Buffista Movies 3: Panned and Scanned
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What sort of movie is a Denzel Washington movie, though?
A Tom Hanks movie is probably touching and inspirational, and maybe he's not that bright. A Meg Ryan movie is supposed to be quirky and funny and romantic, and maybe not suck. A Julia Roberts movie is less quirky, more pointedly funny, and romantic or inspiring. A Tom Cruise movie -- it gets more complicated, but he still can't act, so there's a limit to his variety.
But what do you know about a movie if you know it's Denzel?
Which is to say...I think he has a very specific following, but maybe it's a black thing. And not a what kind of movie it means it'll be thing.
I think with Denzel it's a yummy thing. At least among the women I know.
Except for that movie with Ethan Hawke, you can be pretty sure Denzel is going to play a man of honor who doesn't have sex on screen.
But really, who doesn't love Denzel?
What I think of as a Denzel Washington movie: Little Guy/Underdog fighting against "the man" as primary theme. Serious/heavy movie, and maybe a kinda-complicated plot.
At least, in my head.
eta: Yes! That was the other thing: wicked understated, if any, romance for him.
I think honor is a big word to apply to
Virtuosity, Mississipi Masala, Carbon Copy, Fallen,
and
The Mighty Quinn
and the wrong word to apply to
Out Of Time, He Got Game,
and
Mo Better Blues.
And I thought it was that he didn't have sex with white women, until
He Got Game,
I had thought
Mississipi Masala
and
Mo Better Blues
had sex scenes.
He plays a regular guy a lot. More than Julia or Meg have shown diversity. With Tom Hanks it's that the ones in which he plays
that guy
get so much press/money, that the others fall off. I never got that impression with Denzel.
I'm not saying he only plays one character, just what I would figure if you say "new Denzel Washington movie."
But I'm saying it hasn't described his history that well, and wouldn't help with his last five movies either.
Not challenging that you think so, but more wondering why. Did the 80s and early 90s define him that much? Is he the
Preacher's Wife, Malcolm X, Cry Freedom, Glory
guy despite all else? He hasn't had that much honour in his last ten movies.
Whenever I think about Denzel, I think, "WE DIDNT LAND ON PLYMOUTH ROCK. PLYMOUT ROCK LANDED ON US!"
Did the 80s and early 90s define him that much?
To me, I guess so. Also, if Spike Lee is the director, in my head it's "a Spike Lee movie," not "a Denzel Washington movie."
I really only tend to think of his stuff post-Malcolm X (maybe starting around Pelican Brief) as even potentially "Denzel Washington movies" (and not all after that are, of course).
Yeah, honor may not be the right word, but they do often have that "one man against the big, immovable corporation, government entity, social force" type of central conflict.
I think he has played away from type more often than many, but I still think its there, especially on the films that everyone knows/remembers.
