William H. Macy in a new light

Well, this afternoon I found myself on the couch flipping through the channels when the remote found Berry Gordy's "The Last Dragon" (1985). Wow. Talk about a film that was firmly in the moment of the 80s. The sad (though, not really) part is, I can remember paying about $3.50 to see this movie with my oldest brother in Durham, N.C. I remember thinking it was cheesy then, but a lovable kind of cheese. Kind of kitsch-y, but with a wink, you know, as if it was joking all along.

Anyway, I was sitting and during one of the scenes who else do I see but William H. Macy -- Jerry Lundegaard himself -- playing one of his first movie roles. He was the assistant/manager to Vanity. To be honest, he looked pretty much the same and sounded exactly the same.

I like William H. Macy. I liked him in Fargo. I liked him in Mystery Men. I liked him in The Cooler. I liked him in State and Main. I liked him in Happy, Texas. Magnolia. Face it, the man's been in a lot of movies. He's a great character actor. And yet I can't imagine him, now, in a movie like "The Last Dragon." I wonder if he looks back to that time in his life and gets an embarrassed grin. Hey, you gotta pay the bills, right?




Anyway, in case you missed it, I found the clip on youtube. He'll appear at about 3:15.

And so that's my surprising Saturday. Though I don't know which surprised me more: seeing William H. Macy in "The Last Dragon," or finding the clip online ...

Probably the former. Not so much the latter.