I've always had a big liking for Catherine Keener, ever since I saw her making out in the car with the younger Jake Gyllenhaal back in 2001's Lovely & Amazing. Can't imagine why... Anyway, today I saw her in Cyrus, a movie I do recommend and also featuring another familiar name, John C Reilly, from The Good Girl. And so it seems right to do a post for Catherine who has featured in more than one of Jake's films. I'm hoping that one of these days we will get to see her on the screen in Nailed, in which she plays one of Jake's nemeses. This gives me the perfect excuse to repost some of my all time favourite pictures from Nailed - gorgeous, adorable, humorous and handsome I'm sure you'll agree, and Jake's not bad either. And these days, just as furry.
Parker the Monkey was a visitor to the Nailed set from Sam's Path Petting Zoo back in the spring of 2008. Catherine even shared her toothbrush with the cheeky monkey.
Catherine spoke about what it was like to play the older lover of toyboy Jake in Lovely & Amazing: 'I had a blast with him. People have asked was it weird because he was so much younger. I guess I was so in the mindset of Michelle and the story and she is so immature it seemed sort of an appropriate guy for her [laughter]. It wasn't freakish at all to me. And so therefore if it's going to be a guy who's only seventeen why not Jake Gyllenhaal ! It was fantastic! He's adorable, fun, enthusiastic. We were laughing all the time. It was three o'clock in the morning the first night we're working and we are kissing in the back of the car, freezing it was just silly. It wasn't like one of those standard uncomfortable love scenes were you feel weird enough. We had no time, no money and no time. He's so gifted and a really nice guy. Everybody was. This movie was really a great time everyone was unbelievable.'
When The Day After Tomorrow came out, Jake reflected on how much he had enjoyed Lovely & Amazing: 'I probably would say there are pieces of every performance that I like, not one performance that is great. But I do like the movie "Lovely & Amazing".' Because of... 'A comfort, a real sense of camaraderie on the set which made me feel comfortable. I was a young actor not having the experience that so many other actors have who have been in the business for a long time. Building up a defense and figuring out ways of bringing things up even when you're not supported, is something I don't have. Whenever I feel like I falter, it's because I don't feel like I'm completely supported. In that movie, I walked into rehearsals with Catherine Keener and she immediately made me feel sexy and I remember Nicole Holofcenter, the director was like, 'Do you want some coffee?' and I'm 'Yeah, I'll have some coffee.' She's like [Catherine] 'I'll have anything he has.' And I was like, 'Okay, cool!' You don't get that from other actors. Usually you walk on and you're like, 'Can I have a coffee?' And they're like 'oh, you want coffee.' And I'm like, 'what? What's wrong with coffee?' So I like that film because I just felt relaxed and myself, and honest, and happy.'
Nailed catch up
To find out more about Catherine's role in Nailed, do check out a set visit report from WDW reader Nicole who even got a part as an extra. Even more reason for us to want to see this film. You can read about Nicole's time on set here. Another reader, Lisa, also wrote for WDW about her experience on the set where her daughter also had a role as an extra. You can read Lisa's account of the nightime shoots here. Not to forget The Excellent Adventure of Ted and Lisa (a different Lisa - our very own BBMISWear) when they spent an incredible day with Jake. If you've not read the detailed and very funny account, you can find out how here and see some photos.
Another actor in Nailed, David Ramsey, reflects about the project at the end of this interview.
Includes pictures from IHJ, Nicole and a scan from WDW.
You can read what I thought of Cyrus over at MovieBrit.
One of the delights of Prince of Persia is that it's introduced a whole bunch of potential Gyllenhaalics-in-the-making to Jake Gyllenhaal. It's hard to see how anyone can resist but, nevertheless, it should be pointed out, that once one has dived into the cool nectar pool of Gyllenism, you won't want to pull the plug out. So, as a big welcome to all the new readers and commentors here at WDW, many of whom are now discovering Jake's earlier films for the first time, here is Part I of the WDW crib sheet to Jake Gyllenhaal's movies. Do feel free to disagree with my comments in the comment section )which may now actually be working...).
