Review of Why Him? (2016) by Rotten R — 03 Apr 2018

Why, Bryan? Why?

How does an actor that in such a short span of time has managed to become iconic, that has captured our attention with Walter White, that was in Drive and more recently in All the Way with incredible performances, does this!? When Bryan Cranston was nominated last year by his performance in Trumbo I cheered, what a portrayal, what a masterclass on captivating acting that was. Cranston manages to embody what a cool performance should be all about (if such a word should be allowed in a movie critic vocabulary) - he's composed but he does everything with such an ease that you feel he doesn't have to do much to have a heck of a performance. So, how does an actor, probably in the peak of his career looks at such a script and says: "I'll do it!"? Well, you've probably heard about a little film called Nine Lives which is about a businessman that gets trap in the body of a cat. Yes, you didn't read that wrong - businessman » cat... The... said businessman and ensuing cat is played by the iconic, two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, one of my favorite thespians. The problem with both Spacey and Cranston is that they are too down to earth, they don't take themselves seriously enough and when it comes to accepting a role they are no Day-Lewis and they say "Why not? It's a big paycheck!". At the end of the day that what it's all about, a paycheck and who can blame them? Almost forgot to talk about the movie! But, would you be surprised if I told you that it is mostly unfunny, formulaic, cartoonish and boring? James Franco is perfectly cast as the hatable jerk (as he always felt like one to me) and if you want a real comedy check out is Imdb credits for 2017 (you're welcome). And, although it has its moments, some clever dialogue and the undeniable presence of Cranston, this is just one more comedy that you don't need to see, so don't pay much attention to it. Want a 2016 James Franco movie? Watch King Cobra, at least it's steamy...