What the Hell Happened to Jason Patric?

Jason Patric was supposed to be a movie star.  He was good-looking and talented.  He starred in a hit movie and dated America’s Sweetheart.  Critics loved him.  And yet somehow Jason Patric never became a star.  In fact, I’m willing to bet most people reading this article won’t remember who he is until they read the article and see which movies he starred in and who he dated.

What the hell happened?

Jason Patric is the son of Academy Award-nominated actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jason Miller.  You probably know Miller as Father Damien Karras from The Exorcist.  Patric’s full name is Jason Patric Miller.  His mother is  Linda Mae Gleason, daughter of the legendary comedian Jackie Gleason.

Jason Patric - Toughlove - 1985
Jason Patric – Toughlove – 1985

TV in the 80’s was a steady stream of TV movies warning viewers of the dangers of drugs.  Patric made his debut in one such “Just Say No” movie of the week.  He played a drug-addicted teen in the movie Toughlove.  Lee Remick and Bruce Dern played Patric’s frustrated parents who turn to an organization called Toughlove for help because back then there was no Dr. Phil show to write into.  The organization tells them they should love and support their son no matter what.  Just kidding.  They tell him to exercise some tough love.  D’uh.  It’s right there in the title people.  It may be heard to believe today when the term “tough love” is overused to the point of cliche but in the mid 80’s the idea of not enabling your loved ones was a new one.  Thank goodness we had movies like Toughlove to set us straight!

Want to know what else is significant about Toughlove?  Nothing.  Moving on.

Patric - Solarbabies
Jason Patric – Solar Babies – 1986

Patric made his big screen debut in the 1986 sci-fi schlock, Solarbabies.

Patric starred opposite Jami Gertz and Lukas Haas.  They played a bunch of space orphans living in a dystopian future,  Because really, what other kind is there?  In this future, the orphans are force to participate in a game that is kind of like lacrosse only on roller skates.  What is it with future sports and roller skates anyway?  The roller-boogie orphans locate a magical space orb that may be able to bring much-needed rain.  If not, they can hang it as a disco ball in their roller skating rink.  That would be pretty rad.

It’s basically The Road Warrior meets Rollerball starring a bunch of kids.  How can that not be a hit?  Critics blasted the movie for being a cheap rip-off of better movies.  Roger Ebert wrote “This movie owes so much to the Road Warrior pictures that I doubt if it could have been made without them.”  Solar Babies currently holds the dreaded zero percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  Audiences didn’t like it any better than critics so the movie flopped.

Patric - Lost Boys
Jason Patric – Lost Boys – 1987

In 1987, Patric scored the lead role in Joel Schumacher’s teen vampire movie, The Lost Boys.

Patric and Corey Haim played brothers who move to the fictional beach community of Santa Carla, California.  Patric’s character, Michael, falls for a local girl played by his Solarbabies co-star, Jami Gertz.  Through Gertz’s character, he becomes involves with a gang of teenage vampires lead by Kiefer Sutherland.

According to Patric, he turned down Lost Boys more than once:

Joel Schumacher will tell you, I turned that role down twice. I didn’t want to wear teeth and makeup – that’s just not what I wanted to do as an actor. He convinced me.

The Lost Boys was produced by Richard Donner.  The original script was about “a bunch of Goonies-type 5th-6th grade kid vampires”.  The screenwriter,  James Jeremias, came up with the idea that Peter Pan – a character who flies, visits children at night and never ages – could be a vampire.  Originally, the script included more obvious references to Peter Pan.  The brothers were named Michael and John, their mother was named Wendy and Sutherland’s character was named Peter.

Donner, who directed The Goonies, originally intended to direct The Lost Boys himself.  But when he committed to make Lethal Weapon, he hired Schumacher to direct instead.  Schumacher hated the script and only agreed to direct if he could age the main characters to teenagers.

The end result was a very hip, stylish vampire movie. Patric thinks that it would be and even bigger hit if it was released today:

The truth is, if it came out today, it would have made half a billion dollars. It would be Twilight.

The mix of horror and comedy was a hit with critics and audiences.  Schumacher tried for years to make a sequel, Lost Girls.  Eventually, two direct-to-video sequels were made.

Patric - The Beast
Jason Patric – The Beast – 1988

In 1988, Patric starred in the war movie, The Beast.

Patric played a Russian tank driver during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.  His tank gets separated from the rest of the unit after an assault on a village.  They find themselves lost and beseiged by a band of Mujahadeen guerrillas.

The film was originally titled The Beast of War.  After a regime change at Columbia Pictures, the studio was no longer interested in promoting the movie.  The new studio head dumped The Beast in a limited number of theaters with little to no advertising.

The movie was largely ignored by critics and audiences alike.  But eventually, it gained a small cult audience when it was released on video.

Jason Patric - Denial - 1990
Jason Patric – Denial – 1990

In 1990, Patric appeared in three independent films.  The first was the drama, Denial.

Robin Wright starred a troubled young woman trying to leave her past behind her.  Patric played an old flame with whom Wright reconnects.  But their relationship isn’t necessarily a healthy one.  Rae Dawn Chong co-starred and a pre-fame David Duchovny appeared in a small role.

Originally, Sean Penn was attached to play Patric’s role.  When he backed out, Patric took on the role and began dating Wright.

Jason Patric and Robin Wright
Jason Patric and Robin Wright

After dating for a couple of years, Patric and Wright broke up.  Eventually, Wright ended up making a movie with Sean Penn and ended up marrying him.

Jason Patric - After Dark, My Sweet - 1990
Jason Patric – After Dark, My Sweet – 1990

Later that year, Patric starred opposite Rachel Ward in the neo noir, After Dark My Sweet.

Patric played an ex-boxer who has escaped from a mental hospital.  He meets a widow played by Ward and they become romantically involved.  Her uncle, played by Bruce Dern (who played Patric’s dad in Toughlove) convinces the young couple to kidnap a rich boy for ransom money.

After Dark My Sweet received positive reviews, but it only received a limited release in theaters.  Roger Ebert put the movie on his “great movies list” and lamented that audiences missed out: “After Dark, My Sweet is the movie that eluded audiences; it grossed less than $3 million, has been almost forgotten, and remains one of the purest and most uncompromising of modern film noir. It captures above all the lonely, exhausted lives of its characters.”

Jason Patric - Frankenstein Unbound - 1990
Jason Patric – Frankenstein Unbound – 1990

Finally, Patric played Lord Byron in Roger Corman’s Frankenstein Unbound.

John Hurt starred as a scientist in the year 2031 whose invention sends him back in time to Switzerland in 1817.  In the past, he crosses paths with the real Dr. Frankenstein (played by Raul Julia) and Mary Shelley played by Bridget Fonda.

Reviews were mixed and the movie flopped at the box office.  It has since developed a cult following.

Jason Patric - Teach 109 - 1990
Jason Patric – Teach 109 – 1990

Rounding out the year, Patric played an android in the TV short film, Teach 109.  The story is set in a future in which surgeons practice on artificial life forms designed to imitate real patients.  Elizabeth Perkins plays a doctor who doesn’t care about her robotic patients.  Patric played her latest patient who changes her mind.

Despite the fact Patric was getting a lot of work, most of it was not being seen by general audiences.  He was about to become famous, but it would have more to do with his personal life than his acting career.

