Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaewoo
Haddish appears underwhelming.
Yeah, that's a tough one. I felt the same. The "looking for a good thoroughbred" and "something bad in your past" lines in this very trailer are clunky as hell, yet we're supposed to see the high points.
Obviously, plenty of comedians/comedic actors make a solid pivot to dramatic roles. I still say Robin Williams had one of the smarter paths, since his first 2-3 dramatic projects still little bits of Robin Williams-style shtick thrown into the character. Other comedic actors, like Steve Carell, Jamie Foxx and even the likes of Kristen Wiig and Dave Chapelle developed such range in their early comedy work that they are completely believable when they ventured into dramatic roles.
However, if a comedian is a bit more one-note, it takes me out of the scene because I would not be able to unsee their usual persona. Now, most don't even try: Sam Kinison never attempted to do a legal drama, Carrot Top was not about to read for an E.M. Forster adaptation, Bobcat Goldthwait was never approached to join the cast of ER.
Haddish isn't as over the top as the three I just mentioned, but she still strikes me as falling into that category.
Then again, you never know. Will Ferrell went for an understated turn in
Stranger Than Fiction, and Eddie Murphy did similar in a small film called
Mr. Church in recent years. While I didn't love either film overall, both of their individual performances got me to wish they would try more dramatic roles in the future. But even watching now, neither trailer would have drawn my curiosity at the time.
Finally, I have to agree with many others... the hell is with the title? I don't doubt that blackjack makes an appearance, but it still seems to be very poker-centric. Calling this
The Card Counter seems on the surface to be as nonsensical as titling
Rounders as
Shooting The Moon just because Worm played Hearts with his fellow inmates before getting his release.