brad pitt, comedian

Like many actors, Brad Pitt wants to mix it up in the roles he selects. Blessed and cursed with All-American good looks, Pitt has both utilized (Thelma & Louise, Troy) as well as tried to mess with (Snatch.) or underplay (Twelve Monkeys) his handsome visage and physique in roles through the years.

Pitt is undeniably a movie star, and can get films made, whether by his star power or involvement as a producer. He has been quite active as a producer for many years, on critically and financially successful films (some in which he has also appeared): World War Z, Killing Them Softly, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, Eat Pray Love, Kick-Ass, The Time Traveler's Wife, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, A Mighty Heart, Running with Scissors, The Departed. Moneyball would never have been made if not for Pitt's dedication and involvement in all phases of production.

As serious as Pitt must be about both the business and the art of making movies, and as good as he has been in some of his more serious roles — Moneyball, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Kalifornia — I think he is most enjoyable to watch on screen when he utilizes his sense of humor.

As good as some of his more dramatics parts may have been, I'd much prefer to watch him as the unintelligible fighter Mickey O'Neil in Snatch., Guy Ritchie's goofy crime caper.

Mickey (Pitt): Ah, save your breath for cooling your porridge. Now, look ... She wants the Hector-2 roof lights, uh ... the stylish ash-framed furniture and the scatter cushions with the matching shag pile covering. Right. And she's terrible partial to the periwinkle blue, boys. Have I made myself clear, boys?

Turkish (Jason Statham): Yeah, that's perfectly clear, Mickey. Yeah ... just give me one minute to confer with my colleague. ... Did you understand a single word of what he just said?

He's also a blast as hen-pecked assassin John Smith in Doug Liman's Mr. And Mrs. Smith, trading quips and punches with costar Angelina Jolie.

John Smith: Your aim's as bad as your cooking sweetheart ... and that's saying something!

The Mexican, directed by Gore Verbinski, is a far-from-great movie, but Pitt is fun and funny with costars Julia Roberts and James Gandolfini.

Jerry (Pitt): Look, I'm not going to kill you. But I am going to have to shoot you.
Car Thief: But why, sir? Why? 

Jerry: Why? Why? Because you stole from me and you know about the pistol and you're just gonna steal again and I can't have you coming back in the situation like a fly in the ointment. 

Car Thief: No, I won't be a fly! You'll never see me again. 

Jerry: Look, you're getting shot and that's it. It will take you time to get to the next town especially if you're limping. 

Car Thief: Wait! Wait! What? Limping? Can't you just tie me up some more? I mean, fuck, you shoot me? Tie me! 

Jerry: Yeah. I don't have a rope. 

Car Thief: So you shoot me? 

Jerry: It's the American way.

David Fincher's Fight Club is serious, violent, but also wickedly funny. Pitt, as Tyler Durden, gets some of the best action and lines.

Tyler Durden (Pitt): Would you like to say a few words to mark the occasion? 

Narrator (Edward Norton): mumbles ... 

Tyler Durden: I'm sorry ... 

Narrator: I still can't think of anything. 

Tyler Durden: Ah ... flashback humor.

Forget all the Ocean's movies, they're fun, but there's too much plot and other A-list cast for Pitt to really shine. Whether he is poking fun at himself or those around him in the movies he makes, Pitt, when he relaxes and lets loose, can be a hoot.

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