Going the Way of Brad Pitt

One might say that because it took an expiring movie pass to finally get my butt out and see a movie warrants the stripping of my title of entertainment junkie. Hell, I would say that. But we must not focus on this so much as this expired pass brought me into a movie that triggered a three hour post viewing discussion and the desire to tell everyone in my line of scope to see it immediately.

Now I am not experienced in the realm of Martin Scorsese. (If I'm not careful, by the end of this post, I'm going to lose my junkie status and get tarred and feathered in the middle of Grauman's Theater.) However, The Departed beckoned to me after the first trailer. How can you resist the concepts of two moles for both sides, inside the opposite sides trying to smoke out the other? Top it off with the stellar casting (the primary cast combined has won four Academy Awards and nominated for seventeen) and I knew I had to see this movie. And I was not disappointed. Like I said three hour discussion and recommendations all around. For the love of all that is holy, give that man an Oscar already. This movie even shot up the IMDB top 250 (it was 48 when I saw it and is as of today 62).

So what does this all have to do with Brad Pitt? A valid question. The Departed marks a very special point in the career of Leonardo DiCaprio. He is one respectable/excellent movie away from Brad Pitt status. Sill needs more explanation?

Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and Cameron Diaz promoting Gangs of New York at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. Scorsese and DiCaprio’s most recent collaboration The Departed has resulted in DiCaprio’s one step below Brad Pitt status.
(The photograph is by Rita Molnár and is available under a Creative Commons License.)

First you have to assume Brad Pitt pre Mr. and Mrs. Smith and all that Brangelina stuff. Okay, when I was younger, my sister (and most of the female population) fell for Brad Pitt. He was that guy in Thelma and Louise and Legends of the Fall. I naturally didn't care. Then he was in Se7en. I thought the movie was awesome and was in it for Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman (you know, men with serious acting chops and not just washboard stomachs). By the end, I thought okay, he didn't screw it up. Then he was in Snatch and Fight Club. Clap, clap, clap, bravo, this guy isn't messing around anymore. Good job. Finally there was Ocean's Eleven. Damn! How the hell did Brad Pitt get so attractive? Oh right, he is respectable AND good looking now. That makes him ultra-attractive. And then he got involved in this tabloid thingy so now he's lost awesome points. But now you get my point.

The funny thing is George Clooney followed a similar path. Hated him when every woman on earth wanted to have his children. Saw Out of Sight and thought okay, he's not so bad. Saw O Brother Where Art Thou? and thought he's pretty good. By Ocean's Eleven he had won my respect. (But now he can do whatever he wants and his stuff isn't so great so he slipped of a bit on the awesome meter as well. Still has a lot of respect though.) I can't call it the Way of George Clooney though. That implies the TV to movie thing as well. Doesn’t work for what I'm trying to say.

Oh, just to complete my Ocean's Eleven, "when did they get so good looking?" circle. Matt Damon: From pretty boy status from Good Will Hunting (Which I did finally see and agree that it is an excellent and well crafted movie, but I didn't care for the women screaming oh my god, it's Ben and Matt look at them, they're so hot crap.) to hilarious in Dogma, to even more hilarious in that episode of Will & Grace, to attractive in Ocean's Eleven to respected in The Bourne Identity (to a running gag for all of my friends who have seen Team America World Police) to solidifying my respect in The Departed. In fact The Departed earned back the points he lost in Ocean’s Twelve. (That movie was a mess. I'm hoping you'll all make it back into my heart after Ocean's Thirteen. Go the Way of Die Hard, not The Godfather. But that's another post entirely.)

And as long as we are talking about The Departed boys, I must add special mention to Mark Wahlberg. You've come a long way since the Funky Bunch. My friends still crack jokes about that. If fact most recent was last night. But you get to have the last laugh. Though most didn't take you seriously in Boogie Nights, you did good. Three Kings, as well. Planet of the Apes, not so much. Rock Star, bad Mark Wahlberg! (SMACK) That's a very bad Mark Wahlberg. The Italian Job, now you're gaining some momentum. With The Departed, you're getting that respect. But you had me at Entourage.

So where does this leave DiCaprio? Well, he needs one more to solidify the respect. No more pretty boy from Romeo+Juliet and Titanic. Catch Me if You Can, I did enjoy. The Departed has you so close. Blood Diamond could do it, but I may be thrown by your accent and the subject matter. Maybe I'll throw you a bone and see how you did in The Aviator and Gangs of New York. (Oh, almost three hours each?) The Academy has yet to steer me wrong. Except for the whole popularity equals winning politics thing. And almost every best actress category winner for the last ten years. And come on already, give Martin Scorsese and Kate Winslet what they deserve already. Oh and finally settle that Marisa Tomei thing.....