We’re…not quite sure what James Franco had in mind when he decided to shoot a homemade parody of Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” video—in which the 34-year-old actor channels his inner teen with bangs, hat, and hoodie; plus as a bonus writhes about with rumored girlfriend Ashley Benson.
We’re also not quite sure what he was attempting to achieve with this project. The actor has certainly amused us before with, er, interesting creative attempts (including a video for R.E.M. in which he plays Grease’s Danny Zuko to an unidentified Sandy wearing an enormous cat head). However, this is neither terribly ingenious, weird, or even particularly funny.
In fact, after watching it, one gets a sense of “Why?” It's just silly, and not in a good way.
Franco seems to have had second thoughts himself about the idea—shortly after he posted it to his WhoSay account last week, it was removed. Still, we all know how the Internets work; so, sorry, James—your bangs and cap shall live for eternity.
At any rate, Franco could take a lesson in this arena from Bieber himself, who charmed zillions last year with his wildly viral take on Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”—which drew attention mainly due to the humble fake moustache Biebs and his pals sported throughout. See? Sometimes simple is best. No cat heads—or pulsating Benson behinds—needed!
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