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If there’s one think in this life that you can guarantee, it’s that a Yank or a Brit, cast to play the role of a South African in a movie, will duff the accent so badly that not one person from the Rainbow Nation will be able to guess which country he’s supposed to be from.

I had tears in my eyes when I read that Matt Damon, the oke from the Bourne Ultimatum movies was going to play ‘Awww Franshwa Man’ Pienaar in a movie about the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

http://entertainment.iafrica.com/news/652695.htm

For starters, he’s too small and if Leonardo Di Caprio is any indication of what the accent is going to sound like then God help us. And you can just imagine the script, crammed full of Holywood’s best feel good lines wif a extra moral frown in vry, gratis en verniet.

(Please remember Franshwa is van Witbank se wereld while the genius playing him is from Cambridge Massechusetts.)

*NB spelling is deliberate and aimed at helping you say the words in the same way that Matt Damon is going to say ‘em.

“Katch (as in Christie) ain’t it truly rewarding when a plan comes together? Eye b’live that Cow-bus (English ‘bus’) Wiser has grown both as a lock and as a man”.

Picture the audiences in Brakpan watching this one:

“Wie die fok is Katch?”

“Vra my ek is Moses! Waar kry hulle die doos vandaan? Is Steve Hofmeyer siek of wat?”

That’s just for starters how about?

“Juiced (Van der Westhuizen) don’ ya think that Hannie Lerowks would be better as a safety?”

Back to Brakpan:

“Spot hulle?! Die fillum begin my moer fokken koer!”

And from behind in the cinema:

“Julle daar voor moet jou bek nou begin hou!! Ons kan die bliksemse soutpiel nie eers hoor nie — hoe kan ons begin verstaan die twak wat hy praat?!”

And that’s only Franshwa, man. Who do you think they’re going to cast for the other 14 Springboks?

Which American wenner is going to play Kobus Wiese? Knowing these geniuses they’ll probably go for Brad Pitt on account of his being friends with Damon. With him as Damon’s other mate is Ben Affleck playing Mark Andrews. Between them they don’t weigh the same as Cow-Bus Wiser on his lonesome.

Mind you, can you imagine die drie as hulle gaan haresny?

Mark Andrews shorts a few hairs while Cow-bus likes to shave the top, which gives him that rugged sandpaper look. Either that or they can’t get scissors sharp enough to cut through that wire. Either way they could well revolutionise the movie industry with the scarecuts from hell.

Imagine Ben Affleck on Oscar night sporting his best Mark Andrews (I’ve got tears as I’m typing this). One of those gushy birds from Fox Television stops him on the red carpet.

“Ben if I could just ask you how it feels to drive through Los Angeles with your Mark Andrews cut?”

(A Mark Andrews is a haircut which looks like you’re wearing a black alice-band round your neck with the hair at it’s highest point reaching the ears. Other than that you’re as bald as Kojak).

“Well Tiffany (they’re all Tiffany or Brittany), I have ter admit that this took some getting used ter. But once I got past all the “side-beaver” jokes I was having a ball!”

And of course every American kid will be on it like a flash:

“Daddy daddy I want a Mark Andrews haircut!!”

“No problem boy, soon as they close the casket and start lowering me into the ground…”

And of course they’re going to need guys to play the All Blacks, all the time realising that no American audience would stand for that name. Imagine Morgan Freeman as Madiba in his opening speech:

“And we would like to wish the Springboks and the All African Americans the very best of…”

Dear oh dear oh dear!

Throw in the need to load up with stars and they’ve got Chris Rock playing Jonah Lomu. Imagine the Rock flying down the wing hurling oscenities in that high pitched voice of his!

“Yo motherfockers! Wasssssupppp????!!!!!!!!”

Can you imagine those New Zealand film-goers in Auckland?

“Couldn’t they find a Noo Zeeelander to play Lomu? This bloke doesn’t sound anything looike him?!”

And from behind him in the cinema:

“Hoy – shurrup down there. Can you believe they show a foreign language film without any bloody subtitles?”

The closing moments of the film are all in slow motion. Stransky (played by Woody Allen, looking adorable in green, his glasses held on by an elastic) drops the winning goal and makes the turn towards the half-way line.

Then it’s all stills with about 20 minutes of writing coming up and explaining how South Africa became a multiracial democracy and overcoming the past.

Valoid anyone?




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8 Responses to “Matt Damon is the man from U.N.C.L.E Francois Pienaar”

Clint Eastwood was just signed to direct this masterpiece, I kid you not !

