Matthew Broderick is a triple threat. He has been a star of stage and screen. His filmography includes iconic roles like Ferris Bueller and the voice of the Lion King. He’s even fought Godzilla. But these days, you are far more likely to see the former Ferris Bueller on Broadway than starring in a hit movie. The former A-lister’s film career is still active, but it has definitely cooled.
What the hell happened?
Broderick started his acting career in theater. He was noticed by a New York Times theater critic in an Off Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy which led to roles on Broadway.
Broderick starred as Eugene Morris Jerome in two plays written by Neil Simon. Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues were the first two-thirds of Simon’s Eugene trilogy. The third play, Broadway Bound, starred Jonathan Silverman who would go on to play Eugene in the film version of Brighton Beach Memoirs.
The three plays were semi-autobiographical accounts of Simon’s life. The successful plays lead to Broderick getting offers for film and TV roles. Originally, Broderick was offered the role of Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties. But he backed out when he realized bigger offers were on the horizon.
Brighton Beach Memoirs also lead to Broderick being cast in his first film role, Max Dugan Returns. The movie was written and produced by Neil Simon. Max Dugan was released in 1983 and starred Marsha Mason, Jason Robards and Donald Sutherland. Sutherland’s son, Kiefer, also appeared in a small role.
The film was not a hit at the box office, but it was a start.
Later that year, Broderick co-starred opposite Ally Sheedy in the Cold War thriller, WarGames.
Broderick played a computer whiz who accidentally hacks into a top secret military computer which has unlimited control over the nuclear arsenal of the United States. He thinks he is played a computer game, but he may have unwittingly started a nuclear war. Sheedy played a classmate whom Broderick impresses by changing her grades at school and Dabney Coleman played the scientist responsible for automating the US nuclear defenses.
WarGames was inspired by Stephen Hawking. The original script was titled The Genius and it was about a dying scientist and a rebellious kid. The kid in the script is the only person smart enough to understand the scientist. According to co-screen-writer, Lawrence Lasker, “I found the predicament Hawking was in fascinating – that he might one day figure out the unified field theory and not be able to tell anyone, because of his progressive ALS. So there was this idea that he’d need a successor. And who would that be? Maybe this kid, a juvenile delinquent whose problem was that nobody realized he was too smart for his environment.”
Beverly Hills Cop director, Martin Brest, was originally hired to direct WarGames. But the producers found his take on the material to be too dark. Brest was fired after twelve fays of filming and replaced by Saturday Night Fever director, Jon Badham. According to Badham:
[Brest had] taken a somewhat dark approach to the story and the way it was shot. It was like [Broderick and Sheedy] were doing some Nazi undercover thing. So it was my job to make it seem like they were having fun, and that it was exciting.
Badham has said that Broderick and Sheedy were “stiff as boards” when he arrived at the set. They were concerned about being fired along with Brest. So, Badham tried to put his young actors at ease in order to give the film a lighter tone. To lighten them up, he had them do things like race around the sound-stage with the loser having to sing to the crew. When Badham lost the race, he sang The Happy Wanderer which he said was the silliest song he could think of.
Reviews were mostly positive. Roger Ebert raved that the movie was a “masterstroke” and gave WarGames his highest rating. But Vincent Canby of the New York Times wrote a dissenting opinion in his review. He compared the movie to a video game that “once played, tends to disappear from one’s memory bank.”
WarGames opened in third place at the box office behind Psycho II which also opened that week. Return of the Jedi was the #1 movie that weekend. Although it never held the top spot at the box office, WarGames became the 5th highest grossing film of 1983 behind Trading Places.
1983 was an incredible year for Broderick. He starred in a hit summer movie and he became the youngest actor to win a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Brighton Beach Memoirs.
In 1985, Broderick co-starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer in Richard Donner’s fantasy film, Ladyhawke.
Broderick played a thief called The Mouse who helps a couple of star-crossed lovers. The couple (played by Hauer and Pfeiffer) were cursed. During the day, Pfeiffer’s character is transformed into a hawk. At night, Hauer is transformed into a wolf. With the help of The Mouse, they attempt to free themselves of the curse.
Originally, Kurt Russell was cast as Pfeiffer’s love interest. Donner wanted to cast Hauer as the evil captain of the guard. Hauer turned down the villain role, but when Russell pulled out of the project during rehearsals he was replaced by Hauer who had expressed an interest in the part. Broderick’s role was originally offered to Sean Penn and Dustin Hoffman.
Ladyhawke received mixed to positive reviews. But it was not a hit at the box office.
Broderick also appeared in the period drama, 1918.
The movie was Horton Foote’s adaptation of his own stage play about a family in a small town in Texas during World War I. A young man played by William Converse-Roberts is feeling the pressure to enlist. But he is worried about leaving his young wife and daughter behind. Hallie Foote played his wife and Broderick played her good-for-nothing little brother who talks about the war non-stop.
Reviews were mostly negative.
Broderick also appeared in an episode of the TV show Faerie Tale Theater. He played Prince Charming to Jennifer Beals’ Cinderella. Eve Arden played the Wicked Stepmother and Jean Stapleton played the Fairy Godmother.
The series, from producer Shelley Duvall, dramatized fairy tales on Showtime.
Broderick appeared in the TV adaptation of Athol Fugard’s anti-apartheid play, “Master Harold” and the Boys.
Broderick played a wealthy young man in South Africa with two middle-aged African servants.
Later that year, Broderick appeared in his second Neil Simon production on Broadway, Biloxi Blues, which co-starred Penelope Ann Miller and Broderick’s future Ferris Bueller co-star, Alan Ruck. 1985 wasn’t quite the grand slam year Broderick had in 1983. But he was still starring in big budget movies and Broadway shows.
In 1986, Broderick reprised his role as Brother from 1918 in the follow-up On Valentine’s Day. 1981 and On Valentine’s Day were parts of a trilogy of plays by Horton Foote. This one is a prequel to 1918. It was actually filmed in 1984 and released two years later. The third movie was never released theatrically. But all three films were re-edited into a trilogy that played on PBS.
Later that year, Broderick starred in John Hughes’ teen comedy, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It is the role that would define his film career.
