2006: The Summer of Fat Actors

Hollywood has good news and bad news for you guys out there. If your overweight, the news is good if your big and buff your wasting your time.

Hollywood has good news and bad news for you guys out there. If you are overweight, the news is good, but if you are big and buff you are wasting your time. A look at some of this summer’s movies reveal that overweight men are in. There have always been fat men in movies playing the comic sidekick or just being the butt of jokes. This year the fat guys are saving the day and getting the girl.

A clearly overweight Vince Vaughn started the fat parade on June 2nd when he starred in The Break Up with Jennifer Aniston. He walks around in baggy shirts, to hide his girth, but is brave enough to take it off during one scene. During the release of The Break Up, pictures of an overweight Vaughn, sans shirt, at the beach were published in many magazines. Even though he did not end up with the girl in the movie, he did continue to date her in real life.

Jack Black took fat pride to a whole new level when he starred in Nacho Libre which opened on June 16th. He plays a wrestler who is worshiped by an orphan of children. He is shirtless through much of the movie as he proudly displays his ample belly. He plays an action hero and sparks the interest of a cute nun.

When Click was released on June 23rd, the audience saw Sean Astin sport a red speedo, a coaches whistle and nothing else. The former hobbit is hardly in speedo wearing shape. Hell, even guys who are, should probably never wear one. In the movie, Astin ends up stealing Adam Sandler's beautiful wife.

Will Ferrell has never been shy about showing off his unfit physique. Check out his streaking scene in 2003's, Old School. This year he thankfully keeps his underwear on as he runs around a race track screaming that he is on fire in a scene from Talladega Nights, released August 4th. His belly and love handles jiggle for the whole world to see. His character, Ricky Bobby, has a hot wife and then a hot girlfriend.

Tim Allen’s weight is usually never noticed when he plays Santa Claus. On August 11th, with the release of Zoom, it is clear that Allen is battling the bulge. He dresses in layers and dark clothes to hide his midsection. When he puts on his spandex costume, at the end, he is either sucking in his stomach, wearing a girdle or using a stand in. He should have worked his girth into the movie as a joke like when Mr Incredible puts on his costume after years of gaining weight in The Incredibles. Either way he saves the day and gets Courtney Cox. For the upcoming movie, The Santa Claus 3, he probably needed less padding than in the past.

Although he doesn't exactly get the girl, the talented, but unattractively overweight Paul Giamatti, got to cuddle with the young, shapely Bryce Dallas Howard in The Lady in the Water. This guy gets to make it with Virginia Madsen in Sideways, and now this and somehow James Marsden can't get and keep a girl in a movie? What's up with that?

Tom Hanks, who's gut has seen better days, was still able to run around Europe looking for the Holy Grail with French cutie, Audrey Tatou, in this year's The Da Vinci code. Forget Da Vinci's machinations, the real mystery is how he was able to attract her while being much too old, out of shape and with a really bad haircut.

Even in this year's smaller films, overweight actors were able to score with women. Danny DeVito is able to give Parker Posey orgasms in The Oh in Ohio and full-figured Alec Baldwin, while eventually falling prey to her plans, scores with his incredibly hot teenage stepdaughter in Mini's First Time.

Although there will always be roles that call for models/actors like Channing Tatum or Jesse Metcalfe to show off their shaved, trainer inspired chests and abs, it is still refreshing to see over weight guys playing the hero and getting the girl.