How big is Elijah's role?
Is he in the lead role or a supporting role?
shareWood, Klein and Bernthal are the three leads.
share
MovieChat Forums > Day Zero (2007) Discussion > How big is Elijah's role?
All three friends are leads.
Wood is miscast. He's 26 yet still looks so young
"If I told you the reasons why, would you leave your life and ride? And ride…"-Cary Brothers (Ride)
Great casting of Elijah according to the reviews. It sounds from reviews etc as though his is the main role.
shareWood is miscast. He's 26 yet still looks so young
There are soldiers getting killed in Iraq who look like high school kids (and are only a year or two removed from being just that). What's your point?
I wasn't talking about the darft age but the group of friends he belongs to.
He looks so much younger than Bernthal and Klein.
"Paradise and hell both can be earthly. We carry them with us wherever we go."
-1492 (1992)
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I would really appreciate it if everyone stopped second guessing me, the guy who actually saw that movie.
Wood simply looks too young to not only belong in his group of friends but barely old enough to be drafted
"Paradise and hell both can be earthly. We carry them with us wherever we go."
-1492 (1992)
THat's just your opinion. I saw the trailer and the cast interviews. Elijah looked fine with the others in my opinion. I notice that the user reviews take the same stance - think you're in a minority.
shareThen I'm in the minority but I at least saw the movie so quit second guessing me
"Paradise and hell both can be earthly. We carry them with us wherever we go."
-1492 (1992)
What's this "second guessing" stuff? You saw the film and thought Elijah looked young. Others saw the film or the trailer and disagreed. It's a difference of opinion. Second guessing means that you assume something about what another person is saying although they have not expressly stated it. No-one is doing that with you - obviously - they are saying they disagree with you - v simple. The user reviews are from people who have seen the film and they don't share your opinion - you're not the only person round here to have seen it.
shareBut you and the two people I'm arguing with haven't seen it while I have.
You're doubting me, second guessing my opinion even though you really have no basis to do so.
"Paradise and hell both can be earthly. We carry them with us wherever we go."
-1492 (1992)
That is not what second guessing means. We are making some assumptions about the film from the trailer. That would be illegitimate in relation to some aspects of the film but not in relation to what an actor looks like. We are disagreeing with you because we have seen Elijah in the film - from the trailer - and therefore can judge what he looks like against the other 2. How many times do you need to see an actor in a film before you can comment on what he/she looks like! It's nothing to do with second-guessing your opinion - you have made your opinion clear, so it does not need to be second-guessed - now do you see? If not, just leave it - this is going nowhere. Leave it that you think something and others disagree (including some who have seen the full film) - it doesn't matter that much.
The main thing is that all the reviews, including user reviews, have been v positive about Elijah - basically they have said that he has the most important role and is one of the mainstays of the film. The 3 leads carry the film according to the reviews, but they give Elijah the most credit.
You guys are the ones that started with the attitude. If you disagreed with me then fine but watch yourselves next time.
I don't care about what you heard from other sources as you don't have to care about my opinion. Just espect my right to say it (esp. when you haven't seen the film to judge). Did I ever even say that this wasn;t just my opinion otherwise?
Jesus. If you were skeptical, you could have just noted the disagreement by others who actually saw the film to me.
"Paradise and hell both can be earthly. We carry them with us wherever we go."
-1492 (1992)
I saw the movie at Tribeca and I agree with Yorick ... Klein and Bernthal looked like they were at least 35, while Wood looked barely out of college. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, only that that's what I noticed.
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"Only thing to do is jump over the moon!"
100% RENTHEAD!!
Yorick,
Do you not have any friends older or younger than you?
Do you know the age of the youngest troops ever drafted in the United States Armed Forces across all the decades it was in effect? I do...
-The Producer
I was referring to the groups of friends he belongs with.
Is anybody home?
Has anybody wasted tears on the loneliness
That everyone...
-Our Lady Peace
Elijah has an amazing role... almost comedy releif at times but carries the serious undertones of the movie.
shareHow did you Known? Has you seen the movie?
Yep... saw it at the Tribeca Film festival.
share[deleted]
hmm..Do you know real war?
My grandfather was drafted. He was 17 years old.
Elijah and my grandfather was the same height.
His older brother was drafted...he died.
The younger age(18-25)male was more drafted.
Some who were 35 years old escape from the draft.
Maybe 35-years old male is kinda old to go to the war.
If elijah looks like 22-23 years old,it is very right age.
If the other casts look like 35,they are wrong.NOT REAL.
If Bernthal and Klein looks like 35, this story is wrong.
They should have employed the people who looked younger.
They should have done casting of somebody who looked like "18-25 years old".
