QT Ups the Bad Ass Factor by Casting…The Love Guru?

Posted by Dr. Cole Abaius (cole.abaius@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 15, 2008

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards is quickly becoming the day-time-television version of Saving Private Ryan. First there was the news that Eli Roth would be in it. On film. Like, directly in the shot with lines and everything. Then, we got word that DiCaprio was out, B.J. Novak and Simon Pegg were in. Now, comes the one-two punch of hearing that Samm Levine, who you may know from “Freaks and Geeks” and Mike Meyers, who you may know from Being Really Annoying, are reporting for duty.

So, this is supposed to be a comedy right? A comedy about killing Nazis? Right?

Variety dropped the bomb that Meyers would be cast as a British officer. It makes sense, since all those hilarious impressions he does of non-Canadians are spot on and not at all cartoonish or mildly racialist. That handsome devil, Beaks, over at Ain’t It Cool followed up by reporting that Samm Levine was on board.

Now, I and many other Freaks and Geeks fans will demand Samm Levine’s character wear a baby blue jumpsuit into battle, but this time, he has to march slo-mo to ELO’s ‘Showdown.’ I’m sure QT can afford the royalties for it.

Mike Myers and Sam Levine So far, the casting for this mess has been almost beyond comment. I feel like any minute Sacha Baron Cohen is going to rip off his Quentin Tarantino mask after the next press conference announcing Carrot Top as Col. Landa, and we’ll all breathe a sigh of relief when the real cast list is revealed. We’ll all feel a little foolish (you got us again, Borat!), but ultimately we’ll feel a lot better. So far, Mike Meyers is the cherry on top of a shit-casting sundae.

On a side note, I purposefully avoided writing “Mike Meyers will be a Bastard,” to avoid possible confusion that the serial killer from Halloween would be joining QT and the gang.

On a side, side note, how cool would it be if Michael Meyers had joined the crew, his lumbering presence slowly making its way across occupied France, ripping through the flesh of Nazis who desperately, wantonly splay his figure with round after armor-piercing round only to realize that, to their horror, he can’t be killed.

Digressions aside, it’s way too far away from April 1st for this thing to be a hoax. Although, I still contend that the film will never actually get made, right now, even some of the actors have to be shaking their heads and wondering why the hell they were cast in this thing. Stay tuned to FSR the next few days when we announce that Tarantino has hired Ray Romano to play Hitler.

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Curtis F

I have faith in Tarantino.

JMoney

I'm officially worried

Mister Hand

Whoa. Cole. I think you're setting yourself up to get some serious egg on your face.

Whatever you may think of his previous movies as a whole or individually, the one thing that QT has proven over the course of his career is that he has a particularly remarkable talent for casting. To quote Roger Ebert:

"If Tarantino's strengths are dialogue and plotting, his gift is casting."

What would you have said pre-PULP FICTION if you had gotten word that John Travolta was going to play a lead part? Would you have written a similar article? I think it's very possible--if you are over the age of 30, at least. For those of us who knew Travolta from his sweathog and SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER days, it seemed daft.

PULP FICTION changed everyone's opinion of Travolta, however, and QT's battle to have him cast was proven to be worthwhile. And those who weren't familiar with Travolta beforehand were introduced to a badass actor. (A former badass actor who since made BATTLEFIELD EARTH and became a silly Scientologist crusader, rendering QT's hard work at reviving his career almost all for naught.)

And how about Robert Forster in JACKIE BROWN? Who knew that a guy who'd spent his entire career playing B-Movie thugs and bad television villains could turn in such an (excuse the cliche) electrifying performance? Who knew THAT GUY could command the screen as well as DeNiro or Pacino in their heyday?

As a sidenote: who knew that JACKIE BROWN would be the last good movie DeNiro would ever star in?

And when Warren Beatty turned down KILL BILL, how many people bemoaned QT's choice of the KUNG FU guy (David Carradine) as a replacement? I defy you to watch that movie and try to imagine Warren Beatty in that role. Carradine owns it, now and forever.

I for one have long admired QT's insight into actors--how he sees in certain actors what is not at all apparent to the rest of us. I have also appreciated the fact that with every QT movie I get introduced to a new side of an actor I've seen a thousand times before and never guessed they could be awesome.

The sentiments in your article have been expressed many times in the past--pretty much during the casting phase of every film QT's made since PULP FICTION. Knowing his history, and the fact that I've never seen a single role miscast in a single QT film, my bet is on QT.

Joseph

[heads off to IMDb to make sure that Heat was made before Jackie Brown. We're good here]

Elissa

Marry me, Mister Hand.

QT Ups the Bad Ass Factor by Casting…The Love Guru?

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