Ferris Bueller is a teenage fantasy about a charming boy who gets away with goofing off through the sheer magnitude of his charisma. The movie follows Ferris and his friends as they skip school and go on a series of adventures around Chicago.
Hughes wrote Ferris with Broderick in mind. “Certain guys would have played Ferris and you would have thought, ‘Where’s my wallet?'” Hughes said. “I had to have that look; that charm had to come through.”
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off got positive reviews and was a hit at the box office. You probably think it took first place at the box office when it opened. Admit it. You thought Ferris Bueller was a big movie that opened at #1. Not so. It finished in second place behind Back to School. In fact, Ferris Bueller never held the top spot. But, it probably went on to out-gross Back to School, right? Nope. The Rodney Dangerfield comedy went on to gross over $90 million dollars whereas Ferris Bueller grossed about $70 million.
However, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off accomplished something relative few movies do. It saturated pop culture which is why the odds are you think it was a bigger hit than it actually was. While other movies, like Back to School, were more popular at the time, Ferris Bueller has stood the test of time. At a 2010 Oscar tribute to Hughes, Broderick talked about the film’s lasting impact:
“For the past 25 years, nearly every day someone comes up to me, taps me on the shoulder and says, ‘Hey, Ferris, is this your day off?'”
Broderick was nominated for a Golden Globe for the role. A sequel and a remake have both been discussed but have yet to materialize. Broderick starred in a Super Bowl commercial in 2012 which showed him enjoying a Ferris-like day off.
In 1990, the film was adapted into a short-lived TV show starring Charlie Schlatter as Ferris and Jennifer Aniston as his sister. The pilot episode included a bizarre scene in which Schlatter as Ferris acknowledges the movie and cuts up a cardboard cutout of Broderick as he explains why he hated Broderick’s performance. The show was cancelled after one season.
In 1987, Broderick starred opposite Helen Hunt and a chimp in Project X.
Project X was about an Air Force pilot assigned to work with a chimp on some top-secret project. Broderick played the pilot who begins to suspect his simian friend is being abused. Hunt plays the research assistant who taught the chimp sign language. Together, they decide to help the chimp escape captivity.
Project X was sort of an ET rip-off with a chimp instead of an alien. It’s part comedy, part sci-fi thriller, part animal rights infomercial. Ironically, the producers of the film were accused of animal cruelty by TV personality and animal rights activist, Bob Barker. The American Humane Society, which consulted on the film, sued Barker for defamation. Seven years later, Barker’s insurance company settled the case out of court.
Despite mixed to positive reviews, Project X was not a box office hit. It opened in third place behind a rerelease of The Aristocats which was already in its second week in theaters. It ended up grossing just under $20 million in the US.
At the time, Broderick was secretly dating his Ferris Bueller co-star, Jennifer Grey. The couple went on vacation in Ireland when Broderick had a bad car accident. He crossed over into the wrong lane instantly killing a local mother and her daughter. Broderick suffered a fractured leg, fractured ribs, a concussion, and a collapsed lung. He spent four weeks in the hospital. Broderick claimed to have no recollection of the events:
I don’t remember the day. I don’t remember even getting up in the morning. I don’t remember making my bed. What I first remember is waking up in the hospital, with a very strange feeling going on in my leg,
Broderick was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and faced a prison sentence of up to five years. He was later convicted of careless driving, a lesser charge which carried a fine of $175 dollars. The victims’ family called the case “a travesty of justice.”
In 2003, Broderick made plans to meet with Martin Doherty whose sister and mother were killed in the accident. At the time, Doherty stated he forgave Broderick. But the meeting never took place.
In 1988, Broderick briefly reprised his role as Ferris Bueller for John Hughes’ comedy, She’s Having a Baby. The movie ended with a sequence in which several late 80s celebrities recommended baby names to the couple played by Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. Kirstie Alley, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Robert Hays, Michael Keaton, Billy Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Roy Orbison, John Ratzenberger and Ally Sheedy all make appearances.
Later that year, Broderick appeared in film adaptations of two of his early plays. The first was Mike Nichol’s take on Biloxi Blues. Broderick co-starred opposite Christopher Walken and Penelope Ann Miller who reprised her role from the play.
Reviews were mixed to positive. But far from enthusiastic. It was a solid hit at the box office.
The second adaptation was of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy. Broderick starred opposite Fierstein and Anne Bancroft.
Fierstein plays a female impersonator and Broderick plays his lover. Both reprised their roles from the Off Broadway play. Originally, Broderick passed on the movie as he was recuperating from his car accident in Ireland. Tate Donovan was cast. But two days into rehearsals, Broderick changed his mind and Donovan was fired.
Torch Song Trilogy got mixed reviews and was not a hit at the box office.
In 1989, Broderick starred opposite screen legends, Sean Connery and Dustin Hoffman in Sidney Lumet’s Family Business.
Connery, Hoffman and Broderick played three generations of the same family despite looking nothing alike. They embark on a caper to steal a million dollars.
Family Business got terrible reviews and bombed at the box office. But I think it shows that Broderick (in spite of a spotty track record at the box office) was regarded as one of the leading movie actors of his generation at the time.
At the same time, Broderick appeared in Edward Zwick’s Civil War drama, Glory. The film went into limited release the same week as Family Business but didn’t receive a wide release until 1990.
Glory told the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first all-black regiment of the Union. Broderick and Cary Elwes played the leaders of the regiment. Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman who were relative unknowns at the time, played soldiers.
Glory received positive reviews, but critics were split on Broderick’s performance. Many thought the boyish Broderick was miscast as the military leader. But others saw his performance as a step towards more mature roles.
Denzel Washington won Best Supproting Actor for Glory which was a hit at the box office.
In 1990, Broderick co-starred opposite another screen legend. This time, it was Marlon Brando in Andrew Bergman’s Godfather spoof, The Freshman.
Broderick plays a film school student who is drawn into a real-life world of crime. The film also featured Bruno Kirby and Broderick’s Biloxi Blues co-star, Penelope Ann Miller.
Brando actually called the film “lousy” when it finished shooting. But it got great reviews and was a modest hit. Brando may be a legendary actor, but he was a lousy film critic.
In 1992, Broderick reuinted with Bueller co-star Jeffrey Jones for the farce, Out on a Limb.
