Josh Hartnett's Clock

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Whatever films he makes, however good his performances, Josh Hartnett never seems to score a bulls-eye. Either his movies never make big money (not counting Pearl Harbor) or they never score a 9 or 10 with the critics. They score sevens and sixes, and very rarely eights. He's a good hombre with talent who's trying to make quality movies and avoid crap, and my heart goes out to anyone who's trying as hard as he seems to be. But something needs to happen.

Hartnett is working it, pushing it...he's no easygoing Charlie. And I really loved his performance as a young guy with Asperger's Syndrome in Mozart and the Whale. But sooner or later one of his films has to hit it out of the park...no? For him to stay in the game, I mean? As a player who counts?

I was thinking this after reading that August, a drama that Hartnett produced about an internet startup guy (played by himself) struggling with business issues, is finally being picked up by First Look for a July release after playing at Sundance last January. Another Hartnett film that has merit and respect but isn't quite rock and roll?

His next shot is I Come With The Rain, a film written and directed by Anh Hung Tran (Scent of Green Papaya) that may play at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

Pearl Harbor had a great attack sequence and made money, but everyone hated it. O was "so?" 40 Days and 40 Nights was nothing. Black Hawk Down was quite good, but it wasn't Harnett's film. Hollywood Homicide wasn't half bad, but Harrison Ford was funnier. Wicker Park was a better than decent film, but it felt like another place-holder. Sin City was a CG/film noir show. Mozart and the Whale was, I thought, an above-average heart film with a first-rate Hartnett performance, but no one saw it. The Black Dahlia was, due respect, awful. Resurrecting The Champ was a solid film with a good Hartnett performce, but it fizzled. I didn't even see 30 Days of Night.

Hartnett has to do or make something that really scores. He can't just keep dribbling the basketball and making the occasional jump-shot. He has to get people to jump to their feet and cheer.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 2, 2008 at 1:09 PM

comment #1

BlueRaymondBabbit says ...

Keep dressing like Heath Ledger, Josh! Maybe they'll put you in Batman 3.

Posted by BlueRaymondBabbit at April 2, 2008 2:46 PM

comment #2

BlueRaymondBabbit says ...

He could also take over for Tommy Lee Jones and play a terrific, young, pre-acne Sam Gerard in a FUGITIVE prequel.

Posted by BlueRaymondBabbit at April 2, 2008 2:52 PM

comment #3

erniesouchak says ...

Where's the talent? I have trouble thinking of a more boring performer.

Posted by erniesouchak at April 2, 2008 2:53 PM

comment #4

actionman says ...

He's one of the most wooden actors out there. He was laughably bad in The Black Dahlia. He was good in Black Hawk Down because the role required him to do nothing more than run and shoot a machine gun, though his final scene is pretty touching. I actually think the best piece of acting he's ever done was in Lucky Number Slevin, which was OK overall, but had some good performances/good scenes strewn about. I've always wanted to see Mozart & the Whale. Hollywood Homocide was pretty bland I thought (really wanted to love it but the lack of an R-rating killed it for me) but he was solid in that as well.

I just find him to be so bland and so one-note. Maybe he's got something crazy in him....but I just don't see it...

I have 30 Days of Night coming up soon in the Netflix queue

Posted by actionman at April 2, 2008 3:04 PM

comment #5

lionsfan says ...

He looked truly ridiculous in that hat in "The Black Dahlia," it was too big for his head. (Perhaps his brain, too.) And like most young male actors out there. he conveys absolutely no sense of gravitas. He seems petulant when he should be tough, bewildered when he should be romantically decisive....

Posted by lionsfan at April 2, 2008 3:06 PM

comment #6

Dan Revill says ...

I was gonna say that he needs to do something wild/crazy...so basically I agree with what actionman said. I did enjoy Black Hawk Down, but I think that owes more to Eric Bana than Josh Hartnett.

Posted by Dan Revill at April 2, 2008 3:16 PM

comment #7

Mark says ...

Josh definitely needs a flick comparable to what Speed did for Keanu. Face it; the guy is a Calvin Klein model. It's silly to play against his looks as some schmoe in an indie flick. He needs a budget.

Posted by Mark at April 2, 2008 3:17 PM

comment #8

The Winchester says ...

