In 2005, we were, for the first time, given the movie star known as Bradley Cooper in the cult classic, Wedding Crashers, and ever since the, Cooper's acting ability has evolved tremendously. For the next four years following Wedding Crashers, Cooper took on minor supporting roles in such films such as Yes Man and He's Just Not That Into You. At this point in his career, nobody had really high expectations for the still amateur in the business. Never did we envision him being a top-tier name in Hollywood.
Then came 2009.
The Hangover.
Todd Philips' instant classic of a movie was Cooper's first true lead role, and he proved to the world that he can deliever the goods. With a supporting cast that included Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha, it would be easy for Cooper to get lost, but he steps up to the plate and hits a homerun. The Hangover went on to become the third-highest grossing R-rated movie of all-time behind The Passion of the Christ and The Matrix Reloaded and spawned The Hangover Part II, which become the fourth-highest grossing R-rated movie of all-time in 2011.
Cooper had then established himself as an actor more than capable of anchoring a blockbuster. He could choose virtually any path he wanted to, but instead, he resorted to his previous failure-like movies in such disasters as Case 39 and All About Steve. He attempted to get back to superstar status with The A-Team, the film adaption of the classic television show starring Liam Neeson, Sharlto Copley, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. However, the movie bombed at the box office (only managing $77.2 million on a $110 million budget) and it was largely considered at a critical failure (47% on Rotten Tomatoes).
But unlike before, Cooper kept trying to break into superstardom. In March 2011, he co-starred with Robert De Niro in Limitless, but that duo still couldn't ignite the box office, only grossing about $79.2 million. Then came the before-mentioned The Hangover Part II, putting Cooper right back into Hollywood's spotlight and forgiving his recent blunders.
Once again, Cooper had the Hangover success to put him anywhere he wanted, but he apparently didn't learn from his first mistake, starring in recent duds as The Words and Hit and Run, which have combined grossed only about $22 million.
But then I read a review of his next film, Silver Linings Playbook, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro, and a word was mentioned in the same sentence as Bradley Cooper that I had never anticipated: Oscar. Bradley Cooper should be considered an Oscar candidate? This past month, Silver Linings Playbook debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, one of the many Oscar indicators. The film came in with very limited Oscar buzz, but it ended up winning the festival's equivalent Best Picture and also thrusting Cooper, Lawrence, De Niro, and director David O. Russell's name right to the front of the pack for this year's Academy Awards. Then, another Cooper film, The Place Beyond the Pines debuted as well. Co-starring Ryan Gosling, this film also acquired positive word-of-mouth and once again, Cooper and Oscar was in the same sentence. However, The Place Beyond the Pines doesn't have a distributor this year, so it won't be released until next year and therefore preventing it from being in this year's race.
But Cooper has delievered two Oscar worthy performances, and in 2014, we could introduce Cooper as a two-time Oscar nominee. Is this a new and improved Bradley Cooper? Is this the Cooper we can expect from this point in his career on? Next summer, we'll see Cooper in The Hangover Part III, but afterwards, we'll see him in an untitled movie....directed by David O. Russell, potential Oscar gold again.
Maybe Cooper has learned from his mistakes in the early part of his career. Maybe he has realized that he does have legitmate talent and deserves better than the romantic comedy. He needs to stay on this path of success becasue if he does, he can truly become one of Hollywood's finest actors. If he doesn't, he'll probably end up like Matthew McConaughey, a respected actor but no hardware to prove it.
Bradley Cooper's career is at a crossroads. Here's hoping he chooses the road less traveled....the road that leads to the Hollywood Hall of Fame.
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