Then again, maybe Oldman's just trying to get over some of his more high-risk experiments in acting. Whilst the likes of Carnegie in The Book Of Eli, Dreyfus in Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and Lord Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2 might be one-note bad guys that aren't really befitting an actor of Oldman's skill, those sort of safe roles are definitely preferable to Tiptoes. Which is a romantic comedy where the almost six foot Oldman plays a dwarf. And that isn't even the most ridiculous part of this film's set up or cast. Tiptoes stars Matthew McConaughey, pre-True Detective career renaissance, as Steven, the husband of Kate Beckinsale's Carol. They seem happy, but Steven have a dark secret which he's finally forced to spill when Carol gets pregnant. Turns out Steven's family are all dwarves. Which he's worried about. It's from there that Steven introduces his wife to Rolfe, his brother. A dwarf. Played by Gary Oldman. Mind you, this is a film that also involves a lot of actors who are actual dwarves, including Peter Dinklage from Game Of Thrones. But from some reason Oldman takes the lead role, presumably acting on his knees with shoes under his legs. Regardless of the film's intentions, it's a bit of a freak show. And it's terrible, with Oldman spending more time trying to look like a convincing dwarf, and very little on bringing breadth and depth to his character. Not only one his worst performances, but one of the worst films ever.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
