Wednesday, September 23, 2009

RIP(ed) Patrick Swayze

While Patrick Swayze was one of the few actors to ever make People's Sexiest Man Alive (1991) who did not appeal to me, I've always enjoyed the outrageous campiness of his movies. From Roadhouse to Red Dawn his movies are just fun and incredibly fun to mock. Mike Nelson of Mystery Science Theater fame has made a second career out of deriding Swayze , of course, in an affectionate way. So I love the movies, but Swayze himself? Sorta like watching a cold burrito on screen. Maybe it was the mullet? I dunno though, Bono had a pretty serious mullet throughout the 80s and that didn't stop me from plastering his picture all over my locker. So I can't even blame the hockey hair. But I post this bit of eye candy for those of you who did love the Swayze in all his shirtless (and often pantless) glory.

My favorite so bad it was good Swayze film was Next of Kin (1989) in which he plays a cop and violinist (I know!) who must take down a gang of mobsters who have killed one of his brothers. Meanwhile another brother, a hillbilly (played by, I kid you not, Liam Neeson!) decides to take the law into his own hands and starts using a crossbow on local wiseguys. This movie is so packed with mockability that it really deserves its own shrine, website, or at least a pic spam where I dissect the stupidity scene by scene. Maybe another day my friends.

So to the actor who gave us the immortal pot throwing scene in Ghost, the line "Nobody puts baby in a corner," the Chippendales dance off with Chris Farley, and the surfing bank robber philosopher in Point Break, I say Rest in Peace, dude. Rest in Peace.

4 comments:

SteveQ said...

I went to IMDB, looking for a particularly bad Swayze film to mention - but they're all so middle-of-the-road!

Why did Henry Gibson's death not merit attention from the media? He was in "Nashville" and a number of other great films. And I never found out if he took the name because it sounds like Henrik Ibsen.

Kittenbiscuits said...

Aww, I was so Swayze Crazy in the early 90's. Which reminds me...the show Squidbilles did a whole episode called "Swayze Crazy." And yeah, his movies are so deliciously bad.

Here's a link to a clip of it. I think you might get a kick out of it.

http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=b0b2f017c4dc501bb15032aac0c4001f

AbbyNormal said...

He was at his best during that SNL skit with Chris Farley. That is how I will choose to remember him always. :-)

Anonymous said...

Yesterday I watch a movie of this man in my lunch time inxlpharmacy, I watched King Solomon's Mines , he was a great actor !