Movie Maven

It's that guy.

You know, that guy. The guy you see all time in film and on TV, but never really know his name. You know you saw him somewhere... oh yeah! He was in that one episode of Criminal Intent- he played the rich sociopath who killed his wife by infecting her with a rare tropical disease. And I think he might have been one of Elaine's boyfriends on Seinfeld. And wasn't he the guy who gets killed first in that movie about the giant snake? Yeah, that guy!

They are a celebrity unto themselves, those guys. They exist in the film and television spectrum of the Law and Order empire and bit character roles in romantic comedies. They are third billed in the opening credits. They are the ones eaten first in horror flicks. They are henchmen and firefighters and reporters and ex-boyfriends and goofy best friends. They are that guy.

One of my favorite of those guys is a man named Evan Handler. Handler's got the true "that guy" resume, especially where television is concerned. There's the obligatory guest starring on Law and Order and Miami Vice. A couple of failed sitcoms, a few big blockbusters, including Natural Born Killers and Ransom. He played Charlotte's husband for awhile on Sex and the City. Just recently he was on Lost as a figment of one the principles' imagination. And he was brilliant! He usually is. I'm always ecstatic when I catch Handler on the screen- his performances are nuanced, memorable and always well-rounded. And I love to watch him. There's something deeply intelligent about his eyes, which makes him very attractive- short, barrel-chested and bald though he may be.

Another one of those guys is actually a girl. Ever heard of Clea DuVall? Maybe, maybe not, but there's no doubt you've seen her. There's something about DuVall's look that makes her perfect for The Rebellious Teenager roles- edgy and sometimes disturbed. She's been in everything from Girl, Interrupted, to The Faculty, to 21 Grams. She was also the designated girly screamer in films like The Grudge and Helter Skelter. But her best performance was as Sophie, the waifish psychic in HBO's Carnivale. Carnivale, which centered around a traveling circus in Depression-era America was one of HBO's shows that was never able to gain Sopranos-style popularity, but was probably one of the most intriguing shows on the network- which is saying a lot. And DuVall was wonderful was the haunted clairvoyant. Plus she had one of the hottest sex scenes I've ever seen with Nick Stahl (always a plus.)

There's a whole world of these guys (and girls) who actually make up most of Hollywood's working actors. And as long as Dick Wolf and Wes Craven have a breath in their body, there will be work for these talented sort-of-knowns.

p.s.: There's an excellent article on my beloved Salon, written by one of "Those Guys." Read it! Come on, you know you wanna!