I’ve always been a major Bruce Willis fan. Oh, ok I’m not going to
lie and say I’ve seen everything he’s ever been in. But ever since I saw
him in Die Hard I was a fan. Anyone here ever hear of that movie? Yes
I’m teasing..it’s freaking DIE HARD!! He has a way of coming off as an
every guy and being super cool at the same time (even if the movie
sucks). Armageddon had tons of problems, but Willis wasn’t one of them!
RED has a stupid premise but somehow it worked mostly thanks to Willis.
The Disney movie “The Kid” was cliche tripe but Willis managed to make
it more than that, he elevated it into a good movie. And The Sixth Sense
should have been stupid too but Willis as really good in that (ok I
never saw it). I also never saw The Looper though I wanted to.
True not every movie he did was good. Hudson Hawk anyone? How about Bonfire of the Vanities? To this day I will never understand how you can have Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, and Melanie Griffith in one movie and the movie is still awful! How does that happen? Maybe I should see it sometime. And what the hell was he doing in the god awful Ocean Eleven sequel anyway?
The funny thing is that while most people think Willis as a cool action star, he does have a snarky side. And as a result has taken comedic roles in movies and even TV shows that play against his usual type. Most people will instantly think of Moonlighting, that hit show where Willis started to get everyone’s attention. But here are five other odd Willis movie roles where he played against type, and was pretty damn good.
#5.The Story of Us
I am talking about this one because it’s a movie I am betting very few saw, or even heard of. What’s it about? Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfieffer are a married couple having hard times. Yep, that’s about it. And yes this was a movie that played in theaters! I know, I am so happy to say I saw it. What’s odd about it that Willis is so normal here. He’s not an action star or being snarky. He’s just a guy. And yes this movie is cliche and, to be fair, not very good. It feels like a TV movie…but it’s worth a watch. I’m a sucker for these kinds of movies.
#4.Mad About You/Friends
I put these together because, well, I needed another slot. In the most pointless of cameo’s he showed up on Mad About You. The episode is about Jamie’s giving birth and, long story short, Paul runs into Willis in the lower levels of the hospital. Willis has suffered a head injury and ends up helping Paul get to maternity in an obvious spoof of the Die Hard movies. It’s fun to see Willis quirky, even if the cameo makes no sense.
As for Friends, he appeared in three episodes after losing a bet to his “The Whole Nine Yards” co-star Matthew Perry (no I did not see that yet). His first appearance as Paul he is very much classic Willis, serious and even threatening. In the second episode we see how insecure Paul is when he talks to himself in a mirror. By the third episode Willis has demonstrated what a sense of humor he has, after Rachel pleads for him to open he turns into an emotional, crying baby who Rachel ends up dumping. And for those saying what about “That 70’s Show” yes I know about that one, let’s call it an honorary mention.
#3.Look Who’s Talking
Bruce Willis isn’t unknown for doing voice over work. He’s done a bunch of video games and even a few animated movies. What if I told you he did the voice of a baby in a B grade comedy featuring Kirstie Alley and John Travolta? I wouldn’t believe it either, but that’s what we have. And I think Willis is the best thing in the movie. And he doesn’t do anything to his voice, like disguise it or make it younger. Maybe that’s why it works, it’s Willis’s usual snark coming out of the mind of a toddler. Who can’t resist that? The movie was a hit. Yeah ok Alley and Travolta has great chemistry, but let’s be honest that isn’t what we all remember.
#2.North
I’ve talked about this stupid movie before, and the fact it even exists still amazes me. What was Rob Reiner thinking when he made this anyway? But I have to be honest, the only decent part of the movie is Willis. Yeah Ok they dress him up in ever silly outfit they could think of from a pink bunny to cowboy outfit. But his role seems to be keep the movie grounded at least a little in reality, and I think he does a good job. Yeah I’m sure he did it for the paycheck (or as a favor to his friend Reiner who also directed him in The Story Of Us) or to just do something easy and fun, but he’s the only one who feels like he isn’t just a cartoonish stereotype but a real character.
#1.Death Becomes Her
You’re simply not going to find a more anti-Bruce Willis role than this one! If you’ve never heard of it, this is a dark comedy starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Willis. It’d take to long to give a plot summary, but basically Willis plays a nerdy doctor type who has no social skills at all. And he does it really well! This is a dark comedy and, I can’t lie, not a very good one. Oh the dark humor is fine the problem is with the story which is really pretty empty. When you get past the special effects there really isn’t much here at all. It’s a movie I’ve seen once and really have no desire to see again, though I never forgot it which says something. There are things to see that make this worth a look but to see the macho Willis play a nerdy doctor absolutely tops the list.
I’m sure I’ve missed a few, if I missed your favorite be sure to comment and let me know. Willis is just awesome, he’s the kind of actor if he is on the screen I will stop and check it out. Which led to one potentially embarrassing moment when I came across a certain scene in a movie called “Color of Night”….but I won’t tell that story.
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