God, he just irritates me.

Christopher | November 04, 08:45 CET

That's just gross.

Turtle | November 04, 08:45 CET

The unwavering conviction of Hollywood casting directors that middle aged men look fabulous when paired with women young enough to be their daughters is one of the great mysteries of our times.

showgirl | November 04, 08:49 CET

Is he still considered a big star? I liked him in "The Hunt For Red October" but that was a long time ago and he was much, ahem, trimmer then. I hope he loses a bit of weight before this movie or he's going to dwarf Sarah. But, yeah, he irritates me too - all this personal stuff with his ex-wife over the years makes him come across as a very controlling and violent person.

Firefly Flanatic | November 04, 08:49 CET

Ew.

eddy | November 04, 09:19 CET

LOL Alec Baldwin's character, Archie, is supposed to be 28 years older than Jane (SMG's character). Is Alec in his 50's? Maybe they've reduced the age difference a bit or they're going to age him to fit the character.

Anyway, I hope they do a good adaptation. I liked the book and Sarah seems perfect for the role.

Silent Night | November 04, 09:28 CET

Hmm. As Silent Night points out, the character he's been cast to play is actually even older than he is (which is 47, according to IMDB). So we can either criticise the author of the book - a woman, - who created the character, or . . . well, I suppose we could criticise the movie being made at all. Or the screenwriter for *not* changing the source material. That, at least, would have the virtue of being novel.

I think Alec Baldwin has got much much better with age. Acting-wise, that is. I express no opinion as to his other qualities.

SoddingNancyTribe | November 04, 09:38 CET

Thank you, Silent Night and SoddingNancyTribe, you guys got here before me and said it better :)

I personally am a huge fan of this book and i could honestly see AB doing pretty well in the character of Archie. And i also agree, SNT, that he is an actor that has actually grown into his style as he's gotten older.

syd | November 04, 10:28 CET

I just finished reading The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing and liked it much better than I had thought I would, so now I'm really looking forward to seeing SMG in a role where she's not fighting scary monsters or being scared to death by vengeful spookiness. Alec Baldwin isn't my image of "Archie," but I can adjust. And there's much more to the novel than a stereotypical older man/younger woman romance, which I hope the film will cover.

Maeve | November 04, 14:48 CET

I think he's a good choice. Having read the book, we're supposed to wonder what the heck she's doing with this guy. We're supposed to be slightly squicked by the whole thing. We're not supposed to think they make a wonderful couple. The age difference is appropriate to the book. I have no issue with older guys playing opposite much younger women when that is the case in the source material.

Impossible | November 04, 15:57 CET

Plus, he's really funny. Ever since I saw him do DeNiro on SNL I just crack up whenever I see him. I think he's also been cultivating that... a turn from 'dramatic hearthrob' to 'doesn't take himself too seriously', a la Shatner and DeNiro himself.

Did I just put William Shatner and Robert DeNiro in the same sentence? :P

bl, I agree with you about the personal stuff. He seems like a real jerk when it comes to his life. Maybe that's why he plays one so well?

Willowy | November 04, 18:02 CET

OK, lots of people beat me to the age-difference explanation. I'd add that Archie isn't Jane's only love interest throughout the book... just the main one.

teradia | November 04, 18:10 CET

Oh, neat, is there an older one? ;) 'Cause Archie seems kinda young. Sorry, the sarcasm is strong with this one.

zeitgeist | November 04, 18:12 CET

Book or no, that's still so gross.

Turtle | November 04, 18:30 CET

And yet Angel and Spike were centuries older than Buffy.

Simon | November 04, 18:38 CET

And, ahem, JM is 15 years older than SMG (and 4 years younger than Alec B) . . .

SoddingNancyTribe | November 04, 19:30 CET

I always thought it was an amusing spot of vanity that JM wouldn't admit to his age for a long while. Simon -- I think that the other aspects of the fantasy outweigh the age of the characters (especially ones who don't physically age), but thats a psych 101 discussion for another time :) Suffice it to say JM doesn't LOOK as old.

zeitgeist | November 04, 19:41 CET

Tony Head is sixteen years old than Robia LaMorte and twenty-five years older than Phina Oruche. I also take it we can assume that Giles is somewhat older than Jenny and Olivia.

