As I was re-watching Reds yesterday, it occured to me that Patton Oswalt bears a bit more resemblance to the real John Reed than Warren Beatty did in 1981. I’m not saying Beatty’s performance doesn’t work or that Oswalt could have pulled it off if he’d time-tripped back to the late ’70s and been cast by Beatty, etc. I’m saying Beatty resembled Reed as much as young Peter O’Toole resembled the real T.E Lawrence.
(l.) John Reed, Louise Bryant; (center) Patton Oswalt; (r.) Warren Beatty as John Reed in Reds.
