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Friday, September 19, 2014

In Character: Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon gets a lot of crap. There’s the game and the blasé attitude and the rock band and the mediocre films. But beyond all that, I’ve always thought that Kevin Bacon was genuinely one hell of an actor. His range is never given enough credit, which is why, in highlighting my favorite Bacon roles, I’ve chosen performances that explore the many facets of his talent. From funny to sad, smartass to asshole, martyr to monster. Here, for my money, is Kevin Bacon at his best.

Five Essential Roles
Diner (1982)
Fenwick
Maybe you’ve known guys like Fenwick. Guys who have been out of high school long enough to get their lives together, but aren’t remotely close to doing so. Guys who didn’t go to college, can’t hold down a job; who sleep all day and drink all night. That’s Fen. In Diner, Fen is the screwball of his group of friends. He pulls dumb gags (the opening ketchup bit is hilarious), talks out of turn, parties too much, and so on. But as the film progresses, Fen quickly evolves from the playful drunk to the pitiful chump. Bacon had a few notable roles before Diner (hard to forget his turns in Animal House and Friday the 13th), but Fen was his first deeply mature performance. Much of the brilliance of Diner is that, although it’s set in 1959, its themes still ring true today. That’s the sign of a good script, sure, but also of believable performances as well.

The Big Picture (1989)
Nick Chapman
The Big Picture is probably best remembered as Christopher Guest’s first directorial effort, and while it doesn’t have the dry, mockumentary sensibilities of his later films, it remains a hilarious send-up of the Hollywood system. After his short film wins a mildly prestigious prize, Nick Chapman gains the attention of the Hollywood elite. Hot starlets, fake friends and fancy agents fill his head with fame and fortune, and, as a result, Nick begins to alienate those closest to him.

Nick Chapman is Kevin Bacon at his most playfully naïve. In the beginning, we really believe he’s some young student who is so appreciative of his big break. But as Nick’s “career” takes off, so perfectly does Bacon adopt a Hollywood elitist attitude. If you haven’t seen The Big Picture, I highly recommend it. It’s an amusing Hollywood parody with Bacon at his youthful best.

Murder in the First (1995)
Henri Young
Murder in the First is a semi-true story about a petty thief named Henri Young who is sent to Alcatraz and driven mad by the prison’s conditions. Years of solitary confinement, brutal beatings, and ceaseless ridicule motivate Young to flip and kill a fellow prisoner. Young is subsequently put on trial for the murder, and in an interesting twist on the prison/courtroom movie narrative, Young’s lawyer (Christian Slater) argues that Alcatraz turned Young into a murder. The prison failed him, and he reacted violently.

The material has Oscar-bait written all over it, and Bacon falls into Young’s tortured and disturbed mind seamlessly. His erratic speech pattern, his shifty mannerisms, it all makes for one of Bacon’s best, and most tediously realized performances. Warner Bros. touted Murder in the First as one of its big 1994 Oscar films, specifically concerning acting nominations (Gary Oldman is equally good as Alcatraz’s sadistic associate warden). But, when a final cut was presented to the studio, they accepted the harsh truth that Murder in the First wasn’t very well made. The performances are universally solid, but the movie is a little too scattered to be considered great. Warner Bros. eventually released the film in January, where it all but disappeared. Noting this, I still stand by the conviction of Bacon’s performance. Ultimately, the film let him down, but regardless, the strength of his work is untouched.

Sleepers (1996)
Sean Nokes
The introduction of Sean Nokes is one of my favorite character introductions in film history. After four friends commit a prank that nearly kills a man, they’re sent to a juvenile detention facility to reform their troubled ways. Shortly after arriving at the Wilkinson Home for Boys, head guard Sean Nokes slowly approaches one of the boys’ rooms, and the audience breathes a sigh of relief. Nokes is played by Kevin Bacon, that reliable, kind and gracious actor who’s made a career out of making us chuckle with his boyish antics. It’s Kevin Bacon. Everything will be fine.

Minutes after meeting Nokes, we realize how profoundly we’ve been tricked. This is not a nice man. In fact, he’s a fucking monster void of any redemptive quality. Sean Nokes is an ingenious role reversal for Bacon, one that he embraces with sadistic glee and never looks back. Seldom have I enjoyed watching a film character get what’s coming to him more than Sean Nokes in Sleepers.

Taking Chance (2009)
Lt. Col. Michael Strobl
One might argue that there are other, showier Bacon roles that deserve to be highlighted here. That’s fair, but there’s something about the nuance of Taking Chance that I’ve always admired. Lt. Col. Michael Strobl is Kevin Bacon at his most controlled. There’s no heightened emotion, no grand monologues of remembrance; Taking Chance is a simple film about a simple man doing a selfless good deed. Watching the film, it’s easy to get the impression that, because Bacon is so subtle, he’s not really doing anything. When, in fact, he’s doing everything.

