Deadpool: The ‘Merc with a mouth’ scores a cinematic hit

Deadpool is not even a movie.

The whole thing felt like a long comedy sketch that the likes of SNL or Funny Or Die may have produced (check out their Captain Planet series with Don Cheadle). Needless to say, the entire concept was brilliant. If there’s something that can define Ryan Reynolds from now on, it would be the titular “Merc with a mouth” created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza.

The role fit the actor perfectly like the costume itself. Reynolds probably didn’t even need to act. His past movies have had the actor mouthing off one-liners and sarcastic kiss-offs that I suspect were ad-libbed instead of being in the script. Particular favorites were comedic musical references like the ones in Blade 3 (David Hasselhoff) and RIPD (Steely Dan).

Given the great material written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, Reynolds had plenty of breathing room to let his innate comedic timing lose.  What were sporadic hints in the majority of turkeys where he appeared before—including Van Wilder—is now let loose with maniacal glee via the trash-talking superpowered mercenary.

The story’s simple enough. The problem-saddled main character dealing with less-than altruistic personalities in the name of love; the subsequent betrayal and the revenge that the villains had coming for them. All standard foundations in almost every known story in existence. But what makes the movie work is not the story at all. In this particular movie, story takes a backseat to the main character’s antics and rabid sense of humor. Every frame and situation just an excuse for the main character—and its equally interesting supporting cast—to come up with new ways to make the audience laugh or cringe or both.

And it works. And the many pop culture references that most Millennials may be clueless about would surely be relished by Gen X-ers and hipsters alike. It won’t be winning any major Academy awards, but Deadpool is a great wicked ride.

rsurtida

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