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Author Topic: Top 5 Megastar Two-Handers  (Read 2167 times)

1SO

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Top 5 Megastar Two-Handers
« on: December 07, 2014, 07:45:01 PM »
A Two-Hander is a film with co-leads. I'm looking for your favorite 5 where...

A) The two leads are around the height of the popularity, to the point where the film would be marketed on the promise of these two working together. (Think Meryl Streep alongside Daniel Day-Lewis).  While Silence of the Lambs stars two Oscar winners, they weren't nearly as popular at the time of the film's release.

B) These two leads stand well in front of a larger ensemble, so while you can say that Hanks and Ryan helped sell You Got Mail, you can't give all the credit for Ocean's 11 to Clooney and Pitt.

C) Your praise of the film is because of the interplay between the two leads FIRST. So while Gravity has Bullock and Clooney, I wouldn't say they were my main reason for viewing the film. Same with Fight Club, which was as much about Fincher as Norton and Pitt.



1. Charade - Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. The very definition of what I'm talking about.
2. Heat - Pacino vs. De Niro. Felt like I was waiting my whole life for that diner scene.
3. Crimson Tide - This has a lot going on, but everything revolves around the battle of wills between Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington, both working at the top of their craft.
4. The Remains of the Day - There are a number of good supporting performances, but they all feel like cameos compared to the interaction between Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. Even in their scenes apart you can see each thinking long and hard about the other.
5. El Dorado - Some of John Wayne's most interesting films are the ones where he has to share the screen with a star of equal stature. I debated Liberty Valance, but between John Ford and the rich ensemble, it's hard to say that film rests solely with Wayne and James Stewart. Rooster Cogburn (which inspired this list) is a clear example of what I'm talking about. It pairs Wayne with Katharine Hepburn. That's what you get - those two bantering - and nothing more. However, there's something magical about Robert Mitchum working with Wayne. Two men with a similar skill set, doing a professional job together. It's a major reason why I prefer El Dorado to Rio Bravo


HONORABLE MENTIONS:
The African Queen - I love this movie, but with each viewing the two-hander playbook becomes more transparent.
All the President's Men - Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman's acting styles compliment each other nicely, but ultimately the story outshines the leads.
Ball of Fire - Arguably more star focused than the similar Lady Eve or His Girl Friday. Still it's hard to not share credit with the extensive supporting cast.
Holiday Inn - Cinema's greatest dancer and it's greatest singer, but I love the concept too.
Rain Man - This was a turning point for Tom Cruise, and I'm not sure what I'll think of Hoffman's method performance today.
Romancing the Stone - I think Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas were already stars, but this was my introduction to them. Plus Robert Zemeckis and Danny DeVito contribute a lot.

Junior

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Re: Top 5 Megastar Two-Handers
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2014, 08:22:58 PM »
Off the top of my head (and my top 100 list), The Lion in Winter.
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colonel_mexico

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Re: Top 5 Megastar Two-Handers
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2014, 08:50:27 PM »
1. PULP FICTION- Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta, their dialogue alone makes this film one of my favorites ever. 

2. THE FIGHTER- Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg embody what it is to be brothers and having that tough love.

3. SAVING MR. BANKS- Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson are these powerful people seemingly battling each other to obtain the same objective.

4. THE FUGITIVE- Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford, two men determined to accomplish what they must costs be damned.

5. GANGS OF NEW YORK- Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel-Day Lewis at the top of their craft with a final battle scene that is epic.

HM- THE QUIET MAN- John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara loved the love/hate chemistry and the ending sequences where he goes to get her is classic.
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jmbossy

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Re: Top 5 Megastar Two-Handers
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2014, 09:20:58 PM »
5. The Prestige
Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale
A film about rivalry and competition lead by two actors both determined to win any of their shared screen time.

4. Warrior/The Fighter (Tie)
Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy/Mark Whalberg and Christian Bale
Both are films about fighting, and about brothers struggling to manage their relationship with one and other. All 4 actors give performances that could arguably be their best.

3. Inside Man
Denzel Washington and Clive Owen
Maybe close to Washington's denouement, but Owen has not had a better year.

2. The Master
Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Hoffman had undeniable momentum coming into The Master. As for Phoenix, he may have been coming off a 5 year nadir, but he jumped right into 3 career high performances, all starting with The Master.

1. The Departed
Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon
They don't have many scenes together, but the scene with their first "interaction" is tremendous. As for their starpower at the time, they both had inconsistently effective performances both before and after, but both brought their A game for this ensemble piece.



« Last Edit: December 07, 2014, 09:28:32 PM by jmbossy »

colonel_mexico

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Re: Top 5 Megastar Two-Handers
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2014, 09:25:33 PM »
Love the list JM, but not sure if Joel Edgerton would qualify as megastar, that one did cross my  mind.  Though Joel is making his way up the ladder, he's with Bale in the upcoming EXODUS and he has been great in things like ANIMAL KINGDOM and THE GREAT GATSBY.
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jmbossy

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Re: Top 5 Megastar Two-Handers
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2014, 09:51:14 PM »
...not sure if Joel Edgerton would qualify as megastar, that one did cross my mind.

I honestly considered leaving it off too. I agree Edgerton isn't very renowned, but of his performances Warrior was definitely a highlight. Wasn't sure I could discount that.

As for the quality of my list, I wish it weren't so male-centric or (once again) so contemporary.

Oh, also Hounourable Mention. The Drop (Also too contemporary and male-centric).

1SO

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Re: Top 5 Megastar Two-Handers
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2014, 09:56:38 PM »
As for the quality of my list, I wish it weren't so male-centric or (once again) so contemporary.

I briefly thought about Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada, but that damn talented Emily Blunt was right in there with them.
It wouldn't crack my list, but I really liked the work of Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in The Heat.

colonel_mexico

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Re: Top 5 Megastar Two-Handers
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2014, 10:00:34 PM »
Emily Blunt with Tom Cruise in EDGE OF TOMORROW almost made my list, she's just great in everything and very nice on the eyes.
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