One of my favorite memories as a film journalist was interviewing Thomas Lennon.
Only I didn’t actually meet Lennon. I met Lt. Jim Dangle.
Lennon was visiting the XM Radio studios in D.C. to promote “Reno 911! Miami,” and he conducted the interview as the sexually ambiguous law officer he plays on the Comedy Central show.
No script. No talking points. Totally in character from start to finish. And very, very funny from start to finish.
So it’s hardly a shock to see Lennon excelling in some of today’s better movie comedies.
In “17 Again,” he plays Zac Efron’s nerdy bud, a millionaire trying to woo the school principal. He’s the funniest character in the film, by far.
And check out “I Love You, Man,” in which Lennon plays the spurned date of a very confused Paul Rudd. It’s a comic highlight in a film teeming with them.
Let’s not leave out Lennon’s work in “Reno 911!” itself. He plays the sexually charged Lt. Dangle, the kind of cop you don’t want showing up in times of trouble.
Lennon’s name may never open a movie, but it’s a safe bet any movie is better if he’s got a role in it.
(Photo: Thomas Lennon in his signature role, that of Lt. Jim Dangle in Comedy Central’s “Reno 911!”)
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s interesting to see too how many comedians came from The State in the mid 90’s.
Steve beat me to it. I loved The State on MTV, and am happy to see that they’ve become successful separately — though often working together.
I also loved Viva Variety on Comedy Central about 10 years ago or so. Absolutely brilliant. One of my favorite bits was a commercial for “Viva Variety Brand” cigarettes … that encouraged children to smoke. Winners of a kid-centered contest would win a “bumper pool party with Nico, the woodchuck who smokes!” It was included in the previews of an early-season South Park VHS tape I have somewhere around the house.
The PC Comedy Central would never allow such a thing today. I wish it was somewhere on YouTube, but I’ve never been able to find it.