Blind Date & Sunset

For this first entry of Bruno-Vision, I’m combining his first and second major starring roles in film because they were both directed by the legendary Blake Edwards and they came out only 1 year apart. Also, neither film is particularly good.

But first, some context.

After some TV guest spots including Miami Vice, Bruce hit it big in TV with Moonlighting, co-starring Cybill Shepard. The show was a romantic dramedy with Bruno starring as a wise cracking detective and the detective agency he manages with a former model, played by Shepard. The hour long program quickly proved to be a hit thanks to the “will they or won’t they” chemistry Bruce had with Cybill.

It makes sense, then, that his first starring role was in the romantic comedy Blind Date in 1987, co-starring Kim Basinger, Phil Hartman (!), and John Larroquette. As I mentioned, the film is directed by Blake Edwards. Edwards is one of the most esteemed comedy directors of all time, making such classics as The Pink Panther franchise with Peter Sellers, 10 with Dudley Moore and Victor/Victoria & S.O.B, both of which starred his wife, iconic actress Julie Andrews (Mary fucking Poppins, y’all).

I actually watched this movie a ton as a kid, mostly because of my love for Bruce, and while I never remembered it being a laugh riot, I do remember being amused enough by all the slapstick to never care at the time.

Unfortunately, time has not been kind to this film as Blind Date is a bit of a slog to get through. The movie suffers from terrible pacing (and at only 96 minutes, that’s an extra YIKES) and half baked jokes throughout.

BUT, we are here to talk about my boy, my dad, my man; BRUCE. So how does he fair here? Well, he does the best he can with what he’s given! He’s in full blown slapstick mode and that famous smirk is on full display throughout. It’s not a game changing performance by any means (that was coming the following year), but Bruce is flexing those comedy chops hard which is always fun to see.

Blind Date was not a critical darling, but it did gross $39 million upon release, which was a VERY respectable number for a low budget romantic comedy at the time. So naturally, Bruce re-teamed with Edwards again for his next movie.

Which brings us to…

Sunset is a weird ass movie. It takes place in 1929 Hollywood where an older Wyatt Earp (played by the charming James Garner) is working as a technical advisor for a film about himself. Who plays Wyatt? Well, that would be Tom Nix, America’s number one box office cowboy, played by Bruce Willis. If that’s not wild enough, the former law man and the Hollywood big shot actually team together to solve a murder that has deep roots in Tinsletown’s most powerful circles.

Right off the bat, this movie is much easier to watch than Blind Date. The opening of Sunset is a scene being filmed for one of Nix’s upcoming westerns, and it’s filled with old school cowboy stunts and a rousing score by Henry Mancini (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Pink Panther), and since Edwards is an old school director, he nails this scene.

The rest of the film, however, is a mixed bag.

The tone goes back and forth between light hearted comedy and overly serious murder mystery, the pace isn’t much better than Blind Date, and truthfully Bruce is completely miscast as the western leading man. Everything about him just screams 1980s, not an ideal trait for someone supposed to be in the 1920s.

BUT, seeing as this is only his second major motion picture, he is still giving it his all. Unlike Blind Date, Bruce isn’t in comedy mode here, in fact, he mostly plays it straight, which was new for him at the time. He even lets loose his tough side for the first time on the big screen.

It’s also cool to see him banter with Garner throughout. Even though he doesn’t suit the time period (seeing him in ridiculously big cowboy hats and western shirts is funnier than anything the movie can come up with on its own) Bruce and James have an easy, if somewhat awkward chemistry together. If anything, it’s just a trip to see a baby Bruce trying to keep up with the titan that Garner was.

Overall, Sunset is a harmless tale of “What if?” that features Bruce in a very weird transition from comedy to something slightly more serious.

Unfortunately, neither critics or audiences cared, as Sunset only grossed $4 million (!) at the box office, cementing the film as a certified disaster.

The pain didn’t last long though, as a certain action film Bruce also starred in in 1988 was about to come out 3 months later.