Looking at this tro of titles from some of Hollywood’s most beloved actors.
While some stars have made their names as acting powerhouses, synonymous with the many characters they’ve helped bring to the screen, some cannot help but wonder what life is like behind the camera as evidenced by the many actors and actresses who have attempted to make their mark in another creative way. The prospects are always dicey. For every actor who is able to launch a second career ala Clint Eastwood, there are several others who never make it beyond their debut. Does anyone remember Beautiful; Sally Field’s lone 2000 effort? The lesson learned is that no matter how much marquee value or studio goodwill a movie star may possess, only fate and chance will dictate just how far that will carry them away from hair and makeup. Sometimes the results can lay somewhere in the middle with stars such as Warren Beatty, Jodie Foster and Danny DeVito earning acclaim for their directorial efforts before spending years trying to get their next project off the ground. Other times still, the actor in question has found his or herself unsure about whether that much control and creative decision making is right for them.
No matter the circumstances, there’s always something intriguing about watching a film directed by someone we’ve watched on the screen for so many years. It’s almost as if through this facet of their work, the audience is able to get a glimpse of how their creative mind operates. Three such examples, Kotch (directed by Jack Lemmon), Unstrung Heroes (directed by Diane Keaton) and Shortcut to Happiness (directed by Alec Baldwin) all showcase the different results of what happened when these actors decided to call action; and what happened after they cut.
Kotch (1971)
As someone who always adored the pairings of Lemmon and Walter Matthau, I cannot believe I let their sole collaboration as director and actor go unwatched. I guess it isn’t so hard to imagine since Lemmon found the process of directing ultimately too emotionally draining to ever attempt it again. It’s a shame since this story of a man in his 70s named Joseph P. Kotcher (Matthau) who embarks on a cross-country adventure with a pregnant teen (Deborah Winters) after escaping from the old folks home his family puts him in, is both pensive and invigorating. There’s a mix of whimsy at watching Kotch (as he is known) go through daily life, befriending strangers everywhere he goes and either inflicting unsolicited advice on them or regaling them with tales of his experiences of yesteryear. But there’s also a bit of melancholy as Kotch realizes what the world sees him as and he begins to wonder where he belongs now. Lemmon balances both sides of Kotch with such tenderness and sincerity, letting Matthau guide his character’s trajectory with the kind of buoyant energy and deep moments of introspection a film like this needs. Although Kotch wasn’t the big hit many were hoping it might be, the movie still earned its share of respect and acclaim (as well as an Oscar nomination for Matthau), leading some to wonder what might have happened had Lemmon decided the director’s chair was indeed for him.
Unstrung Heroes (1995)
Before embarking on Unstrung Heroes, her feature debut, Keaton had one of the most uncharacteristic directing careers out of any actor that dared to go behind the camera, helming a documentary about the merits of heaven, a pair of Belinda Carlisle music videos and a second season episode of Twin Peaks. Yet any skepticism about her grasp of story, character or understanding of the camera were put to rest with this true-life tale of a young Jewish boy (Nathan Watt) who comes of age when he discovers his mother (Andie Macdowell) has developed cancer. Keaton’s innate curiosity is perfect for a film such like this as she is literally able to place both herself and the audience inside the heart and mind of a young boy during what is one of the most defining times of his life. It’s through that curiosity and empathy that scenes involving the young main character’s scientist father (a standout John Turturro) and his eccentric uncles (Michael Richards and Maury Chaykin) feel all the more alive and exciting. Meanwhile the world Keaton constructs in Unstrung Heroes, with its 60s Southern California setting and muted colors, gives the movie a slight literary quality that makes it instantly endearing without being overly sentimental. Keaton returned to directing features only once with 2000s underrated Hanging Up, (in which she also co-starred) taking over the reigns when Nora Ephron had to back out. But regardless of the kind of project she picks, the screen will always be ready for what Keaton the filmmaker has to offer.
Shortcut to Happiness (2007)
Harry Kirkpatrick may be credited as director, but it was Alec Baldwin who brought this ill-fated comedy before the cameras. Originally titled The Devil and Daniel Webster, this remake of a 40s film starred Baldwin as struggling author Jabez Stone, who longs to be as good as his mentor, Daniel Webster (Anthony Hopkins). His dream looks to be coming true when he encounters a beautiful woman (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who just happens to be the devil and is ready to give Jabez all the success he could ever want…at a price. It’s tough to say what kind of film Baldwin’s original vision would have resulted in. Despite shooting being completed in 2001, the money ran out during post-production, leaving director and movie stranded for years before a new production company came to its rescue. Creative differences led to Baldwin all but disowning the project after claims that the finished version bore almost no resemblance to the film he intended to make, while a title change did nothing to reinvent the movie’s troubled image in industry eyes. As a movie, Shortcut to Happiness isn’t bad; it’s worse…it’s bland. Despite its mischievous plot, there’s not a lot of fun to be had with what ended up on the screen. The actors are fine and the story moves along at an adequate speed, but there’s nothing especially creative or all that entertaining about the hopelessly safe and banal Shortcut to Happiness, inevitably making Baldwin the unexpected victor in this drawn-out, nightmarish venture.
Today, one of the hottest, most sought-after directors in town just happens to also be an actor. After making a splash (and earning Oscar nominations for her work behind the camera) two years ago with her debut, Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig is once again enjoying mountainous acclaim for her sophomore project, Little Women. Poised to find herself at the Kodak theater once again on Oscar night, Gerwig is perhaps finally dispelling the myth that the movie world is only allowed a small handful of Charlie Chaplins or Robert Redfords in its lifetime. By nature, an actor runs almost as much risk of making a bad film as they do a good one. Yet no matter the kind of film they make, or how often they’re allowed to go behind the camera, the work is almost always guaranteed to be interesting on some level thanks to the left of center nature some actors possess and the kaleidoscopic way a filmmaker’s eye looks at the world.
Kotch and Unstrung Heroes are both available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Kino Lorber, while Shortcut to Happiness is available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment.
