I’ll admit it - I fell hard for Elizabeth Banks the first time I saw her. Caught her fiendishly funny cameo in “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and that was that. That gorgeous face, that pinpoint timing. She had a sense of adventure about her that I wanted to see more of.
So why don’t they give her juicier roles, I asked myself at the time.
Now, she’s appearing in more films than Morgan Freeman. But her proverbial ’striking while the iron is hot’ ground assault may backfire.
Roles in “Meet Dave,” “Meet Bill,” “Definitely, Maybe” and “Fred Claus” did nothing for her stock, and being cast as Laura Bush in Oliver Stone’s “W” will raise her profile - but only until the tepid box office receipts roll in. (That’s a prediction, but a pretty safe one).
Can’t some screenwriter tap out a character worthy of her?
(Photo: Steve Carell clumsily hits on Elizabeth Banks in “The 40 Year Old Virgin”)
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Dr. Zaius 07.19.08 at 9:34 pm
Good call on Elizabeth Banks. She stole every scene she showed up in “40-year-old Virgin,” — not an easy task. My heart sank when I learned she was going to play Laura in “W.”
Sigh.
Triskit 07.20.08 at 5:07 am
Dude. You do realize that she’s Tia-Lo’s old roommate’s sister, right?
cftoto 07.20.08 at 2:30 pm
I do remember that, Triskit. She’s come a long way, eh?
Mike 07.20.08 at 9:59 pm
Actually, I thought her best role was in “Seabiscuit.” She had dark hair.
Ken Bendor 07.21.08 at 8:34 pm
Seems like she and Ben Kingsley are in every other movie released in 2008 between them; the time-space continuim could collapse upon itself should they appear in a film together…
cftoto 07.21.08 at 8:36 pm
And what’s amazing about Sir Ben is that the older he gets, the more often he gets the girl in his films. I’ll have what he’s having …
Mea 10.22.08 at 11:47 am
Thanks for writing this.