HerrVarden
In this year, many famous deaths have impacted us all in various ways. While we may curse the year for robbing us of great talent, it's simply one of the inevitabilities of our world. It always feels bad that those with true ability will no longer continue to amaze us with their skills. Yet at the same time, that is not to say that all their work prior is in vain. To paraphrase Banksy, "we all die twice; once we let out our last breath, and again when our name is said for the very last time." Much of the greats' body of work lives on despite their actual bodies being buried in the ground. Their spirit reminds us of their greatness. In that regard, I would like to talk about an actor who, even though he's known to a great deal of us by two films, showed that there was a lot more to an actor than that. As you can imagine, that man is none other than Bob Hoskins.
To the commoner, Bob Hoskins wouldn't be much of a standout name, lest you were familiar with his Brooklyn accent in the two films that I've mentioned. Despite this, Hoskins was actually British, and worked in such films as The Long Good Friday, Ruby Blue, Mona Lisa, Hook, Pink Floyd's The Wall and countless others. Aside from playing a New Yorker, he was known to play Cockneys, gangsters and Cockney gangsters. But, he proved himself to be versatile enough to play J. Edgar Hoover and Nikita Khrushchev. Unfortunately, I have not looked at any of his other work, or at the very least his better work. Still, that's not to say that what little we do know isn't important in its own right. His roles as Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Mario Mario in Super Mario Brothers shaped his career and put him into the minds of many more people than would've known.
On my side, I can say that his work in Who Framed Roger Rabbit has been a great influence on me. While the film had a great variety of concepts that I enjoyed, as well as a plethora of memorable scenes, it was Hoskins's acting that got me so engrossed in the production. It took me a while to appreciate just how great his ability was in the project. Mainly, it was the fact that for the most part Hoskins had to imagine the characters he had to interact with. It is very tricky to act without something in front of you, let alone perform the proper actions to make them seem real. Yet Hoskins made sure to take into consideration any nudges or fidgeting that would occur from the toons moving in any which way when the special effects couldn't do so well enough. He made sure to focus in the right spots and treat that empty space as if it were a solid being. His preparation for the role is cute in its own right, as he would play with his daughter who had imaginary friends of her own. As he kept recognizing their existence, he was able to project that onto the toons he would act alongside. It really shows his dedication to finding any way to make his performance better.
Along with that, he makes Eddie Valiant a more interesting take on the hard-boiled detective sort. While there's various instances where the joke is played straight, Hoskins makes sure that the character still contains a more joking and light-hearted side. It's done in a very subtle way, which I think is great because it can still maintain the cynical attitude that stays with a man who's been through it all, as well as give him more humanity and connection with the audience. That and with this tone, the more goofy-sounding jokes still give believability to his character. At the end of it all, Eddie Valiant is simply looking for the answers and trying to do good for the world. Another thing I admire about Hoskins is just how he enjoyed himself in the role. It may not be incredibly obvious to a person seeing it as his role requires him to be more jaded, but he takes advantage of hitting all the notes necessary in a film-noir archetype. He's an alcoholic, a snarker, a gritty-talker, and a man who doesn't like to be pushed around by anyone. He finds himself seduced by a femme fatale and pushed around by a bunch of mooks, and confronts anyone who's played him like a sap in the harshest of manners. His reactions always told you what he was feeling, so much so that if the film was mute, you would follow him perefectly. It was a role that he embraced so much that you too could see how much he enjoyed being part of the film. Simply put, when Hoskins was on, you were in for a great ride.
As far as I can tell, Bob Hoskins was a standard professional actor, being well-versed in his field and astute about a variety of other subjects but also sincere and easy-going. One of my favorite quotes of his was that when asked what he owed to his parents, he said "Confidence. My mum used to say to me, "If somebody doesn't like you, fuck 'em, they've got bad taste." In other times I've seen him in interviews, it was evident how down to earth and happy he was. Perhaps in some way it was fitting that he didn't become that large of a household name. The reasonable amount of fame he received was sufficient for him and he wouldn't properly fit into the greater mainstream scene. Still, it wouldn't have hurt him, as he certainly had enough talent to reach those heights. In the few years before his death, he had retired acting after Snow White And The Huntsman, mainly due to his Parkinsons becoming more prevalent. While that ruined the likelihood of him being in any further films, it still is a shame to see such a talented man go. In turn I feel bad, as I do with many actors who have died, for not knowing more about his work before his death. But I know that the one work that I do know him from will always stay with me, mostly because of the wonderful performance that he gave in it. Rest in peace, Mr. Hoskins.
Nozdordomu
Ah, Bob Hoskins. Where have you been all this time? Playing a gangster or a working-class type in all manners of character acting, for sure. Winning awards at Cannes, I can see. While I haven’t seen much of you until now, when you made the headlines, I know you’ve been getting steady work in Britain. I also know that you passed away less than a month ago, and now all I can do is apostrophize. I didn’t expect to meet you in my lifetime, but it’s still sad to see you go.