The plot really defies explanation. In a reversal of his Bueller image, Broderick plays a guy who is definitely not in control. This time, it is Broderick who is tormented by Jones who plays an evil twin brother. John C. Reilly also appears.
Out on a Limb got terrible reviews and bombed at the box office. And yet, Broderick would play similar roles for most of his movie career as an adult.
In 1993, Broderick grew a beard and starred opposite Annabella Sciorra in the romance, The Night We Never Met.
Broderick plays an uptight chef who rents an apartment on certain nights to get away from his roommates. The apartment is occupied on other nights by the yuppie owner and another tenant played by Sciorra. Despite never having met, Broderick and Sciorra eventually fall in love.
I think the beard tells you everything you need to know about this one. Broderick was desperately trying to shed his youthful image and be taken seriously as an actor.
Reviews for The Night We Never Met were mixed to negative. It was a disappointment at the box office.
Broderick also appeared on TV in A Life in Theater. This was an adaptation of David Mamet’s stage play of the same name. Broderick co-starred opposite Jack Lemmon in the two-person show. Lemmon played a veteran actor who shares his experiences with the up-coming actor played by Broderick. He was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in the TV movie.
In 1994, Broderick leant his voice to the adult Simba in Disney’s The Lion King.
Voicing a cartoon character didn’t have much of an impact on Broderick’s career. But it is arguably his second most iconic film role.
Later that year, Broderick appeared opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh in Alan Rudolph’s Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle.
Leigh played writer Dorothy Parker and the film included an ensemble cast of stars playing other famous writers from the period. Broderick played Charles MacArthur. The film also featured a young Heather Graham.
Despite the lofty pedigree (Mrs. Parker was produced by Robert Altman) the film got mixed reviews and bombed at the box office.
Later that year, Broderick appeared in another ensemble in Alan Parker’s The Road to Wellville.
Wellville starred Anthony Hopkins as John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of corn flakes and founder of the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Broderick and Bridget Fonda played a husband and wife couple who came to the Sanitarium for its unconventional treatment.
The film is intended to be a comedy with the humor supplied by Hopkins’ bizarre treatments. But nothing in the movie is remotely funny in spite of a talented cast that also includes John Cusak and Dana Carvey.
It got bad reviews and bombed at the box office.
In 1995, Broderick returned to Broadway in a revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Megan Mullally co-starred. Broderick won his second Tony Award.
In 1996, Broderick returned to mainstream movies in the dark comedy, The Cable Guy which starred Jim Carrey and was directed by Ben Stiller.
At the time, The Cable Guy made headlines for Carrey’s then-unheard-of 20-million dollar paycheck. Carrey was on a string of box office hits based on his goofy physical comedy.
Broderick played a guy whose life is turned upside down by a crazed cable installer played by Carrey. The Cable Guy was a departure from Carrey’s usual brand of comedy. Audiences didn’t know what to make of its dark twists especially the film’s black-hearted ending.
Reviews were mixed, but critics were not kind to Jim Carrey movies at the time. The movie was a hit, but fell short of expectations given Carrey’s track record and salary.
Broderick also produced, directed and starred in the film, Infinity, which was written by his mother. Broderick played physicist Richard Feynman whose books were the basis for the screenplay. Patricia Arquette played his wife.
In 1997, Broderick co-starred with the Queen of the Rom-Com, Meg Ryan, in Addicted to Love.
Both Broderick and Ryan were trying to subvert their squeeky-clean images. Notice the return of Broderick’s “adult” beard? The movie casts them as a couple who falls in love while stalking their respective exes.
Ryan’s usual romantic comedy fans rejected the dark subject matter. Additiced to Love got mixed to negative reviews and bombed at the box office.
In 1998, Broderick starred in Roland Emmerich’s big budget Hollywood version of the Japanese monster classic, Godzilla.
Godzilla was the sure-fire hit of the summer. The studio had been promoting the movie for a year. The slogan, “Size matters” was everywhere as were the Taco Bell tie-ins. I still don’t know what a Japanese monster has to do with Mexican fast-food.
Unfortunately, the Godzilla remake got everything wrong. Emmerich decided early on to update the classic monster which was the selling point of the movie. Godzilla fans across the world were offended by the changes.
Worse still, the movie was dumb and incredibly bloated. Instead of focusing on a giant lizard smashing New York (which is what audiences paid to see) the movie spends much of its two-hour-plus running time on the troubled love life of Broderick’s character.
Critics savaged Godzilla which isn’t surprising since Emmerich went out of his way to offend them with characters clearly intended as comedic send-ups of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. Eventually, even Emmerich himself admitted Godzilla was a mistake.
Despite the reviews, Godzilla had a huge opening weekend. It was a box office hit. But not nearly as big of a hit as it was expected to be.
Broderick ended 1998 by playing an agent in Matt Mulhern’s directorial debut, Walking to the Waterline. Mulhern wrote, directed and starred in the drama about a washed-up TV star. The movie, which co-starred Alan Ruck, was never released theatrically.
Broderick ended the year by reprising his role of Simba in Disney’s direct-to-DVD sequel, The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride.The original voice cast returned and was joined by Andy Dick and Neve Campbell. Campbell voiced Kiara, the only daughter of Simba. Campbell’s Party of Five co-star, Lacey Chabert, also did voice work for the sequel.
Reviews were mixed to positive. Even the positive reviews put their praise in the context that Lion King 2 was good by the standards of direct-to-video movies but poor by comparison to the original. Disney had high hopes for the project and shipped 15 million copies. They sold only 13 million which is still impressive even if it fell short of their original projections.
In 1999, Broderick starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in Alexander Payne’s dark comedy, Election.
In Election, the former Ferris Bueller is cast as the loser high school teacher who has to deal with an irritatingly peppy and successful student played by Witherspoon. Broderick’s character can’t stand the fact that Witherspoon’s Tracy Flick will inevitably win an election for school president so he sets about rigging the vote.
Election got positive reviews and was a modest hit at the box office. It has since developed a cult following.
Later that year, Broderick made another attempt at summer movie success with the big budget adaptation of the kid’s cartoon, Inspector Gadget. This is what it looks like when a guy who was touted as the greatest actor of his generation officially gives up.
Like Godzilla, Inspector Gadget was a big, bloated mess of special effects. The film got bad reviews but was modestly successful at the box office. Eventually, disney released a direct-to-DVD sequel without Broderick.