Title: City Slickers Date: 1991 Role: Danny Robbins
Hotness: NA Mascara-proof? Yes, unless you're really broody Chemistry: NA Hair: 5/10 Bonus features: Shoulder-popping
As a mere nipper, Jake Gyllenhaal semi-starred in the very successful film City Slickers as the attention-seeking, cute son of Billy Crystal, who left his father in no doubt that the only way he could ever be seen in public with him again is if he became a cowboy. As John Stewart once said, this was Jake's first cowboy movie, although, for me, this film will always be known to me as Blazing Saddles. I always get them muddled up. Billy Crystal has since said that Jake entertained the cast and crew with Show Tunes, heralding the beginning of Jake's side-career as set comic.
WDW rating: 8/10 (although that could be due to Blazing Saddles)
Title: October Sky Date: 1999 Role: Homer Hickam
Hotness: Developing Mascara-proof? Semi-waterproof mascara required Chemistry: NA (although Laura Dern looked keen) Sex scenes: NA (but Laura Dern looked keen) Hair: 7/10 Bonus features: Good science and plenty of dirt
October Sky gave Jake his first lead role. Still at college and reading literary classics between scenes, Jake starred as a coal miner's lad who looked to the stars to avoid his fate beneath the ground. In this role, Jake made an astronaut who'd been to the moon cry. Without doubt, this is one of Jake's finest roles and I defy you to stay dry-eyed when the young Homer faces up to his fate and gets into that coal lift. This was the first effective use in a movie of Jake's blue eyes - a heart throb in the making and a fine actor to boot. One of my favourites.
WDW rating: 8/10
Title: Donnie Darko Date: 2001 Role: Donnie Darko
Hotness: 5/10 Mascara-proof? No (although you may not understand why you're crying and it may be at the wrong bit) Chemistry: 6/10 (Jenna Malone) Hair: 7/10 Sex scenes: Donnie was too stressed Bonus features: rabbits, smurfs, Halloween
The film that Jake is asked about more than any other, Donnie Darko is the most confusing film ever made and no one has a clue what it's about, including Richard Kelly, from whose mind it sprang, and Jake. It is quite possible that the only person who knows what's going on is an IT officer that I worked with in 2004. When prompted Jake can deliver some great transcendental background but the delight of Donnie Darko is that it doesn't really matter. The end is painful, heightened by Donnie's sister being played by Jake's sister, and Maggie has said that when filming the final scenes she and Jake kept apart to keep the emotion raw. The soundtrack is excellent - never has Duran Duran been used to such great effect. This film was not a 'commercial success' (it opened in the US just days after 9/11) but it continues to win over new fans and in the UK especially has been a big success. I can't think of any other film that can be argued over quite like this one or treasured quite like it. First of the great Jake commentaries.
WDW rating: 10/10
Title: Bubble Boy Date: 2001 Role: Jimmy Livingston
Hotness: 2/10 Mascara-proof? No (father and son scenes are very moving) Chemistry: 4/10 (Marley Shelton) Jake had a thing for Ever Carradine Sex scenes: No sex before marriage Hair: 0/10 Bonus features: underpants, Bubble Guinea Pig, dinosaurs
Nothing divides the modern world quite like Bubble Boy. At times Jake has defended it, at other times he's brushed over it. But, without doubt, no Jake film has the power to make my sides hurt with laughter like this one. The script is fantastic, Jake's delivery of those lines is spot on, the supporting actors - notably Swoosie Kurtz and John Carroll Fynch (who arguably appears in every Jake film ever made) - are fabulous. Other elements to relish include the Bright and Shiney people, Jimmy trying to buy a bus ticket and the stealing the beer scene. And the cow. 'And then Pinocchio came out of his plastic bubble and touched the filthy little whore next door and died. The End!' 'Supper time was the best! Nothing could beat Mom's homemade, vitamin-rich, soy-based, germ-free, fat-free fiber cookies.' Last but not least, Bubble Boy features my favourite Jake Gyllenhaal commentary: Jake and director Blair Hayes were made to be a double act. Some people think this film is rubbish - they are, of course, wrong.
WDW rating: 9/10
Title: Lovely & Amazing Date: 2001 Role: Jordan
Hotness: 5/10 Mascara-proof? Yes Chemistry: 5/10 (Catherine Keener) Sex scenes: kiss in a car Hair: 5/10 Bonus features: bad shirts, photography tips
Lovely & Amazing was the first in a stretch of films when Jake appeared as an older woman's lovetoy, plaything and sex object. The downside of this arrangement was that Jake did not appear in these films enough, with much of the attention focusing on the inner turmoil of the older woman in question. Meanwhile, Jake's character was left in the dark(room) quite a lot of the time. Catherine Keener was a great match for Jake here and, of course, they were later to team up again (although not romantically) in the film that may never be but one hopes it will be, Nailed. Not a bad film by any means, this film is, however, penalised as Jake wasn't in it very much.
