Wednesday, February 17, 1999
If the Three Stooges, who were genuine screen comedy legends, never cared about indulging in serious drama during their celebrated acting careers, what's Jim Carrey's problem?
No doubt there are people who are still stunned over Carrey's omission last week from the list of Oscar nominees in the best-actor category. This reaction is a product of both Carrey's fine performance in "The Truman Show" and his unexpected win at the Golden Globes.
For those of us who love screen comedy -- and in particular, Carrey's screen comedy -- the Golden Globes was a depressing night. A win like that is all someone like Carrey needs to justify his calculated flight from the comedy ranks, a journey that began with "The Cable Guy" and will continue with his next film, "Man in the Moon," the Andy Kaufman story, which is expected to be more serious than comic.
Nobody is doubting Carrey's acting abilities. The guy's good. He's very good. But we've already got Robert De Niro. He's a great actor, and he never tries to talk out of his butt.
I'm glad Carrey was shut out of the Oscars. Maybe this will slow this determined march of his to become a serious actor. If he had been nominated -- he didn't even have to win -- there would have been no turning back. It would have been the end of a brilliant comedy career.
Oh, he'll tell you that he would mix it up a bit, the wa Robin Williams does. But even Williams does more drama than comedy these days. For every "Patch Adams," there is a "Good Will Hunting" and a "What Dreams May Come" lurking just around the corner.
Carrey is generally considered to be the funniest man on the planet.
Why isn't that enough? If you knew you were the best in the world at something, wouldn't you be satisfied?
"They all want to play Hamlet" is the standard response you hear when
you pose that question to Hollywood insiders. It is generally believed within the movie industry that all clowns want to be taken seriously. I'm not sure that has always been the case.
Groucho Marx never once, as far as I know, ever longed for Laurence Olivier's role in "Wuthering Heights." I don't recall reading that Chico Marx auditioned for the role of Rhett Butler in "Gone With the Wind." OK, so Harpo wanted Humphrey Bogart's part in "Casablanca," but that's because he thought it was a musical.
If Carrey leaves the comedy ranks, we will be left with Adam Sandler as the funniest man in movies. This is not how I want to enter the new millennium. What if we're being observed by another civilization?
Life is tough. Jobs are difficult. Paying bills is brutal. When we go to the movies, we want to forget the bad things and laugh a little. We do not need to cry more. Why are these funny guys trying so desperately to make us cry more?
It certainly can't be the challenge. It's easy to make people cry at the movies. Hollywood has known that for years. Give Meryl Streep an illness; they'll cry. Sink a big boat; they'll cry. Raise the price of popcorn; they'll cry.
But just try to make people laugh at $8 a pop. Not so easy, is it? Ask any top actor or actress and they will tell you that the hardest thing to do in the dramatic arts is to make good comedy.
Drama is about the material. Comedy is not just about the material. It is not just about timing. Certain people are funny. We look at them and we laugh. The Stooges had it. Woody Allen had it. Mel Brooks had it. It's a gift.
Carrey has the gift. He appears on a screen and people's faces light up. What a wonderful gift to possess. Frankly, I don't care if he wants to push himself. Let him push himself outside work.
I know actors are concerned about leaving behind a legacy. It goes to the very core of their being. It was the reason they became actors.
What greater legacy could someone leave than that they made us laugh? It certainly is a lot better than that he pushed himself to be a better dramatic actor.
But Jim Carrey won't listen to me. Robin Williams didn't listen to me. Bill Murray didn't listen to me. None of these guys listened to me.
Moe would have listened. Same for Larry and Curly. Who cares if Shemp listened?
By Barry Koltnow