Wells, you should rephrase that to be "Hartnett scores sixes and slevins". He was decent in that. He's a decent actor that needs to break out.

And I'm sorry, but 30 Days of Night was awful. It was a vampire Anne Frank movie.

Posted by The Winchester at April 2, 2008 3:22 PM

comment #9

Ray says ...

While Hartnett might not be the most charismatic actor in Hollywood, I definitely admire his "road less traveled" mentality. Like Heath Ledger, Hartnett seems truly interested in a wide variety of roles. Some of them are over his head a bit (DAHLIA), but I thought he was perfect in SIN CITY, among other roles.

We should encourage such experimentation among young Hollywood.

Posted by Ray at April 2, 2008 3:36 PM

comment #10

rgmax99 says ...

Have to agree about the Heath Ledger look. Seriously, deep down, when he got up that morning when the above pic was taken, doesn't one have a tiny little pessimistic voice in the back of one's mind saying: maybe he thought the Ledger fashion thing will give him some cred?

Posted by rgmax99 at April 2, 2008 3:38 PM

comment #11

MilkMan says ...

The problem with Jan-Michael Hartnett is that while girls think he's dreamy, guys don't, or won't identify with him. And he's slow. He looks too satisfied, as if every morning he wakes up in a pool of serotonin, the room still smelling of wet sex, his latest conquest in the shower, scrubbing every part of her anatomy except the sweet spots. The best role he's had was in Virgin Suicides, and that's because he was cast perfectly as the embodiment of a Teen Dream; lanky, casual, and perpetually stoned. Actually, the more I think about it (and I shouldn't), the less he reminds me of Jan-Michael Vincent and more of Michael Pare, had Michael Pare been born in Canoga Park, to an aerobics instructor.

Posted by MilkMan at April 2, 2008 3:47 PM

comment #12

BurmaShave says ...

O is one of his best performances. I'm not even debating you, I'd just highly recommend you re-watch it.

Posted by BurmaShave at April 2, 2008 3:48 PM

comment #13

Celebrity Werewolf Hunter says ...

Hartnett is a mediocre to subpar actor on his best day and has never impressed me despite seemingly dozens of chances. I sort of feel like he already had his chance and maybe wells should find an underrated actor who hasn't really gotten his "due shot." As a bit of a Shakespeare buff, I found his Iago err Hugo to be woeful and his performance in the Black Dahlia was like watching a high school senior try and play Sam Spade.

Posted by Celebrity Werewolf Hunter at April 2, 2008 3:54 PM

comment #14

Mark says ...

No one on this board obviously lives in New York. Otherwise they would spend their entire day pointing at under 30's and calling them Heath copycats. This is how EVERYONE dresses in New York. It's the Valentino suit and Oliver Peoples glasses of the late 80's. If anything, he looks like Kanye West more than Ledger.

Posted by Mark at April 2, 2008 4:04 PM

comment #15

BlueRaymondBabbit says ...

Ouch Mark, who knew? I stand corrected -- maybe HE IS a good actor. Oh, wait...

Posted by BlueRaymondBabbit at April 2, 2008 4:07 PM

comment #16

Edward says ...

I enjoyed 30 Days of Night, fun vampire flick.

We can't blame Hartnet tfor Pearl Harbor. It was so awful, I kept hoping the attack would happen soon so the leads good be killed and end the misery.

Posted by Edward at April 2, 2008 4:07 PM

comment #17

Monument says ...

Mark's right, you can see far worse than that in the Village any day of the week. Hartnett and Ledger were good pals, I don't think he was trying to bite the style of his dead friend.

I agree, he is a solid actor who has yet to star in a truly great film.

Posted by Monument at April 2, 2008 4:13 PM

comment #18

lipranzer says ...

Hartnett's best in roles where he's making fun of his image. He was very good in both THE VIRGIN SUICIDES and HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE, because he was in on the joke (and yes, it's funny that Hartnett, the least angsty actor in Hollywood, would play an aspiring actor who wants to play Stanley Kowalski). Everything else he's done, he's either been wooden (PEARL HARBOR) or miscast (BLACK DAHLIA). He needs to do more comedies.

Posted by lipranzer at April 2, 2008 4:18 PM

comment #19

actionman says ...

