One of the first entries I made in this blog was about getting the tragically underused Michael Keaton more prominent work. It seemed that Hollywood has forgotten about friggin’ great this guy is.
So today there is some good news on the Michael Keaton front. Keaton has been cast as the voice of Ken (opposite Jodi Benson as Barbie) in Toy Story 3. Okay so it’s just his voice, but if used right maybe this is the springboard we’ve all be waiting for.
Michael Keaton: Still Awesome
Way to go Mike!
This Friday night me, Jessica and Alexa all watched Beetlejuice together. It was Alexa’s first time seeing the film and though he only has about 17 minutes of screen time, she couldn’t stop talking about Michael Keaton in the title role.
For some reason these days Tom Hanks is an A-list star (not that I have a problem with that, I happen to like Tom Hanks) and Michael Keaton is stuck doing very supporting roles in uninteresting stuff (Herbie: Fully Loaded, First Daughter) or he’s the lead in movies you’ve never heard of (Game 6 or Quicksand anyone? Anyone?!?). Back in the 1980’s I can remember my mom being confused by the two. Two wacky, energetic guys, naturally funny guys with two widely diverging career paths. And I say it’s time for that to end. Hey Hollywood, it’s time to bring back Michael Keaton!
The guy was one of the funniest actors working in the 1980s and if you don’t believe me, just pop Night Shift into the DVD player. Keaton’s Billy Blaze is one of the funniest movie characters of all time. Back then Keaton proved to be more than a capable lead in a number of good comedies (Gung Ho, Mr. Mom) and for the real measure of his skill check out The Squeeze. Not because the 1987 comedy about a fixed lottery is some hidden gem, in fact it’s not very good. But Keaton makes that mess of a film worth sitting through with his great delivery and overall energy.
The 1990s weren’t good for him, that’s where it went south. The comedies he did (Speechless, Multiplicity) didn’t hit and he had walked away from the successful Batman franchise. He also stopped doing comedies almost entirely as the bulk of his films included some melodramas (One Good Cop) and some thrillers with Keaton starring as a psychopath (Pacific Heights, Extreme Measures) all to middling results.
So today the guy is practically going straight to DVD every time out. His one post 2000 success, the horror film White Noise, was more of an anomaly than a comeback. But the fact remains that in comedy the guy still has the goods. Check out his vocal work in Cars for proof of that.
Now add in that everything old is new again at the movies. Rambo came back and Indiana Jones is right behind him. Personally I think Michael Keaton needs to be next in line.
