the bounds of movie scripts. Broadway or London theatre is one way to absorb this, but WordTheatre sessions, which Cedering Fox produces in Los Angeles, New York and London all year 'round, are another. I've been to four or five of these shows, and I've gotten major contact highs from them each and every time.


Franco and several other actors -- Lorraine Toussaint, Dermot Mulroney, Barry Shabaka Henley, Richard Cox, Ian Hart, Wendie Malick, Ming Wen, Annette O'Toole, Gil Birmingham, Stephen Tobolowsky and Michael McKean -- are going to read at a WordTheatre event at the Geffen Theatre next Monday evening (10.15). The show, called "Acts of Love: Children," is a benefit for Cure Autism Now/Autism Speaks. It's a one-night-only deal. I wish I took time to attend more of these things. You can go crazy just watching movies all the time. My personality sometimes testifies to that.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 10, 2007 at 5:09 PM

comment #1

Rob Author Profile Page says ...

He's handsome and talented, but has to have the worst taste in scripts of any living actor.

And didn't he have three lines (I'm not exaggerating) in Elah?

Posted by Rob Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 6:24 PM

comment #2

Rothchild Author Profile Page says ...

He's going to be one of the biggest comedy stars after Pineapple Express. He gives one of the funniest performances I've ever seen in that movie. He never should have done any dramatic roles. Freaks and Geeks was his Swingers and this is his Old School. In five years you'll forget he was ever a dramatic actor in the same way you see Domestic Disturbance on TBS and say, "Wait, Vince Vaughn was in that fucking movie?"

Posted by Rothchild Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 6:31 PM

comment #3

Joe Leydon Author Profile Page says ...

Actually, I suspect Vince Vaughn himself would like to forget he was in the Psycho remake.

Posted by Joe Leydon Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 6:48 PM

comment #4

JD Author Profile Page says ...

Everyone seems to think he's hilarious in The Pineapple Express.

Posted by JD Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 7:05 PM

comment #5

Undercover Brother Author Profile Page says ...

For his sake I hope "Pinapple" scores, because he has no milage left as a leading man who can headline a movie.

Annapolis
The Great Raid
Tristan & Isss...something
Flyboys

They only let you fail so many times and then it's back to the character actor scrap heap with you.

Posted by Undercover Brother Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 7:07 PM

comment #6

bmcintire Author Profile Page says ...

Spiderman, Spiderman 2 and Spiderman 3. I don't personally care for him (or that franchise) but I am expecting that trilogy pretty much wipes out most audience's realization that he was ever in any other movies at all, good or bad.

Posted by bmcintire Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 7:16 PM

comment #7

Rothchild Author Profile Page says ...

None of that shit matters. After Pineapple, he's going to be huge. No one remembers the films you've mentioned now, by then they will have suppressed any fleeting memories they have.

Posted by Rothchild Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 7:18 PM

comment #8

MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page says ...

1. Jeff, you need to strap yourself to a La-Z-Boy for a day and watch the entire run of Freaks and Geeks. He IS Daniel Desario.
2. Annapolis wasn't that bad. It was tolerable.
3. Pineapple Express is going to be HUGE thanks to the stoner demographic, so don't think he's going anywhere yet.

Posted by MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 7:47 PM

comment #9

The Hoyk Author Profile Page says ...

I hope PINEAPPLE EXPRESS does well, but do not for an instant automatically suggest it will be a hit because of the stoner demographic. HOMEGROWN, HAROLD & KUMAR, HALF-BAKED...the landscape is littered with movies that had stoner life as the focus and all performed fair to poor to nonexistent. I could make a hack joke that the stoner demographic is too lazy to leave the couch to support these movies, and I will.

Posted by The Hoyk Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 8:15 PM

comment #10

bmcintire Author Profile Page says ...

You can probably go ahead and add SMILEY FACE to the scrap-heap of stoner comedies as well. I think the Rogan/Apatow name-brand will do a better job of selling PINEAPPLE EXPRESS than the pot, Franco or the horrible title.

Posted by bmcintire Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 8:23 PM

comment #11

GlassFamily Author Profile Page says ...

I'm going to have to keep with the choir on this one: he is fucking great in Freaks and Geeks. Everyone from that show pretty much gets a lifetime pass from me (save Ben Foster) and any time I see one of the bit players in any type of Apatow-related fare, it makes the wife and I extremely giddy. What a goddamn great show.

Posted by GlassFamily Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 9:06 PM

comment #12

ZayTonday Author Profile Page says ...

Franco's performance in Pineapple Express was great, he really should do more comedy. His performance was the only good thing in it though (at least in the form I saw it in at a test screening). It was nowhere near as funny as Superbad, and I'm surprised that it was written by the same 2 guys who wrote that comedic masterpiece. I would say more but don't want to spoil plot points for a movie that still has a year before it comes out.

