Who the Heck is Stanley Tucci?

Ivan says:

So -- what are your thoughts on Stanley Tucci? He is definitely an underrated actor. Do you sense an "underrated actor" theme in my writings? Billy Cruddup, Stanley Tucci -- next we'll be talking about Liev Schreiber. It's always the actors who are not necessarily in the mainstream that catch my eye -- and of course, there are some who are universally "easy to look at" (but I'm not a Brad Pitt fan; I've said that before).

Listening to the radio this morning, WBGG, the #2 station in Miami, (this station gives radio a bad name), I hear one of the DJs announce, "I don't even know how to pronounce his name, who's this 'Lee-ev Shiber guy". I'm like, "WHAT?" I can't even imagine that someone on the radio in the 10th largest market in the US could be so stupid.

Anyway, Liev and Stanley were in the charming film, "The Daytrippers", with Hope Davis (one of my very faves) and Parker Posey, a quirky cutie! The story is funny ... Hope Davis drives from Long Island into NYC with her family in search of her husband, played by Stanley Tucci (Anne Meara is her mother, Parker Posey/Liev Schreiber as the sister and sister's boyfriend). They have a few adventures along the way and it's mildly amusing.

When they finally find Stanley, he's at an office party -- with his boyfriend. At this point, the story turns serious. But Stanley is so convincing as a married man with a boyfriend (I know it sounds crazy).

Stanley is also in the "The Core", a less than mediocre film -- it's a very contrived mix of "Journey to the Center of the Earth" meets "Fantastic Voyage". He plays a self-absorbed and arrogant world famous scientist -- who turns out to be a nice guy in the end. You might have also seem him on Broadway with Edie Falco, of "The Sopranos" fame, in "Frankie and Johnnie in the Claire de Lune" -- I'm sorry to say that I missed it.

Whenever I'm asked to name some of my favorite actors, I have a hard time answering because I think there's something to like about many, many actors -- and it's not just one thing that leaves an impression on me.

So, what brought me to the subject of Stanley Tucci today? Well, I just watched "Robots", an unabashedly cute animated film, and he's the voice of the father.

Question of the day: Can someone who thinks "Crash" is sensational also find something to like in a film like "Robots"? Oh, yes he can!