Jason Patric and Julia Roberts
Jason Patric and Julia Roberts

In 1991, the notoriously private Patric got thrust into the public eye not for a film role but because of who he was dating.  At the time, Julia Roberts was America’s Sweetheart.  Her star was on a meteoric rise.  And her personal life played out on a very public stage.  It’s easy to forget now, but at the time she was kind of a hot mess.

Roberts had been engaged to her Flatliners co-star Kieffer Sutherland.  Roberts broke the engagement three days before the wedding allegedly because Sutherland had been meeting with a stripper.   On the day of what was supposed to be their wedding date, Roberts ran off to Ireland with Sutherland’s friend and Lost Boys co-star.

Patric - Love Triangle
Julia Roberts and Jason Patric – People Magazine Cover – 1991

It was a real life Hollywood love triangle.  No scripted drama could hope to match the real life soap opera.  Roberts was a real runaway bride before she ever made a movie of the same name.  And she ran away with her ex’s pal!

Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jason Patric - Rush - 1991
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jason Patric – Rush – 1991

In 1991, Patric starred opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh in the crime drama, Rush.

Leigh and Patrick played undercover narcotics cops who get in over their heads.  While trying to bust a drug dealer played by Gregg Allman, Patric and Leigh’s characters develop real drug additions as well as a romantic relationship.  Despite their best efforts, they can’t find the evidence they need and finally resort to falsifying evidence.

The movie was an adaptation Kim Wozencraft’s 1990 novel of the same name.  The novel was based on Wozencraft’s own real life experiences working as an undercover narcotics officer Texas in 1977.  In real-life, Wozencraft eventually married her partner while they were awaiting trial for their crimes.

Patric actually did shoot up for authenticity.  But instead of drugs, the syringes he used were full of saline or vitamins.

Both Patric and Leigh were seen as being rising stars at the time.  But despite mostly positive reviews, audiences avoided Rush.

In 1992, after Patric and Roberts split up (and Roberts married country music singer, Lyle Lovett), Patrick and Leigh began dating in real life.  That relationship lasted about two years.

Patric - Geronimo
Jason Patric – Geronimo: An American Legend – 1993

In 1993, Patric appeared in Walter Hill’s Western, Geronimo: An American Legend.

Wed Studi played Geronimo, an Apache chief who lead a resistance against the US government over the treatment of his people.  Patric played Charles Gatewood, the U.S. cavalry lieutenant was tasked with capturing Geronimo.  Robert Duvall played a scout leader and Gene Hackman played the general charged with overseeing the forced settlement of the Apaches on reservations.  An unknown Matt Damon also put in an appearance.

Hill disliked the title which he felt was not representative of what his film was about:

It’s not about Geronimo. It should have been called The Geronimo War… It’s as much about the Army as it is Geronimo. That came out of my reading of historical accounts, and realizing that so much of what we think we know about the Indian campaigns is wrong. The Army is generally depicted as the enemy of the Apache, but in many cases, the people who were most sympathetic to their plight were those soldiers.

Hill was forced by the studio to trim the runtime by 12 minutes which brought the movie under 2 hours.  According to Hill, the uncut version of the movie is “damn good”.

Reviews were mixed and Geronimo flopped at the box office.  It opened in fourth place behind Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

The Firm - 1993
The Firm – 1993

Patric passed on a high-profile project that could have made him a movie star.  He was offered Tom Cruise’s role in the 1993 adaptation of John Grisham’s legal best-seller, The Firm.  Instead, Patric ended up taking a couple of years off.  According to Patric:

I have a reputation in town for not wanting to work and that’s not the case. It’s just that I really, you know, didn’t find anything of interest.

Patric says he doesn’t regret turning down the hit movie:

I turned down some incarnation of The Firm years ago, but that would make it seem like I turned down the big hit movie. No, the movie’s a hit because Tom Cruise is in it. The shitty script that I got was not going to be a hit with me in it. Trust me.

Patric - Journey of August King
Jason Patric – The Journey of August King – 1995

In 1995, Patric starred opposite Thandie Newton in the period drama, The Journey of August King.

Patric played a North Carolina farmer who discovers an escaped 17-year-old slave girl played by Newton.  Patric has to decide whether or not to break the law to help Newton find freedom.

The Journey of August King received mixed reviews from critics.  It only played in two theaters in limited release.

Patric - Sleepers
Jason Patric – Sleepers – 1996

In 1996, Patric starred in Barry Levinson’s revenge drama, Sleepers.

The story centers on a group of friends played by Patric, Brad Pitt, Billy Crudup and Minnie Driver.  As kids, they are counseled by a priest played by Robert DeNiro.  The kids nearly kill a man while pulling a prank and they are sentenced to jail.  While in prison, the kids are abused by a guard played by Kevin Bacon.  As adults, two of the kids exact revenge on the guard.  Patric and Pitt attempt to free their friends with the help of a lawyer played by Dustin Hoffman.

Sleepers is an excellent film to keep in mind when playing 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon.  Although Bacon never met co-stars DeNiro or Hoffman.

Author Lorenzo Carcaterra claimed that his book on which the film is based was a true story of his childhood. When the New York legal community went on record stating that no cases resembling the events of his book could be found in any court records, Carcaterra refused to discuss the discrepancy. His claims have been neither proven nor disproven.

Reviews were mostly positive.  Sleepers performed moderately at the box office.  It opened in first place, but only grossed around $50 million in the US.  Fortunately, it did over twice that much internationally.

Patric - Why Isn't He a Star
Jason Patrick – Entertainment Weekly Cover – 1993

By this point, people were already asking what the hell happened to Patric.  Entertainment Weekly even ran a cover asking “Why isn’t Jason Patric a star yet?”  It seemed like a forgone conclusion that Patric would be an A-list movie star.  But Patric kept making uncommercial movies and turning down potentially star-making roles.  It seemed like the only person who didn’t care whether or not Patric was a star was Patric.

The one movie Patric had made that was a commercial hit was Lost Boys.  And for a time, he says he was annoyed by the movie’s success:

I went on to do so many other things, that for the first ten years after it [was released], it annoyed me, this Lost Boys stuff, when I felt like I had made some really good, interesting movies. But it’s a part of what I’ve done now, I’m happy with it. I’m glad it’s a touchstone for people.

After almost a decade of avoiding projects that could have made him a household name, Patric finally agreed to star in a big budget Hollywood action movie.  Unfortunately, Patric’s bid for box office stardom was a notorious flop.

Patric - Speed 2
Jason Patric – Speed 2: Cruise Control – 1997

In 1997, Patric starred opposite Sandra Bullock in Jan de Bont’s action sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control.

In the sequel, Bullock has broken up with Keanu Reeves’ character from the first movie.  Patric played her new boyfriend who also happens to be a cop because the script was originally written with the assumption that Reeves would reprise his role in the sequel.  when the couple decides to go on a cruise, they are once again menaced by terrorists.  This time, Willem Dafoe played the bad guy.

The original Speed had been a surprise success.  Expectations for the first film were so low that Reeves and Bullock were not contractually obligated to appear in sequels.  No one thought sequels were likely.  Bullock agreed to return in order to get financial backing for her movie, Hope Floats.  But Reeves decided he would rather tour with his band, Dogstar.

At the time, it seemed like Reeves was making a huge mistake.  But as it turns out, passing on Speed 2 was probably one of the better decisions of Reeves’ career.  Reeves claimed that Fox was furious and launched a propaganda campaign against him.  De Bont said the role in the sequel could be played by any young actor, as long as he could have chemistry with Bullock.  Given that Bullock was basically a chemistry machine, any actor should be able to fit that description.

