A Hollywood life is not always as glamourous as it seems. There have been many a hot actor, who have uglied-up themselves for a role in a desperate bid to get an Oscar in their hot little manicured hands. Take Charlize Theron, who was not a pretty sight in her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), for which she won an Academy Award. Yup, the greasy psychopathic lesbian look (literally) got her the coveted prize.
Or how about Hilary Swank who chopped off her locks and threw away the make-up to play female-to-male transgender Brandon Teena in Boys in Don’t Cry (1999)? She made off with an Oscar for Best Actress for the role. It is all about showing their acting range, right? Or cynically, one could argue that they might just be too pretty to be taken seriously at their profession and had to go all out.
Nevertheless, this tried and tested strategy does not work for all. Fact is, a good looking face, regardless of any acting abilities attached, is more likely to sell a film ticket. Take, Leonardo Di Caprio, great actor that he is, who learnt the hard way when his face did a mostly ‘no show’ in The Man In The Iron Mask (1998). Yes, people will only pay hard cash to look at his fair countenance.
Yes, folks, it’s a thin line, and yet, somehow the ever-bankable Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds has created a whole category in his own right. With the looks of Hollywood dreams that have smouldered across screens in noteworthy flicks, from thrillers such as Buried (2010) to comedy The Change Up (2011), he has already proven himself as a fine actor. Clearly not taking his sex symbol status too seriously, he now ups the ante and achieves the almost impossible in his lastest film Deadpool.
Not exactly heading for the Red Carpet with this vehicle, Reynolds’ sex appeal holds strong even when he spends half the film looking like Mr Potato Head. Further, his comedic style, that some might liken to that of Jim Carey, is likely to appeal to a whole new audience that will increase his ever burgeoning fan base. And that, my friends, is box office gold.
Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, Reynolds plays Wade Wilson, a former Special Forces operative who now works as a mercenary. His world comes crashing down when the evil Ajax (Ed Skrein) tortures, disfigures and transforms him into Deadpool. The rogue experiment leaves him with accelerated healing powers and a twisted sense of humor. With help from mutant allies Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Colossus (Stefan Kapicic), Deadpool uses his new skills to hunt down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
A welcomed dark twist to the comic book movie genre, Deadpool has all the elements you would expect from an action comedy. It even says so in the opening credits, replacing the names of actors with standard character roles such as the ‘English Villain’ and ‘Moody Teenager’. Could be sharper in places, but overall a fun, action-packed movie literally doing what it says on the tin.