comment #1

cbuckie says ...

Reminds me of the great Laurence Olivier taking a series of crappy roles at the end of his career. The Betsy and Inchon come to mind.

comment #2

Geoff says ...

88 mintutes is absolutely horrible. Some of the worst direction I've ever seen. Pacino's hair is the funniest character in the whole film.

comment #3

vansmith says ...

i read this earlier, the thing is when they were being lauded in the 70's were they making any real money? no, their not action stars like sly or bruce etc, in the last 10yrs they've probably made more than they've ever made. i'd rather be rich than well thought of is what their saying i guess. you can always pop in a dvd from the past...

comment #4

buckzollo says ...

Maybe as Bobby D joked to Meryl, there are consequences to leaving CAA. Life mimics art?

comment #5

Mjs says ...

Happens to most of them. Look at Jack Nicholson. Aside from the occassional part, he's been phoning it in for awhile. Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman have both had their share of sell out parts. Brando certainly was a sell out.

Maybe in ten years we'll be saying the same things about Day Lewis, Sean Penn, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, etc...Hell, some are already saying it about Edward Norton.

comment #6

berg says ...

BLOOD WORK is every bit a potboiler as 88 Minutes and Bucket List but I noticed the article gave a pass to Eastwood ...

comment #7

cinefan says ...

In the case of Olivier, though, he took crappy roles towards the end of his life because he had a new family with Joan Plowright and he hadn't accumulated a lot of money from his film career. Perhaps there's something similar going on with DeNiro and Pacino, who are now in the twilight of their careers. It's also worth mentioning that there aren't a lot of good roles for male actors 60 or older (what else is there to do besides play a grandfather? - that's one of the reasons why Gene Hackman has decided to retire).

comment #8

Arizona Joe says ...

Bobby D. has always been an enigma, and he has not aged well. You know, a lot of the success in his prime depended on a wonderful physicality he had.

Al Pacino now seems to be over the top or at the threshold every time out.

Meryl Streep seems to come up with good roles, small ones or big parts, most every year. And she's a woman. With her supernumerary dialects and atypical looks, you'd think people would get tired of her. But she has continued to have an interesting career, while her male counterparts have faltered. A great lady.

comment #9

Edward Havens says ...

Without reading the Goldstein article...

Films like Million Dollar Baby, with well-written roles for older actors, are few and far between, requiring someone with the clout of a Clint Eastwood to get them made. Why? Because most movies geared towards an older crowd will rarely justify the cost of production and marketing. The 1970s are long gone. The days when the show part of Show Business were the more important component in whether a film gets made have passed. If DeNiro or Pacino want a great, meaty role at this point in their career, they're just going to have to hire a writer to write them that role, find a financier who cares more about prestige than the bottom line, and just make the fucker themselves. Otherwise, they'd be better off pulling a Gene Hackman and walking away from Hollywood and enjoy their lives away from the scene.

comment #10

Gus Petch says ...

It isn't fair to lump De Niro in with Pacino. Sure, there are no masterpieces on De Niro's resume in the past decade. But he's been turning out excellent performances in entertaining (albeit light) movies over that time. Both Analyze This and Meet the Parents were fun diversions, and they both would have been a lot less fun if someone other than De Niro had played the tough guy role. Ronin, Men of Honor, The Score, The Good Shepherd, and Stardust all have admirers. And there isn't a S1m0ne- or Gigli-level stinker on his list.

comment #11

Rich S. says ...

Um, Gus? Rocky and Bullwinkle?

comment #12

Balthazar says ...

I really miss Gene Hackman. I sincerely hope that Welcome to Mooseport doesn't end up being his last film!

comment #13

jimjonesiii says ...

gosend & hide and seek.

comment #14

corey3rd says ...

Eastwood's got a little more on the ball than just acting in bad flicks.

But what pure actor has had a complete great run - without them dying. DeNiro doesn't pay for his hotel empire by acting in arthouse films.
I want Pacino to make Cruisin' 2 - Miami Hustler Beat

comment #15

Richardson says ...

"In the case of Olivier, though, he took crappy roles towards the end of his life because he had a new family with Joan Plowright and he hadn't accumulated a lot of money from his film career."

Yeah, I don't imagine that caring for an autistic son (as De Niro does) is cheap. Though I thought most of his paycheck money was supposed to be building some sort of studio in NYC.

comment #16

lawnorder says ...

Will somebody please encourage Pacino to cut his hair? He looks like the Grinch.

comment #17

Gaydos says ...

