Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Remember When Steve Martin Used to be Funny?


Yes, folks, Steve Martin used to be funny. Back in the late 70's and even the early 80's we would never have dreamed of the day when "Steve Martin" and "lobotomy" would be integral parts of the same sentence in a movie review.

This star of the "Cheaper by the Dozen" remakes(!) (see CBTD2 in theaters today! No, really, don't!) and the "Father of the Bride" remakes(!) bears no resemblance to the star of "The Jerk" and brilliant LPs like "Let's Get Small" and "A Wild and Crazy Guy." It just makes me soooo angry!

Where did it happen? Who lobotomized one of the great comedians of the 20th century? I blame Opie, Ron Howard, who directed him in "Parenthood," who set him on the slippery slope to blandsville. Perhaps it was his appearance in a John ("king of bland family comedies") Hughes film, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, a couple of years earlier that marked the very beginning of the end. I don't know.

(OK, there were some post-Parenthood bright moments, like "LA Story" and his funny stage play "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," but those are exception to the rule, so excuuuuse me!)