Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Whither Rene Russo?

We have forgotten about her. Or maybe she doesn't want to be remembered. Featureless for three years now, and with no projects on the horizon, Rene Russo, you think, may just be another heap of 50-something female flotsam in the unforgiving, ageist waters of Hollywood. Bullshit. Bullshit! She's married to screenwriter Dan Gilroy, who is the younger brother of recent double Oscar nominee Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton). Hey, bros, get something cooking, will you?

And why the hell is she not in the remake of The Women? And she could be popping up in cheap, good, independent movies. God knows she's already had a reliable string of quality, popcorny blockbusters in the 1990s: the Lethal Weapon movies, Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, Get Shorty, Ransom, The Thomas Crown Affair. She's terrific at comedy, compelling with drama and has a definite movie-star aura. She's a female George Clooney. Come to think of: George! Why wasn't she in the Ocean's movies (instead of that insufferable Julia Roberts)? She's one of the boys, one of the few actors who actually deserves comparison to Rosalind Russell. Russo has sparred with Mel, Travolta, Costner and Clint -- why not you? Cast Rene in one of your movies. Have her play a shrink, you play a master gardener, go to her for therapy and fall in love with her. Call it Couch Tomatoes. Done. I'm happy.

P.S. Still, though, it seems the paparazzi remember her. She says to them, justifiably, "Why aren't you with Nicole Richie?" in this YouTube clip, which seems recent. And the unofficial fan site has photos of her at recent events. But why no work?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

She MUST be doing it by choice. Right? Pursuing her other interests, blah blah family or blah blah directing or blah blah entrepreneurship or something?

Mike z said...

Julia Roberts=a huge, white, middle-aged, female audience.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aFGZtY34YwQ

is that so wrong? said...

I think Rene Russo is great. Whenever I see her in interviews, she has such a buoyant and pleasant personality I can't help but fall in love with her a little bit. That, and you've seen the Thomas Crown Affair. Enough said.

The Jaded Armchair Reviewer said...

Rene Russo is going to be in a The Riches type of show called Outrageous Fortune soon. I do believe she'll be playing Kirsten Bell's mom.

J.J. said...

Holler.