Bullock initially suggested Matthew McConaughey to replace Reeves.  But McConaughey passed to star in Contact.  Several other actors including Christian Slater were also considered.   After McConaughey passed, Bullock recommended Patric, whom she had wanted to work with since seeing his performance in After Dark, My Sweet.  De Bont wanted a bigger star, but was reminded that Bullock was an unkown when she made the original Speed. After watching Sleepers, De Bont cast Patric.

After accepting the role, Patric admitted that he never saw Speed and had no plans to watch it.  Reeves said he was looking forward to seeing Patric in the sequel and that it was “going to be entertaining with another actor”.

Patric - Speed 2 #2
Jason Patric – Speed 2: Cruise Control – 1997

Several story ideas were submitted to De Bont.  But the director rejected them all in favor of his own idea.  He had a recurring dream about a cruise ship crashing into an island.  So at De Bont’s insistence, the sequel to Speed was set on a slow-moving boat.

De Bont wanted his sequel to feel “bigger” than the original.  So he insisted on a larger budget.  The first Speed was made for $30 million dollars.  Speed 2 was budgeted at $100 million dollars.  The production was plagued with problems.  Stories circulated that said De Bont was out of control.  De Bont demanded that his stars perform most of their own stunts.  There were accusations that working conditions were unsafe.

Speed 2 was released to terrible reviews and flopped at the box office. It received a then-record 8 nominations for the Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Couple for Patric and Bullock.  It won Worst Sequel or Re-make.

Patric - Incognito
Jason Patric – Incognito – 1997

Later that year, Patric starred opposite Irene Jacob in John Badham’s crime thriller, Incognito.

Patric played an artist who uses his talents to paint a fake Rembrandt.  His dying father, played by Rod Steiger, pleads with him to stop forging paintings and to concentrate on his own work.

Originally, the film was supposed to be directed by Robocop star, Peter Weller.  But Weller clashed with producer James G. Robinson over the budget.  “Their idea of a budget, is going to a hot dog stand,” Weller complained.

Reviews were negative and the movie was unnoticed at the box office.

Patric - Your Friends and Neigbors
Jason Patric – Your Friends and Neighbors – 1998

In 1998, Patric produced and starred in Neil LaBute’s comedy-drama, Your Friends and Neighbors.

Ben Stiller, Aaron Eckhart and Patric played upper middle-class friends who live unhappy lives.  In one scene, the men hang out in a steam room talking about their best sexual experience.  Patric’s character speaks glowingly of the time he raped a male high school classmate in the locker room at his boarding school.  Stiller’s character is reluctant to answer, but eventually admits that his best sexual experience was with Echhart’s wife.

Originally, Your Friends and Neighbors was slapped with an NC-17 rating based on language alone.  On appeal, the rating was reduced to an R.

Patric reported used his Speed 2 salary to produce Your Friends and Neighbors.  As a producer, Patric was able to save a little money on costumes.  He was dating supermodel Christy Turlington at the time.  Turlington asked Calvin Klein if he would be willing to make a donation and Klein agreed to donate all of the clothing used in the movie.

Reviews were mostly positive.  Patric won a couple of critics’ awards for his supporting role.  But the movie was not a hit at the box office.  Your Friends and Neighbors also has the distinction of being the first movie listed on Rotten Tomatoes.

Patric - Narc
Jason Patric – Narc – 2002

 After a four-year absence from the screen, Patric appeared opposite Ray Liotta in the 2002 crime drama, Narc.

Patric played a narcotics officer who had been fired 18 months ago when he accidentally shot a pregnant woman while rescuing her child from a drug dealer.  He is reinstated to investigate the murder of a fellow narcotics office and partnered with a violent detective played by Liotta.

Patric explained why he hadn’t worked in several years:

I just didn’t find things I wanted to do. I had just produced Your Friends and Neighbors, which was exhausting and good, and I didn’t find anything worth working on for three years. That’s suicide in this business because you have to remain in the forefront of people’s minds and certainly onscreen, but I didn’t care about that.

Narc was filmed in 28 days on a shoestring budget.  Liotta and Patric worked for very little money.  At one point during production the cast and crew’s paychecks weren’t coming through due to legal and budgetary issues, so Liotta and Patric worked for free.

Tom Cruise saw the movie and was so impressed he stepped in and became an executive producer.  With Cruise’s funding, Narc received a wider release than originally planned.

Reviews were mostly positive and the movie performed moderately at the box office.

patric - cat on a hot tin roof
Jason Patric and Ashley Judd – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – 2003

In 2003, Patric starred opposite Ashley Judd and Ned Beatty in a Broadway rival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  Reviews for the production were lukewarm in spite of the star power.  Only Beatty and Margo Martindale were singled out for praise.  Patric claimed that while he enjoyed working with most of his costars, he didn’t think much of Judd:

I loved saying the words and working with most of the people every night. I didn’t like my leading lady,  Ashley is just a lazy and arrogant actress. Let’s just leave it at that.

Patric - Alamo
Jason Patric – The Alamo – 2004

In 2004, Patric played James Bowie in The Alamo.  Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton co-starred.

The historical drama chronicled the siege of the Alamo in which 183 Texans, Davey Crocket and Jim Bowie fought off an army of nearly 2,000 men  The movie also included the Battle of San Jacinto in which General Sam Houston’s army has a somewhat happier ending.

Originally, Ron Howard intended to direct Russell Crowe and Ethan Hawke in The Alamo.  But Disney balked at Howard’s request $200 million dollar budget.  Crowe and Hawke walked.  Howard and his partner, Brian Grazer, were credited as producers.  And  John Lee Hancock was hired to direct with a budget nearly half the size Howard wanted.

Reviews were negative and the movie bombed at the box office.  It opened in fourth place behind Johnson Family Vacation and ended up grossing just over $20 million dollars on a budget over $100 million dollars.

Jason Patric and Mel Gibson at a Stand Up for Gus Fundraiser - 2013
Jason Patric and Mel Gibson at a Stand Up for Gus Fundraiser – 2013

According to the Internet, Patric turned down the role of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.  Partric denies this ever happened.  Gibson had previously tried to cast Patric as William Wallace in Braveheart, but Paramount refused to let Gibson direct the historical epic unless he also played the lead role.  According to Patric:

I don’t know where that Passion of the Christ thing came from, but it’s not true. But it means if it’s on the Internet, it must be true. Mel Gibson wanted me to play his part in Braveheart, so maybe that’s where that connection is, I don’t know. I never found out about it until after the fact. He wanted me to do it. The studio wouldn’t make it without him in it, his first major directorial thing, it was expensive, so that’s what happened. I found out afterwards, so I couldn’t really be mad about it.

Patric - Walker Payne
Jason Patric – Walker Payne – 2006

 In 2006, Patric starred opposite Drea de Matteo, Bruce Dern  and Sam Shepard in the period drama, Walker Payne.

Patric played an out-of-work coal miner in the 1950’s.  de Matteo played his ex-wife who demands child support money from him.  With no other source of income, Patric turns to dog-fighting to make the payments so he can see his children.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Walker Payne is a movie about dog fighting.

shortcut to happiness
Shortcut to Happiness – 2003

Patric also had an uncredited role in Alec Baldwin’s update of The Devil and Daniel Webster, Shortcut to Happiness.

Shortcut to Happiness starred Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Anthony Hopkins and Dan Aykroyd.  The movie was filmed in 2001, but was not released until two years later.  Baldwin was so unhappy with the final cut that he had his name removed and is credited as Harry Kirkpatrick.

