Anybody remember that guy in school, the annoying one, who could do no wrong, even though it was clear to *you*, at least, that the guy was nothing more than a gigantic tool? Girls adored him and guys thought he was the coolest dude to hang with…
Seems like a lot of these guys grow up to be Stand-up comedians who leverage a one-trick act into a movie career, to me.
And there may be no bigger example than Mike Myers. I’d like to think of Jim Carrey as an example of this, as well – but Carrey has proven to at least be versatile in applying his manic and disturbed nature to multiple different and substantial roles. Mike Myers on the other hand, is always the same act, same character, with a different accent.
Some Comedians find themselves stuck in a time or generation – but their best material remains relevent in the context of that time. Some start out brilliant and just lose their funny along the way. But some are never funny, never amusing, and always annoying, yet they somehow manage to become a phenomenon for a short window of time.
It is like society suffers some sort of mass delusion. I’m sure this isn’t just isolated to comedians, of course. Politicians, managers, religious leaders… but Myers seems to be a great example. I was recently watching a Dana Carvey stand-up show on TV, and it was the same deal. He APPROACHED funny, but he just kept falling short. It was painful to watch.
The worst part I think is that at their height, these guys get accolades as comic genuis. Really? Was Austin Powers *ever* Comic Genius? I don’t get that.