Kevin Bacon’sfilmography is so extensivethat there’s a literal trivia game named after him. In fact,Bacon’s popularity might actually have done him a disservice, as he’s more well-known for being in so many films, and not for how great he is usually in them. Some actors work at different rates, and Bacon has certainly put in the work. However, it’s not surprising why Bacon tends to appear in so many classics;he’s always had the persona of being a kind, generally jovial guy.
Despite being in the good graces of the industry, Bacon proved inJames Gunn’s underrated action comedySuperthat he could play against type in a completely different type of role. Although he’s earned the reputation of being a nice guy, Bacon’s supervillain is among the nastiest characters that he’s ever played.
After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, but lacking in heroic skills.
Kevin Bacon Is Completely Unlikeable as Jacques in ‘Super’
The Guardians of the Galaxyfranchiseisn’t the first time that Gunn reinvented the superhero genre. His comedy filmSuperfollows the down-on-his-luck cook Frank Darbo (Rainn Wilson), a comic book fan who can’t help but feel like his life is collapsing around him. In many ways,Frank feels like a slightly less neurotic version ofThe Office’s Dwight Shrute. His life has been a series of disappointments, and he’s immortalized his rare moments of happiness in drawings that he keeps in his apartment. One of Frank’s few happy memories is marrying his wife, Sarah Helgeland (Liv Tyler). However, Sarah ends up leaving him after the chauvinistic strip club owner Jacques (Bacon) got her addicted to drugs. Sarah was the only person in Frank’s life who treated him with any respect, andJacques single-handedly turned her into a shadow of her former self.
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Jacques isn’t just the villain ofSuper;he’s a character that seems scientifically designed to be as unlikeable as possibleand the complete opposite of Frank. Frank has trouble initiating even simple interactions with other people and has almost no friends outside of Sarah. Comparatively, Jacques has a crew of criminally-minded buddies who follow him like a pack of wolves. Frank has very little self-confidence and takes no pride in himself, but Jacques boasts of his success, despite the sleazy nature of his profession. While neither character has a lot of ambition, Jacques seems to be happy with his life, and Frank couldn’t be more miserable.Bacon does a great job of making Wilson’s character feel even more insecure in comparison.It sets up a perfect conflict between characters that are polar opposites.Jacques is theperfect small-scale villainwho fits within the confines of the story thatSuperis telling.
Kevin Bacon and Rainn Wilson Play Complete Opposites
After drawing inspiration from a public-access superhero television program, Frank decides to suit up and become a superhero. Unfortunately forSuper,the notion of an “average guy with no powers” taking it upon himself to become a costumed crime-fighter wasn’t original, asMatthew Vaughn’sKick-Asshad done it first (and better) a few months prior. The issue withSuperis that, unlikeKick-Ass’ Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Frank is uncharismatic, and borderline psychopathic at times. While this could have made him into an unengaging protagonist, the character of Jacquesis so unlikeable that it provides viewers with a reason to invest in whatever Frank is doing to stop him. While Frank’s attempts to become a superhero are a little strange, it’s understandable why someone as dangerous as Jacques needs to be dealt with.
Outside of being outwardly villainous in his illicit activities, Jacques is just mean and obnoxious. Frank’s understanding of the world is almost childish, andJacques is essentially a schoolyard bully who has grown up. Upon Frank’s first appearance in costume, Jacques mercilessly mocks him. This gives Frank the motivating factor that he needs to take Jacque down. Frank’s mission really doesn’t have anything to do with being a superhero; he just wants to find Sarah and bring her to safety. Jacques ties into this story brilliantly. Frank isn’t just literally saving Sarah from Jacques and his gang of goons;he’s trying to save her on a spiritual level by getting rid of Jacques’ corrupting influence.
Even thoughSuperfeatures a lot of Gunn’s trademark dark comedy,the film doesn’t treat the threat that Jacques presents as a joke. Thesubject of drug addictionis one the film treats seriously, as the blame is never placed on Sarah. Jacques’ malicious nature ended up hurting Sarah, who he never took responsibility for by helping her. This is what ultimately makes Jacques more terrifying than most fictional supervillains. While it’s hard to imagine what a “supervillain” would look like in real life, Jacques’ characterization reflects an unfortunate window into reality.
Kevin Bacon Plays a Unique Villain
AlthoughSupershows that real-life and comic book stories are very different, Bacon can homage to different comic book villains with his performance.Like most great supervillains,Jacques is a coward who never takes it upon himself to actually get into a fight; he relies on his thugs to do the dirty work. Jacques is cruel enough to insult Frank in front of a crowd of friends,but lacks the courage to face off with him one-on-one. In this, Bacon does a great job at chewing the scenery. While on the surface he’s just being an egotistical jerk,it’s easy to see why Jacques’ activities could be misinterpreted as “villainy” in Frank’s eyes. It makes Jacques’ death all the more satisfying, as he gets an exaggerated “supervillain death” that fits within Frank’s worldview.
Bacon has played villains before, but evenX-Men: First Class’ Sebastian Shawwas somewhat charismatic, and had a reason for his actions.Jacques isn’t compelling at all; he’s ruthless, irresponsible, and doesn’t have any good justification for his actions. AlthoughSupercan be interpreted as a parody, Bacon’s depiction of Jacques isn’t amusing in the slightest. It shows just how great of an actor Bacon isthat he was able to capture the persona of a complete monster.
Superis available to stream on Tubi
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