God spare us the "thesis" piece that ignores all of the facts that would instantly deflate the bubble of speciousness were they to be mentioned:

IE, nicholson's turn as "the joker" was risky genius acting compared to pacino's work in "donnie brasco?" deniro is knocked for fockers but jack gets a pass to do anger management? evening star? wolf?????? MAN TROUBLE????

FACTS FROM EARTH:
Fockers are MONUMENTALLY HUGE popular comedies and ramis's "analyze" was a terrific major hit comedy from a filmmaker who deserved every word of the new yorker's 5000 word profile last year. Bucket list was a crock. What's it prove?

FPI: Theyre all aging actors who try to work, land a good role now and then, and yes cash in as actors have done since time immemorial. so deniro's solid directing effort for the very ambitious "good shepard" gets short shrift as does pacinos theater work cos it conflcts with another turgid LA Times "thesis." Pacino makes a crappy film so it's the end of the world. Not.

What's next, why Spielberg should be directing the remake of "Hiroshima Mon Amour" instead of "Indy 4?"

comment #18

Gus Petch says ...

Um, Gus? Rocky and Bullwinkle?

I won't so much defend Rocky and Bullwinkle as excuse it. It was aimed mostly at kids, and has some appeal to that audience. And I don't think it reaches the level of ineptitude as the above-mentioned Pacino turkeys, or, from what I've read, 88 Minutes.

comment #19

vansmith says ...

i didnt know de niro had an autistic child, that hotel cost a fortune, cheapest room is over a grand a night, its a recession baby! he and eddie murphy should do a sequal ha.

comment #20

dangovich says ...

Bear in mind, great roles and projects aren't exactly falling from the trees these days.

comment #21

MilkMan says ...

Hi, Mom!
Panic in Needle Park
The Godfather
Bang the Drum Slowly
Scarecrow
Serpico
Mean Streets
Godfather II
Dog Day Afternoon
Taxi Driver
New York New York
The Deer Hunter
Raging Bull
Cruising
True Confessions
King of Comedy
Scarface
Jacknife
Midnight Run
Sea of Love
Goodfellas
Scent of a Woman
Casino
Heat
People I Know

Give them a fucking break.
They deserve it.
If you've enjoyed a handful of any of the performances above then they have both given everyone their money's worth.
Hasn't anyone here ever heard of respecting your elders?

comment #22

Richardson says ...

"And there isn't a S1m0ne- or Gigli-level stinker on his list."

Anybody who could write that has never sat through "Showtime".

"The Fan" also deserves a mention.

comment #23

Richardson says ...

Wait, "New York New York" is getting included in with De Niro's great movies / performances?

That's the craziest thing you've ever written on this site, Milk!

comment #24

Jay T. says ...

I really disagree with the thought of lumping Jack Nicholson in with Pacino and De Niro. Sure, he's made a few stinkers and paycheck movies, but if you check out his movies from the past 10 to 12 years on IMDB there's some pretty good work in there, not to mention some pretty good films.

comment #25

jjgittes says ...

Pacino is really getting a bum rap here. His bad streak is only 5 years old and in that 5 years he gave 2 flat out great performances : Angels in America and Merchant of Venice.

De Niro has nothing great since Heat - Pacino has The Insider, Insomnia, Donnie Brasco, Chinese Coffee in addition to the 2 I already mentioned.

Can we cut him some slack for Gigli too? He's in 1 scene and he's fine in it. (and so is Walken for that matter).

Seriously are we all so simple minded that we have to always lump them in together? I wish they'd stop taking crap too but the Goldstein article is really an ugly piece of "kill your idols" stuff.

I for one think Righteous Kill looks entertaining - I'll be there opening day.

comment #26

MiraJeffAICN says ...

Milkman, did you seriously just put People I Know on a list with Taxi Driver and Raging Bull? And Richardson, The Fan is good stuff. Not even close to the level of Godsend or Hide and Seek.

comment #27

jjgittes says ...

People I Know is the kind of stuff Pacino should do more of - daring,offbeat character work - the film ain't much but he's quite fine in that.

The Fan to me is about the same level as 88 Minutes, it's pretty bad - my fave part is when Bobby D threatens to deck the old lady at the ball game.

comment #28

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Re: DeNiro....Two words for u, jjgittes: Jackie Brown.

comment #29

Wrecktum says ...

I guess this shows that actresses hit their ceiling at 40 and actors at 60. Nothing different than its ever been. Henry Fonda was making Tentacles and Jimmy Stewart slept through Airport 77 during their golden years.

comment #30

lipranzer says ...

