The 1987 movie Bob Odenkirk despised at first sight: “Why did I hate it?”
It took Bob Odenkirk multiple viewings to appreciate one of his favourite movies.
Odenkirk is a fascinating actor who seems to have only recently unlocked his potential as a film star, having already conquered the world of television.
We know he was already a legend among cult comedy fans who loved his sketch series Mr Show with Bob and David, which he co-created with David Cross, but he earned newfound respect when he debuted the character of Saul Goodman in the hit AMC drama series Breaking Bad. Saul was such a fan-favourite, in fact, that he became the star of the spin-off series Better Call Saul, exploring how Odenkirk’s Jimmy McGill, an ambiguous lawyer, began to betray his values and become the seedy lawyer known as ‘Saul’ from Breaking Bad.
Prequel shows don’t always work, and there’s always doubt about spin-offs to shows that have already been canonised as classics. However, Better Call Saul may have even bettered Breaking Bad, and found a fascinating way to tie in the two shows with its brilliant conclusion. There was more hype than ever for what Odenkirk would do next, as he had begun experimenting with different types of film roles.
Although the actor nailed small roles in the Steven Spielberg political drama The Post and the romantic comedy Long Shot, he most notably transformed himself into an action star to appear in John Wick-style films like Normal and Nobody.
Odenkirk has made it abundantly clear that he is a major cinephile and that he has taken influence from his favourite films within the types of projects that he pursues. Although Odenkirk explained that he knew instantly that films like American Graffiti, Fanny and Alexander, and My Life as a Dog would stick with him for the rest of his life, he had a more complicated experience when he first watched the Wim Wenders surrealist fantasy drama Wings of Desire.
“I remember seeing Wings of Desire with my friend Jeff Garlin and hating the movie, but never forgetting it, and thinking about it often, and about the themes of it,” Odenkirk said. “It’s a great film. Why did I hate it? I remember thinking ‘this is obvious, the theme is so heavy-handed,’ but it’s kind of a big theme, and it’s worthy of contemplation and the patience that it is approached with.”
Odenkirk wasn’t alone in his thinking, as Wenders’ work has always been quite divisive. Wings of Desire may have earned him the ‘Best Director’ prize at the Cannes Film Festival, but it did receive a fair amount of critical blowback, which led him to face some issues in getting his next films funded. As Odenkirk pointed out, Wenders makes films about big themes that take a great deal of consideration, and they might not be fully appreciated upon just one viewing.
Wenders made other films within the same time frame that had similar resurgencies; even though Paris, Texas was received warmly when it debuted three years before Wings of Desire, it has become even more beloved over time, and is now considered to be one of the best films ever made.
A collaboration between Odenkirk and Wenders isn’t out of the cards, especially since the former may have to slow down on making action films after experiencing a near-fatal heart attack. Wenders got back within the industry’s good graces thanks to his most recent film, Perfect Days, which received an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best International Feature’.
