In
my passionate, though doubtless futile, defense of the
Wachowski’s misunderstood masterwork
Speed Racer this month, I mentioned the bizarre
phenomenon that is the John Goodman Curse, in which that
larger-than-life and eminently likeable gentleman is
positively anathema to a decent box office return.
Despite the man’s undisputed abilities, he just cannot
catch a break. Oh, sure, there’s been the odd cult hit;
Raising Arizona, and a Cohen Brothers trifecta
of Barton Fink, O Brother Where Art Thou? and
The Big Lebowski. But by and large (forgive the
pun, it’s entirely unintentional), Goodman’s status as a
cinematic drawcard is diametrically opposed to his
actual appeal, and while he has never lacked for film
work, he is rarely cast as a leading man. He certainly
does seem to spend an inordinate amount of time grinning
out at us from the background of DVD covers. Assuming he
makes the cover at all.When your greatest box office success is basically Coyote Ugly, well… yeah. It’s a worry.
I
have always liked John Goodman, and have seen most every
movie in which he has appeared. To me, he is a
drawcard; I’ll watch anything in which he appears. He’s
like Parker Posey, John Leguizamo and Mandy Moore that
way. Here, I’ll hit the highlights -- and a couple of
the lowlights -- of Goodman’s impressive body of work
(again, no pun intended). Hopefully, I’m not alone in my
praise of most of these movies.Or am I?
Considering how the rest of the world inexplicably feels about Speed Racer, I’m preparing for the worst...
Punchline1988
Directed by David Seltzer
Also Starring: Tom Hanks, Sally Field
In this movie about standup comedy, Goodman really isn’t very funny at all. He’s not meant to be. He plays would-be comic Sally Field’s conventional husband, an insurance salesman born and bred in New Jersey, who has tried to be supportive of his wife’s aspirations but as we join our story, has almost reached the end of his tether. Sally Field’s Lilah falls into a friendship/flirtation with Tom Hanks’s ever-so-slightly-unstable Stephen, and there is something there, but in the end Lilah chooses to stay with her family, and with a husband newly convinced of, and invested in, her talent. Seeing Goodman play the good husband so straight is something of a surprise, but he carries it off faultlessly (of course), and the delight and pride that he shows when he finally gets to see his wife perform is every bit as romantic as Steven’s forbidden passion… if not more so.
Sea
of Love1989
Directed by Harold Becker
Also Starring: Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin
A romantic thriller in which Ellen Barkin is smoking hot as a suspected serial killer, Goodman plays Detective Sherman Touhey, a Queens cop who joins up with the already-haggard Al Pacino’s NYPD investigator. The plot centers around a lonely hearts killer, who responds to the poetical personal ads of lonely men, and then kills them. Goodman is more than a little comic relief-y here, and somewhat redundant as well, since the movie is all about Pacino’s burgeoning attraction to Barkin, and then their eventual torrid affair. Any other actor would fade entirely into the background here, but Goodman not only more than holds his own against the serial scene chewer that is the vastly over-rated Al Pacino, but he also seems to act as a kind of solid counterweight against which even the most overplayed histrionics just glide right off. It’s a good movie, though it’s mystery isn’t especially complex; it’s worth it, however, for the privilege of seeing Goodman in early fine form -- and for the smoking hotness of Ellen Barkin.
Always1989
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Also Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter
One of Spielberg’s lesser-regarded works is this lovely, bitter-sweet supernatural romantic drama about a risk-taking pilot, Pete (Dreyfuss), his no-nonsense girlfriend Dorinda (Hunter) and the new love that she finds after he dies in a tragic accident. Also notable for the presence of the always elegant Audrey Hepburn -- in her final role -- Always sees Goodman plays the stolid, genial and sensible best friend, and the support he gives to a grieving Dorinda is so sweet that you kind of wish you could reach into the screen and shake his hand. This one is definitely worth a look.
