For several years now, I have heard of the on-again off-again feature movie of the Stooges by the Farrelly Brothers. This morning on the radio, I heard Sean Penn has been cast as Larry, Jim Carrey as Curly and Benicio del Toro as Moe. The movie is not a biopic, but strictly derived from all their film shorts. No idea if it'll take place in the 40's or in modern times.

I also found this:


IMDB The Three Stooges (2010):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383010/fullcredits#cast

If this is true, it's a really bad idea. I've read discussion of this on several forums, and most folks agree that what made the Stooges funny wasn't the characters so much as the people playing them. Simply recasting them or updating them still won't be doing anything other than attempting to re-do what's already been done.

Things like this have been tried in the past, like the Bronson Pinchot/Gailard Sartain "Laurel and Hardy in FOR LOVE OR MUMMY" and the Penelope Spheeris LITTLE RASCALS film from a few years ago, and were ultimately pointless. All they do is remind you how good the originals were, and in time the originals are what people are going to reach for, not the remakes, reimaginings, recyclings, redundanceies.

I'm a huge Stooges fan, and have rolled my eyes to the point of pain every time this Farrelly Brothers project has reared its head over the last decade or so.


Ugh.

I just heard of this a couple of days ago. It's one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard of. If it were a few days later I'd think it was an April Fool's joke or something. I totally see your points Mark. While you're probably right, I do have to say that I'm waiting with rapt attention for this one. It has all the makings of a huge train wreck--and you know how hard it is to look away from a train wreck. At least the recent Stooges TV movie (biopic) tried to get people that were similar to the stooges physically (same with the recent Martin & Lewis TV movie from a few years back). I know that make-up, lighting and plain old acting ability can transform an actor into a very different character, but this casting just seems SOOO bizarre to me. I can see Jim Carrey being in it for his comedic and physical abilities, but not his look so much. The other guys though...wow! Maybe the simple bizarreness of it all will make it work. I have to admit that I like the idea of it simply being the Stooges doing Stooges things--as opposed to some behind-the-laughs documentary type of thing.

Unlike what I generally say for all the remakes we've discussed here at the board, I'm NOT going to keep my fingers crossed about this one. I'm simply going to follow it and see what happens. Good or bad, it should prove to be an interesting ride (at least until the crash)!

I'm in complete agreement... and I'm wincing at the thought of all this. For me personally, if this thing is to have any chance at all, they better not "modernize" the comedy (ie: swearing, toilet humor, gross gags, etc.). I have no problem if it's set in modern times, but the humor and slapstick had better be vintage Stooges.

i still can't believe it...

This morning, WEEI interviewed Bobby Farrelly of the Farrelly Brothers, about their upcoming documentary of former Red Sox pitcher Louis Tiant's return to Cuba after 46 years. WEEI did ask him a few questions about the Stooges movie and here are a few pieces of information:

-All three actors will physically look like the Stooges. Penn will have the "Larry hair" and Carrey is gaining about 70lbs to be Curly. (Yeah, but their height will be all wrong)
-It will be set in modern times.
-There will be new slapstick comedy, but be done in the "Stooges style"
-Indications that some Stooge situations will be revisited (like when they cause mayhem with rich snobs)

Boy, talk about pissing on the graves of the original stooges....

there are things that just can't be remade and remaking the stooges is it.

The Three Stooges (plus Shemp and the fake Curly ) were one of a kind people...not just characters to remake! Why does Hollywood insist on making these remakes?!!! BTW...MOE RULES!!!

they remake everything because movies are so exepensive now they are afraid to make a movie that isn't "pre-sold"

That's true, astroal and it may be more prolific now than ever. However, Hollywood has always remade movies ever since the first silent pictures were made. How many remakes of Phantom of the Opera are there? Or The Invisible Man?
And consider this: it has all come full circle. At one time, it was TV shows that were made based on movies (M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, Planet of the Apes, etc) and a ton of cartoons were made based on movies. Now you have movies based on TV shows and cartoons.

If anyone's interested, Sean Penn is no longer cast as Larry Fine. The roll will now be played by actor Paul Gaimatti.
Looking over his resume, I don't remember him in the few movies I've seen, in which he's had a part in.

IMDB: Paul Gaimatti
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0316079/

he was fantastic in American Splendor

not to mention John Adams

This one movie I am avoiding like the plague