Another Actor Sells His Soul

Oh, well, another actor sells his soul. Remember when Mark Ruffalo came out in You Can Count on Me (yes, a horrible title, but a great film--because of Mark Ruffalo). His performance was exciting; it felt unpredictable and raw and real. Well, I saw this ad for Just Like Heaven plastered on a subway entrance, and my heart sank. My distaste for this ad is right up there with Must Love Dogs. There's little Mark Ruffalo staring longingly up at box office jackpot Reese Witherspoon. Mark Ruffalo wants to be a big, big star. And it seems that he's chosen films based on whose name is on the marquee. Unfortunately, most of them have tanked. Here are some of his recent bombs: The Last Castle, Windtalkers, View from the Top, all starring big stars with whom he hoped to align himself. I do admit that he was the saving grace in In the Cut, but he had to share the screen with Meg Ryan. No thanks. And, yes, he made The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with Jim Carrey, but do you really remember his even being in it? His last movie 13 going on 30, I think, did pretty good box office, so maybe he is counting on that. Besides both flicks being supposedly "romantic comedies," I see one very distinct similarity: his picture in both ads is teeny tiny. That's the price of fame, I guess.