Arachnophobia
1990
Directed by Frank Marshall
Also Starring: Jeff Daniels, Julian Sands
Big-ass spiders. Goodman’s an exterminator. He doesn’t make it out alive… but does provide the biggest laughs in the movie. Such as they are.
King
Ralph1991
Directed by David S. Ward
Also Starring: Peter O’Toole, John Hurt
This is where things started to go wrong for Goodman, and I am just not sure why. Oh, King Ralph is hardly a cinematic masterpiece, but nor is it the worst movie of all time. The premise is simple, if a little Princess Diaries now: every scion of the British monarchy is killed in a freak photography accident, which leaves loud American lounge singer Ralph (Goodman) as the only possible candidate for the crown. It’s a classic fish-out-of-water tale that sees the King of England performing rock and roll at a formal reception and falling in love with an exotic dancer… for what it is, it is perfectly enjoyable, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why it inspired such hate upon its release. And continues to do so.
Matinee1993
Directed by Joe Dante
Also Starring: Cathy Moriarty, Kellie Martin
This movie is hilarious, and Goodman is beyond hilarious in it. In fact, it may very well be my very favorite of all his films, and I think it’s such a shame that this movie goes mostly unremarked by the world. Goodman plays film impresario Lawrence Woolsey, a man determined to make a hit out of his latest B-grade sci-fi/horror release Mant (half-man, half-ant. Ooooh!). Set in the early 1960’s and shot in black and white, it is a movie about movies, about how times have changed, about the business of promotion and about small-town America in a more innocent, yet more perilous, time. But more than that, it is a movie about Goodman’s talent, as he shifts from giddy child to low-voiced expert to smooth-talking salesman within the blink of an eye. Truly, a treat not to be missed, especially for any fan of the ridiculous mutant monster movie. (Like… er… me.)
Born
Yesterday1993
Directed by Luis Mandoki
Also Starring: Melanie Griffith, Don Johnson
A remake of a 1950 movie of the same name, this film features Goodman as Harry Brock, a lobbyist for the construction business who comes to Washington with his gorgeous trophy girlfriend, Billie (Griffith) a former showgirl, in tow, only to find himself ashamed by her general ignorance. He then enlists the aid of tutor Paul Verall (Johnson) to bring her up to speed, and -- of course -- the airhead and tutor fall in love, along the way foiling Harry’s dastardly underhanded deals and generally making him regret his generosity. Goodman’s character here is sleaze personified and really has no redeeming qualities, and yet because he is such a good actor you are still kind of rooting for him to come out of the whole imbroglio triumphant.
He doesn’t.
The
Flintstones1994
Directed by Brian Levant
Also Starring: Elizabeth Perkins, Halle Berry, Elizabeth Perkins, Rick Moranis, Kyle McLachlan, Rosie O’Donnell, Elizabeth Taylor
The best thing that can be said for this original Flintstones live action movie is that at least it isn’t the sequel. Viva Rock Vegas doesn’t even boast Goodman as Fred (surely the only part of the film worth watching; except, perhaps, for Halle Berry slinkily clad in very, very little), and it features Stephen Baldwin as Barney. Stephen Baldwin!
As for this one… well, it’s awful. But the cast is terrific (Elizabeth Perkins, Rick Moranis, Kyle McLachlan…), and they do seem to be having a gay old time. So, there’s that.
Pie
in the Sky1996
Directed by Bryan Gordon
Also Starring: Josh Charles, Christine Lahti, Anne Heche, Wil Wheaton
This is a very weird romantic comedy, and Goodman really has very little to do with the main plot at all, but he is definitely worth listening to in this movie. “Listening to” because he plays a helicopter traffic reporter flying high over Los Angeles, the idol of -- and later mentor to -- our offbeat hero Charlie (Charles). He is mentored by Christine Lahti in a different way and eventually love blooms between Charlie and long-time crush Amy (Heche). But the standout scenes for me are really when you’re simply listening to Goodman report on the traffic with an almost sports commentator-like zeal. (And, if I’m honest, the sex scenes. They’re just so… bossy.)
