Naturals vs Hard Workers

From: Earl Pomerantz (edited)

There are lion tamers who are “naturals” - born lion tamers – and lion tamers who “know the ropes”. They try hard but the lions instinctively sense that. You see them checking their messages while these persistent wannabes attempt desperately to command their attention.

Even the layperson can intuit distinction between the naturals and the “not-born-to-its”.  One sends you home feeling exhilarated; the other – you may not be able to put your finger on it – but you somehow feel that something meaningful was missing. 

Annette Bening tries and does commendably well.  But, like the lion tamer to whom the lions pay only perfunctory attention, there is something missing.

If you’re me, possessing an ear attuned to the material’s potential, you can sense that the monologues deserve bigger laughs than the performer, lacking the “basic ingredient” is able to elicit. 

 

You can feel the audience wanting to laugh more – and Draper’s delicious observations meriting more – but Bening’s comedic insufficiencies turn potential home runs into opportunity-missing singles.

I mostly sat there, imagining which performer might “kill” in a similar situation.