Since Robert DeNiro first gained the attention of the public in the mid-1970s, the beginning of each new decade seemed to reaffirm his presence and importance to the world of film. 1980's \Raging Bull"" showed DeNiro's ability to transform himself physically as well as mentally for his craft, for which he received an Oscar for Leading Actor. 1990 began with his involvement in the modern classic ""Goodfellas"" as well as a Best Actor nomination for his work in ""Awakenings,"" and 1991 saw yet another nomination for his role in ""Cape Fear."" In 2000, DeNiro starred in ""Meet the Parents,"" which at the time was the highest-grossing film of his career. Yet it may have been this fact that has led Mr. DeNiro down a dark road in terms of credibility in the last five years, as he now seems intent on making mediocre comedies that don't utilize his talent.
The real crime isn't that DeNiro is using his talents for comedic films. It's that lately he's chosen to appear in comedies that use his presence as a gag in itself rather than actually calling on him to act. ""Meet the Parents"" and ""Analyze This"" are films in which humor is mainly built upon the tension between the macho tough guy and the wisecracking weakling. Robert DeNiro does not really contribute anything new to these types of roles, as he usually just builds upon his previous gangster image and makes it a little more over-the-top.
To be fair, both of those films were pleasant enough, even if some of the jokes weren't as funny as they should have been. But then came the sequels. It might have been initially amusing to see DeNiro make fun of his gangster/tough guy image, but it's time to stop. ""Meet the Fockers"" is an abhorrent exercise in banality, a poorly written and directed piece of drivel in which numerous talents are wasted-not just DeNiro's. It is extremely sad to see one of the greatest method actors reduced to phoning in roles that are just parodies of his characters from movies such as ""Taxi Driver"" or ""Casino.""
Although it's not what he'll be remembered for, DeNiro has been quite good in comic roles in films such as ""The King of Comedy"" and ""Brazil."" This is why it's all the more frustrating to watch DeNiro phone in his lines in ""Meet the Fockers,"" or to see him parody himself yet again in ""Shark Tale."" For someone who has spent most of their entire career taking on diverse, demanding roles, Mr. DeNiro has continually settled for sequels and clich??s for the last five or six years. Although it's sad to see, it is not surprising that DeNiro continually keeps taking on mediocre comedic roles. From a box office perspective, ""Shark Tale"" and ""Meet the Fockers"" are massive hits, and 2004 was the biggest year for DeNiro in terms of ticket sales. Mr. DeNiro is now fully contributing to and encouraging the Hollywood mentality that it should only make movies that are safe, proven commodities that please everyone and thus ensure more box office receipts.
Some might argue that it's impressive DeNiro is still working at all given Hollywood's lack of roles for actors over the age of 60, but I don't buy that. Not when you're as famous as Robert DeNiro. There surely must be better scripts out there for him, whatever the genre. There are without a doubt many good roles and filmmakers left for DeNiro to work with. But until he regains the desire to make quality films, we'll just have to keep watching ""Taxi Driver"" and remind ourselves of what he's capable of.
