Matthew Broderick's Big Little Summer Push

Isn't it remarkable how little Matthew Broderick has changed over the years? I mean, yes, he's considerably heavier than he was when he made Ferris Bueller, but give him a break: He was already 23! He shouldn't have had the build of a 17-year-old anymore. Fast forward a dozen years and there's Broderick in Godzilla, a little puffier but definitely not nearing 40. Ditto Election, although he was supposed to look a little older in that, because his character is so worn-down. Jump to the here and now and Broderick, who's 46 years old now, still has a very boyish, almost Jerry Mathers-like quality. To counter that, he's taken roles that paint him in a negative light, like Election, like his recent turn as a completely selfish manchild in Helen Hunt's Then She Found Me, and his upcoming work in Finding Amanda and Diminished Capacity. In the first, Broderick plays an recovering alcoholic and drug addict who can't quit one thing: Gambling. So where better to send him than Las Vegas, where he tries to persuade his 20-year-old niece (Brittany Snow) that prostitution isn't the life for her. Also: Steve Coogan.

Finding Amanda is in limited release beginning tomorrow. So, you know, check your paper for showtimes.

His next flick, Diminshed Capacity, is also an indie comedy. Here, Broderick plays a cartoonist who starts suffering memory loss. Avoiding the hustle and bustle of Chicago, he goes to his hometown where he forms an unlikely bond over vintage baseball cards with his uncle (Alan Alda, who should work a lot more often), who himself is beginning to suffer from Alzheimer's.

Diminished Capacity is due out...next weekend. So, it's a busy ten days for Matthew Broderick. Funny thing is, even if he's so busy he can't find time to shave, I still don't think he could grow much of a beard.