Patric - Expired
Jason Patric – Expired – 2007

In 2007, Patric starred opposite Samantha Morton in the indie comedy-drama, Expired.  Patric and Morton played parking attendants.  The movie was shown at several film festivals including Sundance and Cannes.  But it has never been released theatrically.  Reviews were mixed to positive.

Patric - Valley of Elah
Jason Patric – In the Valley of Elah – 2007

Later that year, Patric had a supporting role in Paul Haggis’ military drama, In the Valley of Elah.

In the Valley of Elah starred Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon as a couple searching for their son.  Their son was a war vet recently returned from Iraq but gone missing.  Charlize Theron played a police detective who becomes involved in the investigation.

In spite of mostly positive reviews, the movie performed poorly at the box office.

Patric - Downloading Nancy
Jason Patric – Downloading Nancy – 2008

In 2008, Patric starred opposite Maria Bello in the drama, Downloading Nancy.  Bello played a woman who seeks out a man to torture her to death.  Patric played the man who fulfilled that request.  But first, they fall in love.

Well, at least there was no dog fighting.

Originally, the Downloading Nancy was set to star Holly Hunter and William Hurt.  Production was delayed to accommodate Hunter’s pregnancy.  But the production delays caused additional scheduling problems.  Eventually Hunter abandoned the project.  Ray Liotta was brought on board to replace William Hurt.  But then he left and Patric took the role.

Reviews were mostly negative.  It played at Sundance where it was both admired for its production values and Bello’s performance and also reviled for its subject matter.  It was never released theatrically.

Patric - my sisters keeper
Jason Patric – My Sister’s Keeper – 2009

In 2009, Patric appeared in Nick Cassavetes’ drama, My Sister’s Keeper which was based on the novel of the same name.

Patric and Cameron Diaz played a couple who have a second child specifically to be an organ donor for her sister.  The savior sister, played by Abigail Breslin, hires an attorney played by Alec Baldwin to sue her parents for medical emancipation so she doesn’t have to give up her kidney.

That dog fighting movie is starting to sound like a light-hearted romp, isn’t it?

Reviews were mixed and the movie performed modestly at the box office.

patric - The Losers
Jason Patric – The Losers – 2010

In 2010, Patric appeared in the comic book adaptation, The Losers.  Patric played the boss of a blck ops team that included Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Chris Evans and Zoe Saldana.

Reviews were mixed and the movie flopped at the box office.  It opened in fourth place behind Date Night which had been in theaters for three weeks at the time.  The Losers lived up to its name by grossing less than its $25 million dollar production costs.

Patric - Keyhole
Jason Patric – Keyhole – 2011

In 2011, Patric starred opposite Isabella Rossellini in Keyhole, a Canadian film that is part gangster movie and part haunted house story.  The experimental movie draws on Homer’s Odyssey.  Reviews were mostly positive and the movie played at several film festivals.

Patric signed on to star opposite Diane Keaton and Ellen Page in the HBO comedy series, Tilda.  Keaton played a powerful Hollywood blogger and Patric played her nemesis.  Ultimately, HBO passed on the pilot so the series never happened.

Patric - The Championship Season
Jason Patric – That Championship Season – 2011

Patric also returned to Broadway in a revival of his father’s Pulizer Prize-winning play, That Championship Season.  The revival cast Patric and his old friend and Lost Boys co-star Kiefer Sutherland as brothers.  Sutherland said he had long since forgiven Patric for dating his ex-fiancée.  He claimed that there were never any hard feelings between them:

They had a relationship that ended and I was with her for a little while and it ended. They’ve both been subsequently married several times and I think they’re fine. But we never had any issue, even back then.

Reviews for the play were mixed.

In 2012, Patric began filming  the Civil War movie, Copperhead.  Several weeks into the shoot, he was fired by the director for “failing to take direction”.  Maxwell later claimed that the split was amicable:

It is truly regrettable when unnamed sources make spurious statements on subjects of which they know nothing. The assertion that Jason Patric was replaced on Copperhead because he would not take direction is completely false. Consummate professionals are replaced everyday, all the time, in all walks of life. It happens. Welcome to the real world. Jason is a total professional, a first rate actor and despite our creative differences, a friend.

Jason Patric - Powers pilot - 2012
Jason Patric – Powers pilot – 2012

Patric starred in the pilot for the FX TV show, Powers.  Powers was based on a comic book by Brian Michael Bendis.  Patric played a former superhero who had lost his powers.  Depowered, he becomes a homicide detective on a special unit that investigates crimes involving superhumans.

Apparently FX didn’t like the pilot.  They announced they would reshoot Powers with a new cast.  But ultimately, they passed on the show.  A new version of Powers premiered on the Playstation Network in 2015.

Patric - Family
Jason Patric and Danielle Schrieber

For the last few years, Patric has been making headlines for a bizarre custody battle.  In 2009, Patric broke up with his on-again off-again girlfriend, Danielle Schrieber.  Supposedly, Patric told Schrieber he didn’t have any money he could give her.  But he would donate sperm so that she could have a baby on the condition that she never tell anyone or ask for money.

After the baby boy was born, Schrieber and Patric got back together.  During that time, Patric formed a bond with his son.  When the couple split again, Patric sought 50/50 custody.  However, his request was denied because he was considered a sperm donor by the court.  Patric wept in an interview with ABC News describing the last time he had seen his son:

The last thing I said to him was, I picked him up, I put him in the car and we drove back after driving to Danielle’s, and he said, ‘I’m missing you, Dada.’  I said, ‘That’s all right. I’m going to see you tomorrow, little man’. And I’ve never seen him again. There’s not a picture of me in his house.  Forget about my pain, because, you know, I’m an adult and I got in a situation that I should’ve been smarter about, I guess, or whatever. But he doesn’t know. You know, his little furrowed brow wondering where his dad is. … He doesn’t know that. And he’s not a possession.

In late 2013, Schrieber was granted a one-year restraining order against Patric after he appealed his initial court loss.  As a result, Patric was legally precluded from seeing his son.  Patric went on The View and told his side of the story:

For 10 months I’ve been emailing her lawyers letters, texts, anything to see my son.  I’ve been sending her articles about what happens when a father is absent from a child’s life… She found that harassing and lecturing to her. She goes to a judge and those are unwanted communications, so I am not now allowed to communicate with the mother of my child.

Patric claimed that he was a victim of parental alienation which has become a personal cause for the actor.  He has been working to change California law so that sperm donors can have paternal rights.  To this end, Patric founded a not-for-profit organization called Stand Up for Gus:

Patric has used the charity to raise money (over $300,000 so far) for other parents who face similar custody battles.  In 2014, Patric won his appeal which allowed him to have another day in court.  Later that year, Patric won his case and was declared the legal parent of his son.

Jason Patric custody hearing - 2014
Jason Patric custody hearing – 2014

In between Patric’s successful appeal and his being named a legal parent, his ex went on the offensive.  She started talking to media outlets and making accusations that Patric was abusive:

Look, Jason is a great actor. But the Jason I knew was the role he played in Your Friends and Neighbors. People were impressed by the role. In hindsight, I’m not that impressed, because it’s not that much of a stretch.

In a Rolling Stone interview, Schreiber claimed Patric abused her during their relationship.  She claimed he threw a jar of almond butter at her when she didn’t close the lid tightly enough and that he hit her with a land-line phone.

