James Franco as James Dean

He did a really good job and bore a strong resemblance to Dean which helped. I wish it had been a feature film instead of a TNT movie tho. I doubt many people revisit James Dean (2001) since it’s only worth watching for Franco and his reputation is completely tarnished now. Pity.

Good film and performance.

He did great. Very beautiful and charming. Franco had charisma when young. Sad he fucked up his career with narcissism and vanity projects. Should have waited until he was in his 40s for that

Even though both were bisexual. Brando and Dean are gay icons and influenced the masculine gay subcultures. As did 100% gays like Rock Hudson. I do think Monty Clift deserves more love since he predated Brando and Dean and influenced both. I still don't know if Paul Newman was bisexual or just straight or just gay in a bearding marriage.

James Franco and Dane DeHaan look nothing alike yet both played James Dean and Harry Osborn.

The full movie is here. Really need to be a feature film with a bigger budget and would have to run at least over 2 hours to capture all of Dean's life. Franco did good here and it is a standout in his mostly mediocre filmography. You can tell the director had a small budget and short time to work with. We didn't even see Richard Davalos, Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor, Sal Mineo or Natalie Wood make an appearance here. It spent a lot of time on his romance with Pier Angeli and friendship with Martin Landeau and of course his relationship with his father Winton. Still not a bad movie at all.

R6 You nailed my thoughts. I would like to see a great movie made about him that covers everything in his life, not just a snapshot of it. Who would you cast as James Dean today?

Casted.

Bump

I'd like to see another biopic with steamy rough sex with Marlon Brando, the supposed threesome with Paul Newman and Eartha Kitt and the fucking around with Sal Mineo and Jack Simmons.

James Dean's entire limited career was based on copying Brando and most people acknowledged that he was always a terrible actor.

James Franco sure was purdy back then.

He’d be more convincing as James Deen.

It's the first time I ever noticed him in anything.

Will he join the ranks of La Spacey and never work in America again?

R11 That writer stays insulting James Dean on Twitter, so I can’t take anything he writes about Dean seriously. He’s also not nearly as harsh on Brando who was an asshole well into his old age. Also, I’m tired of people dismissing Dean’s talent based on his three movies when he did a substantial amount of television work which allowed him to demonstrate more range.

R10 According to William Bast and Vampira, Dean never had sex with Jack Simmons. Simmons really wanted to tho.

Why is James Dean criticized by so many people for being a Marlon Brando/Montgomery Clift copycat (which I don’t agree with, he was inspired by them but had his own style) but River Phoenix is worshipped for essentially being a James Dean copycat? I recently watched him in My Private Idaho and it felt like he was just playing James Dean.

I don't see anything Brandoesque in Dean's acting. Brando always projected an alpha male attitude though would have his breakdown which showed some vulnerability. James Dean's acting was more a tortured neurotic adolescent who certainly was no alpha. I see far more of Monty Clift's influence on Dean, Newman, Beatty, etc than Brando

Sal Mineo was more Brandoesque because he played tough-talking street punks who projected a tough shell but vulnerability inside. Same with Elvis in Schoolhouse Rock which was an imitation of Brando's The Wild One.

People need to understand art does not exist in a vacuum and everyone is inspired by others. Everyone's first work is derivative and over years, you develop your own style. Crediting your sources is always the most important thing. A lot of people who keep acting stuff as "copycat" most likely do not create any type of material and don't understand how hard it is to be distinctive.

R18 River Phoenix just played himself in My Own Private Idaho. He did mumble and avoid eye contact in interviews. Dogfight and Dark Blood honestly were two of his best performances because they were so unlike himself. He would have been a good character-type actor like Crispin Glover, Steve Buscemi, John Cusack and Daniel Day-Lewis.

[quote] James Dean's entire limited career was based on copying Brando and most people acknowledged that he was always a terrible actor.

Uh, no. That is a steaming pile of bullshit.

James Franco tried so hard to be a gay icon. He even made a biopic about Sal Mineo, had Brad Renfro tattooed on his body and made a recut of My Own Private Idaho.

LOL. You people are fucking retarded. James Dean acted like a retard in every scene. He was horrible.

R25 No he wasn’t.

He had a strong Indiana country accent rather than the overly enunciated Mid-Atlantic one that every Hollywood star was expected to get..

Rafa team or Berreteami 🐻?

Tsitsy team or Medvedev team?