"This is how EVERYONE dresses in New York."

How sad. That's the most irritating "look" of them all.

Posted by actionman at April 2, 2008 4:21 PM

comment #20

Monument says ...

No actionman, LA has NY beat any day of the week when it comes to irritating fashion.

Posted by Monument at April 2, 2008 4:26 PM

comment #21

MilkMan says ...

What's more irritating is the blanket statement that this is how "everyone" in New York dresses. No, it isn't. It's only how the young poseurs dress, and while they make up a significant portion of New York, they do not qualify as everyone, even though they would have you believe that they do in fact represent everyone. Niggling? Yes. But these dorks are precisely the reason I can't stand NYC, and to make them the avatar for the other 12 million people who live there is just a tad misleading.

Posted by MilkMan at April 2, 2008 4:29 PM

comment #22

Mark says ...

Initially i was comparing Hartnett's career arc to Keanu's, but i think another apt example is Josh Brolin. And instead of calling Josh when needing a young Jack-Travern type, he just needs the call for a young Lewelyn Moss.

All three of them probably have equal talent; Josh just hadn't had that movie that popped.

Posted by Mark at April 2, 2008 4:30 PM

comment #23

Dan Revill says ...

When in Rome...

Posted by Dan Revill at April 2, 2008 4:30 PM

comment #24

Monument says ...

I totally agree about Brolin. He was definitely in Hartnett territory before No Country.

Posted by Monument at April 2, 2008 4:33 PM

comment #25

Alfredo says ...

Michael Pare reference! STREETS OF FIRE - what a movie!

Posted by Alfredo at April 2, 2008 4:35 PM

comment #26

val says ...

Sometimes when I read posts in here, it makes me think that the notion of what movie stars "used to be" is too much nostalgic for a lot of people.
And to care about the way the guy dresses, who cares really... is that really that important?

He is not the best actor out there, but he is not a bad actor either, i think sometimes we look at the past with too much nostalgia and raise those memories to standards that is not necessarily truth.

30 days of night, was one of the best vampire movies in a long while. And I thought he was pretty funny and solid in Lucky Number Slevin.

Posted by val at April 2, 2008 5:12 PM

comment #27

calraigh says ...

Has it come to this?Really?An entire post devoted to how Josh Hartnett, the most un-prepossessing actor to grace the screen ever, should be given a better job?How about he goes out and proves he's got the acting chops to land one.If he does that a couple times, he'll have my sympathy.Up until now, everything he's done has been a waste of money and his 'best' role was 30 Days of Night, if you ask me.Mr Wells, Hollywood Homicide, really?Egads...

Posted by calraigh at April 2, 2008 5:18 PM

comment #28

calraigh says ...

Really?

Posted by calraigh at April 2, 2008 5:19 PM

comment #29

CinemaPhreek says ...

I'll go you one further, Calraigh

Can we go back to political posts if the day's musing about cinema is going to be worrying about the likes of Josh fucking Hartnett. Nice guy I'm sure, but doesn't exactly make me rush to the theater to catch a movie when he is in it.

Posted by CinemaPhreek at April 2, 2008 7:04 PM

comment #30

le realisateur says ...

I'll admit I've never been excited about Hartnett. He first appeared to be some heartthrob, and then displayed some chops, but has never really hit the mark.

However, I really liked his brief appearance in T Magazine's online "T Takes." Short, yes, but interestingly enough I thought it's one of his best performances (and I don't say that facetiously).

http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2008/03/30/style/t/index.html#videoId=1439822461&pageName=tvideos3&

Posted by le realisateur at April 2, 2008 7:57 PM

comment #31

Intense Guy II says ...

He's enjoyable in the genuinely fun The Faculty.

Posted by Intense Guy II at April 2, 2008 8:17 PM

comment #32

rr3333 says ...

Believe you me, if Hartnett was even a wee bit out of shape, this blog entry wouldnt exist.

Seriously, I do agree with most posts here ... he is pretty bland. Give him a TV show & he wouldnt walk around looking like a Johnny Depp wannabe.

Posted by rr3333 at April 2, 2008 9:18 PM

comment #33

Jay T. says ...

