Jake's tranquil bubble - sometimes the bad guys are the good guys

Like the rest of us, Jake Gyllenhaal is not the same person he was five years ago, you just have to look at pictures of Jake in Bubble Boy in 2001 and compare those to the stills from the Rendition trailer. Yet, Jake has trod a steady path in his career over the last few years and he wouldn't be the actor he is now if it weren't for the lessons learned in his first films. I'm excluding Donnie Darko from this because that film is to my mind a masterpiece, which will always stand out in Jake's movie career. For me, when I need a film to cheer me, sometimes on a Sunday night with the working week looming large (looming even more than Graysmith ever did over Avery's desk), it's Bubble Boy I turn to, especially with the commentary - here's a link to a taster of Comedy Jake.


And maybe I'm not alone. Movies.com has listed The 25 Best Movies You've Never Seen and there at No. 4 is Bubble Boy: 'John Travolta may have played a Bubble Boy first, in a sappy TV movie about a kid who needs to be wrapped in plastic and protected from the elements. But Jake's haircut tells the whole story here; there's something a bit "off" about this surprisingly funny 2001 big-screen version, in which Jimmy builds himself a portable bubble to go after the gal he loves. Oh, sure, there are moments that challenge our dear boy. (Ever try to steal a can of beer while waddling around in a homemade germ-free sphere?) But nothing can keep Gyllenhaal's love-struck Jimmy down for long. His heart — and the film's heart — is that big.'

I have to add that the scene with the beer stealing is one of my favorite moments in Jake's entire career to date! Also, check out Jimmy's dad - I wouldn't get too close, I've seen him somewhere else lately...


I've had a look at other films on the list and I've only seen three others - Falling Down (at No. 1), Time After Time (No. 19) and the fabulous Heavenly Creatures with Kate Winslett at No. 25.

But back to Bubble Boy. At the time of its release, as one would expect, the film came in for a lot of criticism for its supposed bad taste and disrespect for anyone who might have to live in a bubble in reality. Yet, as Jake points out here, this film just offends everybody - noone is left out: "I think when you see the movie, you discover that the bubble boy is a hero, and anyone who crosses his path or the brunt of any jokes on HIM, ends up with some pretty bad Karma. So that, on top of the fact that it's a pretty equally offending movie of EVERY and ANY group out there, so you just have to go with it, which I understand will offend many people, but hopefully a lot more will laugh. Most importantly, if people SEE this movie they'll hopefully discover that supposed controversy was much ado about nothing." As a result Jake did no research on real life bubble boys - I can see it wouldn't really be necessary!


So why did Jake take on this bizarre but loveable movie? "When I first read the script I thought it was really funny, but at the same time, I thought it could go either way; either absurdly forgettable or it could say something political, interesting and a little subversive. I think walking in to meet the director and producer, we all agreed that it should be saying something subversive, ALONG with something humorous. In order to do that, I think they needed someone who could also have a dramatic take on it, as well as a comedic one... I think I can respond to his sense of innocence and guilessness in a way that you have when you're a young kid, where you grow up in your own kind of proverbial bubble. Then you grow up and meet all these people, at which point you realise that there are some people who aren't what you expected; sometimes the good guys are bad and the bad guys are good. We all discover that as we grow up. I was coming to terms with that when they cast me, so I really related to it."


As for being stuck in a bubble himself, Jake says it wasn't all unpleasant - although take a look at the extras on the DVD and you'll see it looked pretty horrible. "...it was unique to have tranquillity around me. I couldn't hear anything outside of the suit, really, so at times it was nice to have some peace and quiet." Sometimes I think Jake can see the good in just about anything.

More young Jake...

...this time from new/old pictures recently posted at IHeartJake. The first shows Jake at the premiere of the 2001 film Lovely and Amazing. The second shows Jake and a friend at a party at Club Lotus in 2002, which is, I believe, in NYC.



A taster of the Dark Knight

As reported yesterday, The Dark Knight made an appearance at Wizard World last night. Unfortunately, according to this report, neither Maggie nor Heath attended but director Christopher Nolan, writers David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan, and Christian Bale (Batman himself), Gary Oldman (Lt James Gordon) and Aaron Eckhard (Harvey Dent) were there along with a special 'sizzle reel'. This showed scenes with Heath as the Joker, including one where he dances with Rachel (Maggie) - can't wait to see that!

Pictures from IHJ.