Will’s Unpopular Opinion – J.K. Gordon – 3-10-16

I’M JUST SAYIN…
For those of you who don’t know (and those who do), it was recently reported that J.K. Simmons will be trading in his love/hate relationship with one famed superhero (Spider-man) for another one (Batman) in next summer’s judiciously anticipated block buster film, ‘Justice League’. Simmons will be taking on the role of Commissioner J. Gordon in the new flick, by portraying the police commissioner as a bit older, a bit tougher, and probably a bit balder…

However, as interesting and “exciting” as this news is, it’s hard not to see this casting choice as anything (right now) but catering to it’s base audience,.. comic-book fans. Which brings up the obvious question…is this actually insightful casting or overly indolent decision making on the studios part? Everybody loved Simmons in the Spider-man movies, with his portrayal of the easily irascible but lovable J. Jonah Jameson. He’s arguably one of the best cast actors in the whole trilogy. (Topher Grace being the worst…), and now in a similar role opposite Batman, he’ll be playing the same go-to frenemy civilian giving our protagonist just enough chutzpah to go out there and get his hero on. I can see the meme’s now…

Will this work? My answer now, knowing nothing,only experiencing this movie solely in my mind’s eye, is……”who knows?”. If this was a Nolan Batman movie I would almost definitely have to say “no”. The tone of the Dark Knight trilogy combined with the serious nature of the performances juxtaposed with Simmons’ occasional over the top acting stylings, almost wouldn’t be subtle enough to go head to head with Christian Bale and be taken seriously. (That doesn’t mean ‘Batman Begins’ wasn’t completely devoid of campy Gordon fare. Who can’t imagine J.K. Simmons trying to drive the Tumbler in the most awkward fashion? It’s almost too easy.) None of this isn’t to say Simmons’ isn’t a fantastic actor. However, his range at times is almost too exhilarating to ignore. Excluding cymbal tossing and hissy fits, his wide eyed facial expressions, and enthusiastic line delivery suggests to me this could be a potentially lighthearted role. Is that a good thing if it’s true? Again,…”who knows?” I don’t presume to know the tone or plot points of the film, but my gut tells me this; – he will probably play some type of comic relief in the movie, similarly to his character in ‘Terminator: Genesys’. Let’s just hope he’s not a blundering drunk.

However, as an aside, It’s hard not to notice the amount of overwhelming attention this essentially once tertiary comic book character has garnered as of late. Similar to Marvel’s ‘Deadpool’, (who feels as though he had been assiduously plucked out of obscurity in an attempt to keep a 50 year old franchise alive), Gordon was never THAT big of a persona until the mid 80’s when he was given a backstory about his family and his early days on the GCPD. Before that he was strictly relegated to being a back-up character, created to espouse expository dialogue to push the plot along. (Much like J.Jonah Jameson was.) But now, Gordon IS THE STORY, and affirmed so by being given his own show; ‘Gotham’, (Played by Austin Texas’ own Ben Mckenzie {who also voiced Batman in the ‘Batman: Year One’ animated movie, alongside other longtime live-action Gordon hopeful, Bryan Cranston, who actually played Gordon in the same cartoon flick}…….. It’s a Bill Murray/Garfield thing…kinda.)

(Brian Cranston Voicing Commissioner Gordon.)

[Meanwhile, on the newsstands], Gordon’s career path was slightly altered when Scott Snyder (writer) rewrote the character during his run on the DC Comics ongoing Batman series. Snyder propelled Gordon to become one of the main allures of the series, – transforming the once cop into the Dark Knight Detective himself….so to speak. (He drives a semi, and wears a giant Robocop suit with rabbit bat ears for antennas….yeah that’s a thing…) Either way, it’s safe to assume that Zack Snyder’s Gordon will probably be nothing like Scott Snyder’s.

At this point, acknowledging Gordon as a cemented top tier mainstream character is worth considering, and if that’s the case, maybe a little fan pandering isn’t such a terrible thing. Maybe a more likable “fun” actor is the way to go. In 1989 I never would have imagined Pat Hingle getting his own ‘Gordon’ TV-show where his ex-fiancee is an evil lesbian. Simultaneously, a comic book depicting the commish’ as a robo-dilettante vigilante is making the rounds on the stands. But Gordon was never more than  a plot device at that time. In fact, moving forward, maybe now is the time to expect more from the character and the actor/s portraying him. (Eddie Redmayne FTW…right?) I’m just not sure if that actor is J.K. Simmons. He’s a fine performer, and chews up scenery, but even as an Oscar winner,……. he’s just not my tempo.

-Will Valle