Taking Chance is a true story about a high-ranking military official (Strobl) who volunteers to escort the body of a recently deceased Private First Class across the country. And, really, that’s about it. This isn’t a film about an aging, lonely military man going cross country and rediscovering himself, nor is it a hoo-rah-rah proclamation of America the Beautiful. It’s a patient and good natured film, anchored by a beautifully understated lead performance.

Wild Card
Footloose (1984)
Ren McCormack
As far as classic screen acting goes, there’s nothing especially brilliant about Bacon’s work in Footloose. Despite this, Ren McCormack is still the most fun performance Bacon has ever given, and I absolutely love the hell out of it. Basically, it just didn’t feel right to discuss Bacon’s best performances and at least not give Footloose a shout out.

The Best of the Best
The Woodsman (2004)
Walter
Who is Walter and what has he done? A quiet man, Walter keeps to himself, moves slowly and cautiously, watches others, observes. We have an idea what’s troubling him; why his shoulders slouch with years of pent-up tension, why his voice barely cracks a whisper. Walter has just been released from prison after serving a 12 year bit for child molestation. His release was met with complete isolation. He has no friends, and his family refuses to speak to him, save his jovial brother-in-law, Carlos (Benjamin Bratt). Walter takes a job at a local mill, he meets people, some kind, others cruel. He’s routinely harassed by a cop (Mos Def), just cause. And on and on. This is the way life is for Walter now.

As Walter, Bacon was able to tap into the best of his qualities as an actor. Walter has the slow-brewing, emotive intensity Bacon often expresses so well, but also a distinct sorrow. The beauty of this performance is that Bacon makes us care for Walter. We feel bad for the guy, but never forget that he’s a man capable of horrible things. As the movie goes on, we get the sense that Walter has changed. You think he’s back on track – rehabilitated, improved. Then while he’s having a drink with Carlos one night, Walter quietly asks if Carlos ever has feelings for his own daughter, Carla. “What do you mean?” Carlos innocently asks. “You know… feelings,” Walter says.

And… we’re back. All the progress we thought Walter had made is erased with one question. All told, this is such a captivating and risqué performance. Walter is man we never have fully locked down. We know he’s capable of going too far, but will he dare, again?

Other Notable Roles
in JFK
Animal House (1978)
Friday the 13th (1980)
Guiding Light (1980-1981)
Quicksilver (1986)
She’s Having a Baby (1988)
Criminal Law (1988)
Flatliners (1990)
Tremors (1990)
JFK (1991)
He Said, She Said (1991)
A Few Good Men (1992)
The River Wild (1994)
The Air Up There (1994)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Picture Perfect (1997)
Wild Things (1998)
Stir of Echoes (1999)
My Dog Skip (2000)
Hollow Man (2000)
In the Cut (2003)
Mystic River (2003)
Loverboy (2005)
Where the Truth Lies (2005)
Death Sentence (2007)
Rails & Ties (2007)
Frost/Nixon (2008)
Super (2010)
Bored to Death (2010)
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
Jayne Mansfield’s Car (2012)
The Following (2013-2014)

52 comments:

  1. Kevin Bacon is one of the most gifted and criminally underrated actors alive. I was 200% before reaching your #1 that it would be my personal #1 as well, his tour de force of a performance in "The Woodsman". Man, what he did there was simply extraordinary. He immerses into his character in a way that's almost terrifying. I mean, talk about an Oscar snub. That man gave his everything, he more than deserved an Oscar win. I love your list on the whole, though his work in "Mystic river" would have made it to mine. Great list of course, as always.

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    1. Hell yes man, love that you're as much of a fan of his performance in The Woodsman as I am. A complete tour de force, no doubt. And I LOVE his work in Mystic River. So very strong. Very hard to exclude that from my list here.

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  2. Where is his Oscar? The man is overdue for one. He's that damn fucking good. The Woodsman is his best role. Just in his restraint alone should've given him a nomination. I fucking loved him in Sleepers. He was fucking evil.

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    1. Seriously man. Or, at the very least, a damn NOMINATION. Insane. He's such a creep in both of those films. So effective.

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  3. I haven't not watched the full film, but I find it a bit humorous that you say his best job was in The Woodsman; my old screenwriting professor co-wrote it.

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    1. Oh really? That's pretty cool. It's a solid script, for sure. Never really goes where you think it's going go. You should give it a watch!

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  4. "People got to know. People got to know why he was killed."

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    1. Love that damn performance. Skittish little bastard.