Blues
Brothers 20001998
Directed by John Landis
Also Starring: Dan Aykroyd
Being a huge fan of the original film, this movie came as a singular disappointment to me. All the subtle comedy was gone and in its place a kind of rambunctious playfulness which, at the time of the movie’s release, I was in no mood to appreciate. I believe the word “sacrilege” may even have passed my lips. Upon watching it again, however, I see that many of the elements that made the first Blues Brothers movie so charming, quotable and endlessly entertaining were, in fact, present in director Landis’s ill-fated sequel. John Goodman is a different kind of cool to John Belushi, of course, but he has the confidence, he has the moves, and some of the numbers in BB 2000 are really quite infectious and fun. No, it’ll never inspire midnight screenings or worshipful pilgrimages to Chicago. But it’s still not as bad as you might think.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
2000
Directed by Des McAnuff
Also Starring: Robert De Niro, Rene Russo, Jason Alexander, Piper Perabo, Randy Quaid, Janeane Garofalo
Yeah, okay, there’s just no excuse for this one.
One
Night at McCools2001
Directed by Harald Zwart
Also Starring: Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, Paul Reiser, Reba McEntire, Andrew Dice Clay
An unforgivably messy movie in which Goodman plays a dodgy motorbike cop who falls understandably in love with Liv Tyler. Matt Dillon and Paul Reiser are similarly smitten; meanwhile, Tyler’s vampy Jewel Valentine is playing them all off against each other in some kind of crime caper that is just really, really confusing and yet offers up no pay off. Give this one a miss.
Dirty
Deeds2002
Genre: Crime Comedy
Directed by David Caesar
Also Starring: Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, Sam Neill, Sam Worthington
Anachronistic theme song choice aside (AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” was released in 1976), this Australian movie about gaming machines, corrupt cops and casual violence is actually pretty entertaining. It’s a time of dapperly dressed, behatted criminals, the Vietnam War, and no color television -- at least, not outside the US. Goodman plays Tony Testano, an emissary from an American crime lord who wants to muscle in on Sydney’s apparently lucrative slot machine business. It’s an aggressively Aussie film (non-natives could probably use a translator on stand-by), and features a raft of local talent, an unexpected romance between Worthington’s naïve Darcy and his uncle’s mistress, and yet another complex but charming performance by Goodman. Almost chilling in parts, really, and yet you know he’s a sweetheart. It’s impressive.
Masked
and Anonymous2003
Directed by Larry Charles
Also Starring: Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Penélope Cruz, Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson, Angela Bassett, Bruce Dern, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer, Cheech Marin, Chris Penn, Giovanni Ribisi, Mickey Rourke, Christian Slater
This is a wacked out movie in which people speak in epigrams like “The more you know the more you’ll suffer” and “It’s the strongest arm that stretches the bow”. The soundtrack is exclusively Bob Dylan songs. There’s a war going on and Goodman’s character, Uncle Sweetheart, is the promoter in charge of talent. The talent he signs is Jack Fate (Dylan), a faded star just been released from prison, and surrounding him at almost all times is a plethora of well-known faces, with even the smallest roles filled by big names. The film has a pervading sense of futility about it; everyone’s cranky all the time -- which I would be too if everyone around me insisted on speaking in melodramatic and obtuse iambic pentameter -- and it is a fairly frustrating experience. Jeff Bridges’s reporter character is particularly hard to figure out, and as for Goodman, the movie’s closing scene gives him some moments of real acting where he really utilizes his intimidating presence to full and devastating effect. This is not one of my favorite movies ever, it must be said, but worth it just for one very, very funny moment when Dylan performs and is quite deliberately incomprehensible. At least, I hope it was deliberate. ‘Cause otherwise… sheesh.
