Aging Stars

[AndyC]

On the subject of Michael Douglas' new movie, has anybody else noticed how many aging stars continue to play characters with young families? Granted, I'd rather watch the veterans like Douglas and Arnold Schwarzenegger (another actor who robs the cradle once in a while) than many of today's younger stars, but for the sake of credibility, they might want to consider choosing roles more appropriate to actors in their 50s. I'm not saying that a 57-year-old man can't have a 36-year-old wife and a 9-year-old daughter, but to look at thrillers and action flicks, you'd think it was the norm. These guys can't keep playing the same parts they played in their 30s and 40s, no matter how well they can play them. Either the character should be written as an oler man, or a younger actor should be playing the part.

Anybody else have any thoughts on this?

[The Honn]

I have. All I can say is that I cant wait to see Indiana Jones 4.(smug grin).

[Squishy]

I remember when Peter Hyams' The Star Chamber came out; several critics adamantly insisted that Douglas was waaaaay too young to play even a lower-court judge. Yeah, I know--bull****--but that's the way some people think; it took years for the "kid" from The Streets of San Francisco to be accepted as an adult. Then all of a sudden, he was an Old Fart, and now looking at a woman under the age of sixty brings the UFHS (Uber-Feminist Harpy Squad) down on him. (However, when Stella robs the cradle, she's "getting her groove back." Cough.)

[N. E. Moses]

I do agree with Andy.  Even with the James Bond movies (Sean Connery did his last Bond movie, I think, in his mid- or late fifties). That why they brought in a fairly young buck like Pierce Brosnan to make the character more believeable.  Also, maybe to attract a younger audience.

I don't know what year the author created Bond, but if you take all those movies frome the late 50's to now, I would think he would be in his 40's as well

[AndyC]

I'm not suggesting that older leading men (or women) can't play opposite younger love interests. Sean Connery does very well playing older men who, like Connery, have retained their charm and vitality. He's at his best playing the charming old gentleman who you underestimate at your own risk. In the Douglas family, Kirk is probably one of the best examples of an actor who played tough, charismatic characters his own age. Consider Saturn 3, where he played the old veteran space explorer who was doing Farah Fawcett.

The problem I have is when, in movie after movie, somebody well over 50 is cast in a part that seems to be written for a guy in his 30s. I really became aware of this watching The Sixth Day and thinking that Arnie had an older daughter in Commando. He seems to have a young family (alive or dead) in every one of his recent pictures. After his last couple of disappointing movies, the realization fully hit me that Arnie's best action flicks are behind him. It might be time for him to take on a different role and leave the hero stuff to somebody else. Charleton Heston, while no longer the action hero he once was, was just as impressive as Arnie's tough, eye-patch-wearing boss in True Lies. Or perhaps Arnie could be the senior member of a father-son action duo.

Douglas relies more on being a powerful actor than a tough guy (as seen in Falling Down, one of my favourite movies), but I'm just seeing the same thing here. He's just not as believable as a guy with a young family as he once was.

It might be just that I'm bothered by the realization that so many of my favourite stars are not getting any younger, and I have yet to see any worthy successors.

[peter johnson]

The worst offender in this category is/was Charles Bronson, who played fathers & action guys well into his early '70's.
Also, Jack Nickleson was already past it as a romantic lead when "Witches of Eastwick" came out -- remember his girdle/corset?.  So I had an even harder time accepting him opposite Helen Hunt in that other thing -- thank God his acting can make you overlook his age --

[Josh Leman]

Mostly I don't mind the whole "old actor, young actress" pairings.  I was fine with it in As Good As It Gets, with Nicholson shacking up with Helen Hunt.

But the one film I simply cannot accept is The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, where Woody Allen gets to kiss Charlize Theron and then ends up living happily ever after with, again, Helen Hunt.  This is just disturbing--Allen made the entire movie just so he can kiss these blond hotties and then be like, "Oops, sorry, forgot to put film in the camera, guess we'll have to do another take..."

And let's not forget Sextette.  Ugghhh.

[Mofo Rising]

I blame it on the studios and their perceived notions on the viablility of older actresses.  Refusing to see the age lines in male actors, while refusing to consider actresses over 40.  You know, "But a paunch is dignified!" type thinking.  "Harrison Ford would still make a good Indiana Jones" type thinking.

The only actress that I can think of who is up there in years but still considered a sex symbol is Sigourney Weaver, who turns 52 next Monday but still makes films like GALAXY QUEST and HEARTBREAKERS.  Can anybody come up with other examples?  I guess Michelle Pfeiffer, who is 43.

On young families, it's probably as much to do with the children, who are not as effective plot devices if they're all grown up.  WHAT LIES BENEATH featured a family with a child who had just left for college, but that was part of the movie, the alone housewife.  In DON'T SAY A WORD, it has to be a young child because the instinctive threat is much worse than if it was a teenager.

If you want to see a bad pairing, check out PRIME CUT with Lee Marvin and Sissy Spacek.  It was Spacek's first movie, she was 23.  Marvin was 48.  Doesn't seem so bad on paper, but on screen. . . Methuselah courting Lolita may begin to describe it.

[Flangepart]

Age. We all go through it, and we like to avoid its effects of our bodies, at least to not dwell on it. Remember the critics carping about the age of the original Trek crew? Just when the body gives out, we find ourselves at the peak of out life experiance. Andy C's comment about the Father/son action team makes me think of Frank Millers return of Batman , and the new Furuistic Batman. Bruce Wayne's body has gotten old, but his experiance make him the perfect teacher. Been there, done that!! It fits real life better, and therfor helps the plot be believeable, to have that kind of reaction to age. Remember Zorro? Bandaras swhishing the sword like a banshee....and Hopkins wacks it put of his hand with one casual flick of the wrist. Priceless! Heres a question....what star would you like to be like, when you get "Old"?