You know how some comedians are sort of a reflection of their era and not funny outside of it? Not Steve Martin. His comedic style is very engaging. I´ve watched a few of his movies lately (Trains, Planes and Automobiles, Father of the Bride I & 2) and he delivers in spades.
I was sad to see in his credits on themoviedb.com that he doesn´t really do movies anymore.
Looking at his body of work, I like his dry acting as well, like Leap of Faith.
Steve, with his ability to connect people with humour, is thus capable or portraying human emotions too. He knows his trade, and some point time is up. He's smart to see it.
shareI agree. His humor is timeless.
I watched his biography once. I understand that he is a very serious person. He also prefers to be alone. I would imagine that with others, he feels that he has to be "on" all of the time.
I like Steve Martin a lot. Saw him and his band open for Emmy Lou Harris a few years ago, they were all great.
But I draw the line at Leap Of Faith. I saw that in the theater, and I was very underwhelmed. It seemed like it was trying to be a good film, and the director gets more of the blame than the actors, but I thought it was a very unconvincing film.
No chemistry between Winger and Martin. Great idea but but poorly executed. My opinion alone.
What I can say is that in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" he (an Michael Caine) was just brilliant….
shareI love Steve Martin and always have. I'm a child of the 80s and grew up watching him in films like Three Amigos, My Blue Heaven, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and, of course, Planes, Trains and Automobiles (a Thanksgiving staple that I still watch every year).
In fact, it may even be fair to say that of all the big comedians-turned-actors of the 80s, Steve Martin is my favorite. The only one who could challenge him for the top spot would be Dan Aykroyd.
It's a shame to me that Steve's acting career has largely evaporated in the last 10 years. The last leading role he had was in 2011's The Big Year, a film that I thought was charming and quaint if not overwhelmingly good. I enjoyed it and was disappointed to see that it made a DISASTROUS $7.4 million at the box office on a $42 million budget. The film, and Steve, deserved better.
I think that failure hurt him and probably put him off acting to some extent. It seems these days he's mostly content to just play in his banjo band while only occasionally accepting bit parts here and there.
I’d love to see him cast in a drama. He’s got the chops.
shareHe wrote and starred in Shopgirl in 2005, and while it has some comedy in it I would classify it as a drama.
The Spanish Prisoner is another one worth looking into.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPF-5KNmqq4
Looks a little too artsy for me.
shareThe secret of this method is being hip, when you watch him, his style is sort of cynical, like he's having fun with it, and you know it, it is beyond time and trends of a fashionable comedic acting style, this is where someone like Peter Sellers feels dated, because it feels rehearsed, he seemed like such a perfectionist that he took everything very seriously, Steve Martin is just having fun, and that energy itself is what attracts the audience, because it makes you have a good time, not because of the style, but because of Martin's own relaxed way of being, it's like being around a friend who exudes lots of positivity and happiness, you just want to be around them, it's intoxicating, it's less of an acting, more like a personality itself. That just goes beyond time and fashion, that is indeed timeless. Even when it does not provoke laugh, it makes you feel good. Gene Wilder is another one who shares a similar appeal.
share"Timelessly funny and entertaining"
Yeah, but kinda pompous and condescending, too.