It's been said that comedy is harder than drama. As Charlie Chaplin once quipped (and he should know), "Anyone can make them cry, but it takes a genius to make them laugh." I have to admit, the older I get, the more I'm drawn to comedy. It's the reason I've never seen Brokeback Mountain (2005)--I knew it wasn't going to be a laugh riot, so I passed. (There's a much longer story behind that, but I won't presume to bore you with it here).
What I've never understood is why, if comedy is harder, does drama get all the respect and prestige? Why do comedic performances seldom receive Oscar nominations, and even fewer of them actually win? When an actor dies, everybody starts ticking off the dramatic roles--the ones the critics loved that got a lot of accolades. As an example, let's look at Gene Hackman who just passed away a few weeks back. He received five Oscar nominations in his career, winning two for The French Connection (1971) and Unforgiven (1992). All five of those nominations were for dramatic performances. And while all the broadcast tributes were quick to point out that he was quite adept at both comedy and drama, the comedies tended to get glossed over, certainly by the Academy. I've always felt his work The Birdcage (1996) gets funnier with every viewing (I never realized how much he looked like Phyllis Diller). His performance in Young Frankenstein (1974) was one of the greatest cameos of all time. I don't know what was funnier: the look on Peter Boyle's face when he realizes his thumb is on fire or Hackman's line "Wait! Where are you going? I was going to make espresso," which he apparently ad-libbed, causing the crew to crack up which is why the scene fades out so quickly. But when most people think of Hackman, the first things that pop into our heads are usually Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and "Little" Bill Daggett--maybe Coach Norman Dale if you live in Indiana. But probably not Senator Kevin Keeley or Harry Zimm in Get Shorty (1995), or even Lex Luthor in the Superman films which could be argued to be comedic.
We lost another great actor this week who was adept at both comedy and drama. But when we talk about Val Kilmer, the first things people talk about are his dramatic performances in films like the Top Gun franchise (1986 and 2022), The Doors (1991), Tombstone (1993), and Heat (1995). They are also quick to mention his (in my opinion) underrated performance as The Caped Crusader in Batman Forever (1995), but, apart from the spy spoof Top Secret! (1984) which they only mention because it was his film debut, his comedic performances tend to get brushed aside. Don't get me wrong, when I saw Top Gun: Maverick (2022) in a theater, I think it's safe to say that when Iceman showed up on screen, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. It was likely the most beautiful moment in what I think is one of the greatest sequels ever filmed. But films like the darkly comic Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) or MacGruber (2010) seldom get mentioned.
So this week, I want to celebrate the life and career of one of my generation's most beloved actors. As much as I appreciate Val Kilmer's dramas--and I do--this week's film is perhaps my all-time favourite of his because it never ceases to make me laugh. In it, he plays Chris Knight, a super smart math and science wiz who is in his final year at a prestigious engineering college where he and some other students (including his new 15-year-old prodigy roommate, played by Gabe Jarrett) are helping develop a specialized laser for their professor. Included in the cast are Jon Gries as Lazlo Hollyfeld (who later went on to play Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite and, coincidentally, was also in Get Shorty with Gene Hackman) and William Atherton as Professor Jerry Hathaway (which, like his characters in Ghostbusters and Die Hard, is another total prick, which Atherton seemed to be typecast as during that time). But the real star of the film is Kilmer who, in his second feature film, seems to use his entire body in his performance, particularly in his facial expressions... and his wardrobe. This film was written by Neil Israel, Pat Proft, and Peter Torokvei (from a story by Israel and Proft) and directed by Martha Coolidge. From 1985, this week I recommend Real Genius.
Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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