Also in 1999. Broderick returned to Broadway for a revival of the psychological thriller, Night Must Fall. The revival wasn’t a hit, but it performed respectably.
In 2000, Broderick appeared opposite Laura Linney in Kenneth Lonergan’s drama, You Can Count on Me.
Linney played a single mother who has to deal with an irresponsible sibling played by Mark Ruffalo. Broderick played Linney’s new boss who is hard on her until they start up an affair.
You Can Count on Me got great reviews and was a modest hit at the box office.
In 2001, Broderick retreated back to the stage for the Broadway version of Mel Brook’s 1968 comedy, The Producers.
In the original film, Gene Wilder played an anxious accountant who gets drawn into a scheme by a failed producer played by Zero Mostel. They realize they can make more money bilking their investors if they produce a flop than they could with a hit. So they set out to produce a play that can’t succeed.
In the Broadway show, Broderick played the accountant, Leo Bloom. His Lion King co-star, Nathan Lane, played the producer, Max Bialystock. The play opened to rave reviews and was a huge hit. Broderick and Lane were nominated for Tony Awards against each other. Lane won the award.
In 2003, Broderick starred in a TV adaptation of the musical, The Music Man. Kristin Chenoweth and Victor Garber co-starred. Reviews were mixed. Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle called it “passable entertainment” with “strong production values. But he felt it fell short of the 1962 version starring Robert Preston:
It was Preston who galvanized The Music Man with his vibrant, masculine authority … Broderick, by comparison, is cute, wide-eyed, a bit squishy and about as dynamic and intimidating as Winnie the Pooh. His singing is adequate, his dancing heavy and forced.
In 2004, Broderick reprised the role of Simba once again for the direct-to-video movie, The Lion King 1 1/2. This one retells the story of The Lion King from the point of view of Timon and Pumba. Nthan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Robert Guillaume, Moira Kelly, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings also returned for the final Lion King movie.
Later that year, Broderick returned to the big screen opposite Nicole Kidman in Frank Oz’s comedic remake of The Stepford Wives.
The Stepford Wives was a notoriously troubled production. Broderick stepped in after John Cusack left the picture. Oz feuded with several members of the cast including Christopher Walken and Bette Middler (who stepped in for Joan Cusack when she quit).
The original Stepford Wives had satirical elements, but was not played for laughs. It told the tale of a town in which the men replaced their wives with robots who made perfect housekeepers. It was creepy.
The remake couldn’t decide on a tone. Massive changes were made after filming was complete which resulted in some gaping plot holes. The film can’t even keep clear whether or not the wives have actually been replaced by robots.
The remake was a disaster in just about every way imaginable.
Broderick co-starred opposite Alec Baldwin in the showbiz comedy, The Last Shot.
Broderick played a first-time writer-director who is initially excited to get funding for his first movie from a producer played by Baldwin, But he doesn’t realize that Baldwin actually works for the FBI and the movie is a cover for a mafia sting.
Toni Collette, Tony Shalhoub, Calista Flockhart and Ray Liotta co-starred. The movie is supposedly based on a true story and was never released in theaters.
Broderick co-starred opposite Julianne Moore in the adaptation of Wallace Shawn’s play, Marie and Bruce. Moore and Broderick play a married couple whose relationship is unraveling.
At the end of 2004, Broderick starred in an off-Broadway production of the play, The Foreigner.
In 2005, Broderick and Lane reprised their roles for the film adaptation of their Broadway hit, The Producers.
The play was based on the film and making the 2005 film an adaptation of a play which was an adaptation of a 1968 film. Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell joined the cast for the movie.
The movie failed to recapture the success of the play. Reviews were mixed. The movie disappointed at the box office.
If you are going to see a film version of The Producers, stick with the original. You can’t beat Gene Wilder.
Broderick also had a cameo role in Amy Sedaris’ Strangers With Candy. The movie was an adaptation of the TV show of the same name. The movie received mixed reviews and flopped at the box office.
On stage, Broderick reunited with Nathan Lane for a Broadway revival of Neil Simon’s comedy, The Odd Couple. Broderick played the uptight Felix to Lane’s sloppy Oscar. The show ran for 249 performances into June of the following year.
In 2006, Broderick co-starred with Danny DeVito in the Christmas comedy, Deck the Halls.
Broderick and DeVito play neighbors who feud over Christmas decorations. Or something. Reviews were terrible. There is no way I’m subjecting myself to this holiday turd.
Deck the Halls flopped at the box office.
In 2007, Broderick appeared in Helen Hunt’s directorial debut, Then She Found Me.
The movie was based on Elinor Lipman’s 1990 novel of the same name. Hunt played a teacher whose husband, played by Broderick, leaves her abruptly. Around the same time, she is approached by the representative of a local talk show played by Bette Midler. The talk show host claims to be Hunt’s biological mother. Hunt’s character also starts a relationship with a character played by Colin Firth.
Twenty years before, Hunt and Broderick dated briefly while starring in Project X. Tim Robbins has a brief cameo role. When Robbins made his directorial debut, Bob Roberts, Hunt appeared in a cameo so he returned the favor.
The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. Reviews were mixed. Then She Found Me continued to play the festival circuit through 2008 before receiving a limited release.
Later that year, Broderick was one of the celebrity voices in Dreamworks animated feature, Bee Movie.
Jerry Seinfeld starred as a bee who befriends a human florist played by Zellweger. Broderick played Seinfeld’s best bee friend. Chris Rock, Patrick Warburton, Kathy Bates and John Goodman co-starred.
Seinfeld claimed he pitched the movie as a joke while having lunch with Steven Spielberg. But Spielberg loved the idea.
Reviews were mixed and the movie was a disappointment at the US box office. Dreamworks promoted the hell out of Bee Movie, but it opened in second place at the box office behind American Gangster. It performed well enough overseas to be considered a modest success overall.
In 2008, Broderick starred opposite Alan Alda and Virginia Madsen in the indie drama, Diminished Capacity.
Broderick played a newspaper editor who suffers from memory loss after an accident. He decides to take some time off from his job and goes on a trip with a relative suffering from Alzheimer’s played by Alda and his high school sweetheart played by Madison.
