All of a sudden, I can not wait for Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes film. And I can't for the life of me pin down why... The only thing I've read about it recently is this wee morsel from Robert Downey Jr. talking about his role as Sherlock alongside Jude Law's Watson:
"We're two men who happen to be roommates, wrestle a lot and share a bed. It's bad-ass... Guy wanted to make this about the relationship between Watson and Holmes. They're both mean and complicated."
According to the New York Post, however, not everyone's happy with the thought of homoeroticism being injected into a traditional tale. This comes from one of the Post's onetime movie critics, Michael Medved:
"There's not a seething, bubbling hunger to see straight stars impersonating homosexuals (*coughs... waves politely*) I think they're just trying to generate controversy... They know that making Holmes and Watson homosexual will take away two-thirds of their box office. Who is going to want to see Downey Jr. and Law make out? (*waves arms wildly*) I don't think it would be appealing to women (*starts jumping up and down*) Straight men don't want to see it."
Ah, Michael, you are fiercely underestimating the universal draw that is two attractive people grappling with each other. Especially in the vicinity of a bed. As for the lack of "seething, bubbling hunger to see straight stars impersonating homosexuals" - the odd Oscar nomination/win suggests otherwise.
There's a fair chance Downey Jr. was just throwing visuals out there to spark interest, but how bad? It's not as if he went out and arbitrarily impregnated a stranger in the process.