I actually thought 30 Days of Night was pretty good until the last five minutes when it fell apart. You're right, though. Although, I do give him credit for Black Hawk Down despite Eric Bana being the real standout in that film.

Posted by Jay T. at April 2, 2008 9:18 PM

comment #34

lipranzer says ...

"And to care about the way the guy dresses, who cares really... is that really that important?"

Not only that, but does it not occur to anyone maybe he's dressing that way to be inconspicuous (granted, not a very good job of it, but still)?

Posted by lipranzer at April 2, 2008 9:19 PM

comment #35

madmaxine says ...

i first read the title as "josh hartnett's cock." i need to get my mind out of the gutter.

as a female, hartnett has never appealed to me. i think it's because of his beady, little dead eyes. he's been ok in some films, but nothing noteworthy. and EVERYONE was horrid in "the black dahlia," especially the patently overrated scarlett johansson. the scene in which she screeches, "she looks like that dead girl!" had the entire theater laughing hysterically...

Posted by madmaxine at April 3, 2008 7:43 AM

comment #36

calraigh says ...

Don't get me started on Ms.,''Oh God I better keep massaging this $500 dollar tit cream into my boobs to keep them looking perky, so they'll distract anyone from really looking at my face for long enough to realise I couldn't convince anyone of anything, let alone being British, politically 'aware', not having posh hooker aspirations, being 'smart' or finally, having the ability to act'' Johannsen.

And I have great breasts.

Posted by calraigh at April 3, 2008 9:18 AM

comment #37

raygo says ...

Where can I sign up for MilkMan's writing workshop?

Posted by raygo at April 3, 2008 9:24 AM

comment #38

bill weber says ...

being remembered for The Virgin Suicides wouldn't be a disgrace. Perfect casting.

Posted by bill weber at April 3, 2008 10:19 AM

comment #39

Hal says ...

Josh Brolin was in no way in Josh Harnett territory prior to 2007. He was certainly C-list, but he is a very different kind of actor. Brolin was always more of an Eric Roberts or Nick Nolte type - he has a boorish, out-doorsy, very "male" quality that the skinny, stoned, skateboarding, perpetual adolescent Hartnetts and Ledgers lack(ed).

Hartnett, however, is not without some charisma. He was pitch-perfect in The Virgin Suicides and was surprisingly touching as a cuckolded teen in a quite awful Love Story rehash from the late '90s. He never made the post-teen movie jump with any success. At this point, he is the poor man's Ryan Phillippe, who at least has Gosford Park, Breach and Stop-Loss to his credit.

Posted by Hal at April 3, 2008 11:39 AM

comment #40

Richardson says ...

'Breach' is to his credit? Man, those easy money lenders are gonna get bit in the ass giving out credit in high-risk situations like that...

Hartnett looks like a sheepdog, and acts similar to one as well.

Posted by Richardson at April 3, 2008 1:37 PM

comment #41

Filthy Rich says ...

To me he's like Bruce Willis who just walks through every role without any effort because he can. Except Willis had a few big hits and a career before he got boring.

But Hartnett was born into Hollywood boring as shit. He's tolerable and believeable in his roles but utterly forgettable. He should be playing the nameless cop who gets killed after 2 or 3 lines in a Michael Mann movie.

He's the luckiest man in Hollywood for the streak that he's been on cuz he hasn't shown he has anything great in him. Maybe he does but when is he going to show it?

Posted by Filthy Rich at April 3, 2008 2:15 PM

comment #42

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

You can really tell its late winter when there's nothing else to post about but Josh Hartnett's career.

Wow.

Would we have gotten this post at any other time of the year?

Posted by Jeffrey Kunze at April 3, 2008 2:22 PM

comment #43

Joel says ...

I actually like the way he has built his career. I really enjoyed him in Lucky Number Slevin. I realize he's not the greatest actor, but it at least seems like he's trying to pick interesting projects. I hope it keeps working out for him.

Posted by Joel at April 3, 2008 7:59 PM

comment #44

onlineservice3 says ...

It's called middle age discussed in the previous bookmarksite report. He's 44. You can still dress and act like a slacker, but at some point you look like a science teacher or an insurance agent.
easybookmarking

Posted by onlineservice3 at February 22, 2010 9:13 PM

comment #45