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The Career Highs of Brendan Fraser
The star of Elling still doesn’t get the respect he deserves
Brendan Fraser
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I’ve had many a discussion with friends about Brendan Fraser, and how I think he’s a very talented actor. So much so, in fact, that my girlfriend sends me any link with his name in it (I don’t have a Google Alert, though). Somehow, I’ve become the world’s biggest defender of the man who starred in Monkeybone—which I think is a really good movie!
Tonight begins Fraser’s biggest task as an actor, one that could earn him the respect he deserves: a starring role on Broadway. Along with Denis O’Hare, Jennifer Coolidge and Richard Easton, Fraser stars in Elling, about the titular character (O’Hare) who befriends Kjell (Fraser) in a mental hospital. Elling suffers from acute anxiety and Kjell is a boy trapped in a 40-year-old man’s body, eager to lose virginity, and the play shows how the two “embrace life, love, friendship, pizza, poetry and women.” Y’know, the important stuff.
This is only Fraser’s second time acting in a bit time play, with the other being 2001 West End revival of Cat On a Hot Tin Roof in 2001. He earned critical praise for that role, and we should expect nothing less from Elling. Below are some of our favorite Fraser roles, and why they’re a career highlight.
Encino Man (1992)
Why a highlight: I still believe Pauly Shore was ahead of his time as a comedian. He’s no Andy Kaufman, of course, but any “bro” joke that’s been made since the early 1990s owes a debt to Shore, for better for worse. As for Fraser: he plays the title caveman, who’s been frozen in ice since, well, since caveman roamed the Earth. In the early stages of his career, Fraser played the so-called “idiot” as well as one could playing a so-called “idiot,” especially when dancing.
George of the Jungle (1997)
Why a highlight: Kids movies can be extremely frustrating to parents if the main character is annoying, but Fraser plays George not as an oaf, but as a caring man who lives among the animals and doesn’t know how to interact with humans. The film’s a little too goofy at times (how many times can George swing into a tree, really?), but not in an unenjoyable way. At the very least, it’s better than the truly awful Jungle 2 Jungle. Plus, if this film hadn’t made Fraser a star, there’d be no…
Gods and Monsters (1998)
Why a highlight: To really prove that Fraser’s a good actor who often takes bad roles, just show a hater this film, where he plays Ian McKellen’s gardener, Clayton Boone. The two strike up a friendship—maybe even more than a friendship, actually (don’t want to say too much). Although both McKellen and Lynn Redgrave received Oscar nominations (Best Actor and Actress, respectively), it’s Fraser who steals the movie.
The Mummy (1999)
Why a highlight: Everyone praises Harrison Ford for playing Indiana Jones; why don’t people do the same for Fraser as Rick O’Connell? They’re basically the same character, and let’s face it, The Mummy is better than The Last Crusade. The franchise would continue on well past the point it should have stopped (there’s no reason for Tomb of the Dragon Emperor to exist), but in the first film (and parts of the second), it’s one hell of a ride. Those scarabs still scare me.
Monkeybone (2001)
Why a highlight: Considering it’s based on a graphic novel, this movie would have been a huge cult hit had it been released now. Not a huge mainstream success, mind you, because it’s so weird, unless Tim Burton’s name had been attached to it, in which case it would have made $200 million. Monkeybone makes little sense, but that’s why it’s so fun.
Scrubs (2002)
Why a highlight: I don’t want to ruin this nearly perfect episode of Scrubs, but I will say this much: get ready to cry, especially when “Hold On Hope” by Guided by Voices begins to play. Like Fraser himself, it’s easy to hate on Scrubs; both have a lot of down moments, but there are so many good ones that it’s a shame to overlook them because of Dudley Do-Right and, well, all of season nine.
For more information about Elling, please click here.