Casting Call: The Flamingo Kid
In which we suggest who should star in the next big adaptation, remake, or historical film.
If the first rule for surviving a horror movie is to never lose your virginity on-screen, surely the first rule of the bildungsroman is to beware the charismatic older gentleman with a slick smile and mysterious amounts of money. He might seem like a good substitute father figure, but he’s probably using you as part of an elaborate and illegal scheme motivated by greed. Either that, or he is just a human with that disappointing human susceptibility to corruption.
Matt Dillon does not adhere to this rule in the 1984 film, The Flamingo Kid. Dillon’s character, 18-year-old Jeffrey Willis, is a lower-middle-class kid from Brooklyn with a bit of an existential crisis on his hand (college vs. quick cash). Seduced by pretty girls in bikinis and generous tips, Jeffrey skips out on his sensible internship and takes a job at Long Island country club. There, he meets Phil Brody (played by Richard Crenna), the club’s best gin-rummy player, and a successful car dealer with a beautiful wife (Jessica Walter!) and daughter. Dillon forsakes his earnest but strict biological father for the wealthy Phil Brody. Unsurprisingly (Brody is a car salesman), this turns out to be a bad idea.
Word on the film-blog streets is that Brett Ratner and Walt Disney are developing a remake of The Flamingo Kid. Click through the slideshow to see whom we think they should cast.
For more Casting Calls, click here.