That said, I feel like the wrong person to write about Hoskins. I haven’t seen The Long Good Friday, though I’ve heard it’s really good. I haven’t seen Mona Lisa, which looks like the kind of film I’d love and is on my long “to watch” list. Hell, I haven’t even seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which I really should have seen by now. That’s probably Hoskins’ most well-known picture, at least for Americans, but the only thing I know about Eddie Valiant is that Toon killed his brother. The only films for which I know Bob Hoskins are Hook, in which he played the thankless but memorable role of Smee, Hook’s underling; and, of course, the infamous cult sensation, the Super Mario Bros. movie.
I have a long and complicated history with Super Mario Bros. My earliest memory of the film goes back to age four or five, when my brother and I crowded around the TV to watch the VCR. We were both crazy about Mario back then, and although I can’t remember what we initially thought of the film, it must have caught us off guard. I vividly remember the Yoshi puppet, the Bob-omb, the weird scene where Mario and Luigi walk the dinosaur at the club, the freaky Goombas, and the brothers in their “stompers” (the last one’s on the cover, so that helps). Everything else is fuzzy. I have to admit, though, that Bob Hoskins’ Mario Mario (canon!) was the only live-action Mario I knew about until I came to YouChew. The nostalgia was strong enough to convince me to see the film again, which I did about two years ago.
Maybe now isn’t the time to admit that I don’t really like the Super Mario Bros. movie. It’s just hard for me to appreciate a film that’s as much a mess onscreen as it is off screen. Super Mario Bros. had a very troubled production, to say the least, with conflict between the studio and the directors over the film’s tone, copious budget overruns and shooting delays, and a ton of bizarre story and character choices. Mario is a father figure to Luigi? Koopa has a dominatrix wife? Toad is a folk singer? “Trust the fungus?” Argh, just thinking about the movie makes my head hurt. All the conflicting elements at play make the conflict uneven and muddled, and the set design feels like a retread of Total Recall’s Mars. It’s an interesting failure, for sure, but a failure nonetheless. That said, I understand why so many people, especially on this forum, like it. It has the great virtue of never being boring. It makes the best use of “Walk the Dinosaur” in film. It has this unique oddball charm that makes it watchable throughout. And although he’s a bit of an unsung hero when the film’s discussed, I think Hoskins deserves a lot of the credit for that.
Truth be told, Bob Hoskins gives the best performance in Super Mario Bros. It’s not the best performance of his career, but it is the most admirable. Dennis Hopper overacts a bit too much as Koopa and John Leguizamo seems miscast as Luigi, but Hoskins fits Mario better than you’d think, especially since Mario had little to no personality before the film came out. Before Nintendo made him a happy-go-lucky jumper, Hoskins had the good sense to take his working-class personality and apply it to the Italian plumber. His eye-rolling cynicism and everyman appeal make a nice contrast to Luigi’s idealism, and his professionalism ensures that Mario never seems self-aware. Some actors would play Mario if it meant a paycheck or pleasing their kids, and although Hoskins did take a big paycheck, that’s never evident in the final product. If nothing else, I have to admire Hoskins for committing so fully to his role. Hoskins went through more trouble for this film than most actors go through in their careers. Not everyone could survive a shoot like Super Mario Bros., which was apparently so painful for all the principal actors, Hoskins included, that they would frequently go off set during filming and get drunk.
Funnily enough, Hoskins never knew that the Mario film was based on a video game until he found his son Jack playing it. Bob later went on to call Super Mario Bros. the worst film he ever did, probably due the long bouts of drinking it inspired and the damage it did to his American career (though he kept making films in Britain). Jack, on the other hand, loves it and praises Bob's performance. Having grown up and read the negative reviews, he’s decided that he doesn’t care. “It’s no one's intention to ruin the classics,” he says; “if you remember your past enjoyments, then it would definitely keep your childhood memories alive and safely locked in your head forever." There you have it. Even though Bob suffered and drank a great deal to appear in Super Mario Bros., he gave enjoyment and many fond memories to all kinds of Mario- and movie-loving children. A lot of actors would love to achieve that, I bet, for children have all the influence. Several of those children, including James Rolfe, have grown up and continued to praise and defend the film online. Despite my disliking of the film, I say more power to them – especially if it keeps Bob Hoskins’ memory alive and locked in all our minds.
Although it’s tempting to lament Hoskins’ death at the unfair hands of Parkinson’s disease, or to complain that his swan song is a drippy Kristen Stewart film, I know it doesn’t really matter in the end. Bob Hoskins had a fulfilling career, a more fulfilling life than I can imagine, and a memorable role in a very memorable film based on a video game. Few video game films deserve that adjective. And, few actors deserve as much appreciation, admiration, and downright respect as Hoskin does. I know one thing: he’ll always be Mario for me.
