At one of the countless awards show this past Oscar season, Meryl Streep took to the stage to accept an award, announce a clip from “Doubt,” something, I can’t remember, but somewhere along the way she mentioned her respect for actress Viola Davis and exasperatingly belted, “Someone get her a movie!” The indication, of course, was that Davis is clearly an actress with chops who has been grinding away at supporting role after supporting role and, if given the chance, could light up the screen in a leading role.
To many of us who’ve been feeling the same way for a number of years, a big, “Thank you,” was all we could say to that.
I remembered this moment today when I sat down to commit my thoughts on Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” to print, because while the film, with its moody lingering and awkward emotional disconnect (it did not affect me in the slightest), doesn’t work on a number of levels, it most certainly announces, once again, that actor Paul Schneider is ready for some intrepid producer or director to take a chance on him.
It’s unfair to say that Schneider (who, full disclosure, attended my alma mater and shares some mutual acquaintances with your humble host) hasn’t had a chance at a leading role. After all, his big coming out party was David Gordon Green’s (also a fellow alum) “All the Real Girls” in 2003. In that film Schneider showed real promise, but it was perhaps muted given the independent setting and the fact that co-star Zooey Deschanel took off, while Schneider kept grinding out solid background work.
From there the North Carolina-born Schneider found a healthy career in supporting roles, becoming perhaps the best part of films like Cameron Crowe’s “Elizabethtown” and Thomas Bezucha’s “The Family Stone.” He blended in wonderfully with the talented ensemble of “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” while finding the right moments to stand out from the pack and kept an indie focus with an appearance in Craig Gillespie’s “Lars and the Real Girl.” I can’t comment on the actor’s work in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” because I couldn’t handle more than one or two episodes, but Schneider has already popped up on screens this year in “Away We Go” (a failure that sings when the actor is on the screen).
And now, primed for release in a few weeks’ time, Campion’s “Bright Star,” which landed substantial praise out of Cannes and sparked an awards season interest in actress Abbie Cornish. Celebrated for its (in my opinion) lesser aspects, I sense an overall lack of enthusiasm for Schneider’s work, perhaps because the work is so natural and peripheral to the meat of the drama. I can’t be sure. But Schneider is, along with actor Ben Wishaw, the film’s saving grace in many ways.
I’m not saying there is a supporting actor bid in the works here, so let’s not let the conversation get out of hand. At the end of the day, the likelihood of Schneider getting the proper notice is, as usual, minimal. My point here is I see an untapped movie star quality in the guy. I don’t know how he perceives his career, whether he might be selectively choosing these supporting spots or if he’s even had a major role offered to him. I know he’s a film school graduate who still has an interest in being a director, as witnessed by the 2008 film “Pretty Bird” that had a presence at Sundance but kind of faded away after that. But if he wanted it, I’m convinced he could have a handsome career as an actor, and it’s high time studios took notice of the natural charisma and charm he brings to the table.
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13 responses to “Paul Schneider: Someone get this guy a movie”
I agree, very talented guy. I loved him in Lars and the Real Girl, and actually forgot how good he was in Elizabethtown. Probably because I try to forget that movie exists and that I actually paid to see it in theaters. And now he’s suffering on the terrible Parks and Recreation. His problem in my opinion is that nothing about him screams star quality. He’s actually one of those guys who you see in a film and think of as a background player. That could change of course, but he needs the right role and he needs to be explosive. He does his part and does it admirably, but I’ve yet to see him in a movie and think “that guy is gonna be huge.” He kinda reminds me of Amy Adams, the supporting actor who is kind of ordinary and did her job well and then she stole the show in Junebug. He needs that moment.
The “Jesse James” ensemble looks more impressive by the day.
Renner, Schneider both have star potential and Sam Rockwell is already seeing his stock rise (“Iron Man 2”)
North Carolina represent. He was stellar in Lars in the Real Girl, realing shaping a character out of Gus (I love how he awkwardly picks crumbs off the table cloth and throws them on the floor and the way he says “She’s doing some pregant women’s yo-ga.)
Get ’em a movie. Better yet, get him and Viola Davis to do a movie together.
Funny enough, Schneider’s the only person on “Parks and Recreation” who doesn’t seem like they’re dying to be a movie star. Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, and Aubrey Plaza will not be happy if he beats them to it…
I agree with Bill, for sure. Parks and Recreation sucks but it’s worth watching for the sheer fact that Office ripoffs are still gonna be funny, however bad the show will be. Schneider constantly impresses me on the show; the only others on there who I can say that for are Ron Offerman as the boss and Aubrey Plaza as the assistant. I really hope that I like Schneider as much as I possibly could in Bright Star when I see it. From the greatly unimpressive trailers, he’s the only thing that makes me want to see it.
I’ve been a big fan of Schneider’s since seeing him in “All the Real Girls”, his being the most impressive performance (though you could tell then that Danny McBride was going to be a star too). Parks and Recreation, though having a great cast and writers, sucks as a television show. He’s having a good year so far though, with Away We Go (a movie I liked dearly) and Bright Star (which I’m excited to see).
He was indeed great in Jesse James and Lars, and is one of the best in Park & Recreation (which really got better and found its own after the first few episodes).
Tree of Life opens on christmas day Kris, the race is on now
Schneider, along with Chris Messina, almost saved Away We Go.
He doesn’t seem to have the personality for lead roles, but then again I would have said the same thing about Sam Rockwell, and now there is Moon. If the right characters comes around, he could shine.
huge schneider fan…All The Real Girls is one of my wife’s favorites…and he was brilliant in Lars…agree 100 percent.
i do disagree, though, on Away We Go. I was a big fan.
so Kris is Bright Star basicly wiped off the oscar predictions for you? the only thing i ever thought it had potential for was costumes
Well the news out of Cannes certainly told a different story. Now I’d say costumes, maybe art direction, maybe actress, maybe art direction, longshot for original screenplay, not likely for anything else.
I can’t imagine Paul being in a big leading role to get the Oscar, unless he turns up a Paul Giamatti crankiness.
He was really good in Lars.