Over at his Hollywood and Fine blog, film critic Marshall Fine has an intriguing essay about movie stars, how (and importantly when) they become box office draws … and how (and when) they stop luring audiences — at least young audiences.
Here, for example, is what he says about Tom Cruise, one of the most popular stars in movie history (he’s been luring audiences for almost 30 years now) and a guy who has a big-budget action movie coming out for Christmas, “Mission Impossible 4″…
To be sure, Cruise still remains a force. But the young generation of moviegoers accepts him as a star because, to them, it’s received wisdom; they didn’t crown him and, before we know it, they’ll ignore him the same way they ignore other superstars in their 50s – as someone their parents liked. (Sean Penn is part of Cruise’s cohort – but he’s never been a box-office force.)
And here’s what he says about George Clooney, who probably fits the classic image of “movie star” was well as anyone these days, and Clooney’s co-star in the upcoming “The Ides of March,” Ryan Gosling…
Everyone knows who Clooney is, as well as his cohort: Brad Pitt, Hugh Grant, Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe. They’re a generation of actors who picked up the gauntlet in the 1990s, battled their way through heartthrob and flavor-of-the-month status to achieve a certain longevity. They’ve now reached their prime or are just gliding past it. Gosling is now where Clooney or Pitt were 15 years or so ago: an actor with some strong credits but not quite the mass-audience awareness.
It’s a good, thoughtful article. Read the whole thing here.