If I say miscast, is "a man looking like 35 years old".
You dont know a real war.
If they wanted to make a script mainly on Bernthal and Klein,they should have thought about another story.
You are assuming that...:
a) ...the rules of the draft are constant over time. They are not. Over the course of the decades the draft was in effect in the U.S., the Selective Service Administration (the governmental body which "runs" the draft by order of Congress) changed just about every aspect of the rules you can imagine - age, age ranges, exemptions, length of tour, etc.
b) ...the rules of the drafts of the past are the rules of the drafts of the future. They are not. In fact, the Selective Service Administration has drawn up several possible plans for a draft which include some things which might surprise you (one plan includes the possibility of drafting women into non-combat roles, another includes plans to draft men up to age 35)
c) ...that a film should be bound by "reality" at all times. I'm not at all sure why you would think that. But in any case we made quite conscious choices when we selected the cast and told the story. At the end of the day, who has more at stake, a 19 year old, or a 30 year old? Who has more perspective on life? Who has achieved more? Who has more to lose (other than years)?
By the language style of your post, I assume you're not from the United States. But you state many things as fact when they are simply your opinion. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, however it is based on several faulty assumptions as I have pointed out. If you had taken the time to do the research into the Selective Service Administration and the history of the draft in this country (as we did) then you might feel differently.
-The Producer
For some reason one or two people appear to think one of the actors looks about 7 or 8 years older than his actual age, so they think he looks about 35. Since Elijah looks about 24/25 or so it might possibly seem odd for them to be friends - not at all sure it does in fact. But in any event no-one but a couple of people have said this - it's just an opinion which in my view is just wrong. They all look around the right age to be friends; groups of friends don't all have to look exactly the same age - why should they? But looking at them together they look fine. The last poster (before A Moody) is not known for making accurate or pertinent observations on anything.
I don't know where this idea that friends should look exactly the same age or be the same age came from. I have been to a number of school reunions where of course all the people in 1 yr were the same age, but they varied massively in terms of looking younger or older than their ages.
The assumption that someone of 35 would not be drafted is, as A Moody said, factually inaccurate. It's also irrelevant since the actors could easily be anything from 27-31 or so. Klein was born in 1979 so he is 2 yrs older than Elijah (who is 26) and he looks about 27 or so - therefore he and Elijah look of similar ages to be friends, give or take a couple of years. This stuff about age is a red herring. There is no issue about it - the main point is that the actors were particularly strong and portrayed different reactions to drafting very effectively.
Re the OP, from what people who've seen it have said, Elijah carries the weight of the film very successfully; that doesn't surprise me since he is the best known and most talented of the 3 (but the other 2 are good - from the reviews and comments).
To your point, I have friends - close ones - both quite a bit older as well as quite a bit younger than I. Also to your point, I have friends the exact same age, who *look* quite a bit older or younger than I. Not sure why this should be an issue re: the film. I agree with you - it's a non-issue.
Thanks for chiming in :)
TM
Because someone said "elijah was miscast", I answered it.
sorry.
Yes, you answered it with what was subsequently explained to be a not particularly well thought out response. Hey - if you're not prepared to have your words analyzed, you should not post them in a public forum. No need to apologize.
TM
I'm Elijah Wood fan.
If this movie doesn't have Elijah Wood,I will be not interested in this movie.
I hope to see this if he is playing a bit of "Brave soldier" role.
I don't want to see him getting a "weak or frightened" type role anymore.
He already played many "weak or frightened" roles.
But maybe I will not see this movie.
I feel he is "typecast" in this movie after all.:(
I just saw the movie at the williamstown film festival and it was great. Not once did i think about wood seeming too young until someone mentioned it here, and even on second thought, i think he was fine. Anthony Moody was there (producer) and mentioned that it was stated that klein and bernthal were from the same high school (some school that apparently draws from all five boroughs) and that it was assumed that wood also went to school with them, at least within 2 years of them (i could explain why but it'd be sort of a spoiler)
shareYorick_Brown
Well I have seen the film and think your point is a bit silly tbh!
Elijah Wood doesn't look a great deal younger than Chris Klein, a lot smaller yes but that doesn't automatically mean someone is younger!
Also in my group of friends from school we have people's who's ages could easily be mistaken for a good 10 years apart. NEWS FLASH.... People age at different rates! Whilst lucky sods age very slowly others go bald, get wrinkling skin and physically age much faster!! Amazin that hey!!
Yeah - you're right, paradox2000 - the actors are about the same age and look roughly the same age; Elijah looks slightly younger but as you said people age at different rates so that's not unrealistic - he's just lucky to have a young look.
share[deleted]