It was a cycle, a roller coaster, and I somehow accepted this kind of conduct.  Jason would apologize and then he would go out of town for an acting job, and while he was away I’d romanticize things, and think about the potential or what could be.

Schreiber also accused Patric of being anti-Semitic and of trying to turn their son against her.  Patric and his lawyers denied the allegations:

All these false allegations against me from [Schreiber] and her legal team are baseless and without merit. They are an attempt to disparage me after their loss in the Court of Appeal. There isn’t one shred of evidence to any of this slander…. I will happily present all of my evidence at trial, and will very soon have Gus back in my arms. I also will continue to refuse to disparage my son’s mother in public. I don’t intend to alienate him from her. The only one that is hurt by this is Gus. He will soon be old enough to know the truth.

After two years of bitter court hearing, Patric has been reunited with his son.  Hopefully that turns out to be the happy ending to the story.

While Patric was going through his custody battle, he didn’t work a lot.  He had a cameo in the indie comedy Caveman in 2013.  In 2014, he resurfaced in two movies.

Jason Patric - The Outsider - 2014
Jason Patric – The Outsider – 2014

First, Patric played a detective in the crime drama, The Outsider.  Craig Fairbrass played a British mercenary who flies to LA when he gets the news that his daughter has been killed.  When he arrives to identify his daughter’s body, he says it isn’t her.  James Caan played the missing daughter’s wealthy boss and Shannon Elizabeth played a barmaid who offers to assist Fairbrass in finding his daughter.

Jason Patric - The Prince - 2014
Jason Patric – The Prince – 2014

Later that year, Patric played a former assassin whose daughter disappears in The Prince.  Bruce Willis played Patric’s rival who is out for revenge.  John Cusack played Patric’s old friend and former partner who helps him take on Willis.  Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson played a contact known as The Pharmacy.

The Prince opened on demand and was panned by critics.  It currently holds a zero percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

So, what the hell happened?

How did Patric go from Hollywood’s next sure thing to an actor best known for his custody issues?

Patric never seemed especially interested in stardom.  In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in the early 90’s he expressed his reluctance to play the Hollywood game:

I hate doing interviews and stuff like that.  I also hate people who say they hate doing interviews. It’s all self-promotion. Five percent is the movie and the rest is people selling themselves, in their living rooms, smiling, with their personal life…Celebrity is an occupation unto itself, one which, frankly, I don’t want to be a part of.

He turned down roles that could have made him a star.  When he finally took a role in a big Hollywood movie, it was a disaster.  But Patric never seemed overly concerned about that either.  He used his paycheck to continue making the kinds of movies that interested him.

While Patric continues to work, much of his time has been taken up by protracted custody hearings.  Now that those are over, you would have to think Patric is more interested in his charity and spending time with his son than in trying to be a movie star.

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Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Career Assessment: The Lost Boys: http://spectrumculture.com/2010/03/careeer-assessment-the-lost-boys.html/ Character: Patric’s Michael Emerson and his family have just moved to the seemingly sleepy California town of Santa Clara. Like a lot of new kids, he gets caught up with the wrong crowd, a bunch of leather wearing, creepy goths who turn out to be vampires. He’s drawn to the girl (Jami Gertz) and undergoes some initiation rites, including maggot eating and blood drinking, before he’s turned into a vampire. Emerson is brooding and sullen, with awesome ’80s rock star hair, and he doesn’t want to be a vampire. He eventually kills bad boy… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

I really can’t disagree with Patric’s observations on the state of movies today.

RB
RB
10 years ago

This is very interesting. Lebeau is right on the money as usual. I had that exact reaction, who is he again? I forgot all about the Roberts wedding drama and have not seen hardly any of the movies Patric was in. It’s even more interesting that he was tapped for the role of the young lawyer in The Firm. When reading the book I remember thinking that the author was probably working on a screenplay at the same time (have no idea, of course, it just felt that way) and had Tom Cruise in mind for the lead. Rising star… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  RB

I don’t think Patric was interested in being a Hollywood leading man at that point (The Firm). He flirted with the idea later on when his indie career wasn’t going according to plan. But even with Speed 2, his heart wasn’t in it. He just collected a big paycheck to fund his next project. I think there’s some wasted potential there. But Patric seems pretty happy with how things turned out. In a lot of ways, he was kind of the male Jennifer Jason Leigh although I think her indie career has been more successful than his. I also think… Read more »

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

As I was getting ready to comment on Jason Patric, I was thinking he is the male counterpart or version of Jennifer Jason Leigh and ready to post it….. but you beat me to it Lebeau. Odd that I was thinking that though and then see you said it first. Sleepers is an excellent film with a great cast, I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it. Speed 2 is his obvious one shot at being a movie star, who knows maybe if the film had actually been a really entertaining film and taken off like the original… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Craig Hansen

Great minds 😉 Around the time of Rush, Leigh and Patric definitely seemed to be on the same career trajectory. She had a bit more luck with her mainstream attempts and a bit more acclaim for her indies. But the similarities are inescapable. Had Speed 2 not been a cautionary tale, I doubt it would have changed Patric’s career all that much. He made the movie to fund the movie he really wanted to make. I’m guessing he would have done that more often. So maybe he would have made a few more mainstream movies to fund his own projects.… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

You can also make the argument that Jason Patric kind of falls in line w/ a young Mickey Rourke in the sense that because of their good looks and acting chops, they should understandably be a much bigger star. But never really seemed to be into a whole lot of commercial/mainstream work: http://whatculture.com/film/10-awesome-actors-who-fell-hard-from-the-spotlight.php/9 If you wanted a crash course in how to throw away a career, look no further than Mickey Rourke. Here was a guy that was critically acclaimed, loved by the studios, loved by directors, and loved by fans (mainly female). The guy had it all – looks,… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  Craig Hansen

The 25 Worst Summer Movie Blockbusters of All Time: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/05/the-25-worst-summer-movie-blockbusters-of-all-time/speed-2-cruise-control 9. Speed 2: Cruise Control Release date: June 13, 1997 Director: Jan de Bont Stars: Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric, Willem Dafoe, Temuera Morrison, Glenn Plummer Keanu Reeves has made some poor decisions throughout his career, but one right choice that deserves the utmost respect was his refusal to cash an easy paycheck and star in Speed 2: Cruise Control, the sequel to his 1994 runaway action hit. Our guess: He read the script. Without his original leading man, returning director Jan de Bont cast Jason Patric, who’s somehow blander than… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

10 Dumb Movie Sequels That Had Nothing To Do With The Originals: http://whatculture.com/film/10-dumb-movie-sequels-that-had-nothing-to-do-with-the-originals.php/3 9. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) It’s A Sequel To… Speed (1994) I guess in the sense that it’s about a “vehicle that might explode” there’s a loose link between Speed and its sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control, but there’s such a thin layer of comparison to be had here that these movies don’t deserve to be tied together. Fact is, Speed 2 is about a cruise ship programmed to crash into an oil tanker. A cruise ship. Is “speed” the first thing that comes to mind… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Bad Sequels: Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997): http://bmoviedectective.wix.com/b-movie-detective/apps/blog/bad-sequels-speed-2-cruise-control-1997 Bad Sequels: Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) The basic plot: Befuddled civilian Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) is back after her near fatal bus ride and is now dating SWAT Officer Alex Shaw (Jason Patric) since breaking up with SWAT member Jack (the non-returning Keanu Reeves). Annie and Alex embark upon a cruise vacation, only to have the ship hijacked by the megalomaniacal villain Geiger (Willem Dafoe), who has placed explosives throughout the ship. Det. Abilene’s rating: ZERO (out of 5) Analysis: The original Speed will never win any awards for great depth… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

