Recasting Classics: Part I

Today, I take three older films that I happen to like and recast them. I encourage you to play along, and hope you enjoy this new possible recurring bit.

North by Northwest

Roger Thornhill (formerly Cary Grant): Leonardo DiCaprio

Who else?

 Eve Kendall (formerly Eva Saint Marie): Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan is my favorite actress, and would be the best choice for pretty much all of these roles. But this would be her best fit.

Phillip Vandamm (formerly James Mason): Alan Rickman

I really couldn't think of anyone else

Leonard (formerly Martin Landau): Zachary Quinto

A minor, but interesting role. Leonard is a weirdo, though, and Quinto is probably too cool to play one.

The Professor (formerly Leo G. Carroll): Christopher Plummer

Plummer might be too classy to have such a small role in a film, but I'd like to see what he'd do with it.

Clara Thornhill (formerly Jessie Royce Landis): Allison Janney/Jessica Walter

Hahaha.

The Best Years of Our Lives

Al Stephenson (formerly Fredric March): Colin Firth

No brainer.

Millie Stephenson (formerly Myrna Loy): Nicole Kidman

Not to continue to beat the dead horse that I've made out of Rabbit Hole, but I think Kidman showed us what an amazing actress she really is, and deserves some more/better roles.

Peggy Stephenson (formerly Teresa Wright): Alison Brie

You know I had to put a Community cast member in here! And seeing as she's the most accomplished of the bunch (excluding Chevy) and the most drama-capable (see: Mad Men), it was Little Annie Adderall.

Fred Derry (formerly Dana Andrews): Idris Elba

Elba was my first thought for this role, and I didn't have to look any further. Him + Brie? Yes, please. Alternate: Jon Hamm?

Marie Derry (formerly Virginia Mayo): Marion Cotillard

Alternate: Zoe Saldana?

Homer Parish (formerly Harold Russell): Jude Law

He played a disabled man in Gattaca back in the 90s, but that's not the only reason I chose him. Law is a really talented and sensitive actor.

Star Wars

(genders reversed)

Luke Skywalker (formerly Mark Hamill): Ellen Page

This is the one I struggled with the most. I was thinking of new possible male Skywalkers when I thought of Michael Cera. It wasn't long after that that I made the Juno connection and had an epiphany.

Han Solo (formerly Harrison Ford): Julianne Moore

This is the one I expect the most disagreement on. But I think she has the comedic timing and attitude to make it work. Side note: these two appeared on screen together for about a minute in 1993's The Fugitive.

Princess Leia Organa (formerly Carrie Fisher): Paul Dano

Dano typically goes small in his portrayals, but who else could I go with? Actually, maybe Hunter Parrish from Weeds.

Ben Kenobi (formerly Alec Guinness): Octavia Spencer

Strong, selfless role model? Yeah, I guess she can do that...

Darth Vader (formerly James Earl Jones): Roseanne Barr

Top 20 Films I Could Watch Anytime

Disclaimer: I am stealing this idea from here. You should click on that link after you’re done reading this post.

This top 20 list is pretty self-explanatory. When these movies are on cable, I’ll watch them. When I don’t feel like processing a new movie, and I want to watch something good, I’ll watch them. My criteria: happy, funny, engaging.

Just missed the list: The Thin Man (1934), The Out-of-Towners (1970), Toy Story 2 (1999), Up (2009), How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

20. Ice Age (2002) – Very fun, has great characters, is kind of a road-trip movie

19. Herbie Rides Again (1974) – Not the strongest Disney movie ever, but a classic in my family (that’s a whole ‘nother post that I’ll get to someday)

18. It Should Happen to You (1954) – One of my favorite all-time Jack Lemmon films

17. The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) – Interesting mix of kinds of comedies

16. The Fugitive (1993) – It only jumps the shark at the end… the rest is very, very entertaining

15. Meet the Robinsons (2007) – Underrated Disney movie that’s full of interesting plot twists

14. The Hangover (2009) – It’s never on any of the channels I get, but if it were…

13. No Country for Old Men (2007) – This movie isn’t necessarily happy, but it’s so great that it doesn’t matter.

12. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) – I think The Prisoner of Azkaban was better. But, come on! Lord Voldemort!

11. Beetle Juice (1988) – Alec Baldwin is my favorite.

10. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1981) – So clever, so funny

9. Airplane! (1980) – What a great screwball comedy! [Insert famous phrase from movie here.]

8. Home Alone (1990) – It doesn’t have to be Christmas for me to enjoy this movie.

7. The Social Network (2010) – The movie is so fascinating, and the characters are so real, I can watch this movie multiple times in one day. Incredible.

6. A Christmas Story (1983) – It starts at Thanksgiving. We watch it once then. I’ll see it twice from then until Christmas. I’ll watch it thrice in late December, usually twice on Christmas Eve itself. Once in February or March. Maybe another time in July or August, when it’s hot out.

5. My Cousin Vinny (1992) – Joe Pesci. Marisa Tomei. Hilarity. When the movie is slow, they pull it through. I’ll watch it every time it’s on.

4. That Darn Cat! (1965) – Another family classic, and one of the best live action Disney movies ever.

3. Some Like it Hot (1959) – This is probably my favorite movie. And it makes no sense.

2. Star Wars (1977) – Imagine life without Star Wars. Every time you skip over it with your remote, a nerd movie lover dies. There you go.

1. Meet the Parents (2000) – Stop typing your expletive-filled comment, and calm down. It’s not the best movie ever. It’s not the best movie on this list. But we can all agree that it’s solid Sunday afternoon entertainment, especially if you hate watching your favorite football teams lose.