WDW rating: 5/10
Title: The Good Girl Date: 2002 Role: Possibly Holden
Hotness: 5/10 Mascara-proof? No Chemistry: 9/10 (Jennifer Aniston) Sex scenes: Yes (Jen's first) Hair: 5/10 Bonus features: swimming, accents, car interiors
This is a film that grows on me whenever I see it, which, admittedly, isn't very much as I've only seen it twice. Again we have a film where Jake is taken under the wing of an older woman - although as the woman is Jen Aniston, this can hardly be seen as detrimental. This film isn't particularly light and should not be watched sober. It also had the peculiar side-effect of putting me off American shops for a while. Other people rave about this film. Other people also rave about Jake's hair in this film. This film does, though, have the potential of being a great tragedy (depending on how sober one is).
How to describe Highway....? I can't, despite having seen it on a number of occasions, and therefore I called on the world's leading expert on Highway, Ruby, known throughout Jakedom for her 'Pilot thing'. And I quote: 'Jake's character is called Pilot! And he's the major old-school happener :D Pilot is adorable. John C McGinley plays a long-haired middle-aged stoner called Johnny the Fox. Piii-lot. He's adorable and sexually confused. Jake has a spider painted on his face. He's searching for the "once in a lifetime girl of my dreams and reason to believe" Pilot is adorable. It has an alligator boy. um.....Pilot is adorable.' And there you have it. I have to add that the eyes have it in Highway.
WDW rating: 6/10; Ruby rating: 10/10
Title: Moonlight Mile Date: 2002 Role: Joe Nast
Hotness: 8/10 Mascara-proof: No. Don't wear it! Chemistry: 10/10 (Ellen Pompeo) Sex scenes: Hot Hair: 5/10 Bonus features: New England scenery, post office, dog
Moonlight Mile marked a change in Jake's career. Still the young man, at the beck and call of his elders and betters, he nevertheless showed that he could hold a film tightly together and the camera loved him. Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Holly Hunter - fine actors - and yet the camera loved Jake. This was Ellen Pompeo's break and the chemistry was bound to sizzle - her casting followed her encounter with Jake in an LA carpark when he told her that she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. The power and emotion of Joe Nast's scenes are matched every step by the power and emotion of Bertie's. This film contains the most emotional of all Jake's lines for me - 'I lost my friend' - and I could wrap myself up in the big, comfy brown blanket that is Moonlight Mile and I would wallow in it. There's a strange mix here of suffocating brown earth and big blue sky - perfect.
Another great soundtrack (Rolling Stone's Moonlight Mile will tear your heart out) and another great commentary.
WDW Rating: 10+/10
End of Part 1: After Moonlight Mile, there could be little doubt that Jake Gyllenhaal was a name to watch (even if one couldn't spell it). No longer would he be the distraction in a story of women facing crises in their lives - Jake had a couple more steps to take and then he would be in the lead. I have no doubt that there are many who would disagree with some of my views above - so I would love to hear what you think.
Note: The films above are presented in IMDb order of release.
Includes pictures from IHJ. Thanks to Ruby for the Pilot input!
Happy Easter to everyone, whatever the day means to you. And I hope that for everyone in the UK, the appalling snow, rain, hail, sleet, frost, gales and floods haven't distracted you from indulging as much as possible. In order to impose as little as possible on your holiday, while ensuring that you get in some Jaking time, this is a short post (or at least it started off that way...).
This week marks the birthdays of a bunch of Jake's ladies and so this post is to wish Happy Birthday to them - in particular, Jake's very own Ruby and Pia. I have it on good authority that Ruby is approaching a landmark this week and I don't mean Big Ben. Much love to them both and a huge personal hug for being such great friends over the last year and longer.
Pia and I both adore Cannes Jake and Pia's present is this video, which shows a truly stunning and radiant Jake Gyllenhaal receiving a huge amount of well-deserved attention at the Cannes photocall, before the premiere of Zodiac last May. It lasts nine glorious minutes. There is also a shorter version of the photocall, which includes an interview with Jake - you can enjoy that video here.
As for Ruby, I know she loves this guy. Hopefully this will do til we get to a bar after she's back from a whole week of celebrating.
