People think Michael Keaton's best ever role was in a comedy
With a career that includes stints playing Batman as well as a role in cult classic Beetlejuice alongside critically-acclaimed flicks Birdman and Spotlight, fans are pretty much spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a stand out role for actor Michael Keaton.
However, despite his impressive resume of dramatic roles, some fans reckon he was at his very best when starring as Captain Gene in 2010’s comedy The Other Guys.
The Other Guys centres on NYPD’s Detective Allen Gamble (played by Will Ferrell) and Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) - two misfit cops who are desperate to escape from their desk jobs and get out onto the beat.
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Keaton’s Captain Gene pretty much steals every scene he’s in.
Working as Gamble and Hoitz’s boss he manages to cram in TLC lyrics at pretty much every available opportunity, and has an unusual second job at Bed Bath & Beyond.
Despite his relentless references to TLC song - he drops lyrics from 'Creep', 'Scrubs' and 'Waterfalls' into casual conversation - Gene insists he has never heard of the band.
The movie was widely well-received by critics and audiences, with a 78 percent critic score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and 6.6 on IMDb.
And it seems that Keaton’s role was particularly popular with fans, with some even claiming it his best role yet.
Posting on Twitter, one fan said: “Michael Keaton in The Other Guys is one of the best comedic performances of all time.”
Another commented: “Michael Keaton in The Other Guys plays one of the best characters in movie history.”
A third wrote: “Michael Keaton deserved Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal in The Other Guys.”
While a fourth person added: “Michael Keaton in The Other Guys is his best role.”
High praise indeed.
With a career spanning six decades, Keaton is no stranger to praise and has racked up an impressive list of awards and nominations over the years - including an Oscar nomination for Birdman and a Golden Globe win for his role in Dopesick.
He’s also one of few stars to appear in both Marvel and DC - after playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in 1989’s Batman and Batman Returns, as well as playing Adrian Toomes/Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Morbius.
Despite appearing in both franchises, Keaton recently admitted that he’s never actually watched a Marvel or DC movie all the way through. Awkward.
He told Variety: "I know people don’t believe this, that I’ve never seen an entire version of any of those movies — any Marvel movie, any other."
He added: “And I don’t say that I don’t watch that because I’m highbrow — trust me! It’s not that.
"It’s just that there’s very little things I watch. I start watching something, and think it is great and I watch three episodes, but I have other shit to do!”
Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Batman
Claire Reid