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  5. Great, great actor. My favourite performance of his is The Woodsman, where he was just, I can't explain. He was just so good. I also really liked him in Mystic River, where I thought that even though I found his story the weakest of the three (but still very well done), he managed to do great work. Awesome list, as usual :)

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    1. Thanks! I too think his story line in Mystic is the weakest of the three, but I still really love him in it (and the movie as a whole). So happy you like his work in The Woodsman.

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    2. Yeah, definitely, He just exudes such a creepy vibe in The Woodsman, it's terrific. Also, I haven't actually seen Footloose. The story never really appealed to me that much. Is it worth a watch?

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    3. Footloose is fantastic! Quintessential American 80s flick. It's like a modern Rebel Without a Cause in a lot of ways. So much fun.

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  6. I love playing the Kevin Bacon game, honestly. Google even has a cheat for it. I think Bacon has always been really good at playing creeps, you're right about The Woodman definitely being the best. I enjoy him as an actor. Nice write up!

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    1. Thanks! It's such a fun game. Apollo 13 and Sleepers are my go-tos usually. Everyone is in those damn movies.

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  7. Excellent rundown of such an underrated actor. I have always enjoyed Bacon in everything he's done and I think he is more than deserving of an Oscar nomination.

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    1. Thanks man. Couldn't agree more with you. He's so damn underrated.

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    2. Yeah. Next, you should do a profile of Naomi Watts.

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    3. I should definitely do a regular Top 5 list on her, but not an In Character. She's not really a character actress, you know? Still, one of my all-time favorites, for sure.

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    4. Yeah, I know what you mean. She's another one of my favorites.

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    5. Aside from my dear Marion, Naomi Watts is my favorite actress currently in the game. I adore her.

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  8. Boy, this one was inevitable, wasn't it, Alex?

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  9. Great spotlight! Bacon's career really fascinates me. He's widely renowned by fans and audiences for such a wide range roles, and yet for an actor who made it big around the time as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, he's been able to live a pretty rad, low-key life.
    It's a pretty quirky movie but She's Having A Baby is a good performance too. :)

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    1. Thanks! You're right, he should be as big as those other guys, but it almost feels like he decides to keep things low-key, which I really respect.

      I love him in She's Having a Baby as well!

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  10. So glad to see The Woodsman in the top spot. He was amazing in that movie. Bacon is one of those guys we know is good, has been around forever, but we forget how many things he's actually been in because we just identify him with one thing or another. For instance, when I hear his name the first thing that pops into my head is his death scene from Friday the 13th and the scene pictured from Footloose, and I kinda forget about a lot of his other stuff unless I come across the title even though, like I said, he was brilliant in The Woodsman and very good in another of other movies. That includes Wild Things. More love for Wild Things, please. Great post.

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    1. Okay, first off, I LOVE Wild Things. So happy you mentioned it here. I've called out my love for that flick a lot on this blog. I think it is a perfectly trashy soap opera nightmare. And Bacon just hams it up throughout. So great.

      I also agree that Bacon is often overlooked because the dude has just been around forever. But still, he's a great actor for sure.

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  11. I never understood the hate for Bacon, I mean sure, he's had ups and downs in his career, but what actor hasn't experienced that. I agree with all of these rolls (I still have to see Taking Chance though) but as I think you'd agree, he has many great roles. I'm a big fan of what he did in Where the Truth Lies, Apollo 13, and Stir of Echoes as well. He has a range that I just think he isn't given enough credit for.

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    1. Oh man, he has so many other great roles. Very hard to narrow it down to just 6 or 7. Of the ones you called out, Stir of Echoes was closest to making my list. I actually really like that movie, and him in it.

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  12. Man, Kevin Bacon is the man, just one of the most fun actors to watch really. So dig this list, and I am right with you, FootLoose is purely awesome. I just love everything about that movie, especially Kevin Bacon. One thing I can disagree with is that Tremors only being on the honorable mentions list. Kevin Bacon was the first actor I knew by name thanks to that movie. I used to watch Tremors and its three sequels non stop when I was younger. They were all I watched for some time. For that reason my favorite Kevin Bacon movie is Tremors, but I understand that it is not great acting or anything.
    My favorite would be:
    1. Tremors
    2. Sleepers
    3. Footloose
    4. The Woodsman
    5. Apollo 13
    Again I may be influenced to put Tremors at number 1 seeing as it was my favorite movie of my childhood. Anyway great list, love all the choices on it, keep up the great work.

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    1. Dude, I LOVE Tremors. I watched that movie repeatedly as a kid. Even Reba McEntire kills it in that flick. A great, trashy action movie right there. He's also very solid in Apollo 13 as well. The scenes when he justifies that the accident wasn't his fault just kill me.

