What Happened With 'Run, Ronnie, Run'
By Bob Odenkirk
Well, what happened with Run, Ronnie, Run, was [that] the director, who was somebody we'd known for six years — I'll refer to him as Jack Frost — had been very cooperative and willing to execute our vision, and pretty much give it up to us at any time in the process, whether it was in the editing, or even in the directing. However, in this film, he got really distant from us, and then when it came time to edit, he asked us to leave. He came to us after the film was shot, and asked, “Is it okay if I do the first cut?” We said, “Sure, you worked so hard, go ahead and do the first cut. Just do us a favor and don't overcut it, so you don't mind changing anything.” He assured us he wouldn't, but of course he did. He cut like crazy. He was extremely proud. He thought he'd made a perfect film. And then when we went in and started giving notes, he immediately got really frustrated and angry, and on the second day of our effort at editing, he kicked us out. And from that day on, we were not allowed to call him directly anymore, only talk to his assistant; we were never allowed to see dailies of the movie; we could only make suggestions based on cuts that he had already made, or on our memory of the shooting from weeks before. We had no recourse, and he knew it. Read more in the new Chunklet...
(Also, Season 4 DVD coming.)
Posted at 2:02 PM
Look. The problem with "Run Ronnie Run" has very little to do with the editting. Watch the movie and pay attention to the story and the jokes made. You'll soon realize that the movie simply sucks. And as much as I like Mr. Show, the whole situation with "Run Ronnnie Run" is simply an egotistical mess. Bob and David went and made a very bad movie based on a very bad premise and Troy Miller is getting the brunt of the blame. What about Bob Odenkirk's "Melvin" movie? Who is to blame for that movie being mediocre? Or "Heat Vision and Jack"? That pilot for aTV show was not that funny.
Everyone has bad days and when an artist has a bad day, bad art can result. "Run Ronnie Run" is just not a good movie in any way. Bob and David are funny, but they are not perfect.
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Okay, I posted the above already hearing and reading about this "Run Ronnie Run" situation and the summary on the homepage was more of the same. But I read the whole Chunklet article and all I have to say is holy shit! I had no idea how full of himself Bob Odenkirk is. You know he makes these small gestures towards blaming his performance in the film and the weakness of the script (no shit!) as problems with the film. But he simply continually blames other people. He blames Troy Miller. He blames New Line. He does not blame himself and David Cross as much as anyone else. What an ego loon!
Back when HBO was putting Mr. Show on the air, Odenkirk would blabber on and on about how HBO is doing this and HBO is doing that and HBO does not understand us. But despite all of that, Mr. Show was funny and good! Now he's blaming New Line this and Troy Miller that and blah blah blah. Dude! Shut the fuck up already! Take responsibility for your own screwups. And in the case of "Run Ronnie Run" I think David Cross and Bob Odenkirk are simply using Troy Miller and New Line as scapegoats. Like I said before, I think Mr. Show is funny. And I think Bob Odenkirk and David Cross are talented. But they are not perfect. They have done some really bad work. And that's the harsh reality.
And here's a fun fact. If you ever have a chance to see Bob Odenkirk live as a solo artist, every Mr. Show fan should go ahead and do that. Because I have yet to have seen one live performance by him where he doesn't complain and moan about the executives and other people he has to work with at whatever project he's currently working on. He's just a big whiner.
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I like how, near the end, he sort of kisses New Line's ass.
"It's not New Line's fault, not in any way. In fact, I'd say that making a moving with them was most favorable. If anyone would like to reach me from New Line, my number is 213..."
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hmmm...i don't care either way, but "whine bob & david, whine" sounds like he might have some sort of stake in this argument. shit man, it's just a movie, and a b-list celeb (albeit a funny b-list celeb) bitching about it. no need to write a treatise on the subject.
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Ron Ronnie Run is one of the wurst comedieses i have ever seen. Rent Run Lola Run instead...
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I thought the movie was ok, especially the part with Jack Black. I had downloaded a different cut of it at one point, that was a smidgen better than the one released on dvd. It's still a bad movie and a hackneyed premise. Not enough quirk to make it truly funny.
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"dr. glasses", just so you know I work in the business and am a bit over exposed to this whole Mr. Show movie fiasco. I really like Mr. Show, but the movie stunk and the level of whining from Bob Odenkirk is simply pathetic on his part. That's it. And as a Mr. Show fan it is amazingly tedious to hear Mr. Show fans echo Odenkirk's assessment of "Run Ronnie Run" as if it were gospel. Geez, please just get back to reality. Even Monty Python has done bad work. So did Bill Murray. But do you see them spending over 2-3 years of their careers whining about that work? No. They accept that it sucked and move on.
That's all I am saying. Reading Bob Odenkirk's rant has the same effect as hearing Steve Albini's screeds against the record industry. It might have a shred of truth in it, but it wreaks of personal ego and really alienates people/fans who might be sympathetic.
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1. Heat Vision & Jack was hilarious.
2. Odenkirk didn't have any involvement in it. (You're thinking of Ben Stiller.)
3. No, I'm not drawing a direct correlation between 1. and 2.
(I wonder if Odenkirk is doing those Miller commercials to get back at Troy? Nahhh.)
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Considering that this director (Troy Miller) later went on to make such gems as Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd and National Lampoon's American Adventure, I'm going to have to side with Odenkirk on this. Miller obviously only does good work when there is actual talent around to hold his hand. So hearing that he shrugged off Bob and David during post production pretty much sums it up right there.
And yes, editing is just as crucial as he says it is. Especially with comedy.
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im going to have to agree with steve, editing is sort of a make it or break it moment. And 'especially with comedy'is very relevant. Watch dumb and dumberer, it is horrible. Granted the cast sucked, the script sucked, and the idea was absurd... You can tell the editing was one example of untalented and unprofessional comedic failures, something geniuses such as Bob and David should never be associated with.
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that chunklet link is broken. any chance it can be refreshed for those of us who really want to read it? :(
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The interview can now be found here:
http://chunklet.com/index.cfm?section=article&IssueID=2&ID=38
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