RenaissanceMan Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The alliteration and the memory was just too much to pass up this week!

Friday will bring the release of Max Payne, starring none other than Mark Wahlberg (with a little help from Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Ludacris...). Now it would be easy and sort of obvious to just revel in some "Good Vibrations" or Wahlberg's tight-whitey clad arse, both of which were extremely prevalent at the start of Marky Mark's career. Instead, here's his first film role from 1994 -- Wahlberg playing Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood in Renaissance Man.

In the clips above, Haywood gets into a fight with Pvt. Jamaal Montgomery -- otherwise known as Kadeem Hardison, or Dwayne Wayne. Then they get to delight in the Shakespearean world of Hamlet under the tutelage of Danny DeVito, and then, oh yes, Mr. Wahlberg sings a little bit of "Achey Breaky Heart."

It never ceases to amaze me how far that man has come. It didn't take him long either -- after this film came Basketball Diaries, then there was only Fear and Traveller before he became Dirk Diggler.

Above: Rainn Wilson lets his hair down for The Rocker.

Fans of Rainn Wilson's offbeat, hilarious and strangely endearing performance as Dwight Schrute on NBC's The Office might expect him to transition into film work with straightforward comedy, and The Rocker confirms that suspicion. However, they might not realize the serious professional motives behind his choice. In the movie, directed by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Grown Monty), Wilson plays a grown-up dolt named Fish with a scary fixation on classic rock. Abandoned by the band Vesuvius in his teens -- before they became a commercial phenomenon -- Fish spends the next twenty years working deadbeat jobs and wishing things happened differently. Naturally, he gets a second chance: When the opportunity rolls around to drum for his nephew's high school, Fish goes for it. Ageism and slapstick humor ensue.

While not exactly a classic, The Rocker proves Wilson has the charisma to carry a movie. The script could use some polishing, but Wilson manages to play a completely dysfunctional human being without ever becoming an annoyance. It's a testament to his skill as an actor with calculated timing. The humor emerges from the naturalism of his performances, which make you believe in the outlandish characters he portrays. In a conversation with Cinematical recently, Wilson elaborated on his particular strategies as his career advances, reminisced about his days as a New York theater actor, and shed some light on a few upcoming projects.

Emmy-nominated Rainn Wilson is heating up in Hollywood, somewhat competing with his Office co-stars Steve Carell, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer for most movie deals. His latest is Renaissance Men, which he co-wrote with actor Matt Ross (HBO's Big Love) and just sold to Universal. In the comedy, Wilson and Ross will play losers (Wilson claims he can't write about winners) who think they've killed their community theater co-star and so hideout at a Renaissance fair. Wilson describes it as, "a bit like We're No Angels, only funny." He also claims that Renaissance fairs are fascinating because, "everyone has been to one, but no one really knows what makes them tick."

I'll be the first to admit I've never been to a Ren fair, but I did have some friends in high school that were into them -- sometimes they even brought their crossbows to school (fortunately not in the view of teachers). These were the same kids who wouldn't let me play role-playing games because I wouldn't take them seriously enough. So, yeah, I'm all for making a mockery out of the whole thing. Wilson was a D&D player and a Ren fair attendee as a teen, so he has the experience to use as a foundation and the ability to make fun of himself while making fun of those people who are into Ren fair stuff.

Wilson will co-produce with director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents). There is so far no one attached to direct. Roach has a lot of stuff lined up, including producing Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno movie, but unless he goes ahead soon with another Austin Powers sequel or the "comedic Vertigo movie", he should go ahead and helm Renaissance Men. As for Wilson, he's got the comedies Juno, The Rocker, Girlfriend Experience and Bonzai Shadowhands, which he also wrote. Unlike some people, I think Wilson can do more than play Dwight Schrute types -- I loved him as a very un-Dwight-like guy in Baadasssss! -- and can't wait to see how his starring roles turn out. However, I do think Hollywood might want to typecast the guy and I hope the studios don't try and force him to stick with his Office shtick in every movie he's in.