My 2020 Post-(Virtual) Reunion Analysis Part I

Well, Alright, Alright, Alright.  The virtual reunion/script read/Q&A just ended and there is a lot to unpack.  In this Part I, I'll address the overall vibe, who couldn't show up, what guests played what roles, tech glitches and a few other notes about the script read. 

First (not that anyone in the cast will ever read this), I have to thank the cast, as well as Voto Latino and March for Science, for getting together on this and making it happen.  A lot of people like this film, and I want to let the ENTIRE cast - from whatever is the "perceived" top to the "perceived" bottom of the cast based on their careers since the film came out - as well as Richard Linklater know that you could never understand how much it means to hardcore fans to have everyone back together again to read this script.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for doing this.  We don't care if your hair color is different now, or you have a beard, or if you only had a few lines.  For me and many others, seeing people like Esteban, Mark V, Jeremy, Christine and Christin is just as important and they are just as responsible for making this movie what it is as the bigger names like Affleck, McConaughey, and Posey.  

OK, let's look at some of my predictions.  This reunion (at least as far as the public knowledge of it) was pretty short notice.  It was promoted for the first time in late Sept/early Oct and took place on Oct 11, so not a lot of time to prepare or analyze.  I knew right off the bat Shawn Andrews (Pickford) would not be part of it as no one liked him, so as I scanned names on the promo I wasn't surprised to find him missing.  When Jensen Ackles was announced as a guest star, I figured he would slide in a Pickford.

The next prediction happened at the last minute when Affleck couldn't make it due to internet issues.  Listen, Ben Affleck has a lot going on, I'm sure, he can't re-arrange his life to make an event like this.  But I would love to know where in the world he is during a pandemic that doesn't allow for internet good enough to take part in a Zoom call.  He was nice enough to record a short video that was played before the start of the read, and I do think he was upset about not being able to participate.  Anyway, the Affleck issue was determined on Oct 9 during the tech rehearsal and on Oct 10, suddenly a new guest was announced - Ashton Kutcher.  I stated then that although Jensen Ackles was probably ideally a better O'Bannion and Kutcher a better Pickford, because of the timing it seemed that Kutcher was likely replacing Ben, and Ackles was playing Pickford as originally thought.  This turned out to be true, so let's talk about these two and their performances in depth.

Ackles did a good job as Pickford.  He really nailed the beer delivery scene and the eye movement.  I really didn't miss Shawn Andrews at all tonight, so Ackles did the job.  As far as Kutcher, I was less enthused going in.  I'm not a huge fan of Ashton and had a hard time imagining him as O'Bannion.  Let me preface my review by saying that Affleck, of course, would have been better.  Nobody can do O'Bannion like the original O'Bannion.  But I have to say Kutcher surprised me.  He was clearly into it, and performed admirably.  I assumed he must be a big fan of the film, otherwise he wouldn't be able to step in at the last minute and perform with any real gusto.  And he did bring some gusto.  He had a Hello Kitty ping pong paddle in his hands for the paddle scenes, and I believe he poured milk on his own head to simulate the paint scene (someone could have done it from off camera for him, I'll have to go back and watch again - EDIT: he poured milk on his own head, bravo!).  

Ashton and Ackles both talked during the Q&A about how much the movie impacted them when they were younger, and Ashton surprised me with his passion.  I knew Ackles lives in Austin, so maybe that's why his passion was less shocking.  Of course, Kutcher was in That 70s Show and many feel he resembles Randy Pink Floyd in that role - never quite understood that past the visual similarity.  Kelso on That 70s Show was a big dummy goofball who happened to look and dress like Randy Floyd, IMO.  But Jason London and Ashton had quite an emotional moment during the Q&A talking about the influence and how they respected one another.  It was really nice to watch.  Ashton really detailed how much of a fan he is of the film.

NOW to the most important part of this script read - the script!  If you read my analysis of Jason (2020 narrator) Reitman's 2015 script read, the version of the script to be used tonight was of utmost importance.  The version of the script readily available to the public, on this blog and other sites, is a pre-production version that changed QUITE a bit during filming.  This is due to Linklater's willingness to let the actors ad-lib and come up with plausible scenes in their own minds.  Some of it didn't make the film, but a lot did.  So much of Wooderson is ad-libbed, Mike's "I wanna dance" line, and a lot more.  So none of that is in the "script".  Reitman used the pre-production script in 2015 but I knew that wouldn't pass muster for an event such as tonight.  They had to get a script version of the actual movie, as everyone knows it.  The problem is, one didn't really exist.  They went in with a script, made a movie with ad-libs and cuts, and the original script was never re-written.  Cue the Director and Writer to save the day.

THANK YOU RICHARD LINKLATER!  Richard came to the rescue, knew they needed it, and basically wrote the movie on paper for this read through.  I'll tell you, nothing made this night and this script read what it was more than the fact that they re-created the ACTUAL MOVIE instead of the pre-production script.  I was literally overjoyed when they started and it didn't follow the February 1992 script found on this blog.  

Technical glitches - nobody had a really bad internet connection, thankfully.  Most of the tech glitches were user error - people being on mute when they weren't supposed to be, or people using all different methods of mics - some had headphones with a mic, some earbuds with a mic, and others just using the mic and speakers of their laptop.  A lot of the problems were with folks using mic and speakers from their laptop, I have to say.  Some folks had a hard time "staying centered" on their screen, which was vital to being able to see them when multiple people were displayed - again, user error.  None of this was unexpected or a huge bummer in any way.

So who played the other roles?  Was anyone else besides Ben missing?  Well yes, one other fairly major player was not present - Nicky Katt (Clint).  I had no idea, as he was listed on the promo poster and I didn't hear anyone mention he wouldn't be there.  So who played Clint?  Another very last minute special guest, Zachary Levi.  Maybe Nicky had a very last minute issue, as Zachary was not announced until the same day, Sunday October 11, 2020.  Mr. Levi did a fine job, and played several other roles that I'll detail in the Part II of this post.

Overall this was a great night.  I think that's all for now.  I'll be back in the next few days with Part II of this analysis and will review a lot of little details and more on who filled in on the smaller roles like Ms. Ginny Stroud, the Liquor Store clerk, and Pentico. I'll detail the issues Rory had, how hard Jason was on him, and many other tidbits!  Edit: Click here for Part II.