It’s a little frustrating at this point when the rumors start flying and it’s hard to contain a single one of them to make certain that yes, something is happening, or no, it’s not. Ben Stiller’s inclusion into the Fast and Furious franchise is not a confirmed rumor according to some, but to Kevin Burwick of MovieWeb and a few others there’s a good chance that we could see the comedian in the mix with the crew, though how and where he’ll fit in is anyone’s guess. This isn’t exactly the type of movie that a lot of people are used to seeing Stiller in, though it’s been said that his performance in Tropic Thunder might have readied him for a movie such as this, but that’s kind of like saying that being in a scifi TV show makes one ready for a stint on the big screen. While Still is definitely great in what he does, Fast and Furious isn’t a comedy and unless he’s there to offer some form of comic relief it’s hard to see just what he’s going to be up to and what he’ll accomplish. He has acted in dramas that have made him appear quite talented, in fact I still think that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was one of his better performances.
Seeing him in an action movie that’s not comedic however does sound a bit odd, and it’s almost enough to think that he’ll be the comic relief of some sort, a kind of ‘there and gone’ character that doesn’t have a lot to do but isn’t so uniquely important that he’ll be needed to stick around. Right now there’s enough with the upcoming Fast and Furious movie that’s driving some fans up the wall since there’s a lot explaining to do in terms of how and why certain things have happened. Han is back somehow, Dom has a brother we’ve never heard about, and Cipher is of course back and ready to tear some stuff up since, being fair, Dom and his crew did upset her bid for world domination. But without Hobbs and Shaw there it’s definitely looking like Dom and his crew are going to need a little more backup, which means there might be a couple more faces in the mix that we haven’t seen in a while or haven’t seen yet. All in all the next Fast and Furious movie is going to be the type that will be best experienced by turning off one’s brain and just enjoying the big explosions and action sequences that are bound to come. Dirk Libbey of CinemaBlend has more to say on this. Where Stiller is going to fit into all of this is hard to say since knowing his history when it comes to movies it’s tough to say that of course he’s going to be part of the action.
It’d be nice to see Kurt Russell or Scott Eastwood make a return but there’s nothing that’s been said to make that a possibility yet, and it’d even be nice to see Ronda Rousey’s character make a comeback, or possibly Gal Gadot’s since hey, if Han can come back from an explosion that would kill pretty much anyone, why not have another character come back and make the claim that she suffered a wicked case of runway rash and couldn’t face the team for a while? See how that goes? The point is that the Fast and Furious franchise is really starting to run out of gas and somehow getting by on just fumes as they add a few more names and take away a couple in the process. This is a movie franchise that should have gladly ended with the first one and been happy they did so well, but insane car stunts, drama, explosions, and the continual escalation of the movies from street racing and illegal activities to saving the world has obviously caught on in a big way and people are basically throwing money at it in the hopes that it will just get bigger. So far that insane formula appears to work since with each movie the effects have gotten better and more death-defying as they’ve rolled along. But there has to be a point when people say enough, and at this time that point has definitely been reached, but people aren’t willing to admit as much yet.
Whatever part Stiller has to play in the movie is going to be irrelevant to the idea that nine movies is eight too many. Sure, the action and the effects have been interesting and even great in some instances, but the story never really changes. Dom and his crew have to face a challenge, the bad guy gets them angry, they come up with a stunt that’s crazy and unattainable, and people are pleased to throw cash at the movie in order to make it a box office hit. Frank Pallotta of Money has his own opinion on the matter. Sounds about standard.
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