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Nice Guy Eddie

So Chris Penn died last night of as-yet unknown causes. I’m not generally in the habit of eulogizing or paying tribute to dead celebrities, but I feel a little more comfortable in this instance. This isn’t like Katherine Hepburn or Lloyd Bridges; I was actually alive and culturally conscious for the length of this guy’s career. I was there when it all began, in that magical movie called Footloose—wherein Kevin Bacon took Chris Penn’s can’t dance farmboy and, after a grueling training montage backed by “Let’s Hear it For the Boy,” taught him gymnastic tumbling as if was a legitimate thing to do at the school dance.

I heard the news and I though about his career. In my mind, his heyday was the first half of the nineties, but checking out imdb he only had two really good roles in there. First, there’s Nice Guy Eddie in Reservoir Dogs. I won’t go so far as to say it he went all method, but it was a balls-out bit of acting where he was unafraid to spit when he talked or groan ugly when he died. Next is True Romance, where he and Tom Sizemore played charismatic, shit-talking cops that bring the final scene to a boil. In both movies, Chris Penn was cast to type—he looked like a hardcase, he swore real nice, and he was great in the part. His resume after that? Not much there. I mean, I recognize these title as movies and I’ve even seen a few (To Wong Foo, Mulholland Falls, Rush Hour,) but I don’t remember him being in any of them.

The only other movie I really remember him in is something called The Boys Club. It’s about three teenage kids who find Penn’s character shot and bleeding in their fort in the woods. He claims he’s a cop, and while the kids buy it and see it as an adventure it’s not true and this doesn’t bode a good ending. The only reason I know this flick is because it has the distinction of being shot in my hometown of Georgetown (an honour shared with such other timeless classics as The Recruit, and Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird). I remember the hullabaloo when the Georgetown Independent announced the shooting. People (okay, me and about three other guys) were really excited because Chris Penn was coming! In the end, although the town was featured pretty prominently in the feature, Penn’s scenes were shot somewhere else. We felt snubbed and our asses were chapped.

I guess the point of all this is that the majority of people shouldn’t really know who Chris Penn is anymore. He certainly never stopped acting, but he hadn't done anything noteworthy for at least the past decade. And yet, his death is all over the major media and we all immediately knew who they’re talking about. I feel like a bit of a dick writing this about him, but I’m sure that Sean Penn will find me and punch me in the mouth before the week is through, and then karmic balance will be restored.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Sean Penn will have to get a punch in the mouth from me first for becoming an unfunny dick.

After his little shot at the Oscars where he pretty much defended a shot at Jude Law (which was funny), he deserves it.

After playing a loser like Spicoli with such ease, I find him a bit of a hypocrite.
Anonymous said…
I haven't ever seen Reservoir Dogs, so I have no idea who this Chris Penn is. If he's as humorless as Sean, I'd hate to be around for the holidays.

I've decided that I'm illiterate, movie-wise. Do any of you have any suggestions for 'movies I just have to see'?
Anonymous said…
By the way, I LOVE the new description - 'girthy in all the wrong places'.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Chuck Norris is a badass. And I have his Total Gym.
Dave said…
I saw the informercial for that! Despite the fact it was clear Chuck had never seen that piece of equipment in his entire life, it actually looked like a decent machine.
Anonymous said…
My brother is dead. Can't you ease up a little? And Madge won't return my calls.
Anonymous said…
Yeah. Leave me alone.

BTW, nice pic!
Anonymous said…
COURTNEY ===> Movies you should see? Holy CRAP. Where do I begin? The Star Wars series, episodes 3-6. (The more recently released first three weren't so great. Come to that, neither were 3-6, but given they came out in a formative time of my life (and those of my friends), they seemed better than they were.) The Superman movies. The new Batman. Blade Runner. The Indiana Jones films. Romancing The Stone. The Shawshank Redemption (a good Stephen King film - honest!). Time Bandits. Memento. Lost Boys. Every Bruce Lee film. The Crow. The Terminator. Casablanca. The Terminator 2. Pulp Fiction. Hard Boiled. Every Jackie Chan movie pre-2004. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Blazing Saddles.

... good lord, woman, you're an empty vessel!

Ok, out of the way, people, we've got an emergency here! She needs clear access to the nearest video store, stat!
kris said…
I feel badly that every paper and news report just keeps referring to him as Sean Penn's brother. As if he was not a legitimate human in his own right. That would be a hell of a way to be remembered.
Anonymous said…
Keep in mind he's dead, and probably doesn't care as much about his legacy as he used to. Also keep in mind that nobody who actually remembers him (as opposed to those of us who remember Nice Guy Eddie) will remember him as 'Sean Penn's brother'.
Anonymous said…
In response to Reay:

The Superman movies
No. The first two Superman movies. I suspect that even these will be forgotten when Superman Returns comes out.

The Shawshank Redemption
Reay is totally on the money with that.

Every Bruce Lee film
Including the one that's not really him.
Anonymous said…
To Reay: With the exception of The Shawshank Redemption, I haven't seen ANY of the movies you listed. They're going on my Netflix queue right now.

Thank you.
Anonymous said…
COURTNEY ===> You're very welcome. I'm a bit of a movie junkie. You need more suggestions, let me know any time. Or just... y'know... check out Dave's next entry...

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Discuss Amongst Yourselves - January 30th, 2006

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