The other birthdays include, of course, Reese Witherspoon's yesterday while today two more of Jake's co-stars are also celebrating: Catherine Keener from Lovely and Amazing and Hope Davis from Proof. In 2002, Jake was listed as being the 'Teenage actor most worth envying: Jake Gyllenhaal, who seduced Jennifer Aniston (The Good Girl), Catherine Keener (Lovely and Amazing), and Ellen Pompeo (Moonlight Mile) onscreen in the same year.' Catherine is, of course, the wife of Dermot Mulroney who starred in Zodiac - a small world indeed.
Hope Davis said an interesting thing about why she took on the role of Claire in Proof: 'I feel like I’m a tough audience member, you know, it takes a lot to make me laugh and when I sat down and read the script…that’s how I got involved I met the writer Steve Conrad in Chicago when I was working on Proof and he told me the story he gave me the script and I laughed so hard reading it.It was brutal. That scene on the porch where she tells him how she really feels…I just thought it was hilarious.'
Catherine and Hope both shared scenes with Jake in their movies unlike, of course, Reese in Rendition. Jake said in one interview that he was glad to be sharing a poster with Reese and Meryl Streep because otherwise they were almost not a part of the same project - the Washington story was very separate from that set in North Africa. However, while Jake and Reese did not share screen time, they did share red carpets.
Talking of Rendition, tomorrow sees the release of the UK/European edition of the Rendition DVD. This means that a sizeable potential audience, denied the opportunity to see the film in the theatres, will at least be able to see the film. There have been some excellent reviews in the UK press. The Sunday Mail: 'Gavin Hood, director of the compelling Tsotsi, takes on a big budget movie here for the first time and it's an absolute winner.' The Scotsman says: 'The pacing and linear approach to the unfolding events are held steady, and the key performances here are pretty near pitch perfect.'
IndieLondon, in a review republished for the DVD, says: 'Rendition brilliantly combines intelligence with excitement to set the standard by which others should be judged. It’s stimulating, provocative and comes highly recommended.'
UPDATE:
Since writing this feature yesterday, coincidence of coincidences - it seems Catherine Keener is in final negotiations to star with Jake again - this time in Nailed! 'James Marsden, Catherine Keener and Tracy Morgan are close to getting "Nailed." The trio are in final negotiations to star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel in David O. Russell's romantic comedy "Nailed." Keener ("Into the Wild") will play a self-serving congresswoman.' Did I say it was a small world earlier? Well it just got smaller!
Easters
Last year, we saw Jake out in Santa Monica for a family lunch for Easter. Famously, Jake was clutching a chocolate bunny. I thought I'd have a look to see where Jake was for the Easter week in 2006 and it turns out he was in NYC having a holiday with family and friends and being all sporty. I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I did - and we thought Jake was hairy for the Rendition publicity - I'd forgotten what Jake was like when he got some time off from filming Zodiac.
The other day we were looking at Jake Gyllenhaal's leading ladies - and chap - in the movies, but there were one or two that weren't mentioned, and chief among these is Ellen Pompeo. Moonlight Mile is one of my absolute favourite films of all time and is so completely independently of my Jakebug, which I caught a little later. And one of the reasons why I love this film so much is Ellen Pompeo.
Ellen's portrayal of grief-stricken, struggling Bertie, staying strong and engaged with life despite all it had thrown in her path, was wonderful and at the end, a rarity for some Jake films, there were tears of joy. Now when I watch this film, with or without the illuminating commentary by Jake, Dustin and director Brad Silberling, I give Jake the full appreciation he deserves - getting past those shades of brown and yet another bad haircut. As Jake says in the commentary, in his films, it's the hair that has to suffer.
The chemistry between Jake and Ellen is perfect and real. I wasn't surprised when I learned quite a while ago that Jake had come up to her in a car park and told her she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Jake hadn't known he was about to act with her in just a few weeks. Later on, Ellen came to see this moment as fate, but she herself dismissed this encounter as 'an awkward sort of flirtatious moment', in which they both flirted with the other, leading to real chemistry on the set of Moonlight Mile. Ellen agreed that he had the 'It' factor: 'I said it 500 times before and I'll say it again, it can't be articulated. Watch the movie and you see it. Watch anything he does and you'll see it.' Ellen also tells us how Jake loves to cook and had rustled up for her 'Pasta, salad, chocolate chip cookies, anything. He's a great guy. He likes to have fun and he loves to live life.' Jake AND chocolate chip cookies baked by Jake - does it get any better than that? Judging by the picture here of Jake and other co-star Susan Sarandon, the chemistry wasn't confined to Ellen! The picture of Jake and Maggie was taken at the Hollywood premiere of Moonlight Mile.
