Nowadays it’s not that uncommon to see all manner of body parts in the movies, but it wasn’t always that way. A good shot of a male backside was a treasured moment, provided the backside was worth the look.
Here’s my look back at the classic top 10:
10 – Jack Nicholson, in “Something’s Got to Give”. Not for the quality of the view in any way, but for audacity. That view was enough to put you off your feed for a week, but it WAS funny.
9 – George Clooney, in “Solaris”. This is more of an honorable mention because the reality did not live up to the hype. The plot of the movie was so lame that the ONLY reason to go was the promise of George’s cheeks. Rumor has it that he used a butt-double, and if so, he was over-charged. Nothing memorable at all there.
8 – Kevin Kline, in “I Love You to Death”. Hard to tell if it was all Kevin, because he was made up otherwise to be a macho Italian. And since that seems to be his only backside scene there is nothing to compare it to. A bit hairy, but well-tuned.
7 – “Bull Durham”, shower scene. They were young, they were athletic, and there was a nice variety. Normally, shower scenes don’t make the list (see “Shawshank Redemption”) because they tend to take place in prison and most of them are not happy times.
6 – Another honorable mention, Tim Robbins, in “Bull Durham”. Not naked, but a jock strap and a black lacy garter belt don’t conceal much. And since Susan Sarandon went for it both on screen and off, we’ll give him points.
5 – Kevin Costner, “Dances With Wolves”. Brief but memorable scene when he tries to prevent his horse from being stolen and forgets he’s au naturel. The sight frightened the natives but our view was just right.
1 – (Yes, I know I skipped a few.) The gold standard, Mel Gibson, “Lethal Weapon (1)”. The walk to the refrigerator. This movie came out at a time when video tape players were not too advanced. I’m convinced this movie did more for women rushing out for newer players that had a “pause” button, than anything else did. (I confess, I was one of them.)
If there is a theme here, it seems to be (with Mel as a glaring exception) that most male backsides are at their best in comedies or at least humorous situations. Perhaps relaxed and happy cheeks just look better and more appealing that tense, stressed ones.
Either way, now it’s time to replace my old videos with DVDs because not only does my DVD player have a pause button, it can also zoom in for closeups. AAhhh!