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    2. The thing was it wasn't just the first Tremors movie, I had to watch the 3 sequels also all the time. It took me ages to realize that all three of the them absolutely sucked. I cannot watch them now after watching them countless times when I was younger. I find it amazing how many times I could watch those as opposed to now when I can barely look at the cover to any of the following 3. But you are absolutely right, Tremors is not only great, but I think maybe the best trashy action film ever. It's honestly probably one of my most watched movies in my life. Maybe beat out by Goodfellas or something, but it is up there for me.

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    3. That's happened to me a few times too - you love the first one so much, and you learn to love the sequels as a kid. The two sequels to Aladdin, for example... I used to LOVE them. Decided to watch them all about a year ago and wow, what a stark difference in quality.

      In terms of rewatchability, one of my highest "guilty pleasures" is Cliffhanger. I've damn near seen that movie as many times as I've seen any movie. Love it.

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  13. I haven't seen The Woodsman, although I've heard good things about it.

    I'm happy to see The Big Picture on here. You're the only person I've seen even mention it. No insult to Christopher Guest, but I had no clue who directed it. For horny early 20s guys who saw it it may be best remembered for Teri Hatcher as the starlet. (Let's see, how old was I when I saw it? - hint: this was the first time I ever laid eyes on Hatcher.) I don't think I've ever seen Jennifer Lason Leigh in another role quite like the one she played in this film, too.

    And just for sheer fun I have to mention Tremors.

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    1. I'm glad someone else has at least seen that movie. I really enjoy it. And Hatcher, yeah man, whatta babe.

      Tremors is so much fun. One of my all-time favorite action movies. I saw the sequel, but tuned out after that. Wonder if the rest are worth it.

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  14. Oh Lord ... Tremors. My husband and I saw that ages ago. We even saw the sequel. :-)

    I've been meaning to see The Woodsman but haven't gotten around to it.

    I don't remember anything about Diner expect for the scene with the dude grievously misusing a container of popcorn in the movie theater. I should watch it again one of these days.

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    1. That scene in Diner is so priceless. And the way Mickey Rourke justifies it after is perfection. Tremors is amazing... everyone hammed it up wonderfully in that film!

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    2. My husband liked Tremors, but I couldn't get into it. The thing about that kind of movie -- with a cheesy horror plot and delightfully hammy performances -- is that you really have to be in the right mood. :-)

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    3. Ha, yes, certainly. I read an interview with Bacon and he told a story about how he had a mental breakdown after he filmed Tremors. He thought his career was in the shitter, and now he now had to resort to "giant worm movies." Funny how the world saw it another way.

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  15. I love Kevin Bacon!! He's just fun to watch. I watched Tremors & Footloose plenty of times growing up so I think I've always just had it ingrained in my mind that Kevin Bacon is cool. I love those commercials he did poking fun at himself too.

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    1. Nice! I think those two movies are definitely why he'll be forever cool to me. Watched them on repeat as a kid. And those commercials... I just love self-effacing humor. The best,

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  16. This is such a great list! He is really a tremendous actor, I look at your choices and I haven't seen most of those but mine would include Frost/Nixon and Mystic River - he plays such amazing good guys with honor and rules, even in such huge ensembles he stood out for me. I think this is the kind of actor where you can have 20 people in the room and they would name different performance of his as their favorite

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    1. Oh yeah, I completely agree. Everyone has a favorite, seemingly different Bacon performance, which is great. I rewatched Frost/Nixon last month and so loved his unwavering restraint of Nixon. He's really good and restrained in that flick.

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  17. I love Kevin Bacon - great list, Alex! My personal favorites of his include Mystic River, A Few Good Men, and X-Men: First Class, even if they aren't necessarily his best work.

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    1. Thanks Kristin! I love him in all those movies as well. He's a perfect smartass in A Few Good Men - so condescending and natural. And the way he manages to wear his pants so high in that movie has always cracked me up.

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  18. I'm a huge Bacon fan, he is underrated. I have to check out The Woodsman!

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    1. Ohh he's so damn good in that movie. Seems tailor-made for his sensibilities. Whatta creep.

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    1. I've written about ol' Jack a few times on this site. And while I wouldn't mind revisiting his work for another post, he wouldn't fit in with this column. Jack is a star to end all stars. Probably as far from a character actor as you get, you know?

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  20. Ren McCormack! Love that wild card! I never get tired of Footloose.

    I haven't seen most of these, but I really want to check out Murder in the First. Glad to see his fascinating performance in The Woodsman at #1. I'd probably have it there too. I'd put his performance in Mystic River just behind it, though.

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    1. It was tough to leave Mystic River off the list, because I do think he's very strong in that film. Murder in the First isn't a very good movie, but the performances are really spot-on.

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  21. I don't know if I should count Hollow Man. I love that film but his face is like 1/2 an hour in the film. Still I love that film.

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    1. I think that film is crazy in all the best ways. Fucking nuts.

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