Reviews were mostly negative.
Next, Broderick starred opposite Brittany Snow in the comedy-drama, Finding Amanda.
Broderick played a TV producer with drinking and gambling problems. He is asked to travel to Las Vegas to talk his niece played by Snow into going to rehab.
Finding Amanda received mostly negative reviews.
Broderick returned to voice work for the 2008 animated feature, The Tale of Despereaux.
Broderick voiced Despereaux, a brave mouse with Dumbo-like ears that allow him to fly. Dustin Hoffman co-starred as a rat who lives in a dungeon. And Emma Watson played Princess Pea, a human who befriends Despereaux.
The movie got mixed reviews from critics and disappointed at the box office. It opened in third place behind Yes Man and Seven Pounds.
In 2008, Broderick played a downtrodden government employee in an episode of the sitcom, 30 Rock. He would reprise his role during the show’s final season in 2012.
In 2009, Broderick starred in the drama, Wonderful World.
Broderick played a failed folk singer who has grown cynical. The thing he looks forward to the most in life is playing chess with his roommate. But that is taken from him when his roommate falls ill. When his roommate’s sister arrives, Broderick’s character’s world view changes for the better.
Wonderful World is another indie drama that didn’t catch on with critics.
Onstage, Broderick starred in a revival of The Philanthropist. Reviews from critics were mixed.
In 2010, Broderick played himself in an episode of Louis C.K.’s sitcom, Louis. In the episode Louis plays a cop in a movie starring Broderick.
In 2010, a few months after his death, the Oscars paid tribute to John Hughes. Several of the actors Hughes helped launch to stardom gathered on stage to say a few words. Hughes’ biggest stars, Broderick and Ringwald, introduced a movie clip featuring memorable moments from several of Hughes’ movies.
John Cryer, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Macaulay Culkin, and Ally Sheedy were also in attendance.
In 2011, Broderick appeared in director Kenneth Lonergan’s follow-up to You Can Count on Me, Margaret.
Anna Paquin starred as a seventeen-year-old girl who witnesses a bus accident. She feels responsible and tries to set things right. But she meets with resistance at every turn. Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo and Kieran Culkin co-starred.
Despite mostly positive reviews, Margaret was a box office bomb.
Next, Broderick had a supporting role in Brett Ratner’s crime comedy, Tower Heist.
Ben Stiller played the leader of a group of hotel employees who lose their pension to Alan Alda in a Ponzi scheme. They launch a scheme to steal back some of their money with the help of a con played by Eddie Murphy and a bankrupt businessman played by Broderick.
Tower Heist came from an idea Murphy pitched to producer Brian Grazer and Ratner centered around an all-star cast of black comedians including Chris Tucker, Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Tracy Morgan, and Martin Lawrence. They would have played disgruntled employees who plan to rob Donald Trump and Trump Tower.
The rewrites moved the focus away from the ensemble and on to two main characters. Murphy left the project, but Ratner stayed on board. It reminded him of Ocean’s Eleven, a project he had developed but was unavailable to direct himself. Murphy came back on board at Ratner’s insistence once Stiller signed on.
Tower Heist had great “tracking numbers” and everyone expected it to be a hit. Despite mostly positive reviews, Tower Heist disappointed at the box office. It opened in second place behind the animated Puss in Boots. It eneded up barely recouping its production costs in the US.
In 2012, Broderick appeared in an episode of the hit TV sitcom, Modern Family. He played a fellow alum of Phil’s school who happens to be friends with Cam. When Phil invites him over for “boy’s night”, he gets the wrong idea.
Broderick returned to Broadway for the musical, Nice Work If You Can Get It. Reviews were mixed to positive. The Newsday reviewer called the play” a rowdy, dopey-smart, dance-driven screwball comedy that never shies from the extravagant edge of clunky silliness.” According to the review:
Kelli O’Hara and Matthew Broderick may not seem a likely romantic couple. But their different styles — her crisp and sublime professionalism, his sleepy-faced cunning naiveté and low-watt skills — spark unexpected chemistry. At least they are very sweet together.
In 2014, Broderick reunited with Nathan Lane for the Broadway revival of Terrence McNally’s It’s Only a Play. Megan Mullally, Stockard Channing, F. Murray Abraham and Rupert Grint co-starred.
So, what the hell happened?
I have to start out by noting that by any reasonable measure, Broderick is still outrageously successful. He is a leading man on Broadway and married to Sex in the City star, Sarah Jessica Parker. While he may not be on the Hollywood A-list, he does still get work in TV and movies.
But why wasn’t Broderick’s film career more successful?
It’s tempting to say that Broderick was type-cast as Ferris Bueller. For much of his career, Broderick had a youthful look that made it diffiuclt to transition into more mature roles.
But, Broderick had more than his share of big budget movies to try to reinvent his image. The problem is, most of them were terrible. He continually popped up in crap like Godzilla, Inspector Gadget and The Stepford Wives.
Also, Broderick was rarely the star of these movies even when he had the leading role. He was frequently cast as the thankless straight man to Jim Carrey or even Danny DeVito.
Broderick’s filmography is filled with movies that were expected to be big hits but weren’t. Or if they were, they fell short of expectations. The only two movies he made that were legitimate hits with critics and audiences were War Games and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
I like Broderick very much, and just seeing him makes me smile….but there’s a problem.
Ferris Bueller is such an awesome, heartwarming and funny movie – everything else is going to be a step down. Bueller is my all-time favorite 80s film, and in some ways is sheer perfection. How can an actor so closely associated with the title character ever top that?
10 Insane Movie Sequels That We Really Wish Had Happened http://whatculture.com/film-tv/10-insane-movie-sequels-that-we-really-wish-had-happened?page=4 Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off It’s A Sequel To: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) The premise driving this once considered sequel to ’80s comedy classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off isn’t quite as far out as some of the other films on this list, but it might be deemed insane for another reason: it would have positioned Ferris Bueller, cult hero, as a depressed guy in his mid-forties who decides to take a day off work, ’cause he’s – wait for it -sad. Now, considering that the original film… Read more »
Why we never got to see a Ferris Bueller sequel http://www.looper.com/27446/never-got-see-ferris-bueller-sequel/ Matthew Broderick was too busy Broderick was one of the biggest stars of the late ’80s, and a big part of that was because of his role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. As such, in the five years after Bueller, Broderick starred in an eclectic bunch of movies, from contemporary dramas like Project X and Torch Song Trilogy to period pictures like Biloxi Blues and the Oscar-winning Civil War epic Glory, and comedies like Family Business and The Freshman. Broderick just wouldn’t have had the time to make a… Read more »
Ladyhawke was probabily not a hit in the US but here in Europe is something of a cult movie
The famous entrance of Isabeau turning into the light of the moon, shrouded in a black cloak is the single shot from Ladyhawke that I’ve never been able to shake.
