Byte Size: The Absurdist Masculinity of Danny McBride
Making men pitiable and pathetic since 2006.
For years now, I’ve considered Danny McBride one of Hollywood’s most talented and idiosyncratic actors. Sure, he has a certain ‘schtick’ and comfortably plays the same kind of guy in most projects, but there’s just something strangely alluring and effectively hilarious about McBride’s portrayal of absurdist masculinity.
As McBride says in a recent piece for Esquire, most of his characters—in particular the ones drawn from his HBO series triumvirate—represent what he calls “fucked up Don Quixotes.” They’re often, sad, pathetic, lonely men, who are delusional and ignorant to the point of moronic myopia. Yet McBride refuses to expunge the humanity from these portrayals, making them rich, nuanced and weirdly likable, often in uncomfortable ways.
Here’s a list of my favourite McBride projects and the Quixotic characters that populate them. Enjoy!
Hot Rod (2007)
Synopsis: “For Rod Kimball, performing stunts is a way of life, even though he is rather accident-prone. Poor Rod cannot even get any respect from his stepfather, Frank, who beats him up in weekly sparring matches. When Frank falls ill, Rod devises his most outrageous stunt yet to raise money for Frank’s operation – and then Rod will kick Frank’s butt.”
Initially written by South Park staff writer Pam Brady and conceived as a project for Will Ferrell during his tenure at SNL (thanks Wikipedia), Hot Rod is one of those quirky and irreverent cult films that people quote incessantly and go to their graves defending. For his part, McBride’s Rico is harmlessly thick-headed, mainly responsible for egging on childhood friend and protagonist Rod Kimball (Andy Samberg), with the occasional penchant for pyrotechnics.
Pineapple Express (2008)
Synopsis: “A stoner and his dealer are forced to go on the run from the police after the pothead witnesses a cop commit a murder.”
Although most James Franco vehicles have now been retroactively rendered in a negative light, McBride’s portrayal of lovable goofball enforcer Red is one of the highlights from this pitch-perfect stoner comedy (directed by one of McBride’s frequent collaborators and long-time friends, David Gordon Green). Pineapple Express is stacked full of memorable Red moments: quips about living a thug life, a ridiculous fight scene in his house, and perfectly executed vehicular manslaughter.
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Synopsis: “Vietnam veteran ‘Four Leaf’ Tayback’s memoir, Tropic Thunder, is being made into a film, but Director Damien Cockburn can’t control the cast of prima donnas. Behind schedule and over budget, Cockburn is ordered by a studio executive to get filming back on track or risk its cancellation.”
It’s a real testament to McBride’s comedic timing and acting chops that he still manages to give a decent performance that isn’t completely overshadowed by Robert Downey Jnr. doing black face in the twenty-first century. Playing explosive expert and helicopter pilot Cody Underwood, McBride’s character description sounds like a weird case of wish fulfilment—“He has developed a reputation for being a dangerous pyromaniac after an incident while working on Freaky Friday nearly blinded Jamie Lee Curtis”—especially given McBride and Gordon Green’s later collaborations on the recent Halloween series reboots.
Eastbound & Down (2009–2013)
Synopsis: “Kenny Powers was poised to rule the Big Leagues, but two things got in the way: his fading fastball and his insufferable personality. After a spectacular career flame-out, Kenny goes home to Shelby County, North Carolina, to nurse his wounds and work as a gym teacher at his old middle school.”
Making the prove from minor film roles to prestige TV at home with HBO has proved to be a boon for McBride’s career, giving him the creative space to craft piss-funny narratives around his assortment of pitiful anti-heroes. And none works better as a case study than the towering figure of Kenny Powers: a fictional, foul-mouthed, washed-up baseball star turned middle-aged schoolteacher and small-town suburban misanthrope. Over four seasons, McBride imbues Powers with an array of thoroughly loathsome qualities which, paradoxically, only make him that much more enthralling to watch.
This Is The End (2013)
Synopsis: “While attending a party at James Franco’s house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.”
I mean, there isn’t much else to say about This Is The End. McBride plays himself as himself—but with all the eccentricities and antics that his character personas have come to be known for. Plus, the film is littered with cameos and portrayals that heighten the cult of Hollywood celebrities to insane degrees. Oh, and Channing Tatum pops up in a gimp suit right before the Backstreet Boys dance scene in heaven. (Yeah, it’s one of those movies.)
Vice Principals (2016–2017)
Synopsis: “A dark comedy series about a high school and the two vice principals. McBride and Walton Goggins star as the V.P.s who are in an epic power struggle, vying for the top spot: to be school principal.”
I’ve only watched the first season of Vice Principals and Neal Gamby might just be McBride’s darkest character yet. His shared lead chemistry with Goggins is electric, alongside great supporting work from Edi Patterson as Jen Abbott, a horny Spanish teacher at North Jackson High with a childish crush on Gamby. It’s no wonder then that both Goggins and Patterson got tapped to follow McBride to his next project as members of the Gemstone family.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Synopsis: “Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship ‘Covenant’ discovers what is thought to be an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world—which has a sole inhabitant: the ‘synthetic’, David, a survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.”
Easily the outlier on this list, and definitely the worst of all Alien franchise films (yes, I know Prometheus exists; I stand by these words), Covenant features McBride in the minor role of “Tennessee Faris”—which, if you’re wondering: Yes, that does sound like a pornstar name. McBride’s character spends much of their screentime hollering from orbit while the action takes place down below, but it is nice to see that good ol’ Tennessee makes it through to the end of the film without a burst chest. (Oh yeah, spoilers I guess (?), for a film that you should absolutely not see because it sucks.)
The Righteous Gemstones (2019–present)
Synopsis: “Follows a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work.”
I put off watching The Righteous Gemstones for far too long. I’m not sure why exactly, but I’m happy to blame COVID and the global “Gas Leak” year/s that have transpired in its wake. As the pig-headed, cock-sure Jesse Gemstone, first-born son and presumptive heir to a rich televangelist media empire, McBride has crafted his ultimate character. Jesse is weak, vain, arrogant, and overly defensive, while also being loyal, headstrong, devoted, and faithful in ways that are delightfully complicated. The show rocks, and I’ll be quoting the “car pranks” line from season one for the rest of my natural life. Praise be to him. Amen.