Is Shia Labeouf going off the rails or is his career still on track?
Our BNH view:
Only he (and most likely his agent) know if his ploy of donning a brown paper bag hat with “I AM NOT FAMOUS ANYMORE” at the Berlin Film Festival is a homeless person’s winter accessory or a PR necessity. If it is for PR and publicity sake, he should talk to Joaquin Phoenix, whose temporary insanity/homeless man shtick didn’t make his “I’m Still Here” docu-flick a hit.
Then again—Mr. Labeouf is starring in “Nymphomaniac,” which is basically a porn film rudely interrupted by actors who try to interject a plot. And—Shia’s “nuttiness” did get tongues wagging faster than the wagging tongues in “Nymphomaniac.” After all, if this movie (and future ones he’ll make) is/are made but is/are barely seen, is it like the proverbial tree in the forest that falls and no one hears it?
Will curiosity seekers who are intrigued by Shia’s bizarre behavior, seek out this film?
History will show the answer is “No.”
Unfortunately, Mr. Labeouf is taking a page out of Kanye West’s and Miley Cyrus’ career book: using whacky “gimmicks” and “anger issues” to LOUDLY sell an artist’s work rather than let the work speak for itself. Either a film stands on its own merits or people can’t stand it—and allow it to die a slow box office death.
Way back in the day, you didn’t see say Joan Crawford walking around with a paper bag covering her face at Cannes to promote one of her films…even though her daughter would wish she wore a plastic bag on her face.
It’d be a shame of Shia will be permanently known for brown bagging it, rather than be known for his talent in picking and acting in (mostly) quality films.
Who knows? It wouldn’t be surprising if even his recent bouts of plagiarizing are a PR ploy—though an embarrassing one. Not only did his short movie “Howard Cantour.com” rip off “Ghost World” creator Dan Clowes’ words, but Shia even plagiarized his apology from a 2010 post on Yahoo Answers!
It’s not all Shia’s fault he grew up to be “eccentric.” After all, he was a child actor on Disney Channel…and we all know how well adjusted 21st Century child actors turn out.
Thank God Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes turned out okay.
CLICK HERE for Shia’s antics at the ‘Nymphomaniac’ Press Conference.