The “number one director” Dave Franco has always dreamed of working with
It can be hard to step out of your brother’s shadow. Of course, when your brother is a complete douche and gets himself cancelled for doing a bunch of horrible stuff, then that makes eclipsing him a lot easier.
Just ask Dave Franco. For years, it was his brother James who was the bigger star. Now that his name is mud, the younger sibling has been free to step into the limelight. Although if you’re going to marry Alison Brie, then you should be prepared to still get overshadowed at any given time.
As the de facto best Franco standing, Dave has been able to work with a number of very talented people across the movie industry. His appearances in the ‘Now You See Me’ franchise have allowed him to collect a trio of great directors’ business cards: Louis Leterrier, Jon M Chu, and Reuben Fleischer. Rose Glass, Noah Baumbach, and Barry Jenkins are among some of the other big names he’s worked with, but there’s one filmmaker who would really complete his bucket list.
Speaking to Rotten Tomatoes about his five favourite films, Franco revealed his love for the works of Alfred Hitchcock, Rob Reiner, and more. However, when it came to the very top of his list, there was only room for one movie and one creative force behind it.
“Being John Malkovich mashes different genres and spins everything on its head,” he said. “Spike Jonze tends to do that – he’s got his own unique take on the world and I love it. He’s probably the number one director that I would love to work with.”
Released in 1999, Being John Malkovich is about a struggling puppeteer who discovers a magical portal into the mind of the titular actor, who plays himself. The film is absolutely bonkers, a proper cult classic, with a legacy that is still felt to this day. It was Jonze’s feature film debut, having previously made his name filming music videos and skateboarding. He would go on to make three more movies: Adaptation, Where the Wild Things Are, and Her, a personal favourite of this humble writer. That’s hardly prolific, but if you’re only going to make four films, you’d better make them memorable.
It’s not just Jonze’s input that Franco enjoys about Being John Malkovich. “Charlie Kaufman is one of my favorite writers too,” he continued, praising the man behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Synecdoche, New York.
“John Cusack is so good in that movie – just so sad but yet so funny – and Cameron Diaz killed it in that role too,” he added. “That’s my favorite of hers. The fact that Malkovich even agreed to do the movie is such a fun element within itself. It works on many levels.”
Her, which was released in 2013, is Jonze’s most recent narrative directorial effort to date. He’s devoted most of his recent output to the ‘Jackass’ crew, working as a writer on their most recent film, as well as making a documentary about the Beastie Boys in 2020. If Franco really wants to work with him, it looks like he’s either going to have to start a rap group or throw himself off a rooftop in a shopping trolley