The Top Ten WORST Sequels of All Time:
http://haphazard-stuff.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-top-ten-worst-sequels-of-all-time.html

Go to the 20:43 mark to here about “Speed 2”. Jason Patric’s performance is singled out as being absolutely lacking in charisma and joyless.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

15 of the most unnecessary sequels ever made: http://www.hitfix.com/galleries/overlay/15-of-the-most-unnecessary-sequels-ever-made/10# ‘Speed 2: Cruise Control’ (1997) Sequel to: “Speed” (1994) Did it kill the franchise: It appears so. Why it was so unnecessary: In theory it wasn’t. The first “Speed” was a word of mouth surprise hit that turned Keanu Reeves into a legitimate leading man and Sandra Bullock into a leading lady. One of Reeves’ bizarre career turns though (and perhaps a smart one) was to get out of starring in the sequel. Instead, director Jan DeBont brought the lifeless Jason Patric into the mix. And, of course, the indie actor… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

15 Laziest Movie Sequels Of All Time: http://whatculture.com/film/15-laziest-movie-sequels-time.php/11 Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) 20 years on, Speed remains one of the greatest action movies ever made. Brilliantly high-concept, the movie became one of the biggest hits of the year and earned over $350m against a $30m budget. Of course, that made a sequel a foregone conclusion. Taking the basic premise of the original and moving it onto a boat must have seemed like a good idea at the time, but almost everything about Speed 2 screams of a studio cash-in. The first warning sign came when Keanu Reeves opted not… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

10 Perfect Movie Endings That Sequels Ruined: http://whatculture.com/film/10-perfect-movie-endings-that-sequels-ruined.php/6 Speed 2 Immediately Destroys The Romantic Payoff From The First Film The first Speed, starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, was a phenomenal hit when it was released in 1994. It was like a guidebook on how to perfectly execute an exciting film built around one simple hook. After a couple of hours of breathless action, the film timed its wind down moment just right so that the audience could see a payoff to the romantic chemistry that had been bubbling under the surface between Reeves and Bullock throughout. It was an… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  Craig Hansen

Stars with careers that have unfairly gone down the toilet:
http://www.worldofkj.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9025

#20 – Jason Patric. The guys a very underrated actor. Other than The Alamo hes mostly in low budget stuff like Narc in which he was excellent. I think he tried to make a bit of a reach with Speed 2 which hurt his potential. Now hes relegated to small pictures.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  admin

I posted this comment in the “Franchise Killers” article on Speed 2. I suspect that Jason Patric problem as an actor is that he perhaps has sort of has a negative charisma about him. What I mean is that Patric as an actor, perhaps seems too taciturn to make a likable leading man hero. He isn’t necessarily a bad actor per se, it’s just that he doesn’t seem to project personal warmth or charisma in “real life.” That lack of personality probably didn’t help when he went for roles.

Jake
Jake
10 years ago

“Speed 2: Cruise Control” should’ve been retitled “Speed 2: Dead Stop” since it was certainly that for Patric’s career (although Bullock’s career survived it seems).

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Jake

It derailed De Bonts career more than any body. He was a hot director after the first Speed and Twisted. Stupid Kindle making me misspell things. The auto correct on this thing sucks. Anyway, Patrick could have bounced back from Speed 2 if he had wanted to. But he did not even try.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

I’m very convinced that Jan de Bont is a particularly lousy director (at least from the standpoint of controlling the production) when given a huge budget. Apparently as highlighted in the WTHHT article on Helen Hunt, “Twister” was a very troubled production too: https://lebeauleblog.com/2012/09/08/what-the-hell-happened-to-helen-hunt/ In 1996, Hunt starred opposite Bill Paxton in Jan de Bont’s disaster movie, Twister, about a group of “storm chasers” tracking a tornado. Twister was an infamously troubled production. It was de Bont’s first film as a director after having a hit with Speed. And apparently, that hit went to his head. At one point during… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

The Sandra Bullock Files: Speed 2 Cruise Control (1997): http://suite101.com/article/the-sandra-bullock-files-speed-2-cruise-control-1997-a393348 Speed 2 is a very bad film. Certainly one of the five worst films of Sandra Bullock’s long, mixed road of a career. Is the 1997 action flop as bad, though, as many of the blockbuster duds that have been wading in and out of multiplexes these last few years? Not so much. There’s a certain charm to many of those overdone summer action films of the late 1990’s, a sense of fun that seems to have been erased from at least fifty percent of the bores that we see… Read more »

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
10 years ago

Jan De Bont seems a lot like Michael Bay to me. De Bont and Bay can do big budget spectacle, but that seems like all they can do. At least with De Bont, I did find Speed and Twister to be big, dumb, but fun action flicks. I agree with Lebeau, with two blockbusters in a row in the mid-90’s De Bont was on his way to becoming a big name director to some extent, and Speed 2 probably did hurt his career more than anybody else.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

There is a reason De Bont took the fall for Speed 2. It revealed him for what he was.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  admin

Also, “Speed” when you really think of it, wasn’t exactly a film that was ready made to be turned into an on-going franchise. What I mean is, the premise is way too unique and/or gimmicky that if there were to be a sequel, you really have to suspend your disbelief to an extreme degree. I think one fundamental mistake that Jan De Bont made when approaching the sequel, is thinking that we needed another means of transportation (from a bus to a cruise linear) as the focus. De Bont could’ve easily focused on the SWAT squad that Keanu Reeves’ character… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

Speed was part of the “Die Hard on a genre. That genre got so over-used that eventually Die Hard movies stopped being set on a .

I think it was probably a good idea to keep the formula for the sequel. But the choice of a cruise ship – which is not remotely fast – is mind-boggling misguided.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

10 Major Blockbusters You Knew Were Doomed Before Release: http://whatculture.com/film/10-major-blockbusters-knew-doomed-release.php/3 Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) Speed is one of the greatest action movies ever made, a pulsating high-concept adrenaline ride that earned over ten times its $30m production budget. Director Jan de Bont’s next movie was Twister, which would gross almost $500m to become the second highest-grossing movie of 1996. Unfortunately, the contractually-obligated sequel would turn out to be one of the biggest misfires in the history of blockbuster filmmaking. The first warning sign came when star Keanu Reeves opted not to return to the franchise, and was instead replaced… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

10 Directors Who Peaked With Their First Movie: http://whatculture.com/film/10-directors-who-peaked-with-their-first-movie.php/2 9. Jan de Bont (Speed) Speed is a film so confident in its construction that it’s amazing to believe it came from a first-time director; after all, who would trust such a loony – not to mention expensive – project in the hands of an amateur? Nevertheless, Jan de Bont used his skills as a cinematographer to deliver a thrilling, intense, breakneck-paced action classic that is generally regarded as one of the greatest action movies ever made. Hell, it even gets a passable performance out of Keanu Reeves! And yet, it… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

5 Directors Who Are Still Living Off The Good Will Of One Film: http://whatculture.com/film/5-directors-who-are-still-living-off-the-good-will-of-one-film.php/2 4. Jan De Bont AKA – “The Man Who Brought You Speed” Now, I know what you’re thinking,”He hardly counts, he hasn’t made a new film in over a decade!” True, but what you are looking at is an inspiration. Not to filmmakers, but to myself as the reason for writing this article. When going through a few older films, I happened across an old DVD copy of The Italian Job remake, which due to it featuring the always watchable Jason Statham, I decided to give… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

