In Sunday’s N.Y. Daily News, Elizabeth Weitzman asks if Ben McKenzie, whom she calls The O.C.‘s “resident hunk,” is about to make his mark in the forthcoming Junebug (Sony Classics, 8.5). I’ve seen Junebug and yes, McKenzie’s performance shows “he can do more than brood beautifully,” as Weitzman puts it — it shows he’s extremely convincing at playing a pathetic jerk. Junebug is a nicely handled family relationship drama, but McKenzie’s “Johnny” character is an uneducated, emotionally immature blue-collar dork who treats his wife with callous disregard. (The wife, a very pregnant woman named Ashley, who’s a bit too angelic and myopic to be believed, even by small-town terms, is superbly portrayed by Amy Adams.) Bottom line…and I’m acknowledging this may be a small-minded way of looking at things….but the general rule of thumb is that it doesn’t matter if you’re just inhabiting a character, like any good actor. You can’t get a career bump off a performance in a good film if you’re playing a total asshole, so McKenzie will have to wait.