I love watching biopic films and have seen my share of films based on legendary icons and figures like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Elvis, and now James Dean.
Biopic films in general are difficult to create because there has to be an interesting story, a good supporting cast, and most importantly a talented actor or actress who can carry such weight on his or her shoulders. This actor or actress who has decided to take this role has to recreate such magic, emotions, and wonderment which can connect with the audience. But this is never an easy task because these original icons were in their own class and had such style, pose, charm, and intrigue.
I have studied Dean rather closely by watching his films, documentaries, and reading books about him. I feel he possessed certain qualities which made him truly one of a kind and unique. He had charisma, a gentle vulnerability, charming innocence, and a sweet shyness. His eyes were full of passion and he was known for showing raw emotions in whatever role he took on. He could just captivate you with his intense stare or darling smile. He had a remarkable screen presence like no one else.
When I saw this "James Dean" film, I felt like James Franco was going through the motions. He got into his role and you could tell he was really trying to be like Dean. He gave a good effort and I applaud him for that because I know Dean is not an easy role to fulfill. I agree with what another reviewer mentioned about how he got his mannerisms down.
But there just was something missing. Dean had a natural ability to make his characters come to life and be real. I didn't see that in Franco. I felt the charisma, gentle vulnerability, and charming innocence wasn't there. These were all things that were just part of Dean's nature and I think it would be hard for anyone to portray him exactly as he was. That's why I think the only person who can play Dean effectively is Dean himself.
The movie has a straightforward plot which begins from Dean's childhood up until his final days. His childhood on the farm with his aunt and uncle and his school days are completely skipped over. It would have been nice to see more of his childhood memories and upbringing. His high school days would have been nice to watch like where he participated in basketball, baseball, public speaking, and drama classes. I think adding these parts would have added something special to Dean's character and the audience would have had a better understanding of where he was coming from. Perhaps this would have shed more light on why he turned out the way he did as an adult.
There were minor details which bothered me like Franco's height is 5'11" and Dean was 5'8." Dean was actually considered short for being an actor. I found it odd that Franco was taller than the person he was trying to portray in the film. Also the actress who played Pier Angeli looked nothing like the real Pier Angeli. The same goes for the actors who played the director Nicholas Ray and the mechanic Rolf at the end of the film. I think if you are making a film about someone's life then it's important to have a cast which resemble the actual people as much as possible. However, this film does have a good supporting cast.
The movie states at the end, "Most of the film was based on fact but some are an educated guess." Somethings I know are true but some may be speculation. An example is when Dean and Pier Angeli are at the beach house. They get into an argument and he slaps her. I don't recall ever reading anything about Dean being abusive towards women so that may have been made up for a drama effect. Also I don't think Dean and his father really made up in the end because their relationship was beyond repair. That too was added for a drama effect.
Dean really wanted approval from his father regarding his acting career but I don't think he ever got that from him. I think the angst and frustration which is often seen with Dean's acting stems from both his mother's sudden loss at age 9 and his unresolved strained relationship with his father. I have noticed this with other stars as well. Their parent didn't approve of them or their dreams so they grew up with a huge void in their heart and all they ever wanted was just to be loved and accepted.
If you are a James Dean fan then I recommend watching this film. But don't take everything that happens to heart because as with all biopic films, no one really knows what happened unless they were there. This is definitely one of the better films based on Dean's life out there and is worth seeing.
Biopic films in general are difficult to create because there has to be an interesting story, a good supporting cast, and most importantly a talented actor or actress who can carry such weight on his or her shoulders. This actor or actress who has decided to take this role has to recreate such magic, emotions, and wonderment which can connect with the audience. But this is never an easy task because these original icons were in their own class and had such style, pose, charm, and intrigue.
I have studied Dean rather closely by watching his films, documentaries, and reading books about him. I feel he possessed certain qualities which made him truly one of a kind and unique. He had charisma, a gentle vulnerability, charming innocence, and a sweet shyness. His eyes were full of passion and he was known for showing raw emotions in whatever role he took on. He could just captivate you with his intense stare or darling smile. He had a remarkable screen presence like no one else.
When I saw this "James Dean" film, I felt like James Franco was going through the motions. He got into his role and you could tell he was really trying to be like Dean. He gave a good effort and I applaud him for that because I know Dean is not an easy role to fulfill. I agree with what another reviewer mentioned about how he got his mannerisms down.
But there just was something missing. Dean had a natural ability to make his characters come to life and be real. I didn't see that in Franco. I felt the charisma, gentle vulnerability, and charming innocence wasn't there. These were all things that were just part of Dean's nature and I think it would be hard for anyone to portray him exactly as he was. That's why I think the only person who can play Dean effectively is Dean himself.
The movie has a straightforward plot which begins from Dean's childhood up until his final days. His childhood on the farm with his aunt and uncle and his school days are completely skipped over. It would have been nice to see more of his childhood memories and upbringing. His high school days would have been nice to watch like where he participated in basketball, baseball, public speaking, and drama classes. I think adding these parts would have added something special to Dean's character and the audience would have had a better understanding of where he was coming from. Perhaps this would have shed more light on why he turned out the way he did as an adult.
There were minor details which bothered me like Franco's height is 5'11" and Dean was 5'8." Dean was actually considered short for being an actor. I found it odd that Franco was taller than the person he was trying to portray in the film. Also the actress who played Pier Angeli looked nothing like the real Pier Angeli. The same goes for the actors who played the director Nicholas Ray and the mechanic Rolf at the end of the film. I think if you are making a film about someone's life then it's important to have a cast which resemble the actual people as much as possible. However, this film does have a good supporting cast.
The movie states at the end, "Most of the film was based on fact but some are an educated guess." Somethings I know are true but some may be speculation. An example is when Dean and Pier Angeli are at the beach house. They get into an argument and he slaps her. I don't recall ever reading anything about Dean being abusive towards women so that may have been made up for a drama effect. Also I don't think Dean and his father really made up in the end because their relationship was beyond repair. That too was added for a drama effect.
Dean really wanted approval from his father regarding his acting career but I don't think he ever got that from him. I think the angst and frustration which is often seen with Dean's acting stems from both his mother's sudden loss at age 9 and his unresolved strained relationship with his father. I have noticed this with other stars as well. Their parent didn't approve of them or their dreams so they grew up with a huge void in their heart and all they ever wanted was just to be loved and accepted.
If you are a James Dean fan then I recommend watching this film. But don't take everything that happens to heart because as with all biopic films, no one really knows what happened unless they were there. This is definitely one of the better films based on Dean's life out there and is worth seeing.