I smell a stinker. Mike Myers has signed on to take the lead in a live-action/CGI feature film about the famously lovesick French skunk, Pepè Le Pew. Despite the fact that Myers seems to have peaked back in 2001 with the first installment of the Shrek mega-series, the man continues to get (voice) roles. There’s no word yet on who will voice Penelope, the feline object of Monsieur Le Pew’s misguided, overzealous affections.
Don’t get me wrong, Myers used to be pure comedy gold – his role as his own lead character’s Scottish father in How I Married An Axe Murder will always top my list of all-time favorite comedic performances. But in the last few years, Myers, like his beloved Austin Powers, has lost his mojo. The Shrek movies have overstayed their welcome, The Love Guru was one of the most painful movies I’ve ever managed to sit through, and The Cat in the Hat was just plain awful. (And don’t even think the word “Goldmember.” Even a gold bikini-clad Beyoncè couldn’t save that movie.)
Then we’ve got the marriage of animation and live-action, which hasn’t been cool since Space Jam (and that’s not saying much). Then again, those Alvin and The Chipmunks movies raked in ticket sales across the country, so I guess they’ve opened up the door to the genre and the word “squeakquel.” (I really wish I could somehow unlearn that.) All I can say is, ALVIN! Damn you and your furry little friends for keeping the CGI/live-action market alive.
The Le Pew movie is an attempt by Warner Bros. to bank in on the underutilized Looney Tunes line-up, which begs the question of why they chose to start with a lesser known character like Pepè. Maybe Myers’ new accented character will channel some of that original Shrek magic, but I’d say the odds are about as good as Elmer Fudd’s odds of finally catching that wascly wabbit.
Source: NY Mag
