Can Gerard Butler Bring Home The Bacon, Or Only Ever Ham?

Look what is it with this gorgeous guy? Like many thousands and millions of drooling dames the world over I have been crazy about Gerard since I first saw him in the spectacular movie version of Phantom of The Opera. He was sublime in this role - sympathetic, yet beastly. Passionately reckless yet vulnerable and boy could he belt out those songs!

I thought - hang on! Do we have an honest to goodness manly man loaded with charisma along the lines of a Clark Gable at last??? What a wonderful contrast to the whiny, pasty-faced fey guys we are used to in the acting profession. I eagerly rented Gerard's back catalogue and adored him as the pretend Pa in Dear Frankie - again all man yet sensitive with it. He was also brill in One More Kiss - who played the ex boyfriend whose dying ex comes back to spend her last days with him - and who wouldn't?

But after seeing some of his latest - Butterfly on a Wheel - out-acted by Pierce Brosnan in this one, the dude was more hysterical then the character of his wife played by Maria Bello concerning the kidnap of their daughter. What happened to the calm collected guy you felt you could lean on? He was nuts. Then there was the terrible P.S I Love You - Gerard was so annoying, it was a relief he passed away a third of the way through. It didn't help that there was no chemistry between him the normally excellent Hillers Swank. So what's gone wrong?

Since 300 our Gezza seems to still be somehow playing every role like the heroic King Leonidas - in such a way that I am afraid can be only described as pure ham. I worry so much that every time I see this beautiful person on screen I get a feeling I call The Butler Sink. It's a real shame because he is a lovely chap - I so, so want him to be great, he can light up the screen, he can really move the audience, but since his success I fear he is trying too hard - like he cannot believe his luck and he's got to be OTT to prove he deserves the work. Well Gerard you do deserve the work. You are wonderful - let's see you be that "real" person we can once again adore and sympathise with, and not the wide-eyed "I'm so lucky that I have got to be so great in this part" desperate thespian. Man, it's only acting, it's not rocket. Take a leaf out of Spencer Tracy's book - "Know your lines and don't bump into the furniture" You're a natural at not bumping into the Ikea, you used to do it so sexily too!