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FacebookI’ve been dressing better lately at work. While I like the idea of Serious Monday, I’ve decided to step in up a notch and stretch it out over the course of a week (or at least this holiday-shortened week). It took a while for folks to notice, but a few different folks around the office have complemented me on my attire. Unfortunately, the compliments weren’t as genuine as I’d like: everyone assumed The Girlfriend dressed me.
I know a lot of people think he’s a good actor, but Denzel Washington seems to get on my nerves. He may have won a couple of Oscars, but I think he’s a horrible actor. Every single movie Denzel plays the same character: a righteous black man who knows he’s smarter than everyone else. It just gets so damn annoying. In practically every film, he plays a flawless character. So smart. So strong. So wise. So passionate. And always with a tad bit of smugness that comes off as innocent. I had no interest in seeing “American Gangster” because Denzel was it in–and I’ve seen him play that character before. Even his latest film, “The Great Debaters” is nothing more than “Remembering the Titans” without the football team.
Now I will admit he was phenomenal in “Training Day”–probably because he played a different character. Unlike his other characters, in “Training Day” Denzel came off as flawed–and not just because he was the villain. Alonzo thought he was in control, but you could see his world slowly collapsing. In other Denzel movies, does it ever really feel like his character faces adversity? Even when challenged with difficult circumstances, Denzel’s characters remain calm–like he knows he’ll get out of it.
I also hate Morgan Freeman (I hope hating the two most prestigious black actors doesn’t make me a racist). I think I can sum up my disgust for Morgan Freeman fairly easily. Being cast as God in “Bruce Almighty” was the perfect role for Freeman because he’s been playing God for years. In every movie I’ve ever seen him in, Morgan Freeman is always wiser than everyone around him–kinda like a taller, older version of Yoda. He’s always advising people–always in a mentor-type role. In “Se7en” he was an old, wise cop. In “Shawshank” he was an old wise con. In “Batman Begins” he was an old wise engineer. In “Million Dollar Baby” he was an old wise boxer. In “Driving Miss Daisy” he was an old wise chauffer. I’m telling you, I can’t think of a better casting over the past ten years than Morgan Freeman as God–perhaps the oldest and wisest of all fictional characters.
That’s not to say Morgan Freeman is a bad actor, his act has just worn thin for me–same goes for Denzel. Maybe I’m wrong in saying their both bad actors. It’s just that I’ve gotten so sick of the two of them. It’s kinda like a musician whose songs all sound the same (Jack Johnson comes to mind): I feel like I’ve been there and done that. Because they’re not bad actors–it’s just that I’m sick of seeing Denzel and Freeman play the same characters over and over again. Denzel did a wonderful job breaking out of his traditional characters in “Training Day.” If he did more stuff like that, I wouldn’t be ripping him today (maybe Morgan Freeman is too old to play a different character). All I know is that I’m sick of these two guys.