It’s completely burned into my moviewatching brain and it marked my introduction to the woman who would become my favourite actress.
I rented Ladyhawke twice on VHS and was so hypnotized I completely understood the Bishop’s obsession and Etienne Navarre’s unshakeable romantic devotion.
Fantastic write-up as always lebeau, you’ve certainly started 2013 with a bang!
In Ladyhawke the scene when Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer almost touch themselves just a second before Pfeiffer returns to be an hawk is very powerful and emotional IMHO
I haven’t seen Ladyhawke since the 80’s. At least, I think it’s been that long. I remember enjoying it, but not falling in love with the movie. Pfeiffer, yes, but not the movie. I was surprised to realize it was actually a box office disappointment. I had always assumed it was a hit since Pfeiffer and Broderick both went on to bigger things.
Thanks as always. My 2013 goal is to have a new WTHH every other week. But I am building up a buffer early. In between new articles, I’m still scrubbing up the old ones. Both my real life and blogging currently entail a lot of house-keeping!
Well here Ladyhawke is a must on TV. I remember when I was a kid at least once a year Ladyhawke was in primetime during the 90’s. And even now sometimes TV show it on prime time. That’s why I said that here is a cult. Here everybody have saw it at least two or three times. I don’t know if it is one of the many case of a movie that was a hit in Europe and not in the US or if it developed a cult following later.
I can definitely see why that would be the case. It has more of a European sensibility. And Rutger Hauer was a much bigger star over there than he ever was over here.
I think the movie has a cult following in the US as well. It’s just not a very big one.
I’m a big fan of how Broderick was used in both “You Can Count on Me” and “Election.” Despite his signature role (Ferris) being kind of a smarmy con man, audiences have always trusted Broderick. So when he showed up in these deeply flawed and dishonest roles, I thought it was very effective. It’s really too bad that they hired Susan Stroman to direct the film version of the stage version of “The Producers.” She did great work on the play, but you only have to take one look at her film to know that her skill set does not… Read more »
You Can Count on Me and Election are probably my favorite films Broderick has made. Yes, I like them better than Ferris Bueller (which I like but have always considered over-rated. Good but not great.) I’m also a big fan of The Freshman. More often than not, you could take Broderick out of the movie and it would not impact my enjoyment negatively. The exceptions to that are probably War Games and Ferris Bueller where the movies hinged on his charisma as a young man. Once he switched from winning con-man to put-upon loser roles, he became a less welcome… Read more »
Dear Lord….I forgot about The Freshman! I loved that film. I also forgot to say thanks for another great article.
As for Bueller….for me, no other comedy has ever pulled off that tongue-in-cheek humor. But then, I still had a full head of blond hair and zero body fat back in the 80s….and optimism. Those were the days!!!!
If I’m ranking teen comedies from the 80s, Bueller ranks at or near the top of the list. I actually didn’t see that one in theaters but years later on video. So I don’t have as nostalgic of a view of it as others my age. It’s a fun movie, but it has always felt a little thin to me. Good. Even very good. But not really great. But what do I know? It has stood the test of time. It’s hard to argue with that. On the other hand, I loved The Freshman. Okay, sure. That has a lot… Read more »
Those were different times and we were different people back then….you gotta remember, this was a time when I thought Highlander was the greatest film ever made. (Still a fantastic soundtrack, by the way….)
I look back at the 80s now and am kinda embarrassed!
Well, the 80s were embarassing. Up until I got my driver’s liscense, I couldn’t get out to the movies very often. And by then, the decade was mostly over. I followed reviews, etc. But I caught up with a lot of popular movies later on video. By the time I could drive myself to the movies, I got interested in classics, foreign films and indie movies. In ’88 I don’t think I saw a single mainstream movie. But I went to the art house twice a week. Looking back, I’m embrassed by what a movie snob I was at 17.… Read more »
well said Daffy- the film was all wrong I thought too- Ferrell was all wrong- as was Thurman- and the direction was way off- nothing can really top the original- tough call to start out with- I have always like Broderick- a fine subtle actor – would love to see him in more- perhaps with the better TV roles now going to so many that would have fallen behind we can look forward to seeing him again-thanks for the post LeB- always good
And thanks to you as well. Always a pleasure to hear from you!
matthew broderick did some good films and some crappy ones i will admit. i enjoyed lady hawke, wargames, ferris bueller’s day off, the freshman, addicted to love, cable guy and the last shot. inspector gadget was a mismash ripoff not just of the cartoon but also hit 80s and 90s films of robocop, dick tracy, top gun, who framed roger rabbit, etc. back then it was ok, but i enjoyed the cartoon better. matthew’s new films have sucked he hasn;t done anything good. if he was like billy crystal he would do stand up with jerry seinfeld and be making… Read more »
He’s kind of doing his version of stand-up by going back to the stage. But it sounds like he is wearing out his welcome on Broadway with recent lazy performances. I’ll leave it to someone who knows more about theater than me to provide additional details. Daffy, have you heard anything about the state of Breoderick’s Broadway career?
I really haven’t. But I can tell you some things about the nature of the work. 1) It is a young man’s game. The sheer physical endurance it takes to do 8 performances a week is daunting for older performers, which is why you will see “name” actors taking a couple of shows off a run, month, week even. This happened less often in the old days when there were fewer film and TV roles being mixed in on an actor’s schedule. 2) The memorization is different. An actor really only needs to know his pages for a specific day… Read more »
From what I read, they charged a lot for the previews where Broderick flubbed his lines.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/matthew-broderick-disappoints-preview-starry-messenger-show-opening-delayed-article-1.387552
This was his 2009 show. They actually had to delay the premiere to accomodate him. Apparently he is notorious for studying the script late.
