why john cusack is better than collin farrell, bruce willis and other nameless hollywood hacks

"Must Love Dogs."



Yeah, when you take a look at it's plain cover art and read the story (abridged version: a recent divorcee starts internet dating, hilarity ensues), it's easy to write it off as another piece of Hollywood crap -- the kind that overshadows decent pictures such as "Better Luck Tomorrow," "Good Night and Good Luck," and "Bubba Ho-Tep." There's one element that makes this movie transcend the category of "barely passible" to "pretty fuckin' good": John Cusack. He's probably the only person with the initials J.C. that people of all faiths and non-faiths can respect and agree on.

Like a few actors before him (Gregory Peck and Cary Grant), Cusack can star in a steaming pile of a story like "Must Love Dogs" or "Serendipity" and turn it into a cinematic wonder. Sure this dude has some missteps ("Tapeheads" and "Roadside Prophets"), but for those few films that didn't work, he has an arsenal of work that validate him further -- "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," "Say Anything," "City Hall," "Cradle Will Rock," I could go on forever.

To me, the mark of a true actor is to not only appear in shitty movies and make it better, but to also appear in good movies and turn them into excellent films. And that's what Cusack has been doing for nearly 30 years. That's why he's a god among men and no flash-in-the-pan hack will ever touch him.

Related Links:
John Cusack's Blog
IMDB Resume
Say Anything the Band