Regarding the Gellar film, as has already been pointed out, the age difference is very specific to the storyline in the book.

alien lanes | November 04, 19:52 CET

Didn't Gellar play a teen who gets involved with an older man in one of her earlier TV series?

May/December relationships exist and thrive. I don't see the 'ew', but I can imagine others might.

Caroline | November 04, 20:11 CET

I'm with the ew! folks. Old men doing young girls just doesn't appeal to me at all.

wissxwe | November 04, 20:12 CET

It's not an old man/younger woman gross factor with me. It's Alec Baldwin. Man's got some furry creatures living on his chest. Now THAT is gross. I'm wouldn't take my chances with that back hair either. Ew. Sarah is very brave.

Turtle | November 04, 20:17 CET

I think she was playing a adult on All My Children actually.

eddy | November 04, 20:23 CET

Turtle, I have a friend who loves husky, fuzzy men - says they remind her of a teddy bear. I like mine wiry and fuzz free. Wonder if there is a correlation between favorite childhood toys and partner body type preferences... She loved stuffed animals and Ewoks - I loved books, Lego (definitely fuzz free), and Elves

redfern | November 04, 21:02 CET

I remember Xander making a comment about Ms Callendar being okay "for someone that old" or similiar. IRL he's one year younger than (the extremly hot for any age) Robia.

zz9 | November 04, 21:04 CET

Haven't read the book so thanks for all the insights everyone. Willowy, I remember that skit on SNL too and it was a riot. I think he's a very good actor and I will be able to overlook the personal stuff (hopefully it will be resolved once the movie comes out). Had to laugh at your Shatner/DeNiro comment too because I was thinking that AB reminds me of WS now. Both were very hot in their prime and have "bulked up" as they got older and seem to have very quirky senses of humor.

And true, Angel and Spike were both much older than Buffy but they still looked young. And was it vanity on JM part not to admit his true age or more a case of just keeping it under wraps so he could still get the parts written for much younger characters. That's Hollywood unfortunately. He always looked younger than he was but it might have kept him from getting some roles if he was quite open about his age early on.

Maybe it's just certain people that bug me with age differences. Tom Cruise and Katey Holmes really grosses me out but that just may be because I find Tom Cruise so annoying. But Giles and Jenny (or Tony and Robia) were quite a sexy couple on screen. Maybe it's more that Katie Holmes looks fresh out of her teens and Jenny/Robia seemed like a confident, sexy, self-assured woman.

And I also like husky men. Even when everyone was complaining how fat DB was getting I thought he looked great (and really just thought his face filled out as he got older). He's looking particurlarly great in "Bones" right now. I actually think DB is the perfect age to start taking on those same type of movie roles that Alec Baldwin became famous for like "The Hunt for Red October".

So, I'm out of the loop when it comes to Alec Baldwin but is he still considered a big name that will draw an audience? He seems to be as far as I can tell with all the press he's getting lately with his custody battle.

Firefly Flanatic | November 04, 21:53 CET

I like my men fur-free. If I were Sarah, I'd request a furball clause: wax Alec or I quit. :)

Turtle | November 04, 21:59 CET

I get your feelings about certain pairings, bl. I guess I usually don't mind that much about the whole May-December thing (may be a product of being raised on French and Italian movies, usually starring Marcello Mastroianni - or french equivalent, - and Nastassja Kinski. Or perhaps that was just the one movie . . .).

As for Alec Baldwin, my impression is that he's rather successfully segued from big male lead roles into interesting supporting roles. He got lots of favorable critical attention for The Cooler, for example, for which many thought he should have won the Oscar. So maybe his presence will add some lustre, if not big box office mojo, to The Girl's Guide.

SoddingNancyTribe | November 05, 00:05 CET

I think Alec is an amazing actor - anyone that can be on the Delicious Dish skit on SNL without busting out gets my vote. I think SMG and AB are both lucky to be performing with each other.

On another note....if you're lucky to find love who cares about the age?

Harmalicious | November 05, 00:29 CET

I loved Alec in State And Main. But he did play a big movie star who liked fourteen year old girls. So SMG is actually a step up!

zz9 | November 05, 02:06 CET