I have no idea how Edward Norton manages to switch from muscular badass to schlubby everyman and back again for the various roles he plays, but in the comedic thriller “Leaves of Grass,” he’s definitely de-Hulked.
Norton takes on two roles to play identical twin brothers; one’s a straight-laced college professor, the other is a redneck pot dealer. The professor is beckoned back to his southern hometown by his somewhat estranged brother, who has a brilliant plan to take down his business competition — also known as the local drug lord.
In this clip, the brothers share a bonding moment over some primo weed, which the professor hasn’t smoked in years. Norton does a nice job of playing the two vastly different men, but I always find the split screen technology used when twins are played by one actor a little “off.” Movies have certainly come a long way in this sense since the original “The Parent Trap,” but I still find watching it very distracting as the interactions seem a bit wooden (since the actor is not actually interacting with anyone) and I’m constantly on the lookout for when they have to switch to a body double. But I guess that does mean Norton gets double the amount of weed, so it’s not all bad.
Also starring Keri Russell, Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss and Tim Blake Nelson (who also wrote and directed), “Leaves of Grass” recently premiered at the South by Southwest Festival, and has a DVD release date of April 20.
Source: Trailer Addict
. . .
Follow Rachel Coyne on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TheOpinionatedB.
Ugh. Edward Norton, Susan Sarandon and Richard Dreyfuss all in the same movie? I couldn’t want to watch this any less.
I was interested when you mentioned Edward Norton. I admit to having a bit of a soft spot for him. The rest of the cast, however, aside from maybe Susan Sarandon, is not overly inspiring and the subject matter seems labored. Just not sure at all about whether I would rush to go see that one. Tim Blake Nelson has a spotted history as a director, he doesn’t always deliver the goods and I don’t really like him as an actor.
Now that I’ve thought about it, the accent is really too bothersome even if it’s Edward Norton mouthing the words. I’ll definitely pass.