I hope they do some rewrites and reshoots to increase the funny in it, it needs it.

Posted by ZayTonday Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 10:42 PM

comment #13

ZayTonday Author Profile Page says ...

But yeah, all he did in Elah was show Hank to his son's quarters.

Posted by ZayTonday Author Profile Page at October 10, 2007 10:49 PM

comment #14

Rothchild Author Profile Page says ...

ZayTonday, I thought it was better than Superbad.

Posted by Rothchild Author Profile Page at October 11, 2007 12:07 AM

comment #15

DavidF Author Profile Page says ...

This reminds me of the Rogen threads before Knocked Up came out.
As others have said: Wells, go watch Freaks & Geeks to see how good Franco is. He reminds me a bit of Brad Pitt in that he has the soul of a character actor but, because of his looks, gets the lame leading-man type gigs (Annapolis, anyone?)

Like 20 people have told Wells to do it so let me be #21:
GO WATCH FREAKS AND GEEKS!
(Then watch the slightly-inferior-but-still-great Undeclared).

I'm hopeful that being back with Team Aptatow (Pineapple Express) will help Franco find his place. Lemme just take this opportunity to say how much I respect Apatow for standing behind guys like Rogen, Franco, Jason Segel etc. for the 5-6 years since Freaks and Greeks. He believed in them back then when the networks were cancelling his shows and now everyone is seeing how great these guys are.

Posted by DavidF Author Profile Page at October 11, 2007 7:08 AM

comment #16

Griff Author Profile Page says ...

Franco was really solid in "The Great Raid." It's a very old fashioned picture that builds slowly to a understated but emotional payoff. Well worth watching.

Posted by Griff Author Profile Page at October 11, 2007 7:24 AM

comment #17

OddDuck Author Profile Page says ...

I've always had an interest in watching The Great Raid, but for some asinine reason, Netflix only stocks the 4x3 P&S version. And it's not like the movie is that old - why did they even make a 4x3 version?

And yes!! Freaks and Geeks is seriously one of the greatest tv comedies of all time. That show displayed so much understanding of what kids are really like - and America just couldn't handle the awkwardness!

Posted by OddDuck Author Profile Page at October 11, 2007 7:37 AM

comment #18

houmas Author Profile Page says ...

Franco was exceptional as James Dean. He deserved the Golden Globe he won for it.

I agree with the general sentiment that he's not cut out for the whole "conventional leading man" gig (very few young actors are today). Being packaged like that was killing Heath Ledger's career (think Four Feathers, The Order, A Knights Tale) till Brokeback Mountain.

I think Franco needs to do something similar to Ledger. Stop trying to be the next big "leading man", because it ain't gonna happen. Find a really interesting, unconventional dramatic role, and remind them of the chops you displayed in the James Dean film.

While Franco may have comedic talent, I think he'd be selling himself short if he just opted to become the "next Vince Vaughn" (ie fuck drama and become a really rich comic actor). Starring in mostly disposable, mostly hit and miss comedies that make tonnes of cash isn't a bad way to make a living I suppose, but Franco's displayed more talent as a dramatic actor than I ever saw from Vaughn (albeit, only as James Dean), and he shouldn't just give up on drama. Does Franco really want to end up being the star of FRED CLAUS 2? Maybe he does. If that's the direction he's headed in, good luck, I guess.

Posted by houmas Author Profile Page at October 11, 2007 7:41 AM

comment #19

Edward Author Profile Page says ...

Sometimes the stars get blamed for the vehicle that sucks.

Posted by Edward Author Profile Page at October 11, 2007 8:15 AM

comment #20

actionman Author Profile Page says ...

The best work Franco has ever done was his cameo in KNOCKED UP and his small part in ELAH. He was fuicking atrocious in the SPIDERMAN movies, especially in the third film. God-awful. And I'm easy on most actors. He comes off as phony in almost ever scene. And yeah, the quartet of ANNAPOLIS, TRISTAN & ISOLDE, FLYBOYS, and THE GREAT RAID is just shockingly bad; not only did all of those movies blow, he was bad in each and every one of them. I am hoping THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS is as awesome as everyone is saying it is. I love stoner comedies, when done right. The Apatow/Rogen team has delivered so far so here's hoping.

Posted by actionman Author Profile Page at October 11, 2007 9:55 AM

comment #21

Jay T. Author Profile Page says ...

I think Franco will really breakout in a few years once he gets a little older... sometimes the pretty boys need a few lines before they can project a role or substance. I mean, with the Spider-Man movies people recognize him, of course, but his name still doesn't carry any weight yet.

Posted by Jay T. Author Profile Page at October 11, 2007 10:21 AM

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