Now that Movember is coming to a close, I thought I would search for a few good films where moustaches make the character and therefore the film. It’s time to represent films by the hair found on the character’s upper lip.
Anything with Tom Selleck — Yes, I’m aware “Tom Selleck” isn’t a film. To stop people from looking for him in this article, I’m putting him at the top of the list. What can I say about his lip fungus? It’s awesome and it makes his characters. Like Chandler and Joey in Friends, everyone wants to grow one as thick and luscious as his. Even when he is playing different characters, his moustache manages to wrangle its way into being mentioned. I’m pretty sure if he shaved it off nobody would recognize him.
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood ��� Day-Lewis grows an English-style moustache for his role in the film. The moustache accents his facial expressions and gives his character that extra pep. Watching Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis’s character in the film) rant and rave is interesting just for the moustache. Watch the climatic sequence where Plainview tears apart Eli Sunday with his words — the “I drink your milkshake” scene. Watch that sequence again and imagine Daniel Plainview without a moustache. Upon doing so, you will realize the moustache really makes the character.
Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit — When Burt Reynolds first started acting, producers said he looked a lot like Marlon Brando. I’m pretty sure that’s why he grew his ’stache after Deliverance came out. It may have been a ’70s thing that stuck, but oh boy did it define him. It takes a certain amount of confidence to wear a moustache, and Reynolds as the Bandit wears it like a badass. With his cowboy hat, Trans-Am and boots, he looks like a dude that doesn’t take crap from anybody. If someone made a pop-art silhouette of him in the film, all you would see is the hat and moustache.
Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator — Chaplin and a certain someone else are famous for their iconic toothbrush moustache. Unfortunately, that someone else killed millions of people and as a result his moustache is iconic for all the wrong reasons. The Great Dictator came out in 1940 and was Chaplin’s statement against Nazism. He ridiculed and satirized the movement with wit and intelligence. The “Hitler moustache” should be known as the “Chaplin moustache,” as it deserves a comeback. Few have dared to flaunt it due to perceived or real repercussions.
Lorax in The Lorax — I know Lorax isn’t real, but c’mon. Its moustache is awesome. The moustache is so big and bushy it covers Lorax’s mouth. Nobody even knows if it has a mouth — you never see it behind the nostril bush. And it’s OK to have the Lorax included. This isn’t an exclusive list; all moustaches are invited and the Lorax makes the cut. The Lorax reminds me of a stern grandfather, and when you are using a children’s book for an environmental metaphor, you need a stern adult.
