R.I.P. Carl Weathers

I've watched some good movies and tv shows over the weekend, but starting out the week on my blog, I have to write about the passing of Carl Weathers.

This one hurt as a fan. I have seen and enjoyed a bunch of Weathers' work. I loved "Rocky" and "Rocky 2". I was such a fan. I had never seen a movie up to that point where the hero didn't necessarily win in the end. Rocky learned a lesson. And the person who taught him that lesson was Apollo Creed, portrayed by Weathers. Apollo Creed was my introduction to Carl Weathers the actor. I was instantly hooked.

After seeing the "Rocky" movies that Weathers appeared in, I searched for his other stuff. I love the original "Predator". I didn't appreciate it when I watched it as a teen, but I love it now. He was in the James Brown video "Living in America" playing Apollo Creed. They used this in "Rocky 4", where his character gets punched to death. That was tragic. I have not yet seen "Action Jackson", but that is going to change soon. I now have to see this movie. He was in "The Comebacks", which is an awful movie, but I enjoyed his role. And recently I saw him in "The Mandalorian", where he has a major role. I wonder how they will show his character now?

But where Carl Weathers really came into my consciousness, where I really became a lifelong fan, was "Happy Gilmore". I love this movie with all of my heart. It is one of my all time favorites. I am an avid Adam Sandler fan. I'm unapologetic about my fandom for him. So when he released "Happy Gilmore", of course I watched it on opening day, and a bunch more times since then. And what has always made me come back to it, why I never get tired of it is Weathers' performance as Chubbs. He is my absolute favorite character in that movie. I have never gotten tired of watching him in this movie. I have never grown tired of the movie in general, but Weathers performance as Chubbs is the absolute cherry on top. My only other times watching Weathers was in action or serious roles, usually both combined. Even in "The Mandalorian" he is pretty serious. But in "Happy Gilmore" he is hilarious. He plays the straight man opposite Sandler and he absolutely nails it. He also has a wooden hand due to an alligator biting his hand off. When he reveals this it is one of the funniest moments in movie history for me. He puts his wooden hand up and says, "damn alligator bit my hand off!". Sandler recoils, but Weathers never breaks. He continues to tell Sandler his character's back story. From that moment on in the movie he had me hooked. When he coaches other golfers, his demeanor is so bored and uninspired. It is great. When he takes him to the mini golf course, I love that whole thing. When he grabs him from behind and starts swinging him back and forth and saying "it's all in the hips", that is gold in that movie. Everything Weathers does as Chubbs is perfect. I can watch it over and over again and find new things he does in "Happy Gilmore" that make me smile. This was where my fandom went up another notch. I love him in this movie.

Carl Weathers passing is a true bummer. He still had a bunch of work left to do, but now he is gone. Rest in Peace Carl Weathers. You will be missed. I hope to see you, the alligator and Abraham Lincoln smiling down at me at some point in my life. That would be a dream. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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