Sunday, September 10, 2006

the problem

Ann Hornaday at the Post once again fesses up to her Mark Ruffalo Problem and makes the day better than it was five minutes ago by reporting that Ruffalo will be returning to the screen -- not just in All the King's Men -- but in Margaret, which will reunite him with Kenneth Lonnergan, writer and director of You Can Count on Me, which was the film that started my own Mark Ruffalo Problem.

So, what's the "problem"? Last September, Hornaday described it like this:

"We will see any movie Ruffalo is in, despite its artistics aspirations, redeeming social value, running time or degree of awfulness. If you have a Mark Ruffalo Problem, You Can Count on Me is as good as In the Cut is as good as 13 Going on 30 is as good as We Don't Live Here Anymore."

Okay, maybe I don't actually have the problem to that extent: I am able to discern that You Can Count on Me is pure brilliance (not just due to Mark's Brando-like performance, but also because Laura Linney is perfect and Kenneth Lonnergan's writing is stellar) and 13 Going on 30 is not. But, yes, I will see anything that he appears in and, yes, I will hold Mark Ruffalo Film Festivals in my living room with Amy and Dan.

No problem.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

In the cut was terrrrrrible, and he was playing such a bizarre character in that film. That may be the first time, aside from Dirty Dancing, where we're expected to find an emasculated, used-and-abused male hot. It was weird.

abf said...

I love 'em abused and used, Kristen. ;) Emasculated? Not so much.

Just kidding. I'm much more superficial than you are. I primarily had a hard time with Ruffalo's character in that film because he had a mustache.

Anonymous said...

hahaha. yes, lip hair is a bit distancing. i just figured it to be movie shorthand for "low class".