10 Directors Who Should Never Be Trusted With Giant Budgets: http://whatculture.com/film/10-directors-never-trusted-giant-budgets.php/8 Jan De Bont After over 20 years as a cinematographer that had lensed studio hits including Die Hard, The Hunt For Red October, Basic Instinct and Lethal Weapon 3, Jan de Bont stepped behind the camera and made one hell of a directing debut. Made for just $30m, Speed would go on to earn over $350m at the box office and establish itself as one of the greatest action movies ever made. Sadly, from here there was nowhere to go but downhill for the Dutch film-maker, with his last… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  Jake

WE CAN FIX IT: ‘Speed 2: Cruise Control’: http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/171355-we-can-fix-it-speed-2-cruise-control 2. MAKE KEANU’S REPLACEMENT LESS LIKE KEANU Keanu Reeves did not return for Speed 2, but his character did. They just changed the name. Literally, if you cut out a few lines of dialogue in the first act about how Sandra Bullock broke up with Keanu and how she met his replacement, Jason Patric, you could have dropped Keanu back into the movie and nobody would have batted an eye. Sure, his dialogue wasn’t as clever, but Joss Whedon wasn’t around to polish the screenplay like he did the first one.… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

10 Films You Didn’t Know Were On Joss Whedon’s CV: http://whatculture.com/film/10-films-you-didnt-know-were-on-joss-whedons-cv.php/4 8. Speed (1994) As a script doctor in Hollywood, it was often Whedon’s job to look at the screenplays that someone else had written, and make them better without getting credited for it. Speed is the first of those scripts that was made into a film with a good chance that you’ve actually heard of it. Although his work wasn’t credited by 20th Century Fox on the final product, it has to be noted that that the writer who was, Graham Yost, freely admitted that ”Whedon wrote 98.9 percent… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Jake

8 Actors Who Turned Down Crazy Money To Appear In Movie Sequels: http://whatculture.com/film/8-actors-who-turned-down-crazy-money-to-appear-in-movie-sequels8-actors-who-turned-down-crazy-money-to-appear-in-sequel-movies.php/6 Keanu Reeves Turned Down $11 Million To Star In Speed 2 Whilst Speed is often thought to be one of the greatest action movies of the ’90s, Speed 2 is regarded as one of the worst movies ever committed to celluloid. Thank God, then, that Keanu Reeves had the foresight to bail out before he became entangled in its awfulness (unfortunately Sandra Bullock didn’t turn down the movie; it’s one of her worst career mistakes, and she has made quite a lot of those over the years).… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Jake

6 True Stories That Explain Why Famously Bad Movies Sucked: http://www.cracked.com/article_23130_6-true-stories-that-explain-why-famously-bad-movies-sucked.html #6. Speed 2 Gets Completely Rewritten To Match A Dream The Director Had During Production Everybody loves the original Speed. It was like Die Hard, but with public transportation instead of an office building, and Sandra Bullock instead of the dad from Family Matters. Since it made a ton of money at the box office, the studio was quick to rush a sequel in production and strike while the “Keanu Reeves riding exploding vehicles” iron was hot. The Moment It All Went Wrong: Graham Yost, the guy who wrote… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Jake
admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

I don’t know about rich after the trade he made with his ex. But clearly he is comfortable enough to be selective. His dad was also quite successful. Lord knows Patric never went after money. He worked for next to nothing and spent his one big paycheck funding another gig.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

The CineFiles – TWILIGHT SUCKS! or MODERN VAMPIRE MOVIES:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fqq8pyTNAc

Edwin, Jeff and Eric discuss four vampire flicks released during the ’80s and beyond: FRIGHT NIGHT, LOST BOYS, NEAR DARK and STAKE LAND.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

How The Lost Boys made vampires sexy way before Buffy or Twilight…
https://t.co/8MK3hrNYIt

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago

I’ve honestly never heard of “Stake Out”, but I’m a big fan of the other titles named (although I hear that “near Dark” is more of a werewolf/vampire hybrid. Doesn’t matter; they still keep odd hours). Yeah, I always thought “The Lost Boys” was pretty hip, but not in an annoying way (love the Grandpa character, with his out of tune vehicle horn, “old fart” fridge compartment, using windex as aftershave, his TV Guide comment, “going to town” with his vintage vehicle, and his one complaint about Santa Carla).

cinemarchaeologist
10 years ago

I don’t know, Lebeau… These articles deal with former A-listers who, for whatever reason, fell from grace. You’ve made a few questionable choices along the way (Jennifer Jason Leigh?!), but never has this been the case so much as here. Patric started as nothing, went nowhere, and pretty much stayed there.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

No argument here. Over the last couple of years, I have broadened the scope of the series. I used to have a separate series for actors who showed A-list potential but never achieved it. I came to realize that those articles would be more popular if I folded them into WTHH. About a year ago, I came to the realization that WTHH was far more popular than anything else I was doing. The Walking Dead articles are popular while the show is on the air, but WTHH is a draw year round. It just made sense for me to give… Read more »

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Don’t worry about “selling out”. Patric is interesting because for a couple years he seemed likely to become A-list; I even remember that Entertainment Weekly issue in the mid-90’s asking why he hadn’t done so yet. That he never did is an interesting topic unto itself, and it winds up that unlike the countless people in this world that would just about sell their souls to become a “Star”, Jason Patric couldn’t have cared less for it. He made some interesting choices that were based on being an actor, and I give him a lot of credit for that. Along… Read more »

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago
Reply to  Craig Hansen

It is an interesting career- I just wonder if Patric was being 100% honest in him making a rational choice. Maybe if Speed 2 had been huge he would have stayed on that career path. He might have been an American Richard Burton- some art, some popcorn movies- whatever he felt like.

As it is- we just have to take his word at face value- especially since his choices were much more artistic than mainstream.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Mastro

Yeah, you never really know. But Patric’s choices back up the theory that he wasn’t really trying to be a movie star.

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
10 years ago

Not that I’ll ever tire of the rise-peak-fall story, mind you. 🙂

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Craig Hansen

The next article is the 50th in the series and I have chosen someone who fits the more traditional rise and fall model. I wanted a real train wreck for the 50th installment, so I have been saving this one for a special occasion.