Wow. Lots of good points. I’ll try to take them all in order. 1. I haven’t seen Max Dugan. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for it. I generally like Neil Simon. 2. I’ve been concentrating on stars of the 80s and 90s because that’s really when I started actively keeping track of careers. It means less research for me. But eventually, I plan to move forward and backward. The scope of WTHH is always expanding. 3. I wouldn’t describe Broderick’s movie career as strong. He can still get supporting roles like the one in Tower Heist. He can… Read more »
Matthew has a reputation for procrastinating and failing to memorize his lines accurately (meaning he often doesn’t know his lines word for word until weeks into the run of a show). However, there is an explanation to that “disaster” performance he gave a few years back. Personally, I think the media blew this story out of proportion. 1. The play was about three hours long, and Matthew had multiple monologues, some of which lasted for three pages, nonstop. 2. The director had dramatically changed the script right before previews started, giving Matthew no time to memorize what was changed. 3.… Read more »
Thanks for sharing, TJ. I knew there had to be another side to the story. I’m glad you spoke up and put things into perspective.
I hate it when I come away from researching an article with a lower opinion of my subject. And frankly, that was what happened here. Your comments make me feel a little better about this write-up.
As I said before, the whole situation is tragic. Clearly lives were ruined.
Have you considered making video versions of the ‘What the Hell Happened’ series? It would probably do well on YouTube. For what it’s worth, I came across this page after looking at an article on “Celebs Who May (Or May Not) Have Had Nose Jobs”. It was about Jennifer Grey and how losing her famous nose made her completely anonymous. That lead to her wiki page… her dating Matthew Broderick and… the amazing shock of hearing of this car accident for the first time. Googling about the car accident brought me here to the main post and by chance I… Read more »
This is the second time the You Tube idea has come up in two weeks. I honestly hadn’t considered it before someone brought it up last week. I am now considering it. But I would have a lot to learn before I could get up and running.
I need to add Grey to my list…
Good suggestion on the quote. I will bump it up to the main article for those who don’t read through the comments.
Thanks for reading and for the great suggestions.
I read the article, and all I can do is laugh at the person who chided the theatre for “using this as a rehearsal.” Previews are BY DEFINITION rehearsals. If it wasn’t a rehearsal, the show would’ve opened already. If people are willing to pay to see a rehearsal that’s their business, but they sure shouldn’t complain about not getting the same thing as opening night crowds.
No one can play a charismatic teen when they are 40, and i have tons of respect for the sheer breadth of roles that Matthew Broderick has carried off. I really can’t think of another actor who can match his range. He is one of those rare types that command your attention with every word (like Christopher Walken) and can act with facial expression alone. I bet he will be working steadily as long as he wants to, either as part of an ensemble, on the stage, doing voice such as the bee movie, or, with the right vehicle, he… Read more »
I really don’t share your opinion of Broderick’s range. It seems to me that he has an extremely limited range. Once he outgrew the charismatic teen roles, his limited range was his undoing. He struggled to find a niche, but never realy found one that worked. I think at this point, he does much better in character roles. I have never seen him on stage, so I can’t comment there. But on screen, I find him kind of bland. Not remotely like Christopher Walken. He has talent to be sure. And I think he’s a skilled comic actor. But he… Read more »
We agree to disagree on some points. He did, as you pointed out, choose some truly dreadful projects. Some of the movies you mentioned were so awful that his presence was the only redeeming factor. Even Tom Hanks has a dud every once in a while, but MB did not succeed in finding a new audience after Ferris Bueller. However, I don’t think that says anything about his quality as an actor. To me the fact that he is a successful stage actor says a lot. It is also worth noting that he may have diverted some attention and energy… Read more »
Good points. There’s no doubt that family life had an impact on his movie career. As was pointed out previously in the comments section, his twin babies had a direct impact on his performance on Broadway. We’re definitely of differing opinions on Broderick’s range as a movie actor. I’m more than willing to agree to disagree on that point. It’s hard to quantify an actor’s range and I find that people use the term to mean different things. It’s not that Broderick’s movie career faultered. He could be an actor with a lot of range who chose less commercial projects.… Read more »
I posted this on your Facebook page, but I’ll bring it here too. By most accounts (just go on the trivia page for “Family Ties” on IMDb), the real reason why Matthew Broderick backed out of the role of Alex P. Keaton was because he wanted to be near his terminally ill father, James (who coincidentally, was on the show “Family” as Meredith Baxter’s father).
Thanks TMC!
I haven’t gotten by the FB page as often as I would like. I have access to WP during the work week. But I usually only check the FB page on weekends. Like I have said elsewhere, my shedule will open up more in the spring and summer.
I’m slowly working my way through the old articles and adding additional info here and there. I’ll need to flesh out the Family Ties bit when I update this article.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why Broderick is better known as “Sarah Jessica Parker’s Husband” Why is she more famous? She’s only done one thing worth remembering. Broderick’s filmography is nothing fancy but certainly far more diverse than hers.
Her one thing is far more recent. He hasn’t had a box office hit in decades.
One thing of note regarding “Inspector Gadget” is how really little it had to do w/ the old cartoon from the ’80s (w/ Don Adams voicing Gadget). If you ever get a chance to watch Doug Walker’s reviews of Matthew Broderick’s movies (both “Inspector Gadget” and “Godzilla”) for his “Nostalgia Critic” series he lets it be known quite clearly that he isn’t really much of a fan of Matthew Broderick as an actor.
I have to admit, I was barely familiar with the cartoon. My younger brothers watched it. I never sat through the movie because I didn’t care and it looked plain awful.
Doug Walker further elaborates (at approximately the 1:37 mark) why he doesn’t like Matthew Broderick as an actor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k-pYdU617k
It really all boils down to Doug finding Matthew’s acting bland and insecure. He adds that Matthew Broderick is the type of actor who doesn’t seem to be totally convicted to his characters.
