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| 1941-2023 |
I am flippant. That's one of my charms
1) Paper Moon Peter Bogdanovich 1973
2) So Fine Andrew Bergman 1981
3) What's Up, Doc? Peter Bogdanovich 1972
4) Barry Lyndon Stanley Kubrick 1975
5) Nickelodeon Peter Bogdanovich 1976
6) Tough Guys Don't Dance Norman Mailer 1987
7) Wild Rovers Blake Edwards 1971
8) Chances Are Emile Andolino 1989
9) Love Story Arthur Hiller 1970
10) Zero Effect Jake Kasdan 1998
Busy with guest spots on 60s television, he hit paydirt as Rodney Harrington on Peyton Place, typing O'Neal as a preppie heartthrob. He parlayed that to leading man status, becoming a star due to the smash success of Love Story. The popularity of that waste basket of tissues was somewhat preordained by the way America had clutched Erich Segal's slim tome to its collective breast. The slick facility of the film managed to please both the youth market and the silent majority. O'Neal's lightweight charm, which carried the picture, was a throwback to that of the romantic leads of the classic American cinema and was in contrast to the edgy, alienated, and urban new breed exemplified by Elliott Gould, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro.
O'Neal's heyday was brief, he was undone by appearing in too many expensive flops, culminating in Oliver's Song; an echo that failed to resound. His personal life was unstable and contributed to his limited opportunities after 1980. The failure of The Driver displayed his limitations as an action star. Films after his decline that used him well either utilized his lightweight talent (So Fine, Chances Are) or had him work against it (Tough Guy..., Zero Effect) His best work has held up better than I expected it to. I also enjoy his efforts in The Thief Who Came to Dinner and Irreconcilable Differences.
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