RB
RB
10 years ago

Also there’s not always agreement, among critics, among fans, bloggers and even within the industry as to the definition of A list. That’s been discussed here. Lebeau has his own formula and it works.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  RB

That’s for sure. Aside from your Tom Cruises and Julia Robertses (the plural of Julia Roberts?) there is always someone trying to argue that an actor is A-list when I say they are not or vice versa. A while back we had the idea of “permanent A-list” which I find to be a contradiction in terms. It’s open to interpretation. Although in Patric’s case, we can probably all agree he never got there. And that seems to have been a conscious choice on his part.

tbob1
10 years ago

I guess I’m one of the few that never forgot about him. Not that I spend my days pining over what happened to him mind you. 😉 I have not seen all of these movies you profiled, but I have seen a few: Narc, Geronimo, Rush, Sleepers, Lost Boys of course, heck I even saw Expired on IFC or something. He is a great character actor. Quiet. Kind of brooding. Thoughtful. He’s the kind of actor who may have a bit part, but can wind up stealing the whole show when you’re not looking. Based on your write up it… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  tbob1

I don’t know that “did not follow direction” necessarily means “lazy”. I think it translates to “difficult”. Or at least “creative differences”. Like Jennifer Jason Leigh, I have a lot of respect for Jason Patric’s choice to sacrifice A-list status to make movies he is more interested in. I do wish some of his more mainstream choices had been better so he could have enjoyed a little more success. That probably would have given him the clout to get a few more of his movies made. But he seems happy with his career choices, so who am I to question… Read more »

Brad Deal
10 years ago

I really enjoy these discussions regarding these entertainers. I tend to remember my life not by dates, but by movies. Phoebe Cates came along about the time I had my first daughter, and almost named her Phoebe. She is an articulate beautiful woman and Kevin Kline is lucky to have her as a wife. She represents a time in my life that was happy. Jason Patric will always be remembered as “scary” when sitting next to my son at the movies. And when Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh where shooting up in Rush I was holding hands with my… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Brad Deal

You packed a whole lot of good stuff in that comment! In general, I am always reluctant to engage in nostalgia. But as we get older, it becomes almost unavoidable. I have been surprised writing these articles how many memories they bring back. As I retrace the steps of a career I used to follow, all kinds of things come back to me. It’s been a big part of the fun of writing this series. I definitely agree that for the most part, the actors and actresses in this series are no different than anybody else. They have certain skills… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Why Is Jason Patric Still An “Outsider”? http://frettsonfilm.com/2014/01/21/why-is-jason-patric-still-an-outsider/ Twenty years ago when I was writing for Entertainment Weekly, we published a cover story with the line, “Why Isn’t Jason Patric a Star Yet?” Even more pointedly, the piece—penned by future EW head honcho Jess Cagle—asked “Who the hell is Jason Patric?” and answered, “with only marginal argument, Hollywood’s best actor under 30.” I’m not sure that was true, but he was inarguably the most pretentious: To play his lead role in the legendary Western flop Geronimo: An American Legend, for which he was being featured, Patric explained, “I have to… Read more »

Eillio Martin Imbasciati

I respect Jason Patric’s approach to his film career; he was being true to his own nature. What is that phrase, “happiness must come from within”?
On a sillier note, I think Jason Patric and Dennis Miller look similar.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Jason Patric Beat His Baby’s Mother: http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2014/05/jason-patric-beat-his-babys-mother.html Jason Patric recently won a court ruling which will allow him to try and get visitation with the child he fathered with Danielle Schreiber. Jason Patric had been denied visitation because he fathered the baby through IVF and was not married to Danielle. It sounds like keeping him away from the baby might be the best thing. In court papers filed by Schreiber she claims that Patric once beat her on the face and head with a telephone and has called her a Jew ct. Oh, and one of the times he called… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Here Is Jason Patric’s Anti-Semitic Email To His Ex-Girlfriend:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/jason-patric-anti-semitic-email-custody-yuck

An email from 2011 that appears to be from Patric contains the phrase “Jew motherf***ers.” Take a look.

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago

Ugg. I don’t want to. But I will eventually.

Edit: Okay, that’s ugly. But easily disputed. Patric is obviously denying this. And given that he is involved in an ugly custody battle, I’m not inclined to take either side at their word. This isn’t the smoking gun of those Gibson tapes. But ick. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I can’t help thinking that there is some truth to the allegations.

joboots
joboots
9 years ago

Lets bid Jason a happy 48th today!!!

bodwaya
bodwaya
9 years ago

i think he should even have article about him this about actors who went from alist to bad career jason never had a hit movie therefore he never went from top to down. Hell even dennis quaid had better career then this guy and quaid never reached a list. out of the people on this website he has the worst career

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago
Reply to  bodwaya

Originally, I was pretty strict about the criteria for WTHH. The actor or actress had to have achieved the A-list and basically disappeared from the public eye. But that was limiting. So slowly I began expanding my scope. For a while, I had another series I called “So Fetch”. It was where I wrote up actors or actresses who seemed like they were going to be A-list but never quite got there. Mira Sorvino, Jude Law and Bridget Fonda were originally all “Fetch” articles. But since WTHH was so much more popular than “Fetch” I eventually decided to meld the… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago
Reply to  admin

Oh yeah, Jason Patric was hot property after “The Lost Boys” (another one of my favorite films from my early childhood). I feel that he was exceptional in “Rush” as well, but then after that, it looks like his career took a backseat to his off-carema life.

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago
Reply to  admin

I wouldn’t necessarily say his career took a backseat. He still got a big payday for Speed 2. That was a notorious turkey that probably killed his chances of being a big name A-list movie star. But I doubt Patric cared. He only seemed interested in the money so he could use it to make Your Friends and Neighbors. He didn’t stop working or anything. He just shifted into supporting roles and movies that really interested him.

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago
Reply to  admin

Yeah, I think that’s an accurate assessment. I grew up in the “golden age” of independent films, so I always had a tremendous amount of respect for those who practiced a more artistic bent (I keep on forgetting about “Your Friends and Neighbors”, tet I always remember the film “Incognito”. Baffling!). However, I’ve matured over the years (just a little) and don’t hold it against performers who go for the brass ring either.

bodwaya
bodwaya
9 years ago

do u think quaid ever made a list

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago
Reply to  bodwaya

I think Dennis Quais was. Overall, I think he’s had a solid, womanlike career, but their was that moment after “The Big Easy” (loved that film as a kid; I recorded it and everything. i still think it’s an excellent fim) when he could’ve done what he wanted. Unfortunately, he chose the remake of “D.O.A.” (which I liked actually, but haven’t seen it in a long time either) and I think that film cooled his momentum.

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago
Reply to  admin

Quaid was one of those actors who was always on the brink of being A-list. But he never opened a picture. He couldn’t get a movie greenlit because his name alone didn’t sell tickets. During the 80s when Quaid was at his most popular the A-list consisted of guys like Tom Cruise and Eddie Murphy. Quaid was never in that league as a movie star. He was strictly B-list. And that’s fine. Doesn’t make him a bad actor. He just wasn’t in the upper echelon of mega movie stars.

bodwaya
bodwaya
9 years ago

i think u are giving jude the short list he was briefly a list had sucess in lead roles like cold mountain and been in hit movies if he has never been a list he was alot closer to it then patric

bodwaya
bodwaya
9 years ago

big easy was not a hit i dont remember him ever being talked about alot i remeber people refering him to the poors man harrison ford. Quaid has a worse filmography then most of the actors on the site.he has a few hits but most of movies are critical flops and box office too the lost boys did decent business however was one of the movies that found audience after its release . But it wasnt a hit and patric never really had a breakthrough role.

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago
Reply to  bodwaya

Yeah, I looked it up, and “The Big Easy” didn’t make the top ten in box office profit in 1987. To be fair though, “Dirty dancing” was only 10th, and I remember people being nuts about that film. I still think “The Big Easy” is an excellent film, but I suppose Ellen Barkin got as much attention for that picture ad Dennis Quaid did.

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago
Reply to  admin

The Big Easy had some buzz. It wasn’t a big hit, but it got movie fans talking about it.

bodwaya
bodwaya
9 years ago

ill give quaid credit he was closer to a list and had more sucesss then patric

bodwaya
bodwaya
9 years ago

quaid was never popular in the 80s big easy and breaking away were hits but not enough to pull him into alist he might be on the website sometime. he is poormans harrison ford.last hit was day after tommorow it did ok at best his movie did ok

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