Sometimes an actor/actress turns down a role that they end up regretting. It could be prior scheduling commitments or a case of poor choices. Such is the lot in life of James Caan who has rejected almost every major lead role in the 70’s and 80’s. From Superman to Blade Runner to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Caan is never satisfied unless he is potentially discarding a project that could bring him further critical recognition, fame and fortune.
Which brings me to Kramer Vs. Kramer, the Oscar-winning film he notoriously scoffed at because, in his words, “I looked at it and I said, ‘This is middle-class, bourgeois horsecrap! This is crap! Cut to a kid crying all the time.” Kramer Vs. Kramer went on to gross $106 million at the box office and win 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor in 1979. Meanwhile, also in 1979, Caan had a cameo in the $31-million-grossing fiasco 1941 and starred in Chapter Two which has a not-so-stellar rating of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. I wonder who was bested in that equation?