Although I was absolutely floored by the utter brilliance of Mike Myers' latest masterpiece, The Love Guru, I was left with a searing question: when will this reserved actor start taking broader roles? Pity Mike Myers; inside him burns the passion of a thousand suns, yet he is unable to set free his inner wild child. It is as though this shrinking violet is afraid that any outward emotions would cause his delicate petals to wilt. Not that his reserved style doesn't have its merits. Playing close to the chest, he exhibits the cool reserve of a man so assured of his talents that the adulation of fans would be an unwelcome ostentation. For him, it is art for art's sake -- the public be damned. This is quite evident in his refusal to trot out the old and familiar, and rather experiment wildly with the conventions of both comedy and film. Constantly re-inventing himself, he has more than earned his reputation as the cinematic equivalent of David Bowie.
Indeed, despite his standoffish demeanor, Myers exhibits a wide range of talents. He has, somehow, always managed to stay fresh. This is due in equal parts not only to his aforementioned experimentation but also to his sly unassuming style. One never knows what Myers will bring to the table, but his presence is always welcome. He is an actor about whom people have been known to gush,"I hope a roving band of syphilitic hobos doesn't run a train on him," "I hope he makes the same movie forever," and "he sure doesn't seem like a man struggling with crippling feelings of depression and inadequacy who must constantly strive for the approval of mindless fans in order to justify his hollow existence." But still, one wonders the heights to which Myers' talent would rise were he to let free his emotions. Here's to hoping that Myers will one day take off the mask and let us all see how wacky he can get.
4 comments:
You're so right. I think the subtlety with which he paid homage and yet bettered Donald Pleasence's iconic role in You Only Live Twice shows his genius for understatement. (It's ironic that Pleasence would try to hunt down a character named Mike Myers in the Halloween movies; it's as if he knew the real Mike Myers would show him up big time.) I'm not sure I agree that letting his emotions run more freely would add to his legacy, but Myers is such a genius that I'd expect anything from him.
I misspoke a little when I wrote that freeing his emotions would aid in Myers' perfection. Because I was so blinded by my adoration for him, I wrote my post at a fevered pace without much attention to my words. More accurately, I meant to say that he needs to try to play to the rafters. The subtly clever nuances to his wit may leave some confusion occasionally as to the meanings of his jokes. He needs to try to be more obvious. Mostly, I want to reiterate that he needs to stop reinventing himself, but rather stick with what he knows works.
Well done. Extremely clever. That is, assuming that I have managed to correctly comb out all the irony and sarcasm...
I too wait for the day. With any luck, the recent reviews for The Love Guru, although wonderful, might make him decide to explore new acting territory.
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