Let’s admit it … Tim Allen returning to the big screen isn’t like Han Solo or Dirty Harry reappearing at the cineplex at last.
Still, the “Home Improvement” star seemed to deserve a slightly bigger film career than he got. And he’s taking his return into his own hands, directing the new comedy “Crazy on the Outside” heading our way next month.
So far, so good. And Allen seems willing to tap his darker side, something all but obliterated by many of his film appearances.
Allen’s voice work in the “Toy Story” films is continually overlooked, and his “Galaxy Quest” feature is now a cult classic thanks to its sharp skewering of all things Trek.
But Allen fell into the Family Guy Trap, thinking he could sustain a career with films like “Christmas with the Kranks,” “The Shaggy Dog” and “Zoom.”
Perhaps the 56-year-old actor can direct himself into a new phase of his career.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Loved Allen’s standup, mainly because I’m a gearhead and love to get my hands dirty. There wasn’t much entertainment, let alone comedy, for anyone of that nature back when he came to be famous 20 years ago. His sitcom turned me off completely. The first season was funny enough, then came the feminist handwringing, and the very special episodes and the politically correct son turned journalist/activist. The show should have changed its name to “Man Improvement” at that point. Watching Cosby, than Home Improvement, it’s amazing how much Hollywood’s attitude toward masculine men changed in just a couple years.
I think Allen is talented and funny – he’s shown it at times in his movies. Hopefully this gets him back on the right path.
I’ve always liked him as an actor, even though I didn’t watch Home Improvement and I thought most of his movies sucked. He made the mistake a lot of actors make, taking the easy money rather than challenging himself.
He’s headlined two successful franchises (Toy Story and Santa Clause), though. And his performance in Galaxy Quest and his overlooked dramatic work in David Mamet’s Redbelt suggest that he’s alot more talented than he usually gets credit for.
I love seeing actors reinvent themselves … and prove to the world that they have more dimensions than we originally thought.