MovieChat Forums > James Dean (2001) Discussion > Superficial and boring!

Superficial and boring!

posted 18 years ago by jolypm
8 replies | jump to latest

Superficial. On the surface. Everything in this telefilm is 'on the surface'. The dialogue. The story. What a bore! It is clear they couldn't go too far. Afraid of possible lawsuits, probably. Leonard Maltin wrote that it was 'above average'. Good for him. James Franco do looks like the idol, took all his mannerisms but couldn't feel and make feel to the audience an inch of his tormented soul. As for Dean's intensity and charisma, nil! Absolutely nil! And the girl who played Pier Angeli wasn't even as beautiful as her. Angeli's looks were 'angelic'. My God, was she lovely! And the kid who played Dean as a child didn't even look like him. The only good moment was when Mark Rydell -the director, also- played Warner Bros. bully mogul's Jack Warner! I wonder what Paul Newman's career would have been if Dean had not died. He was supposed to play the part he finally did in 'Somebody up there likes me', opposite... Pier Angeli! Even though Newman was great in it, what a difference it would have been with the Legend in it! I'm still and will always be a great fan of this irreplaceable actor who was simply a genius artist in acting! Still waiting for THE film on James Dean.

[–] riniqrents 18 years ago

I agree! Love James Dean as well as James Franco . France was great in the acting but the movie was not good at all to me. As you said it is so on the surface I've read 3 different books on James Dean and it is as if they didn't bother to put to much insight into his actual life. Well anyways, i just don't feel like that was a great movie at all, the only thing that was good was looking at James Franco. Also the crash scene .... are you kidding me ! I usually cry during every death scene of a famous person in a movie such as Patsy Cline, Selena, Richie Valens... but this one .... it was so... i cant even find the words to describe it, it just didn't emotionally connect with me at all. And as Joly said ... I too am still waiting for THE film on James Dean.

[–] liberalcajun 18 years ago

I thought it was one of the best films I've seen in years. James Franco is just fantastic in the Dean role. Most of the main characters were excellent in thier parts. The guy who played Massey was great. I have watched it a few times...it was that good.......John in Louisiana

[–] CrummyJD 18 years ago

If any of you are looking for THE film on James Dean, look for "James Dean" (1976). It's based directley from facts and is based off the book by his best friend and roommate Wiliam Bast (He's in almost all intreviews and documentaries on Dean). It's told by William's point of view but a great majority of the things about Dean you've read about are mentioned at least once in the movie (For a 70's tv movie, you'd be surprised at what issues it deals with). It had Stephen Mchattie as Jimmy (He later went on to play the role of Leland in the movie A History of Violence).

[–] liberalcajun 17 years ago

CrummyJD...Thanks for the info on the 1976 film on James Dean....

" All that there really is to life is what happens next " from The Misfits 1961

[–] wavedancer89 17 years ago

I just watched this movie and I have to agree with the first post. This story was very surface orientated; James Franco did look the part but lacked the charisma that James Dean possessed. I don't know? I think James Franco played the idol as a kind of weirdo? You know, without the cool quality.

Also I'm not sure if it was intentional for James Franco to hunch, because he did it a lot in this movie and it began to get on my nerves (not that I hate people who hunch, it's just that he walked like a ninety year old, all bent over like that). If that was to make it seem more like James Dean, then he got it all wrong. James Dean never slouched, in fact if you watch him closely in the movies, he actually pulls his head and shoulders back and sticks out his torso when he walks, so it kind of looks like he's going to fall over.

But you know, maybe James Franco just has a natural hunch. Then I would feel really bad accusing him of something he can't help. :P Oopsie.

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