Looking at the publicity photos will make you think the TNT biopic is really a documentary, and when you pop in James Dean for your evening's entertainment, it'll only be a few minutes before you wonder whether or not you have mistakenly rented a documentary instead of the drama starring a teen heartthrob of the '90s. Even though at times it may not seem like it, this movie does not contain real footage, and the lead actor portraying the 1950s legend is actually James Franco.
For the surface fan of 1950s cinema or of the rebellious icon, this movie will please during every scene. There are saucy trivia tidbits about the new star, and recreations from each of Dean's theatrical films. Various supporting characters from Dean's personal and professional life are represented, and you'll get to see portrayals of Elia Kazan, Pier Angeli, Martin Landau, George Stevens, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris, Hedda Hopper, James Whitmore, Geraldine Page, and Jack Warner. Some are more convincing than others, but all pale in comparison to the star, who seems to have been resurrected. This is James Franco's first of many film transformations, and it only takes a few seconds before you completely forget who the real actor behind the blond hair and glasses is. When portraying such a distinctive person, it's risky to include every idiosyncrasy because if modern audiences don't remember exactly how he acted, the actor could be criticized for being too over-the-top. There have been many actors and actresses who chose to play it safe in their biopics, and the results were staggeringly disappointing. James Franco, as you can probably guess, doesn't ever play it safe. He throws his heart and soul into this role as he's done with countless others in the past twenty years.
For the fans who like to scratch below the surface, this movie will quickly become a favorite. You already know details of Dean's life, and you've seen East of Eden a dozen times. When you watch James Franco act the hugging scene, you'll be in awe of his talent and his respect for the original material he was hired to recreate. You'll see him in his cowboy hat, arguing with George Stevens while on the set of Giant, and you'll see him dripping with oil and grinning in another iconic recreation. You'll see him falling in love, making friends, rehearsing, throwing fits, and getting lost in his emotions. No matter how much you thought you knew about James Dean, James Franco will help you get to know him a little better.
While a biopic of any beloved entertainer who died before his or her time is tragic to watch, there is another sad parallel that will only be gleaned from this movie if you watch it now, rather than twenty years earlier when it was originally broadcasted. Both James Dean and his portrayer had their careers shortened by the oddities in their personal lives. As you learn when you watch this movie, Dean was a very strange person with enormous emotional problems. He had violent mood swings, threatened his director with a knife, and refused to play by the studio's rules at a time when actors had to at least pretend to be wholesome and compliant. Had he not reached his tragic end so quickly, it's not hard to imagine he might have followed the path of Paul Muni, another emotional actor ahead of his time who couldn't be confined by Hollywood and returned to Broadway at his prime. I can't see Dean sustaining a decades-long Hollywood career as a brooding, emotional rebel whether or not the cameras were turned on. In 2001, James Franco had the world at his fingertips, and he won a well-deserved Golden Globe for this performance. Now, nearly twenty years later, his difficult personal life has stunted the pinnacle his career might have reached. Watching this movie is painful. Seeing this young man with an incredible, explosive talent makes you feel privileged to be included in the audience; knowing he got in his own way from becoming one of the finest actors of the modern era is very sad.
An actor renowned for doing his research and immersing himself in preparation, Franco seems so indistinguishable from his onscreen counterpart that the next time you watch a James Dean movie, you'll find yourself disappointed. I watched one of Dean's television movies the evening after I watched James Dean, and I'll admit to thinking James Franco's portrayal as James Dean was better than James Dean's as himself. I have no higher praise or recommendation than to urge you to rent, or better yet buy, a copy of what can be argued is Franco's finest hour than to call it Dean's finest hour as well.
For the surface fan of 1950s cinema or of the rebellious icon, this movie will please during every scene. There are saucy trivia tidbits about the new star, and recreations from each of Dean's theatrical films. Various supporting characters from Dean's personal and professional life are represented, and you'll get to see portrayals of Elia Kazan, Pier Angeli, Martin Landau, George Stevens, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris, Hedda Hopper, James Whitmore, Geraldine Page, and Jack Warner. Some are more convincing than others, but all pale in comparison to the star, who seems to have been resurrected. This is James Franco's first of many film transformations, and it only takes a few seconds before you completely forget who the real actor behind the blond hair and glasses is. When portraying such a distinctive person, it's risky to include every idiosyncrasy because if modern audiences don't remember exactly how he acted, the actor could be criticized for being too over-the-top. There have been many actors and actresses who chose to play it safe in their biopics, and the results were staggeringly disappointing. James Franco, as you can probably guess, doesn't ever play it safe. He throws his heart and soul into this role as he's done with countless others in the past twenty years.
For the fans who like to scratch below the surface, this movie will quickly become a favorite. You already know details of Dean's life, and you've seen East of Eden a dozen times. When you watch James Franco act the hugging scene, you'll be in awe of his talent and his respect for the original material he was hired to recreate. You'll see him in his cowboy hat, arguing with George Stevens while on the set of Giant, and you'll see him dripping with oil and grinning in another iconic recreation. You'll see him falling in love, making friends, rehearsing, throwing fits, and getting lost in his emotions. No matter how much you thought you knew about James Dean, James Franco will help you get to know him a little better.
While a biopic of any beloved entertainer who died before his or her time is tragic to watch, there is another sad parallel that will only be gleaned from this movie if you watch it now, rather than twenty years earlier when it was originally broadcasted. Both James Dean and his portrayer had their careers shortened by the oddities in their personal lives. As you learn when you watch this movie, Dean was a very strange person with enormous emotional problems. He had violent mood swings, threatened his director with a knife, and refused to play by the studio's rules at a time when actors had to at least pretend to be wholesome and compliant. Had he not reached his tragic end so quickly, it's not hard to imagine he might have followed the path of Paul Muni, another emotional actor ahead of his time who couldn't be confined by Hollywood and returned to Broadway at his prime. I can't see Dean sustaining a decades-long Hollywood career as a brooding, emotional rebel whether or not the cameras were turned on. In 2001, James Franco had the world at his fingertips, and he won a well-deserved Golden Globe for this performance. Now, nearly twenty years later, his difficult personal life has stunted the pinnacle his career might have reached. Watching this movie is painful. Seeing this young man with an incredible, explosive talent makes you feel privileged to be included in the audience; knowing he got in his own way from becoming one of the finest actors of the modern era is very sad.
An actor renowned for doing his research and immersing himself in preparation, Franco seems so indistinguishable from his onscreen counterpart that the next time you watch a James Dean movie, you'll find yourself disappointed. I watched one of Dean's television movies the evening after I watched James Dean, and I'll admit to thinking James Franco's portrayal as James Dean was better than James Dean's as himself. I have no higher praise or recommendation than to urge you to rent, or better yet buy, a copy of what can be argued is Franco's finest hour than to call it Dean's finest hour as well.