Snarlin' Sheriff

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"At 78, perhaps the only actor in the history of American cinema to convincingly kick the butt of a guy 60 years his junior, the hard-headed, snarly mouthed Clint Eastwood of the 1970s comes growling back to life in Gran Torino," writes Variety's Todd McCarthy. "Centered on a cantankerous curmudgeon who can fairly be described as Archie Bunker fully loaded (with beer and guns), the actor-director's second release of the season is his most stripped-down, unadorned picture in many a year, even as it continues his long preoccupation with race in American society.

"Highlighted by the star's vastly entertaining performance, this funny, broad but ultimately serious-minded drama about an old-timer driven to put things right in his deteriorating neighborhood looks to be a big audience-pleaser with mainstream viewers of all ages." Methinks the key words in this last package are the words "audience pleaser." Know what that means? You don't?

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on December 4, 2008 at 5:10 PM

comment #1

thatmovieguy says ...

"Audience pleaser"? That remains to be seen. I suspect it's going to be too crude for Eastwood's older audience, too obvious for the arty set and too uneven for the masses. It goes back and forth between profane comedy and teenage gang drama (complete with some of the most cringe-worthy stereotypes in ages) before finally showing its sentimental streak. I don't hear great word-of-mouth in the future.

Posted by thatmovieguy at December 4, 2008 5:22 PM

comment #2

lazarus says ...

Please let this be the film Wells makes it his crusade to take down this season.

Posted by lazarus at December 4, 2008 5:33 PM

comment #3

Chase Kahn says ...

I love how everybody opens Eastwood reviews with how amazing it is that the guy is 78 and still in the game, then makes some comment about how he could still kick our asses and call us 'punks' -- Is there anything more predictable?

Posted by Chase Kahn at December 4, 2008 5:42 PM

comment #4

corey3rd says ...

Bob Hope used to knock the crap out of the teens outside the Bob's Boy.

Posted by corey3rd at December 4, 2008 6:27 PM

comment #5

actionman says ...

"There is probably no leading Hollywood actor with less ham in him than Eastwood -- just compare him to Jack Nicholson or Al Pacino, for starters -- but by his standards, this is a real barn-burner; grumbling under his breath or merely looking askance at the perceived lowlifes that litter his existence, Eastwood clearly relishes this role and conveys his delight to the audience, to great satisfaction all around."

Can't wait to see this.

Posted by actionman at December 4, 2008 6:53 PM

comment #6

MilkMan says ...

Clint Eastwood is a fag.

Posted by MilkMan at December 4, 2008 7:37 PM

comment #7

frankbooth says ...

He is, too, you boys. I installed two-way mirrors in his pad in Brentwood, and he come to the door in a dress.

Posted by frankbooth at December 5, 2008 2:34 AM

comment #8

Rich S. says ...

frank, allow me to interject before your post, "The Hell HE WAS!"

Posted by Rich S. at December 5, 2008 4:39 AM

comment #9

mauberley says ...

I like ACTIONMAN's quote from the review: ""There is probably no leading Hollywood actor with less ham in him than Eastwood -- just compare him to Jack Nicholson or Al Pacino, for starters..." .

Seems arguable. What do you think?

Posted by mauberley at December 5, 2008 7:10 AM

comment #10

twicks says ...

I prefer the edited-for-TV version: "John Wayne was a FREAK."

That was the film that introduced me to the joy of the term "melonfarmer."

Posted by twicks at December 5, 2008 8:00 AM

comment #11

hcat says ...

The title charactor in Babe has less ham in him than Nicholson so that really isn't the standard we should go by. How about comparing him to Newman or McQueen who were able to play similair roles but have a lot more going on beneath the surface.

I think they are confusing limited acting ability with nuance. Eastwood is a fine Matinee Idol but he is not an actor comparable to Nicholson or Pacino who can hit highs as well as lows. He is not as hammy because he can not pull off a broad role. The only way you can even tell that an Eastwood film is a comedy is that it includes monkeys like Clyde or Burt Reynolds.

Posted by hcat at December 5, 2008 8:29 AM

comment #12

bmcintire says ...

Replace "ham" with "energy," "diversity" or "life" and that's a pretty fair supposition. Clint has been plunking away at the same note for decades and it has grown worn and out of tune in that time.

Posted by bmcintire at December 5, 2008 12:41 PM

comment #13

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