Myrtle Wilson Wants You To Throw Her Down And Beat Her

Before I begin, and while we are on the topic of movies, I have two things to say:

1. The top doesn’t fall down at the end of Inception, or maybe it does, either way the whole thing is a dream.  Too many unanswered questions, AMIRITE? (I know, this is about a year late...whatever)
2. Cowboys & Aliens reminded me of Blazing Saddles which is not a good thing.  Blazing Saddles is intentionally hilarious in a comedic sense, whereas Cowboys & Aliens takes itself pretty seriously and Harrison Ford is not funny.  But, it was better than Super 8, which was also a dream (I wish).

Now that we have that cleared up...

Myrtle Wilson: Isla Fisher

Shelley Winters, Karen Black, Heather Goldenhersh

Mr. Nobody From Nowhere Is Making Love To Your Wife

Sexy, kinda...

Today's character:  Tom Buchanan

Luhrmann's Buchanan: Joel Edgerton

Past Toms:  Barry Sullivan, Bruce Dern, Martin Donovan

Okay, so begins my xenophobic, flag waving rant on Australian characters playing pure bred, corn fed Amerrrrricans.  It’s...not...that....big of....a deal (*shudders).  But really, my biggest issue with Edgerton as Tom is that I believe Bradley Cooper would have been a damn good Tom.  Dammit!  But, if Luhrmann feels better directing actors that he knows more about, then so be it.

Tom, described by some American actor as “the best character in the book. He’s so complicated...He’s xenophobic, he’s an alcoholic, but he also understands some profound stuff about class.”  Tom is an every-man.  He’s a young, rich Archie Bunker.  He’s everyone’s racist, beer drinkin' grandfather or father.  He says what he thinks no matter how anyone feels, and he gets what he wants by either being an asshole or a passive-aggressive douche.  He drinks, he cheats on his wife, but he also knows that all of it is fun and games.  And he never really learns anything.

That unnamed American actor also provides a warning to those playing Tom; “Whoever plays it has to take a gentle hand, because it could so easily be stock, where he’s a rich jerk you don’t identify with at all.”  So very very true.  Let’s loooook at how Edgerton stacks up.