Perfect Movie Success...
may be that so far enjoyed by John C. Reilly.
“I know you,’’ said a woman behind the counter at the Weiner’s Circle, a food stand here on the North Side, as Mr. Reilly ducked in recently for a Polish sausage. “You’re a musician.’’
Later that day, under a drizzle inside Marquette Park, near the gritty South Side neighborhood where Mr. Reilly grew up, a city recreation worker elbowed a friend and exclaimed: “That guy looks like that guy. He was in ‘Boogie Nights’ with Markie Mark.’’ (Indeed he was.)
A few weeks earlier, at the counter of a greasy spoon called the Apple Pan in the Westwood section of Los Angeles, a woman interrupted Mr. Reilly’s cheeseburger to say, “My boyfriend thinks he’s seen you on TV.’’
Reilly's face and performances are well-enough known to ensure that producers keep calling him. But he's not so celebrated that he's likely to be bothered by stalkers, papparazzi, or other leeches. Unless one is completely overtaken by narcissism, that has to be the perfect movie star success.
Still, this New York Times piece suggests that with his co-starring role in a new Will Ferrell movie about two NASCAR drivers, Reilly's relative anonymity is about to end.
Ironically, last night over dinner, a friend of ours said, "I don't like Will Ferrell. He isn't funny." The other three of us at the table all agreed. So, maybe the stardom the NYT projects for Reilly won't happen and he can continue to enjoy the perfect sort of celebrity. I don't think he'd mind:
Mr. Reilly immediately swiveled around on his stool to sign an autograph. He then returned to an interviewer, a broad grin arching his pitted cheeks, and said: “I love that they can’t place me. They don’t know my name. That’s ‘mission accomplished’ in my world.’’
Now that you're paying attention to him, what's your favorite John C. Reilly performance? I've seen him in two films: The Good Girl and Never Been Kissed. I hated the first film and liked the second. But within the contexts of each, I thought he gave good performances.