Life away from the MCU
Have any other movies come out since April 26th? I suppose some have, but for 95% of the moviegoing public, Endgame fever is still pulsating throughout the culture. Whether they’ve yet to see it or are going back for repeat viewings, fans have not wasted a single millisecond in making this epic closing of an influential movie era one of the biggest events of the year. The tears, the laughs, the action, the indescribable feel of seeing all these actors in one place make every bit of Endgame well worth the brisk 3 hour runtime. It is a truly monumental feat that all of these actors (as many as the screen would allow at least) were able to be assembled in the movie’s grand finale for the most ultimate of goodbyes.
Yet it’s not the first time many of these actors have shared the screen, particularly outside the world of Marvel. With Hollywood being the biggest small town there is, it makes sense that many future Avengers would end up swapping screen time with each other at some point in the past. In honor of these Marvel darlings and the magic they’ve brought to millions, I thought I’d run down a (semi-comprehensive) list of their past cinematic run-ins.
- Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland in In the Heart of the Sea
Hemsworth and Holland first shared the screen in Ron Howard’s retelling of a true story about a New England whaling crew who became stranded at sea following a quest to capture a large whale, a journey which would later serve as the inspiration for Moby Dick. Hemsworth re-teamed with Howard for what is a largely by-the-numbers shipwrecked story. The actor, who was more than eager to give Thor a rest, gives it his all as a man with a steadfast determination he clings to until the elements force him into a place he never thought he’d go. Holland, for the most part, plays the role of novice to Hemsworth as he does to Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers, but manages to take his character on a journey of growing up and maturity along the way. In the Heart of the Sea is full of wondrous sea spectacle, especially where the ginormous whale is concerned. Yet where the film’s true soul can be found is in the second act when the men are faced with nothing but the open water and the sheer will to survive.
2. Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans in The Nanny Diaries
Many of Johansson’s solo ventures tend to be hit and miss; not in terms of quality, but in audience resonance. One such example was the film adaptation of the bestselling novel The Nanny Diaries, in which the actress starred opposite Laura Linney as a recent college graduate who takes a job as a nanny for the son of a wealthy Manhattan couple and soon finds herself attracted to a handsome neighbor (Evans). The movie tries to emulate the source material in terms of being an insider’s look as to the highs and lows of being a nanny, from embarrassing costumes to determining where life is going. Johansson has never been more accessible than she is here, managing an adorable quality throughout along with a strength that’s hard to dismiss. Evans’s role may be little more than eye candy, yet like his leading lady, he manages a charm and ease which makes the pair’s scenes together in this enjoyable film all the more endearing.
3. Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow in Thanks for Sharing
Far too many people slept on this 2013 dramedy concerning the forever-taboo topic of sex addiction. In Thanks for Sharing, Ruffalo plays a recovering sex addict whose celibacy is thrown into jeopardy when he finds himself falling for a breast cancer survivor (Paltrow). Thanks for Sharing has enough light moments (especially in a subplot featuring P!nk and Josh Gad) that one might think the film is straight up comedy. But the minds behind the screenplay ensure that its delicate subject matter is explored with the utmost sensitivity, making for one of the more poignant films about surviving addiction in recent times. Ruffalo and Paltrow give some of their best work as they embody two people with past obstacles who both have fought to overcome and are now faced with another emotional crossroads. Watching how both them, as well the other characters in the film, work to find some peace, contentment, and light as their demons linger in the background makes for one of the more cathartic movie experiences of the last several years.
4. Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd in I Could Never Be Your Woman
Clueless helmer Amy Heckerling made one of the more worthwhile of romantic comedies of the 2000s with the little-seen I Could Never Be Your Woman, a charming story starring Pfeiffer as the over-40 producer of a popular teen sitcom who finds herself falling for one of her show’s younger guest stars (Rudd). Pfeiffer is totally embraceable here while Rudd is eternally goofy throughout, making for some excellent chemistry between the two leads. The script is filled with plenty of Heckerling’s humor as she delves into the forever scandalous theme of the older woman/younger man romance. There’s plenty of commentary of what it means to be a woman in a position of power in Hollywood as well as what happens when that power begins to shift with age. But the strength of I Could Never Be Your Woman is in its core ideology of foregoing the insecurities amplified by a rapidly changing society and letting yourself believe that real love is indeed still possible .
5. Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana in The Words
Before they became Guardians, Cooper and Saldana played a pair of highly photogenic lovers in the underrated drama The Words. Co-starring Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, and Jeremy Irons, The Words starred Cooper as a struggling author who discovers an old manuscript he decides to publish as his own, leading to overnight success and a visit from a mysterious old man (Irons). Few modern dramas manage to come off as timeless and as literary as The Words with its air of mystery and heartfelt romance. Beyond those powerful elements, it’s the idea of choice, and how the underestimated power of a single moment could have such profound effects for the rest of one’s life, which drives the film. Featuring flashbacks and multiple storylines, as well as a collection of outstanding performances from the aforementioned actors, The Words has enough of a layered quality to provide lovers of such films with plenty to sink their teeth in for one of the most enriching movie experiences of the last decade.
6. Chris Evans and Brie Larsen in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The fact that the majority of the movie world all but ignored Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is something I (and many others) will personally never get over. This action/fantasy/romantic comedy about an aimless slacker (Michael Cera) who must defeat the seven evil exes of the girl who has his heart (Mary-Elizabeth Winstead) was probably more suited for Valentine’s Day weekend than the late August release it was saddled with in 2010, accounting for its less than impressive box office take. Still, this adaptation of the cult graphic novel wasted no time in gaining a bevy of fans who praised the rockin’ jams, impressive effects, top notch hilarity, and a collection of actors doing work like never before. In the mix are Larsen and Evans as two former loves of the main characters, who greatly add to the proceedings through the ways they attempt to destroy the titular Scott. Evans looks to be having a ball as an action movie star (sending up his own growing image in the process), but it’s Larsen (in vengeful vixen mode) who leaves the biggest impression as the girl who broke Scott’s heart and has returned to instill some extra torment.
7. Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo in Zodiac
The greatest of all collaborations featuring two Marvel characters outside working hours remains the teaming of Downey and Ruffalo in David Fincher’s exquisite Zodiac. This tracing of the titular 1970s serial killer who haunted San Francisco and other parts of Northern California during a brief period in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s is shown through a trio of men including a reporter (Downey), a detective (Ruffalo), and a cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal), each determined to bring him down. There’s very little to say about Zodiac as a film which would be able to do it true justice. The movie’s gorgeous period trappings are expertly balanced by scenes of palpable suspense while also featuring as a well-researched re-enactment of the actual events. It’s a tall order for the three leads to deliver, yet each one does, doing Oscar-worthy work and managing to hold their own. Never once do the actors ever seem to be competing for screen time as they exude different levels of obsession in capturing one of the most elusive figures in serial killer history.