(Report abuse)

Jim Stockley on June 6th, 2008 at 5:05 pm

What are they doing as the sequal?

“Dirty Harry?”

The Harry Viljoen story……

(Report abuse)

Michael Trapido on June 6th, 2008 at 5:12 pm

Liewe maatjie are you seriaas? Are they actually going to make such a catastrophe of a movie? I cannot watch ONE poor American attempting our accent without cringing, laughing and wanting to vomit, all at once! Never mind a whole rugby team’s worth. Why is America making a movie about rugby anyway? Surely we can just watch a replay of the match, what more do we need than that?

Well, I guess they can market it as a comedy…

(Report abuse)

Po on June 6th, 2008 at 9:21 pm

Po it’s not only their accents they have no feel for rugby.

There are so few Americans who follow the Eagles and these guys aren’t part of them.

I can’t wait to see this.

Did you catch Leonardo in Blood Diamonds?

ROFL

(Report abuse)

Michael Trapido on June 6th, 2008 at 9:28 pm

Baby Boks thrash USA in under 20 World Cup

http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/Rugby/0,,2-9-838_2336413,00.html

USA must have been without Matt Damon

(Report abuse)

Michael Trapido on June 6th, 2008 at 9:59 pm

No feel for Rugby…. good heavens man they only play “gridiron” and “world series (sic) baseball” and only American teams get to play there - of course they discount the better teams from Cuba with the simple expediency of holding a total embargo on anything Cuban……. Even the best cigars in the world.

I haven’t seen Leonardo in Blood Diamond - but no doubt his accent is on par with Mick Jagger’s Ned Kelly - a rebel Irish Bushranger in Australia and of course wold that be on par with Meryl Streep bleating …. “the dingo’s got my baby! …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azaria_Chamberlain_disappearance

But then again who can ever accuse the Yanks of having any intelligence?

(Report abuse)

Jay Vincento on June 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am

Imagine they do make the movie and imagine it is a blockbuster in the states! Huge success. The powers that be will spot the trend, pump a billion or 2 into marketing and hype and have every kid playing padded rugby from the age of 3.

Within 5 years the USA will be the best rugby playing nation on the globe, all of our players will be contraced out and playing for teams like the California Cheetahs, the New York Sharks and the Florida Lions, all making zillions of dollars and calling out deeefence, deeefence while the crowds are eating hot dogs with extra ketchup…aaarrrggghhh!

Wonder if it will have a little sub plot including our other two national pastimes…apartheid racism and xenophobia.

(Report abuse)

Grant W on June 9th, 2008 at 4:38 pm

@Grant W …. “Wonder if it will have a little sub plot including our other two national pastimes…apartheid racism and xenophobia.”

Obviously there appears to be either some difficulty in translations between Sud Afrikaner (sic) English and English as she is spoken elsewhere - what I mean to say why use Apartheid racism and try to separate it from Black racism by using the Greek word xenophobia?

One really has to wonder why black hatred on other blacks is merely described as tribalism, and when the murders and attacks are but mere skirmishes and the modern day “necklacing” of the unfortunates from other countries I have seen on news reports bring back memories of the 60’s and 70’s are glossed over ……

I am somewhat shamed of the very personal support I gave to the the “struggling” A.N.C. during their struggle to get out from under the yoke of the repressive religious Apartheid regime - only to be replaced by those who, while espousing freedoms - have not only forgotten the peoples who nurtured them in their hour of need - but have turned on them like rabid dogs in a frenzy.

I have a feeling that while it is easy to turn on the tap of racist embitterment against a lower class of sufferers - it will be impossible to again turn that tap off and while Sud Afrika goes down this path of racism once more, you may well find yourselves isolated as you were once before.

(Report abuse)

Jay Vincento on June 11th, 2008 at 1:08 am

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Mike Trapido is a specialist criminal attorney, journalist and political commentator.

He has written sports columns for the Derby Evening Telegraph (5 years), SASoccer365 and articles for English and South African sports sites.

Besides all South African teams he is a fanatical Derby County and Blue Bulls supporter.

He was sports editor at Supersport under producer David Blood.

He is currently writing his first book on South African Rugby for the South African Rugby Legends Association.

He is a director of the firm Turnbull and Associates.

He was born in Johannesburg and attended HA Jack and Highlands North High Schools. He married Robyn in 1984 (Mrs Traps, aka "the government") and has three sons (who all look suspiciously like her ex-boss).

He was a counsellor on the JCCI for a year around 1992.


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