I'll be back to Ellen another time, but I want to have a brief look at two of Jake's less familiar leading ladies, Catherine Keener in Lovely and Amazing, and Chloe Sevigny who had the fortune to be cast as Jake's wife in Zodiac but suffered all the disadvantages of a match less than perfect and so she didn't even get a kiss.
I'll admit to something here: Lovely and Amazing is the only film by Jake I've not seen. To me it's an example of a film in which Jake has been picked to play the stereotypical young, handsome lover of a woman going through a midlife crisis. I realise I may be doing the film an injustice and I make no judgement on the quality of the acting as I've not seen it. Undoubtedly, it's a great cast. One thing I can uderstand is that Jake would clearly have been a top choice for any director because he is so clearly the type of young man any woman of any age would fall for. Director Nicole Holofcener said of his choice of Jake: 'Jake -- when he walked in the room our knees just went weak! I needed a guy who was young enough for it to be appalling, but sexy and manly enough to be understandable... Well, he's got the Bubble Boy hair in it and the Bubble Boy eyebrows. That was not planned, but that's what I got and he looks great.' No argument there - not certain about the appalling bit though.
Jake himself looked back on Lovely and Amazing as a film he enjoyed. In the runup to The Day After Tomorrow, Jake was asked which of his performances in his 'independent' films he looked back on with fondness and he picked Lovely and Amazing: 'I probably would say there are pieces of every performance that I like, not one performance that is great. But I do like the movie "Lovely and Amazing".' This was because there was 'A comfort, a real sense of camaraderie on the set which made me feel comfortable. I was a young actor not having the experience that so many other actors have who have been in the business for a long time. Building up a defense and figuring out ways of bringing things up even when you're not supported, is something I don't have. Whenever I feel like I falter, it's because I don't feel like I'm completely supported. In that movie, I walked into rehearsals with Catherine Keener and she immediately made me feel sexy and I remember Nicole Holofcenter, the director was like, 'Do you want some coffee?' and I'm 'Yeah, I'll have some coffee.' She's like [Catherine] 'I'll have anything he has.' And I was like, 'Okay, cool!' You don't get that from other actors. Usually you walk on and you're like, 'Can I have a coffee?' And they're like 'oh, you want coffee.' And I'm like, 'what? What's wrong with coffee?' So I like that film because I just felt relaxed and myself, and honest, and happy.' Here's a picture of Jake at the premiere.
As for Chloe Sevigny's Melinda, she had to deal with being there simply to make Jake Gyllenhaal seem less physically attractive, those are her words and I think that's rather unfair to herself. As the only woman on set and a relatively minor major character, she had to watch her co-stars become consumed by their own obsessions. Melanie, by contrast, wanted no part in the Zodiac world, seeing how it was directly affecting their family. So she was an outsider, in the story and on set. And her clothes... 'The wardrobe really affects me, and the hair and make-up, and all of that. I felt like they were trying to make me look frumpy to make Jake look less attractive. [Laughs] He has this unattractive girlfriend, therefore you can believe he’s less attractive. I don’t know. That’s my own insecurities. But I did like that she wasn’t glamorous obviously in any regard. She was a working mother, and she was very practical. I got to be kind of cute in the beginning. I liked that she was this practical, sassy, no nonsense lady.' I had no idea that Melinda had also worked at the Chronicle.
When Chloe is asked what it was like working with Jake, she paints a rather adorable picture of a clever, funny and rather frustrated individual bouncing all over the place: 'We had some rehearsals where we went through all of our scenes and talked through the scenes and the dialogue, and he was very active in rewriting or adjusting his dialogue. I’m not a writer. I’m happy with the lines you give me to a certain extent. But he was very active in that and he would come with new ideas for me, for my lines. [Laughs] He was very boyish and very funny. He kept the whole crew in stitches. They were all very charmed by him. He’s very creative. He has so much energy. He’s always bouncing off the walls. After 80 takes, of course, I think he would get bored a little bit, especially when it was my coverage, so he’d be switching up the lines and stuff. His mind is always very active.'
