Friday, October 29, 2010 at 12:36AM Another 'The Hangover 2' Casting Update
With all this Mel Gibson/Liam Neeson news for The Hangover 2, I can't help but think it takes away from their "cameo" appearances. I always thought the purpose was to surprise us with a cameo, not make headlines. And now Mike Tyson is back, and somehow in Thailand the same time the rest of the characters are.
I remember watching the Billy Crystal and Robin Williams movie Father's Day, and towards the end, there was a very unexpected, uncredited cameo. My family and I had to rewind that part to make sure we really did see a pierced out Mel Gibson. I bring it up because it was a very memorable scene, at least to me, and was just surprised to see someone like Mel do something like that. I can't help but feel that all this The Hangover 2 talk about cameos is really taking away from what it's meant to do: surprise the audience.
Talking about the cameo role itself, it's been reported to death why Mel doesn't have it anymore. It was reported that Zach Galifianakis complained about Mel, and now Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha have been added to that list. However, the cast is ready to welcome back Tyson, a convicted felon, and treat Mel like he has the ebola virus.
What gives? I'd like to hear what our readers think, because, well, I'm at a loss for words. I don't have bad feelings towards Tyson or Mel, but it seems there's a double standard being enforced on this set. Too bad this movie is just too high profile; the first one was produced quietly, until it was released with a massive box office explosion.
Tyson did have a comment, and I think he's taking the high road here:
"I'm not going to ever in my life point my finger at anyone. I don't live in a glass house. None of us do. I work with anybody, as long as they're respectful. We all have that guy -- a Mel Gibson -- in us. We just don't want people to be exposed to it. Maybe he needs to go get help. We all need help, and need someone to talk to. I'm not against him, but I'm not for him."
Reader Comments (7)
That's it. I'm not gonna watch this shit.
The difference between Mel & Tyson (to me) is that Mel hasn't yet seemed to be sorry for his actions. Nor has he admitted that what he has done was wrong. Tyson on the other hand has paid his debt to society by serving his jail sentence. He has also been publically making strides to show that he has changed. Has he actually changed? Who knows, but that's the perception. Mel seems to be digging in his heels & refusing to change. Not that he has to, but if he wants to be adored by his fans again he might want to consider it.
MM - Seriously? You aren't going to watch a movie b/c of their choice in cameos. Lets not forget what this movie is and it isn't about the tattoo artist in Bangkok. It is about the three guys doing what they do...and they do that better than anyone.
@W
I don't need Mike Tyson to give us a lecture about anything, guy's a wacko.
Oh this is bullshit. People should just lay off Mel. Tyson spelled it out for us in the first film: "That's alright man, like you said, people do dumb shit when they're fucked up." But hey I'll still watch it.
There's nothing Mel Gibson has done that he should apologize for, people have hated him for his beliefs for a long time and that's ridiculous.
I am not a religious person, I only believe in God as the guy who created stuff back in the beginning of all and who has nothing to do with us humans, but Mel Gibson has all the right in the world to be a strong-minded christian if he wants to, I've never seen him disrespect atheists or other religions the way atheists disrespect christians.
About racism, this is a compeltely stupid notion, most people call him racist because of Apocalypto, as it only showed the Mayans as barbarians and left out all the good stuff.
Now tell me something, if I make a movie about police corruption in L.A. for example, do I have to show Hollywood, people doing drugs, the Rockies etc etc etc? Of course not! And the same works with Apocalypto, it's a movie about a man trying to escape slavery (and the Mayas did have slaves, no one can argue about that), he has no obligation to show the good sides of the Mayas so that people don't hate them... it's the people's job to be able to recognize a movie doesn't show everything about a civilization.
There are some controversial parts in the movie regarding historical accuracy and things like that, but all of that has been explained by Gibson and his team, all you have to do is research it a little, as it would be too long to explain it here.
And finally, the most recent scandal, his fights with his wife.
Do you really want to condemn a guy for what he said to a woman who he now probably hates when they were fighting? When we fight we end up saying things that we normally don't use in our daily lives, things that we maybe feel even though we know those things are incorrect and therefore are ignored by us.
Everyone has some racism and mysoginism etc inside of them, if we didn't we wouldn't see sense in black people or women jokes. The point is that we have to treat and consider everyone as equals despite of that. I am always making jokes at a black friend of mine, but in no way do I think I am superior to her because of that. And she is also a woman! Geez guess I am no mysoginist also huh?
Those little feelings that we absorb during life (through other people, TV, movies etc), usually don't have an impact in our personality, they don't usually make us feel better than other people, we know that is a stupid concept! But in a fight they sometimes come to your mind when you are in need of some insult.
Well, that's pretty much it, I think this pressure the US is making on Mel Gibson is ridiculous, and sorry for this very long text, but I've been reading stuff about that the whole day and now everything kind of came off.
All right then, cya!
@Felipe
Sorry, but you are a moron.
I hate to open a comment with a statement like that, as usually you aren't taken seriously afterward, but I just had to get that out.
Mel Gibson is an antisemitic a-hole.
Mike Tyson has served his term and as mentioned above has been making public strides towards changing.
Yet Mel Gibson goes and has a nervous breakdown on his wife.
As for your remark about humor and racism, if you don't know the difference between racism and humor or when you the line is crossed, then you've got a problem.,..