Is there a more bipolar comic working today than Jack Black?
The actor kicked around Hollywood for years, but it took the perfectly tailored comedy “School of Rock” to make him a movie star.
Since then, his films have been hit or miss … and the same can be said for his performances.
Consider:
- “Nacho Libre” – Awful movie. Unbearable performance.
- “Kung Fu Panda” – Delightful animated fare spiked by Black’s charming vocal work.
- “Be Kind Rewind” – Even Black at his best couldn’t save this colossal wreck.
- “Tropic Thunder” – Terrific comedy with an awful turn by Black.
- “King Kong” – Bloated but hugely entertaining remake nearly spoiled by a seriously miscast Black.
Black’s comic persona works on its own artistic plane, and it needs precisely the right vehicle to be effective.
That’s why “School of Rock” proved a revelation. It milked every genial element of his tics and tricks and used it in all the right doses.
We’ll see if that same sort of chemistry describes his work in “Year One,” the new Harold Ramis comedy opening Friday (June 19).
(Photo: Jack Black plays a Neanderthal kicked out of his tribe in the new comedy “Year One.”)
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m glad you feel the same way about Nacho Libre. So many people I know really like it, I just thought it was weird and squirm inducing (who were those masked midget dudes anyway? They freaked me out.) I feel pretty much the same about Napoleon Dynamite.
Never saw the other ones, but I did like School of Rock.
black’s mostly overlooked ‘Tenacious D: the pick of destiny’ was not really a good film but i enjoyed it because i’ve been a huge fan of the D ever since they did spots on HBO nearly 10 years ago to the casual viewer it is a horrible film
Mrs. WWTW has never forgiven me for dragging her to see “Nacho Libre.” And yes, some people dig that movie … it boggles my mind …
“Tenacious D” was for the fans, I suppose … and it’s one movie that doesn’t really fit into this post … wasn’t bad, wasn’t great …
I liked Nacho Libre, in spite of some fairly odious aspects. It’s one of the most anti-Catholic films to come along in… oh, I don’t know… decades? But the wrestling was great, the soundtrack was good, Jack Black was outrageous, and most of the other actors were locals. It was weirdly charming to me. (I spared my wife from seeing it.)
I first noticed him in “Airborne” It’s one of those cheesy teen flicks with a cool downhill rollerblade race as the climax. For some reason, when I surf and find it, I can’t stop watching. You can see glimmers of his charm in that movie. I think he has a narrow range of movies that he can do otherwise.
“Narrow range” is just right, Mark. He’s experimental enough to tackle different projects, but some actors simply don’t have the chops to do that well (Keaunu Reeves and Kevin Costner come to mind).
What didn’t you like about Black’s performances in “Tropic Thunder” and “Kong”? I’ve watched the latter many times and feel that he did a perfectly acceptable job…
Found him the weakest link in “Thunder,” although I could blame his poorly written character for that.
In “Kong,” his presence always took me out of the picture … just not the right part for him, IMO.
I don’t despise Black as an actor. I just think he’s better suited to supporting rather than leading roles. His best work, in my opinion, was in Mars Attacks!, High Fidelity, and Tropic Thunder.
Christian-
For you, having seen Black’s prior pictures possibly acted as a palimpsest for you when seeing “Kong”…I’d never really seen anything of him before, so I didn’t have that particular baggage…
I thought he was really good in “Orange County” (probably because he played a character much like his real persona). OC is a little film that I thought was overlooked but grew on me the more times I watched it.
I figure Jack Black could do one hell of a performance playing himse.f