TG and I finally got some time away from the Great Project (some work we're doing on the house) and sat and watched a movie Friday night.
We watched the DVD of the musical Producers, with Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, and Uma Thurman.
We'd seen the play, with a different cast, and wanted to see what Lane and Broderick could do with it. Oh, and I wanted to see Uma - as noted, she's the one actress I have ... ahem ... a mild obsession over.
The film was serviceable, and Lane is a fricking genius. He took the Zero Mostel role and made it his own. Sadly, Broderick didn't...he never found an interesting center for Leo Bloom apart from some mildly Gene Wilder-ish bits.
And Uma. Sigh. She's really a terrific actress, projects intelligence as well as grownup babe-aliciousness - but damn, she flat can't sing, or dance (Broderick can, by the way).
Angie Schworer, the actress we saw in the Los Angeles production, was actually far better...
Am I depressed to have been shown a flaw in Uma's perfection? No, I am not.
Great Japanese artisans strive to show imperfections in their work, to show wabi-sabi. Now I'm not saying that Uma is aging badly; it's not about that at all (although I do tend to look at younger actresses who are considered very attractive and wonder about their babysitting skills). It's about embracing imperfections as a demonstration of what is real; about humility.
And the fact that Uma can't sing and can't dance makes her imperfect, and thus all the closer to perfection.
TG is already there, of course...
We saw The Producers on satellite yesterday and really liked it a lot. Lane IS a fricking genius. He reminds me both of Jackie Gleason and Lou Costello. I liked the entire cast, but I never saw the show, so I have nothing to compare it with. But overall, it was a great movie. Definitely one to buy on DVD.
Wiley Miller's Non Sequitur, 4-26 06
Panel 1
Earl and Evelyn's secrets to a loving marriage
Earl (reading paper): Hmmph...Lenny Lumpawitz..
Panel 2
Earl: Didn't you date him in high school?
Evelyn: Yes..Until you came along I thought he was the perfect man. I wonder what became of him...
Earl: Um... I just read his obituary.
Panel 3
Panel 4
Evelyn: OK... Now he's perfect.
Make the most of your decisions