Zooey

JohnP left this comment on my post on Sarah Jessica Parker and Sex and the City, Little Girl Lost:

Saw "Failure To Launch" on a plane trip recently. It's only slightly better than you'd expect, but I noticed that Sarah Jessica Parker's gorgeous roommate stole scene after scene; it's almost worth watching for her alone. I'd never heard of this Zooey Deschanel before. What is she known for? Another post please!

Can't blame John for being smitten by Zooey.  He's obviously a man of fine taste and intellect.  He's not the only one though.  Bulworth and Holdie Lewie also called for a Zooey post.  I would say a mandate is building.

I will be happy to write about Zooey.  I have one of her latest movies, Winter Passing, on its way from Netflix, and I'll bet that will give me all the ammunition I need.

But I have written a little bit about her in the past, so in case you need a Zooey fix right away, here are the links to my reviews of two of her movies, Elf and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

For those of you concerned that my appreciation for Zooey signals a fickleness regarding my one and only Uma, fret not.   My heart remains true.  Which is why this news from Earl Bockenfeld that Uma's being dissed by the advertising geniuses in charge of hawking her new movie really steams me.

Comments

[nothstine]

For those few uninitiated there who might still be out there: The backstory hook that gets the "Hitchhiker's Guide" film rolling [a dreadfully mixed metaphor; sorry] is the moment when Deschanel's character says to the hapless Arthur Dent, whom she's just met at a party and who is instantly taken with her: Let's just go to Madagascar!

Arthur, not quite ready to launch himself on an adventure, hems and haws and eventually watches in dismay as someone far less deserving strolls off with her.

I can only say that if that character, played by that Zoe, had asked me to go to Madagascar, looking at me with those eyes over her gin and tonic, there'd have been no Campbellian shilly-shallying on my part, no "hero with a thousand faces" refusal of the quest.

The possibility in this life, however statistically remote, of meeting someone that heartstoppingly, make-you-forget-to-finish-your-sentence attractive is why sensible people carry a toothbrush, passport, and Lonely Planet: Madagascar* with them at all times.

bn

*And a towel.

[Michael Bains]

I think the thing I loved about her in The Hitchhikers' Guide, is that she's not your usual sex symbol. She's basically Girl Next Door gorgeous, and that's even more compelling, IMO.

Thanks for the pic, Lance. Now I need to rent Elf!

[mac macgillicuddy]

It may be worth noting here that in "Failure to Launch," for just a second, if you look real quick, you can see her naked.

It *may* be worth noting.

[burritoboy]

Instead you should see All The Real Girls. Of course, you should prepare your mind for All The Real Girls by watching Terence Malick and David Gordon Greene's first movie, George Washington.

[Chuck]

I'll second burritoboy's nomination of All the Real Girls, which I wrote about a long time ago in my old blog. It's probably not my best review, but Deschanel is one of the film's strengths. Her idle gestures, nervous hand movements, and halting way of speaking really bring her character to life. It's a great film and makes me want to see both Descahenl and David Gordon Green doing more work.