BERNIE MAC 1957 – 2008: RIP
Actor and comedian Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, aka Bernie Mac, died yesterday morning from complications due to pneumonia.
I was an enormous Mac fan, having first encountered him (as did many) in his stand-out tour de force appearance in Spike Lee’s recording of the record-breaking Original Kings of Comedy tour. I could never understand how people spoke about the “comedic genius” of Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and Chris Rock but never felt like adding Mac’s name to that list.
It bugged me tremendously that whilst Eddie Murphy was given shot after shot, blowing each and every one with the likes of Norbit or Meet Dave or Dadddy Day Camp and so on, Mac always seemed as if he was just inches away from breaking out into the mainstream with a true run-away hit that would turn him into the comedic A-lister he deserved to be.
He’ll best be remembered for his appearances in Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen. Or – unfortunately – for Guess Who, the obnoxious Ashton Kutchner led remake of Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner. However, we should not forget his nothing-short-of-sublime turn in the cult classic that is Bad Santa.
The man was a hell of a lot more hilarious then he was truly given the opportunity to show on the big screen; his talent was so immense he was the sole source of laugh-out-loud moments in the rather absymal Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and he was so effective in his Transformers ‘cameo’ that by the end I was hoping for a director’s cut with considerably less Jon Voight and much more Mac.
Best of all though, in his one act of movie headlining, he gave us Mr 3000 – a very much under-rated sports comedy in which he played fantastically well in a routinely safe movie. In Issue #12 of OFF THE SHELF I said, of that film, “…whilst I’m being honest enough to admit that it didn’t live up to my expectations from the hysterical trailer, I’m going all out to say that it’s a nice little, honest-and-from-the-heart sports comedy that will give you a good time thanks to Bernie Mac’s winsome lead performance but won’t even attempt to offer you up anything new or original in terms of the genre it represents.” My opinion on The Original Kings of Comedy can be found in Issue #29 of OFF THE SHELF also.
Yahoo has a detailed obiturary very much worth reading. Which you can find right here.
Bernie Mac was just fifty years of age and, even though he talked openly about wanting to wind-down and semi-retire into producing and occasional small movie roles, I genuinely feel there was so much more he could have given us despite what he’s left us with being more than enough. He will be missed and my thoughts go out to his friends and family at this incredibly upsetting time.
Your thoughts on this tragic passing in the talkback below, please!
Credit Counseling - Credit Consolidation - Credit Card Consolidation - United Specialties
2 Responses to “BERNIE MAC 1957 – 2008: RIP”
This is just horrible. He was always good value in safer pictures and, as you mention, exceptional in those that gave him the room to steal the show: Bad Santa and Transformers in particular.
Sad news indeed.
I urge ANYONE who hasn’t seen it already to check out Mr3000. This was a safe run of the mill movie with zero surprises but Mac did some fantastically funny and unique stuff in it!
I am so gutted by his passing! He never got the true shot he deserved!
Trackbacks
What's Your Opinion?