Posted by Baba at cpia.jhu.edu on July 09, 2001 at 10:29:38:
In Reply to: not to jump on the bashwagon... posted by Herbert West on July 09, 2001 at 02:43:28:
: however, if there was a person I didn't like or would have recast it would be Claire Forlani in Mallrats. I guess that could have been better, but even then...
That probably would've been the single most crucial recast in Mallrats. After all, Jeremy London did exactly what he was supposed to. Sure, he's a full zip code away from being a skilled performer but all he was really supposed to be was the "straight man" to Jason Lee's manic hero.
I've always felt that the REAL problem with T.S. Quint was that he wasn't written very well. Seriously, what could ANYBODY have done with that role?
Claire, on the other hand, was a disaster. Of course this is just my personal aesthetic, but I'd have preferred a more internalized, implosive actress in the role. Brandi doesn't have a lot of dialogue, so an expressive pair of eyes would've helped. With Claire, Kev. should've gone all-out with her glasses. If you're going to dwarf a girl's head with a goofy pair of glasses, you should just go all out and do what Guy Ritchie did with Alan Ford in Snatch.
Did anyone ever think to offer the role of Brandi Svenning to Tori Spelling . . . or did that just seem a little redundant. Nevertheless, she'd have filled those particular shoes like nobody's business.
Hell, you could've put double-cast Rooker as father and daughter (Rooker in a wig!!) and it would've seemed less awkward.
As is, we have the boring guy trying to get back together with his unconvincing and awkward girlfriend. Hard to root for, that!