Sorry this one has been so late, guys. A couple of things kept me away from the computer and I wasn’t sure if I should go on with this until the comments are back up. But what the hell, let’s talk Blago even if it’s just on the boards.
Anybody who has been watching the saga of Rod Blagojevich play out over the last few weeks must have, at one point, thought that this would make a great movie. The Illinois governor, who was arrested for attempting to sell President-Elect Barack Obama’s now-vacant Senate seat, has been almost surreal in the follow-up, and the events surrounding him have been bizarre and comedic. He’s taken to reading poetry at press conferences, and Roland Burris, the guy he chose to take the seat – who the Illinois Secretary of State wouldn’t sign off on – was turned away from the Capitol building when he tried to show up for some Senatorating.
So who do you think should make this movie? Who should get the leading roles? Here are my picks:
Writer/director: The Coen Brothers. This just seems like a perfect mixture of idiocy and bluster for the Coens. They’ve satirized criminals and corporate chiefs and the intelligence community, and Blago would give them a chance to take a shot at government. And
Blago: Josh Brolin. You know he can do the hair. Imagine him re-enacting Blago’s icy morning jogs with that smile on his face, or reeling off obscenities and borderline mobster talk in those fed tapes. How about Brolin reenacting Blago on The Daily Show a year ago – you know, the episode where he claims he didn’t know it was a comedy show.
Burris: Frankie Faison. After five seasons of The Wire I think Faison has shed his character actor profile – roles in everything from C.H.U.D. to every single Hannibal Lector movie to Coming to America – and proved that not only does he have the chops, but he has the right stuff to play a guy caught in a bureacratic web of strangeness. I have to admit that I don’t have a handle of just what the fuck Burris’ deal is right now, but I think the guy who brought Ervin Burrell to life could get that grip.
Federal Investigator: Steve Buscemi. I would assume that the Coens would fictionalize the Fed side of things and condense many agents, investigators and officials into one or two characters. I’d love to see Buscemi playing a weedy, low level Fed who shines to taking down this good looking, charismatic bozo.
What do you think? I’ve made my Blago movie more of a comedy. Would you go thriller? Tragedy? Straight drama? Go to our boards and get involved with the discussion here.