Home
of Phobia AKA Freshman Orientation
2004
Directed by Ryan Shiraki
Also Starring: Sam Huntington, Marla Sokoloff, Heather Matarazzo, Rachel Dratch
In this freshman sex-and-breasts romp, young horndog Clay (Huntington) masquerades as gay in order to get close to teenage dream Amanda (Kaitlin Doubleday). Goodman plays Rodney, ageing owner of gay bar Dorothy’s Shoes, who convinces with his “darlings” and “honeys” and “bitches” as he acts as Clay’s queer eye for the college guy. There are much worse entries in this particular genre than this one, and the movie is also enlivened by the presence of the always adorable Sokoloff and Matarazzo, as well as Jud Taylor as sweet-voiced, scheming and sexually confused sorority queen Serena.
Beyond
the Sea2004
Genre: Biography/Drama/Musical
Directed by Kevin Spacey
Also Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Bob Hoskins, Greta Scacchi
In this lavish biopic of 50’s crooner Bobby Darin (Spacey), Goodman is Steve, the stars expansive and not entirely kosher manager. But this is not a movie you watch for John Goodman; oh, he’s fine, good even, but this film is all about Kevin Spacey, who wrote and directed and apparently chose to cast Kate Bosworth as 50’s icon Sandra Dee, Darin’s wife. Really his only misstep in what is otherwise an absolute classic.
Marilyn
Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School2005
Directed by Randall Miller
Also Starring: Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, Sean Astin, Mary Steenburgen, Donnie Wahlberg, Camryn Manheim, Danny De Vito
Another all-star ensemble affair, this is one part romantic comedy, one part drama, and one part The Usual Suspects, offering a twist ending that I just did not see coming. Told out of order, but making total sense, this is the story of Steve (Goodman), a man on his way to a date he made forty years earlier with his boyhood crush. Sadly, he is involved in a car accident, is found by nice guy Frank (Carlyle) who then agrees to keep Steve’s appointment for him. As a result, Frank finds a new lease on life, and finds a new love in the always lovely Marisa Tomei. Standouts in this surprisingly sweet and yet confronting movie include Mary Steenbergen as a refined and slightly delusional dance instructor, Donnie Wahlberg is creeptastic form, and Goodman himself, who is simultaneously a likeable, tragic and, in the end, quite surprising figure.
Gigantic2008
Directed by Matt Aselton
Also Starring: Zooey Deschenel, Ed Asner
Deschenel, too, is a must-watch actor for me (and I am assuredly not alone), so having her play spoiled and silly Harriet “Happy” Lolly, daughter to Goodman’s eccentric and wealthy Al, was something of a bonus. It’s a very strange movie, I must say: it tells the story of Brian (Paul Dano), a college-educated mattress salesman who becomes involved with Happy, all the while hoping to adopt a Chinese baby. Indeed, it’s apparently been his dream since he was a child. He has a kooky family, a movie-stealing medical researcher best friend (Brian Avers), and an apparent mental disorder in which he imagines a homeless man Zach Galifianakis) is out to get him, but in fact he is beating up himself, Fight Club-style. And this person they give a Chinese baby to? As I said, strange, strange movie. Worth it for Goodman, Asner and Deschenel.
Pope
Joan2009
Directed by Sönke Wortmann
Also Starring: David Wenham
Whoever thought of casting John Goodman as the, if you will believe it, Pope deserves some kind of award. Genius casting, in a genius movie made from a genius book based on a genius legend that I really hope is true. It’s all about a young Medieval girl who longs for education; when her brother dies, she assumed his identity and raises through the ranks to become Pope. Along the way she spends some time with the reigning pontiff, the gregarious and gluttonous Pope Sergius, and it is these scenes that really make the film. Although, the battle scenes will also hold your attention. One of Goodman’s best movies, certainly. A must see.
--
Rachel Hyland
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