Is Jim Carrey Fit to Carry Curly’s Derby?

I’ve been watching some of The Three Stooges shorts again recently. I know what they say about the gender differences, but all I can say is the male half of that stereotype is correct: I find them absolutely hilarious — especially the ones with Curly. Even after his health deteriorated, the man was priceless as were his brothers Moe and Shemp. You can have your 20-something stoners who misplace their vehicles and talking dogs who spout non-sequiter jokes. I’ll take an angry man with a bowlcut and his little brother whose head can be used to play the musical saw any day.

Watching a few random shorts makes me realize that they could never be made today. This isn’t a rant against modern cinema or “immoral Hollywood,” but rather the realization that much of their charm was of an era we’re not going to see again. The Howards and Fines were second generation Jewish immigrants from an increasingly anti-semitic Europe. They came from families who were short on money but long on talent — something that comes out a lot in their early shorts. They were trained in old-fashioned vaudeville and had to be multi-talented to even get a second look. Their act involved beating each other with wrenches and gouging people’s eyes — not exactly something Oscar-worthy. The movies involved exaggerated sound effects and cheap props to add to the farce. None of this is to diminish today’s performers, but to attempt to duplicate their success today might be a little difficult.

Which is why the news of a Three Stooges movie coming out leaves me a little concerned.

The movie is likely going to star Sean Penn as Larry, Benicio Del Toro as Moe, and Jim Carrey as Curly. Now I don’t want to condemn a movie before it even starts filming, but since this is going to be played straight and not a biopic, I wonder if that Depression-era charm is going to translate to a contemporary cast. At the very least, I’m curious.

What do you think — should The Three Stooges be revived as a feature-length movie starring known Hollywood performers? Should we expect The Marx Brothers next? Women, is The Three Stooges Gender Gap as wide as reported?

While you’re thinking of it, download one of their films that fell into public domain. It’s one of their best.