Men in the Movies
Sunday, August 26, 2007 at 10:24PM 
Fair warning - this post is pure self-indulgence...just go with it, it's fun...This weekend I finally got to see The Bourne Ultimatum which is definitely worth the ticket price. I went with my friend Lee, and afterwards we had a conversation about Matt Damon. We both agreed that Matt Damon isn't exactly a handsome guy - his looks are appealing, but handsome? not exactly. Yet, we also agreed that at certain times there is something just undeniably, knee-weakeningly, sexy about the guy. How does this happen? Is it the man or the character he's playing?
This made me think about my favorite male roles in film - not actors, per se, but the roles and how they're played. There are certain characters who, when played by just the right actor, make me go completely gooey. As I looked over the choices, I realized that they may not exactly be what one would think. Hmmm.
Now I've already talked about my preference for Daniel Craig time and again, so I won't go into it here. Of course there's always Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, but I only mention this first because the preference is so obvious I thought it best to put it right out there at the beginning. Alpha male? Yes. Wickedly attractive? Yes again. There must be something wrong with you if you can't find the attraction here. So...just stating the fact.
Two of my absolute favorites must be Harrison Ford as Jack Trainer in Working Girl, and William Powell as Nick Charles in all of The Thin Man movies. I think it must be the humor brought to each role, as well as their confident teasing of the leading lady. Why don't men do this in real life? Catching someone off-guard is the first step in romantic endeavors. Does no one know this?
In this vein too is Cary Grant as "Adam-Alex-Peter-Brian" in Charade. The dry, elegant wit mixed with a strong portion of self-effacing humor...and Audrey Hepburn. Stanley Donen did his best with this... Here's the trailer:
Chemistry is everything, as in another one of my favorites - George Clooney as Jack Foley in Out of Sight. Sheesh! Has there ever been a sexier scene filmed than the one between him and Jennifer Lopez? I watch it and then ten minute later I wonder why I'm thirsty. Kills me every time.
I'm an independent gal, and as such I tend to adore those stories of the "lone wolf adventurer"... Hence, I always swoon over Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient, and Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton in Out of Africa. This is one of my favorite romances - so unconventional, so devil-may-care on all sides. I'm not sure what I'd do if someone was reciting "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner" while shampooing my hair, but I'm fairly confident that I'd enjoy it. The entire story just seems so freeing...which must be why I love this scene:
By the same token, Robert Redford leaves me completely cold in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It's Paul Newman (who gets a swoon whatever the role,) who takes the cake when he rides away with Katharine Ross on his bicycle. I suppose the whole thing is so charming because it's just two friends having fun. It also leaves you thinking that Etta ought to really be with Butch more than Sundance...
Of course one of my favorite stories is Pride and Prejudice, not just in literature but also in all of its film renditions. the A&E production from the 1990s is absolutely incomparable, yet Colin Firth (whom I love as Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones' Diary,) is somewhat lacking as Mr. Darcy. He always looks a bit "peevish" as the British would say - even as the character is meant to be improving. It is Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy that takes the cake. I swear, I could watch him walk across this field at the end all day long...in fact, this clip runs a little too long for me.
For another "sexy in a poet shirt" I have to go with James Caviezel as Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo. It's an over-done production, but he's worth the rental alone. Those blue eyes!
Of course, then there's Jimmy Stewart in The Philadelphia Story...just for this scene right here...every girl wants to be told that she's "lit from within"...
In the honorable mention category, lately I've also really enjoyed Liev Schreiber (yum!) in The Painted Veil, and Josh Hartnett in Wicker Park(again and again). It's just a certain je ne sais quoi, so don't ask me to explain...I'm sure you have a few of those yourself, and if they happen to be Matt Damon then if you could explain it, please do! By the way - you can keep your Brad Pitt everbody...
Reader Comments (3)
Mr. Newman in Butch & Sundance: God yes. Rewatching this movie, one wonders how Redford could even compete. Newman just owns this movie.
Clooney in Out of Sight: Wow. Just wow. I'm getting heated up just thinking about the brilliant scene between him and JLo in the trunk. Insane chemistry. This movie owes me lots of money, as I've paid for countless admissions waiting for her to again exude this kind of loin-stirring charisma. George is just a badass, even though his name is George.
Rob & Meryl in Africa: this movie is a solid guilty pleasure, and the scene you mention is a minor geeky masterpiece, but I must admit that both are exceptional people who leave me completely cold. Streep's easily the greatest actress of all time, and Mr. Sundance aint no slouch, but neither moves me in the slightest.
Same goes with Cary and Audrey. Both fine performers, but seriously, does rambunctious sex sound remotely fun with either of them? Audrey's a bloody skeleton, and Cary is just way too manicured to be the kind of guy who pulls your hair a little too hard while youa are having spontaneous glorious sex against a window overlooking Central Park.
Don't even get me started on Jimmy Stewart. Hypothetically, he's a man, but he will always seem like Fred Astaire's older brother who couldn't dance. Only Harvey saves him from being a complete tool.
And then there's Ms. Austen, who captivates you ladies like none other. Admittedly, this gives me pause, as it seems universal that you all love most every version/adaptation, even if the men sometimes are complete tools (Colin Firth? are you kidding?). Still, recent versions have been admirable (even with Keira "I can bend it like Becks cos I look like a boy"), and the dialogue is top notch.
OK, back to the grapes.