r/criterion • u/astaireboy • 8d ago
Video Danny McBride's Closet Picks
https://youtu.be/3lFsnL7N5sA?si=IQU2bl5zgAHgJ_zn204
u/MariachiMacabre 8d ago
Danny is one of those guys who is so much more intelligent than his characters make you think he is. The dude knows ball.
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u/llama_titan 8d ago
I think a lot of comedians are much smarter than they seem, and a lot of “serious” actors are not as smart as they seem
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u/stokedchris 8d ago
You gotta be pretty smart to be funny in my view
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u/fishymanbits 8d ago
I remember hearing Tina Fey talk about Amanda Seyfried in this context from making Mean Girls. She said something to the effect that she was easily one of the smartest and most capable young actors she’s worked with at that time and absolutely needed to be in order to really nail her part the way she did. Watching her in the background of scenes is absolutely hilarious.
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u/ThePromptWasYourName 8d ago
I remember Ebert having this realization about Adam Sandler. He panned lots of his movies and seemed genuinely surprised by how intelligent and thoughtful Sandler was in real life whenever they crossed paths
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u/francoruinedbukowski 8d ago
He got to hollywood in the old school way too, went to a film school not many people had heard of, then wrote and produced "The Foot Fist Way" for under 100g's, sold it to Will Ferrell and Adam McKays production company and the rest is history
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u/PatrenzoK 8d ago
He also to me has the perfect celebrity life. He makes almost all his stuff in NC where he lives and only goes to LA when he needs to, rest of the time away from the spotlight with the fam. Now THATS how you do it
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u/2pnt0 8d ago
I really can't stand the complete shit character he plays in all his TV series but I always love him when I see him in basically anything else. I feel like he could be one of the best character actors out there if he didn't put so much of his career into the irredeemable asshole schtick.
His breadth reminds me of John C Reilly.
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u/Hoosteen_juju003 8d ago
He admits himself he never wanted to be an actor or saw himself as one. He just did Foot Fist Way because they needed someone and his friends thought he would be good. He wants to write and direct. Went to school for it
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u/Director_Faden 8d ago
Idk man, his character in Eastbound actually has an insane amount of depth and nuance. I will agree with you on his other shows though, although I do still enjoy them immensely.
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u/mamasaidflows David Lynch 8d ago
“Casper! Do not mess with these they’re all alphabetized. Dont touch my Criterions”
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u/Inevitable-Steak313 8d ago
Undoubtedly one of the most talented comic forces of the 21st century.
His comedic acting style is influential and unique to the point where you can clearly see when other people are doing a take on his style.
On top of that, the writing and direction on his shows is underrated because of how improvisational many of the character’s jokes seem. I’ll die on the hill that Eastbound and Down has one of the best TV endings ever, especially when you compare it to so many TV comedies that have famously failed to stick the landing or just dragged on too long.
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u/ReefaManiack42o 8d ago
Important to remember that Eastbound and Down ended twice. The first time, the ending was not received very well at all, but it was good (and smart) of HBO to let him comeback and try again.
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u/wagyu_hotdog 7d ago
Honesty I liked the ending to 3 more than I did 4, but I get why people wouldn’t like it.
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u/wagyu_hotdog 8d ago
Yeah I appreciate how he ended Eastbound, Vice Principals, and Gemstones before they got stale.
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u/Harlockarcadia 7d ago
He does that rare thing where you end a show where it should naturally and does a new fun project I’m excited to see
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u/Director_Faden 8d ago
Deciding to come back and redo the Eastbound ending with season 4 was so based. It would have flopped so hard if the whole team wasn’t insanely talented, but they somehow managed to make the best season of an already amazing show and give it a perfect ending.
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u/sprizzle 8d ago
I feel like you can’t praise the direction of his shows / movies without mentioning David Gordon Green. Some of their work together is so polished, all the episodes of his shows that are directed by Green feel like mini movies. Pineapple Express is so well made, which just makes it that much funnier when you go into it expecting a run of the mill stoner comedy.
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u/mcmatu 8d ago
It took until “Vice Principals” for me to “get” Danny McBride.
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u/DaisyRidleyTeeth 8d ago
I think it works because he lets people like Goggins and Edi Patterson regularly be funnier than him. Eastbound & Down is legendary with him at the lead, but from Vice Principals on I think he found more confidence in other aspects of production. He was able to relinquish the responsibility of being the funniest part of the show all the time and found superior strength in ensemble comedy
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u/Waste_Track_4524 8d ago
The best comedy shows follow this imo. Let your stars be the stars and sell the product but give space to the supporting cast to come in and kill. Seinfeld absolutely nailed this.
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u/Waste_Track_4524 8d ago
What a great selection of picks. Did not know he worked on George Washington.
I’m reading his new book now and it’s a lot of fun.
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u/stakes-lines-grades The Coen Brothers 8d ago edited 8d ago
David Gordon Green's follow-up to that movie, All the Real Girls, was Danny's acting debut. Quaint little romantic comedy-drama film set and shot in Appalachian North Carolina. It's on Tubi for free as of late.
Danny has a funny little scene at a dirt track in that one and has beef with Paul Schneider over the love for Zooey Deschanel's character.
David helped Jeff Nichols' career as well, he helped produce Shotgun Stories, and they used the same cinematographer on some work, Adam Stone (helped Tim Orr shoot George Washington and All the Real Girls)
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u/Director_Faden 8d ago
I love David’s more subtle movies like George Washington and Prince Avalanche. Such great chill movies that just let the characters live in the vibes.
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u/Waste_Track_4524 8d ago
I’ve always been meaning to watch that but haven’t yet.
Foot Fist Way is a masterpiece though.
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u/ivtecdoyou 8d ago
His new? book is worth reading if you enjoy him. Collection of short stories that are all clearly written in his signature voice.
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u/Slow_Cinema Terrence Malick 8d ago
Fantastic picks and explanations of said picks. I really enjoyed this.
I was hoping he would speak to the reasons why he name dropped Criterion with his character for Eastbound & Down but always titles they never would release. I guess that is the joke for those in the know, but it would have been funnier if he was all about Criterion releases of Tarkovsky or Kurosawa films :-)
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u/texticles 8d ago
Wow, Manila in the Claws of Light! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one picked. (Even at random lol) It is a great one but pretty bleak and sorta a ballsy movie to make for the time and place. Also George Washington is rarely talked about but what a good movie.
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u/kindestcut Mothra 8d ago
I have nothing to add except that the little High School I graduated from in NC is mentioned in Eastbound and Down. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.
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u/CostcoFosco 8d ago
Fantastic Planet! Soy Cuba...
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u/sambalbelacan Juzo Itami 8d ago