Years before finding a home in primetime sitcoms and becoming the highest paid actor in the television medium, Charlie Sheen earned praise for roles in films such as “Platoon” and “Wall Street.”
Now, he’s hoping to rekindle some of that magic with his latest vehicle, “A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III.”
The days of the former “Two and a Half Men” star boasting about having “tiger blood” and “Adonis DNA” may seem like a distant memory for those familiar with his antics. However, it’s a memory that could potentially come flooding back to whoever sees this new film, currently playing at The State Theatre through this Wednesday.
Set sometime in the 1970s, the film portrays Sheen as the titular Charles Swan, a graphic designer whose business gives the illusion of success, but eventually becomes hard to take seriously thanks in no small part to the character’s playboy image.
Sheen spends almost the entirety of the film sporting a pair of aviator sunglasses, dressed in tawdry leisure suits and puffing away on countless cigarettes. When Charlie’s girlfriend, Ivana (Katheryn Winnick) , dumps him at the beginning of the film for keeping a drawer full of Polaroids of his ex-girlfriends, he descends into a state of quasi-depression, confessing his emotional baggage to his sister, Izzy (Patricia Arquette) .
“I don’t think I have the ability to fall in love again,” he tells one of his young nephews as he lies in a hospital bed and tries to elicit some kind of sympathetic response.
The film marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Roman Coppola , son of “Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola and brother of “Lost in Translation” helmer Sofia Coppola. Roman recently earned a “Best Original Screenplay” nomination at last night’s Academy Awards for co-writing “Moonrise Kingdom” with Wes Anderson.
Rounding out the supporting cast are Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray as Charlie’s best friend and manager, respectively . The actors are regular staples of Anderson’s films. “Parks and Recreation” star Aubrey Plaza also makes and appearance as Swan’s secretary.
The film proved to be entertaining for a small number of State College moviegoers, including Justin Nguonly, a fan of Coppola’s work who praised the film’s cast and visited the theatre for a Friday night screening because he had “nothing else to do.”
“It’s pretty much like a biography of Charlie Sheen,” Nguonly (senior-journalism) said.
Charles Hood, meanwhile, said he was “intrigued” by the film’s premise.
“I really wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but Bill Murray’s always funny,” Hood (senior-criminal justice) said.
Tickets for the film cost $6 for seniors and students. All other tickets cost $8.
