Bob Hoskins

Bob Hoskins is another actor who totally deserves a cupcake, and he's definitely been my imaginary boyfriend over the course of a movie or two!

He has a huge body of work, which you can examine at your leisure over at IMDB. I'm just going to hit the high points. Mostly because I rarely prepare for these works of praise, and have not seen even 1/4 of the fine fine work this man contributed to.

First, the top of the list, is a cameo role. He plays a butler in Maid in Manhattan, a movie which I like just fine, and have seen approximately 10 times. Me and my brother did not have Netflix for much of our time as roommates, and watched certain crowd-pleasers a little more often than most people do. And I love Mr. Hoskin's performance here! But it is a small role, and so there is not enough screen time of him for me to love this movie because of him. He definitely adds his bit. And I mostly love the rest of the movie too.

After that comes Mermaids, which also had some other great actors and actresses in it. This is the first time Mr. Hoskins became my (unacknowledged) imaginary boyfriend, because he TOTALLY sparkles here. He gets to play a romantic lead too, which he doesn't do all that often.

I swoon.

But I was about 18 when it came out, and even though I totally recognized his powers of persuasion, I did not really 'get' Bob Hoskins until a little later. Maybe seeing it again when I was a little older, or after seeing more of him in another of his fine films. I don't know, I wasn't taking notes.

Next I have to reference a little-known film called The White River Kid. Again, tons of other excellent actors and actresses in this one. I will confess, as an aside here, that I watched this movie for a bit part played by another imaginary boyfriend of mine, Chad Lindberg. That is another story, and even though I am sorely tempted, I will not be tempted off the path that is the story of my appreciation of Bob Hoskins.

I don't think The White River Kid was widely appreciated, or released, or something. It has OODLES of quirky charm, and, broadly, covers the topic of fraud. If a bit indirectly. Mostly self-delusion. Almost everybody in the movie is a crook, wants to become a crook, or is patently loony.

Up to an including the title character, who is a sweetheart of a violent and disturbed criminal.

In this movie Bob Hoskin's charm is on display as an unbridled enthusiasm for some of the finest things in life. Which he is trying to obtain under the guise of a monk selling irregular and cheap socks at county fairs to benefit orphans or something. I think they were blind orphans. Technically, they are imaginary blind orphans, since he made them up.

He makes a very special friend in this movie, which did not seem as hard as it might sound, for a man masquerading as a monk. Bob Hoskins is just. That. Smooth.

She was, admittedly, a lady of negotiable affections. But I am sure that she appreciated WAY more than his wallet, if you know what I mean. I think they ride off into the sunset together. I haven't seen this one in a while, I don't know if there was a sunset.

He plays another romantic lead in the animated film noir, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But this movie was a little too cartoony for my total enjoyment. And I'm not talking about the animation.

The animation was fun and very well done! I think it bothers me that the plot was a little too good vs. evil. Simplistic.

And moving right along to the last movie I am compelled to mention, a movie that came out the same year as Mermaids, and co-stars Denzel Washington. As a ghost. I am compelled to mention Heart Condition because I feel like I have seen it twice, once with no haunting at all! And again, more recently, with a large share of Denzel's character in spiritual form. Very surreal.

It's hard to love Bob Hoskins in this, because he is a racist buffoon. But that does not make that character a bad person, and he is an excellent actor!

Jobs well done, Bob Hoskins. Thanks.