Monday Morning Quarterback Part I

By BOP Staff

March 16, 2009

Keep your hands off my mustache, you filthy cow!

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Jason Lee: Agree with Kim, there is certainly something endearing to The Rock in a family film. That said, I think he's perilously close to being pigeonholed as Disney's go-to-guy for schlocky fare.

Tim Briody: Well, it's telling that he's officially dropped the wrestling/stage name and is now just Dwayne Johnson but we'll still call him The Rock forever and ever. That said, as someone who always loved his wrestling promos, I still think the right vehicle for him is an action comedy, since he perfected the "total jackass you wanted to root for" role in his WWE days and that just works in these films. Hell, he could even do a heel turn in the movies and play the bad guy and people would probably pay to see him get his ass kicked since he can play that role just fine too.

Pete Kilmer: Well, I think David is counting Be Cool and Get Smart as "Dwayne Johnson" movies and they weren't. He was a major support player in those two films (and Southland Tales). In none of those films was he placed to carry them. They did use him in advertising, but he wasn't the lead in those at all. He took those roles to expand what he can do and in the case of Get Smart it paid off. After the failure of The Rundown to explode - and it really should have as it's terrific - there just weren't any action comedies that were being seriously developed that he could take advantage of. This is a shame. I'd love to see The Rock in a John McClane/Bruce Willis kind of role. Hell, I'd love to see Bruce Willis and The Rock do a film together. As for The Rock being pigeonholed as a Disney actor...well it'd be good for his bankbook, but I really want him and Peter Berg (The Rundown) to do another film.




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Joel Corcoran: I think Pete illustrates the dilemma that Dwayne Johnson faces. He's proven himself very capable as a major supporting actor in a variety of films, and as a lead in Scorpion King, but he's made most of his money lately in Disney-style kids movies. If he doesn't want to get penned in by that genre, he's going to have to take on some riskier roles and hope for a breakout film. He has the chops for it, but maybe the safe and dependable kid-flick is too much to give up. Though I do love the idea of a movie with both him and Bruce Willis together.

Max Braden: He was supposed to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger and never made it, but that could be as much the market shifting from '80s action to a wider appeal. Still, to me it's interesting that he went to family friendly projects in half the time that Eddie Murphy did. Whether that's a demotion or just a horizontal career move is in the eye of the beholder. I'm sure Murphy isn't suffering for money, and Johnson doesn't have to either if he maintains an appeal for some markets.

Reagen Sulewski: Maybe it'll happen again someday, but people just don't want seem to want straight action franchises anymore, which is something that you really started to notice the shift on when Will Smith broke out with Men in Black. You can't be the next Schwarzenegger, because audiences aren't asking for it. Johnson kind of did the Will Smith thing for Witch Mountain, taking what looks like unexceptional product to the next level, so I think that's what he could continue to do for the next while - taking generic material and enhancing its curb appeal for a wider range of audiences.


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