Russell crowe as Moe

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It hit me last weekend (along with several thousand others) that the failure of The Heartbreak Kid could mean that the Farrelly brothers are finished. It seems as if they are right now -- yes, I'll admit that, the curtain has come down. But they can get it right back if they make that Three Stooges movie they've been talking about for three or four years now, and I mean with Russell Crowe as Moe. I don't care if he's told them "no" a hundred times. He's the only guy for that part. No one else.

It's true that the Farrelly's moment of perfect cultural synchronicity -- a four-year stretch that began with Dumb and Dumber and ended with There's Something About Mary -- has passed, and that Judd Apatow has taken the king of comedy crown away from them. (Mary was nine years ago...the train has moved on.) It all comes down to the Stooges. Make it right (which hinges upon casting it right) and all is forgiven. And they can do it. I know they can.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 13, 2007 at 12:12 PM

comment #1

Larry says ...

From ZAZ to the Farrellys to Apatow, that's how it goes. But I don't care who makes it, it just doesn't seem like any film about the Stooges is going to work.

Posted by Larry at October 13, 2007 12:35 PM

comment #2

George Prager says ...

Forget the Three Stooges. How about a Bowery Boys remake?

Posted by George Prager at October 13, 2007 12:46 PM

comment #3

Rothchild says ...

They're fucked on The Three Stooges because they couldn't crack it. Their pitch was to make it like an anthology film, intentionally episodic, with five fifteen minute stooges shorts. This was the easy way out, as they couldn't come up with a plot to give the Stooges 90 minutes of shenanigans.

Posted by Rothchild at October 13, 2007 12:50 PM

comment #4

lazarus says ...

Since Sean Penn already played Larry in Carlito's Way, maybe he'd be interested in reprising the role.

Posted by lazarus at October 13, 2007 12:50 PM

comment #5

Breedlove says ...

So I've been really busy with work lately and I'm just sitting here catching up on a month plus of posts and I have just one thing to say...Jonny Greenwood is scoring THERE WILL BE BLOOD? Are you fucking kidding me? My head just exploded. The world's greatest band and filmmaker have joined forces.

P.S. strongly recommend going to inrainbows.com and downloading the new record (for whatever price suits you).

Posted by Breedlove at October 13, 2007 12:59 PM

comment #6

T. Holly says ...

No way, Jonah Hill is Larry and that frees you up to get rid of Crowe. Crowe is many things, but he's not that kind of stooge. Jason Schwartzman for Moe?

Posted by T. Holly at October 13, 2007 1:02 PM

comment #7

lazarus says ...

Breedlove, I believe that collaboration already happened on Gangs of New York. The movie was great, but the song sucked.

I'll second your recommendation of the Rainbows download, though. It's the best album I've heard in years (and I paid about $9 U.S. for it, for the record).

Posted by lazarus at October 13, 2007 1:04 PM

comment #8

Movie Watcher says ...

That's Crowe as Moe Howard? He looks pissed off. It is quite startling. Maybe the movie would work with the right people. How about Seth Rogen as Curly, he'd have to gain about 50 pounds. He'd look funny with a shaved dome. As for Larry...I don't know. That's a hard one to pin down. If not Rogen, how about Drew Carey? He would just have to remove his glasses. If they do make it, shoot it in black and white and in color.

Posted by Movie Watcher at October 13, 2007 1:20 PM

comment #9

erniesouchak says ...

The photo is hilarious, but Crowe would be a bit too scary as Moe.

Posted by erniesouchak at October 13, 2007 1:28 PM

comment #10

Craptastic says ...

I know the box office left much to be desired but I loved "Fever Pitch". One of the best romantic comedies in about a decade. It was funny, sweet and oddly dramatic (meaning, for them). In fact, that was one of my favorite movies of that year. I've watched it since and it really holds up.

I thought both Jimmy Fallon and the Farrley's really got screwed on that one. Especially Fallon. He can be really good once you tone down the ticks. I was never big on him prior to that film and he completely won me over.

Posted by Craptastic at October 13, 2007 1:42 PM

comment #11

source188 says ...

In Rainbows is a phenomenal Radiohead album, their best since OK Computer for sure. It has the two or three most beautiful songs the band has ever recorded. I paid $2 for the download.

Posted by source188 at October 13, 2007 1:43 PM

comment #12

PerfectTommy says ...

A Three Stooges film makes no sense to me. It's like saying you're going to remake City Lights or The General or Night at the Opera. These were unique performers who spend years developing their characters and you don't just stick someone else in the slots. It's like going on the stage and saying you're going to do a "remake" stand-up performance of Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor.

Posted by PerfectTommy at October 13, 2007 3:40 PM

comment #13

Mr. Muckle says ...

OK, based on the above, Russell Crowe as Moe, Sean Penn as Larry, and how about James Gandolfini as Curly?

If they could pull that off it would be one for the ages. But I'm afraid Crowe, at least, is humor-impaired.

Posted by Mr. Muckle at October 13, 2007 3:55 PM

comment #14

otakuhouse says ...

We've hijacked a thread about the three stooges, but has anyone noticed that EVERY advance word on There Will Be Blood has mentioned Greenwood's score?

I wonder what happened to Jon Brion though.

And come on, In Rainbows is good but Arcade Fire's Funeral will be the rock album remembered ten, twenty years from now.

For all you Paul Haggis haters: after the band turned down repeatedly his request to use a song from Funeral for his cancelled tv show i can't recall the name of, he flew up to Montreal on a private jet hoping that would impress them.

It didn't.

Posted by otakuhouse at October 13, 2007 4:10 PM

comment #15

George Prager says ...

Jesus, will you people shut the fuck up about Radiohead already!!!!! THEY FUCKIN' SSSSSSSSSSUCCCCK DEAD MOOSE COCK!!!! Who cares?!!! Even if I liked them I'd still be annoyed by these posts.

Posted by George Prager at October 13, 2007 4:23 PM

comment #16

MickTravis says ...

I think Crowe would be great, but if he won't do it, there is another ....

Benecio Del Toro.

If he ever finishes making movies about Che.

As for Larry ....

Why not Larry David?

Posted by MickTravis at October 13, 2007 7:08 PM

comment #17

frankbooth says ...

Larry David and Larry Charles are two different people. Until fairly recently, I did not know this. Not that I was paying that much attention.

Stooges movie is dumb idea because of A) what PerfectTommy said and B) Watching a man getting bopped with a hammer is only funny when you're six years old.

The Marx Brother had verbal wit in addition to the physical stuff. Even as a kid, I found the Stooges tedious.

Posted by frankbooth at October 14, 2007 12:06 AM

comment #18

Cadavra says ...

Larry David already played Larry when they were doing Stooge take-offs on FRIDAYS.

That horrible TV biopic should have proven once and for all that this is a wretched idea, regardless of who stars in it. Let it die already.

Posted by Cadavra at October 14, 2007 11:08 AM

comment #19

RoyBatty says ...

Another ditto for PerfectTommy - he nails it perfectly with his analogy to Bruce and Pryor. Exactly!

You cannot recreate the Stooges because they weren't characters, they were performers. Next, Wells, etc are going to be wondering when someone is going to release a new Beatles or Elvis record.

Posted by RoyBatty at October 15, 2007 12:49 AM

comment #20

Le Samorai says ...

The three film run of "Dumb and Dumber", "Kingpin" and "There's Something About Mary" is a career-high that they should be proud of, but yeah, they're done.

Posted by Le Samorai at October 15, 2007 8:30 AM

comment #21