This summer’s biggest rom-com hit featured something we’re starting to see much more of these days.
No, the lead character didn’t sing into her hairbrush or reunite with her flame at an airport.
The actress in “The Proposal,” 44-year-old Sandra Bullock, is more than a decade older than her co-star – 33-year-old Ryan Reynolds.
And the film isn’t the only recent romance in which the lead actors’ ages are more or less equal.
“Julie & Julia” pairs Meryl Streep (60) with Stanley Tucci (50). “New in Town” cast Renee Zellwegger (40) alongside Harry Connick, Jr. (39).
In the forthcoming “All About Steve,” Bullock stalks 34-year-old Bradley Cooper, and “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” will team Sarah Jessica Parker (44) with Hugh Grant (49).
When Hollywood falls back on its May-December formula, the results can be … icky. Consider how odd Jim Carrey (47) looked canoodling with Zooey Deschanel (29) in “Yes Man.”
So why the change?
Blame actresses with growing box office muscle. Bullock more often than not can still open a movie, and Streep’s career is hitting a commercial peak at the ripe old age of 60. “Sex and the City” proved Parker is a star people will pay good money to watch.
And we haven’t seen Jack Nicholson wooing anyone on screen for ages. Ol’ Jack wouldn’t dare share the screen with a fellow 70-something.
Actresses used to dread hitting the big 4-0, and with good reason. But today’s Hollywood appears a little more forgiving of crow’s feet these days, even if it’s for pragmatic purposes.
(Photo: “The Proposal” pairs Sandra Bullock with younger co-star Ryan Reynolds. Photo courtesy of Touchstone Pictures)
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Sorry, but I have to ding you on the Jack Nicholson comment. He most certainly appeared with someone his own age in “About Schmidt” and the whole premise of “Something’s Gotta Give” is Jack’s character slowly giving in to his desire for a woman his age (who happened to be the mother of the much, much younger woman he was dating).
“Give” is a close call .. Keaton is still younger than him by a few years … but it was closer than we usually see.
But Schmidt (a great film) wasn’t a romance … and his age-appropriate wife gets knocked off early.
I give you that Schmidt wasn’t a romance (in fact, he hated his wife until she died), but IMDB puts Jack and Diane at just under 9 years apart and the whole premise of the movie made fun of the older man/younger woman dynamic.
Point well taken … and I really loved “Give’ – thought Keaton was brilliant in it. Plus, Mrs. WWTW is 9 years my junior, so perhaps I shouldn’t talk!
Other than Sex and the City, older actresses have not done well. Streep was a hit in Mama Mia! but that was because of Abba and the musical. Tyler Perry in drag as Madea would have been as big.
We’ll see how Bullock does in her next film, my guess is, not much. Part of the problem is the dearth of leading men (Gerard Butler, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, and Denzel Washington seem to be it) and the sad botox issue of most leading actresses in Hollywood past 25. Cameron Diaz, Nicole Kidman, and Teri Hatcher have ruined faces, so too younger actresses with trout lips.
I think if anything, guys like Sandler, or Seth Rogen, or any actor appealing to guys, will be opposite a younger and probably significantly younger actress, if for no other reason than non-ruined faces.
Whiskey — Botox is simply ruining actresses, as far as I can tell. I don’t like to name names without the facts … but you can see a profound change in some actresses’ faces once they’ve gone that route. It’s sad. I understand the pressure they feel must be enormous, but the cost of using Botox is too high.
You wanna talk about someone who looks “ruined”, I’ve got two words for ya…Lindsay Lohan!