Pacino's also directing that LOOKING FOR RICHARD-type documentary SALOMAYBE, about his stage production of SALOME, and I loved LOOKING FOR RICHARD, so maybe he's taking movies like 88 MINUTES for things like that.

comment #31

sumo-pop says ...

Since Heat in 1996 Pacino has made Donnie Brasco, The Insider, Insomnia, Angels in America, and the Merchant of Venice. High quality perfs in high caliber films. I also have a soft spot for the high grade cheeze of Any Given Sunday and Devil's Advocate.

Deniro has made Wag the Dog, Ronin and Jackie Brown on the high quality level with bonus points for directing the honorable Good Shepherd. On the high grade cheeze level we have Meet the Parents and Analyze This.

On this scale I give the edge to Pacino. Deniro's high qual stuff is further away and there is less of it. But to be fair, there late careers are far superior to Brando's, Lemmon's, and a host of other legendary level actors.

In the words of Mick Jagger, "what a drag it is getting old."

comment #32

Jay T. says ...

I do have to admit, De Niro did redeem himself a little by directing The Good Shephard -- a very measured, good film that didn't get enough credit.

comment #33

DarthCorleone says ...

I'm sorry; I just find this to be a non-story. Write the older guys some great roles for mainstream movies that actually get financed, and maybe De Niro or Pacino would take them. As many have illustrated above, they have had some good performances worth noting over the last ten years, and as far as I'm concerned they're allowed to rest on their laurels a bit. It's not their fault they still enjoy working in a Hollywood that churns out so much shite. O.k., they've peaked, but who doesn't at some point?

comment #34

Terry McCarty says ...

jjgittes wrote:
Seriously are we all so simple minded that we have to always lump them in together? I wish they'd stop taking crap too but the Goldstein article is really an ugly piece of "kill your idols" stuff.

I noticed Goldstein brought up WHAT JUST HAPPENED? in the piece (painting the Sundance response in dire terms), but I remember reading one review that praised De Niro's performance in the Art Linson role. Assuming that De Niro's desire to get the film released means it was a relative labor-of-love for him.

And old Pat needs to check his facts a bit: he somehow forgets that Clint Eastwood's last film as an actor with someone else directing was released 15 years ago--not close to 20.

comment #35

CMAC says ...

HEY! What's the big fucking fuss over here...? At least their working!! How female actors their age are consistently working, shit or not..? (Other than Meryl Streep yada yada..) Here's a bulletin. Not every script ya sign up for ends up on the screen...AND ya don't always have control of the product...but then most of you wouldn't KNOW that cause yer on on the sidelines looking in ...wishing

comment #36

Gaydos says ...

"Analyze This" ain't no cheeze, my friends and I don't wanna come over there and explain AGAIN that comedy can't get no respect around this site, at least not the respect it deserves.

Please note, in addition to the $176 million the picture grossed globally, it got these critical plaudits on its mantle (ratings courtesy of metacritic):

100San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
More than a high concept stretched to feature length. This is a funny and extremely satisfying comedy, the best in a while.

91Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Crystal turns in his best (read: least sappy) performance in ages, getting through an entire movie -- most of it, anyway -- without mugging.

90Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
Ramis has made a fleet, unself-conscious, eminently enjoyable picture, where one-liners carom merrily like stray bullets, and where there's casual ease, like the drape of a sharpster's trousers, in the rapport between its two stars.

90Rolling Stone Peter Travers
Watching De Niro take Paul through his first panic attack ("I'm crying like a woman") is an unalloyed joy.

90Film.com Peter Brunette
Sure, the territory is not exactly fresh...but the chemistry between the two leads is so explosive yet assured, and the comic timing so perfect, that the cliches are given new life.
80The New York Times Elvis Mitchell
As he demonstrated in "Groundhog Day," Ramis knows how to handle a high-concept story with unusual cleverness, and he does it again here. It helps to no end that De Niro and Crystal, despite their obvious differences, are perfectly in tune.

80The New Yorker David Denby
You can see the jokes coming well in advance, but you still laugh uncontrollably.

80The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
A funny, tightly plotted, well-conceived comedy that transcends both Crystal's '90s curse and its horrible title.

80Washington Post Rita Kempley
Ramis...does extract every last yuk from this lively clash of id and superego, this spoofy buddies' odyssey from underworld to Prozac nation.

75San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris
It's the most liberated and alive [DeNiro]'s been since his deluded Rupert Pupkin tried to kidnap Jerry Lewis in "King of Comedy."