10 Terrible Actors Who Got Lucky Breaks: http://whatculture.com/film/10-terrible-actors-who-got-lucky-breaks.php/9 3. Matthew Broderick It pains me to say it, but Matthew Broderick really is not a very good actor. Though he’s widely-beloved for the excellent Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Broderick is another instance of an actor who just seems to be playing themselves. While this works wonders for a likeable, off-the-tracks character like Bueller, it’s not exactly something he could continue to play as he got older, and in failing to diversify, demonstrating his lack of range, the job offers dried up. Though Broderick enjoyed a brief run of successful post-Bueller roles… Read more »
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off massive plothole:
http://officialfan.proboards.com/post/9704366/quote/473746
I enjoy War Games, Project X, The Cable Guy, and Election. They’re all good movies, but not because of Broderick. He’s an awful and very very limited actor. With the exception of War Games, I can easily picture someone far more talented do better with the material in each movie he’s been in over the last 30 years. Take Election, put someone like Jeff Daniels or Michael Keaton in the role, and the result improves tenfold.
I’ll take Keaton over Broderick most days. But I don’t think that makes Broderick a bad actor. There are certain roles Broderick is very well suited for. Early in his career, he was perfect for the smart, charasimatic kids he played in War Games and Ferris Bueller. Later in his career, he shifted to smarmy insecure middle-aged guys.
I have seen those videos in youtube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p4oXPRnS24&list=LLRzHFDUB-YGnz5rdQUjFc1w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH6SIUxAg-Y
so I think that matthew broderick is talented
Whoever this Doug Walker guy is, he isn’t making a whole lot of sense, and I turned off the interview. I enjoy lebeau’s writing style, analysis and criticism with humor, but Doug just sounds like he has a personal vendetta when he criticizes Matthew Broderick. Watching MB, I get the total opposite sense: that he gets way into his characters, but occaisonally, his own magnetism can threaten to overwhelm the character. Which is not the same at all as saying he ‘isn’t convinced” of the character. MB is often subtle and self-effacing; that just makes me respect him more. We… Read more »
Enjoyed the writing, but I truly despise Broderick (the actor) for too many reasons to enumerate.
Thanks.
It’s All Downhill From Here: Ten Actors Who Will Never Surpass Their Earliest Roles:
http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/its-all-downhill-from-here-ten-actors-who-will-never-surpass-their-earliest-roles.php
Matthew Broderick
Seminal Role: Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)
Broderick had a couple successes early in his career: Ladyhawke, Project X, Wargames. He seemed the go-to guy for fragile, impish nerdlings. But John Hughes gave him the opportunity to play the greatest high school student of all time. Though he’s turned into a nebbishy, closeted version of Ferris, and though he’s simply mah-velous on stage, Broderick won’t ever be able to do better than that Wayne Newton singing kid in the leatherette leopard jacket.
The writer of that piece doesn’t come as very credible to me because he makes sweeping statements about the actor that in no way do justice to his career. This is made all the more obvious by the jibe in the last sentence, “as much as it pains me to say it, it’s true.” If it pains the writer to take potshots then maybe he could refrain from doing so?
Someone needs a refresher on the difference between opinions and facts. I think many would disagree with the supposed fact that Broderick is a bad actor. I am not his biggest fan, but I certainly wouldn’t say Broderick is a bad actor.
But hey, whatever drives hits to your site, amIright?
Bad actors don’t have Ferris in their work history.
I’m no critic- but I get annoyed when people say “He was playing himself”- he almost certainly wasn’t.
In his youth, Broderick radiated charm. That allowed him to play mischievious in a way that would have been grating coming from other actors. Somewhere along the way, the charisma got turned down. Maybe it was age. Maybe it was the tragedy of his lethal car accident. Probably has to do with the passage of time and all of his life experiences. But the magic that was there in his youth drained. Doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of giving great performances. In the right role, Broderick is a valuable player. But I’d say he had a star power in the… Read more »
Disclaimer: RB is about to get overly excited. OK. So, over the weekend we were watching “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (good, btw, but not if you like fast paced action movies!) Anyway, among the previews, a movie called “Margaret” I’ve never heard of. Must be from a few years ago, anyway in the preview there was Matthew Broderick! He appeared to be playing an English teacher as he was quoting a famous poem by Hopkins, “Spring and Fall to a Young Child” – specifically, the last line, “It is Margaret you mourn for”! In those couple of seconds, I… Read more »
Good cast! Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, Broderick, Matt Damon.
It’s from Kenneth Lonergan who directed Broderick and Ruffalo in You Can Count on Me. That was a great movie. Reviews for Margaret aren’t as good, but it still has a 71% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. That’s respectable. I’ll have to look for it as well.
COMMENTARY TRACKS OF THE DAMNED:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-stepford-wives,22297/
Crimes
Blowing the opportunity to comment incisively on the backlash against feminism
Solidifying the reputation of screenwriter Paul Rudnick as a glib mechanical gag machine
Regularly killing the comic momentum so stars Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick can hold painfully earnest conversations about the state of their marriage
Combining comedy and horror in a way that detracts from both
Matthew Broderick starring in CBS comedy pilot: https://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv/browse_thread/thread/1225ed8e89ccea52# The Broadway star has been tapped to headline the network’s untitled Tad Quill comedy pilot, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The multicamera comedy revolves around Jack, a recently widowed father raising his 12-year-old son while jumping back into the dating pool. Broderick, who is currently starring on Broadway in the musical Nice Work If You Can Get it, will star as Jack, a confident and effortlessly charming self-aware dad who’s completely committed to his son, Sebastian. When the advertising executive finds himself pushed back into the dating scene by his well-intentioned son… Read more »
Jeff Daniels is somewhat underrated as an actor, and as for Michael Keaton, his career is recapped nicely in this series 🙂 Both of them put together do not match the talent and charisma of Matthew Broderick. He did play a smarmy middle aged character in “The Tower Heist”, and he did so very effectively, the perfect contribution to the ensemble. Which proves to me he can transition to those roles, think Christopher Walken in “Blast from the Past.” Again, consider “Deck the Halls.” There would be no comedy if Danny DeVito didn’t have Broderick providing the platform. For this… Read more »
I think that’s part of it. Broderick has a very easy-going approach that some mistake for laziness. Compare Broderick to Eddie Murphy who frequently can’t mask his lack of interest in what he is doing.
I do like Jeff Daniels quite a bit. Like Broderick, he has a very natural presence. Neither of them commands the screen per se, but they are great straight men. I think it’s not surprising both worked very well against a comedian like Jim Carrey.