TRUTH Review: Deadpool

I went to see the movie Deadpool yesterday: It is the funniest movie I have seen in more years than I like to admit.

There isn't much this movie doesn't make fun of: Ikea, superheroes, superhero movies, blind people, teenage girls, and plenty more. It even makes fun of violence (of which there is plenty, so don't see it if that bothers you).

Ryan Reynolds, the lead actor, has found his calling. Once in awhile an actor defines a role as their own. Heath Ledger's Joker comes to mind. In this case, Reynolds owns Deadpool. Few actors could translate the Deadpool character from the comic books to the big screen with the perfect blend of the character's various qualities: irreverence, as well as humor derived from the character's own pathos, all while still being able to portray a villain who is trying to be a hero (and failing miserably at it). One could make an argument that Deadpool is one of the deepest characters in comedic history. To be able to pull that off convincingly is a credit to anyone's acting skills, but to own the role is something special in the acting universe. Is it too early to recommend Reynolds for next year's "best actor" Academy Award?

The other actors were acceptable. Morena Baccarin (Is she in everything nowadays?) is splendid as Deadpool's girlfriend Vanessa. Ed Skrein as Ajax, aka "Francis", has a good turn as the villain, especially with his smug smile, which only makes his evil deeds more despicable. But the cast is mostly there to play foils to Reynolds' Deadpool, and they do that admirably.

I have to give special kudos to Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, who was my favorite character in the comics, and she has translated the character perfectly. Every scene she was in was a guaranteed laugh.

When I told my daughter about it, apparently there is a big deal about, as she put it, "a 5 minute sex scene" in the movie. The scene she mentioned wasn't a single sex scene, but rather a combination of sex scenes strung together for a joke. The joke works, but I didn't consider the sex lurid. However, there is ever-so-brief nudity, so if that stuff bothers you, be warned.

If you can turn off your inhibitions to just watch a movie, you will have a lot of fun watching Deadpool. I would rate it 3.5 out of 4 stars. It isn't a classic, but it is a lot of fun. If Ryan Reynolds will follow me on Twitter, I will consider giving him that last half star...

P.S. Make sure to sit through the credits. There is a fantastic little post-credits scene.