Thumb for rent

You know what one of my favorite TV shows is?

And no, I’m not talking about Veronica Mars (although anyone who would buy a bright yellow vacuum cleaner just because it reminds her of Logan Echols’s car probably does need some sort of professional help.)

No, there’s a show that I’ve loved for far longer: Siskel and Ebert.

I mourned the passing of Gene Siskel several years ago and welcomed Richard Roeper into the fold with skeptically open arms as the show became Ebert and Roeper.

And now Roger Ebert is recovering from cancer surgery and they’re reaching out to guest hosts.

This. Is. My. Chance.

Pick me! Pick me!

I would be awesome at this job! (I’d even get a manicure to ensure that I had the prettiest thumbs in movie reviewing history!)

Jay Leno was on last week and I was pleasantly surprised with how he did. In fact, he articulated something I’ve been thinking for a long time.

When reviewing my new favorite movie I haven’t seen, Little Miss Sunshine, he said that it was a superb case of a movie where money could have ruined the funny.

Brilliant!

If you don’t quite get what he meant, let’s use Richard Roeper’s follow-up example to that point. Earlier this year we had RV, a big studio movie with a major star, Robin Williams. It was one gag after another with the RV going into lakes and things exploding.

Little Miss Sunshine has (essentially) the same plot—dysfunctional family going on roadtrip. But it doesn’t have the money to do those big gags. It has to be smart instead.

I’ve said before that I thought the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie lagged behind the first. You know why? The money ruined the funny.

The POTC writers have written on their site, wordplay, about all the things they initially wanted to do in the first movie but the budget didn’t allow for it so they had to rethink and get creative—like the villains only looking skeletal in the moonlight—that was all because of the budget.

So one point I’m trying to make is that restrictions on creativity can be a good thing. A very good thing.

And also, even though I said I’m no longer taking on consulting work, I’d totally make an exception for you, Ebert and Roeper! My thumb is all yours!

(But I’m keeping my awesome yellow vacuum!)