Sooo I had it in my head a few weekends ago to watch the Hunger Games trilogy… and naturally to my dismay, Hulu/Netflix/whoever had it must have removed it. Such a bummer! (The complete irony being that at the time of posting this, it is back on Hulu HA!) I guess not such a bummer though, because that train of thought led me to a Woody Harrelson marathon featuring three movies that I have never seen before.
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
Synopsis: We first meet Billy Hoyle hanging around the street courts, the only white guy in sight looking derpy and out of place. But is he really? The guys on the court tag him in to play, thinking it will mean an automatic loss for the other team.. until Billy flips his dorky hat around and starts draining buckets and hustling everyone. Sidney Deane is among the hustled, and he can’t believe what he’s just seen! He is out all his money, but Sidney knows a thing or two about hustles himself. Sidney decides to join Billy in his hustles around town, and chaos ensues.
The characters: Woody Harrelson plays Billy, and I think he was perfect for it! He’s a little dorky, a lotta cool, and he really excels at the “down on his luck” character. Sidney Deane was also perfectly cast as Wesley Snipes. He’s cocky and loud, and he makes a regular free throw look cool. Rosie Perez got a lot of screen time as Billy’s girlfriend who had a dream of getting onto Jeopardy; she can been seen throughout the film studying and quoting random trivia. Sidney’s wife Rhonda got some decent screen time too; she was played by Tyra Farrell.
Final thoughts: So my sister the other day was saying she was “so excited to watch White Men Can’t Jump” after work, and although I liked the movie I couldn’t help but ask why?! It turns out they are remaking it with rapper Jack Harlow for the younger crowd! (That comes out May 19th on Hulu if you are interested.) Overall I liked the story, and the casting of Billy and Sidney was great. The story dragged on a bit for me and got a little repetitive; but I feel like it is a pop-culture classic that everyone should see!
Watch this when: you’re looking for a story featuring an unlikely pair or some VERY 90’s fashion and star-power!
Indecent Proposal (1993)
Synopsis: The story opens with a sweet little love story between high school sweethearts David and Diana (affectionately called D and D). David is an architect and Diana a real estate agent, and they have built a life together with dreams to design a home, when they suddenly fall on huge money troubles. The pair try everything to right the ship, even a trip to Vegas to try and quickly double what little they have left. Enter billionaire John Gage, who spots Diana and is instantly smitten. He proposes the “million dollar question” – would you accept a million dollars in exchange for a night with your wife?
The characters: David and Diana are played by Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore, and I thought they had a great chemistry! John Gage was played by an older Robert Redford, and there honestly weren’t many more memorable characters. There was a lawyer friend who made a few appearances and the billionaire’s butler, but other than that it was pretty much the love triangle of Diana, David, and John!
Final thoughts: Robert Redford was mad creepy, and I wish our girl D knew better! This is definitely a classic “what if” scenario that has been replicated many times, and this was an interesting spin on it. I really enjoyed the old-school Vegas vibes, and I have a new-found appreciation for Demi Moore, so I am glad I looked this up!
Watch this when: you are in the mood for a very twisty-turny love story or looking for a “what if” conversation starter.
Kingpin (1996)
Synopsis: Roy Munson was blessed with the gift of bowling, and he’s set to bring pride to his hometown as he heads off on the professional bowling tour. But Roy is young and naïve and quickly falls for competitor “Big Ernie” McCracken’s tricks, which ends Roy’s bowling career in tragedy. Fast forward seventeen years later, and we find Roy broke, alcohol dependent, but not able to fully stay away from bowling. Roy stumbles upon a young talent at the alley, and tries to strike up a deal to be the kid’s manager. Ishmael turns out to be Amish, so Roy has to fight to convince him to train him for the tournament in Reno – with a grand prize of one million dollars.
The characters: Everyone seemed to play roles that they are well known for; Woody Harrelson played the dim-wit drunk turned good guy, Randy Quaid played the forty year old Amish man who was basically a child in the real world, and Bill Murray played the hot-shot champion / scheming nemesis. There was even an Indecent Proposal joke thrown in there by Chris Elliot aka Rolland from Schitt’s Creek!
Final thoughts: I didn’t realize this was made by the same people as Dumb and Dumber, but it makes soooo much sense now. My biggest final thought is honestly around Roy bowling with the hook/rubber hand combo – how? how?! But I guess the fun is in not questioning it!
Watch this when: you want a laugh (dated as it may be) and are in the mood for a movie that won’t require much brainpower!
So there you have it! Did I miss any major Woody Harrelson movies (other than the Hunger Games -_- )? I found on Instagram that Woody lives in NYC and frequently is seen about, so I’m keeping my eyes peeled for him!
PS I have newly discovered the app Letterboxd that lets you track and rate movies – obviously I am obsessed! Follow me there, my username is agilligan9!