Jon Cryer makes comic discomfort precise: a hesitation, a response that tries too hard, an anxious line delivered at just the right speed. We rate the timing more highly than some of the material.
Fi1m perspective
Jon Cryer lets a hesitation linger just long enough to make it funny. In Two and a Half Men (2003), his Alan Harper can get a laugh from an overworked response before the writing has done much to earn one. We laughed at his anxious delivery even when the punchline was easy to predict. That is his considerable value to a comedy, and the trouble with relying on him to keep it moving. A writer can leave too much of the work to the actor.
His breakthrough as Duckie in Pretty in Pink (1986) established the endearing misfit who would remain a familiar part of his work. Early television leads, including The Famous Teddy Z (1989–1990) and Partners (1995–1996), were short-lived. Two and a Half Men gave him a sustained part to develop: he played Alan across all 262 episodes. The appeal is easy to understand, because awkwardness gives him something specific to do with the rhythm of a line.
Charlie Sheen’s calmer Charlie Harper is an effective counterweight, and their contrasting rhythms supply variety that the scripts often lack. Angus T. Jones, as Jake Harper, adds a less practised comic presence; Cryer’s precision works well beside it. These are good reasons to value the ensemble without pretending the programme is better than it is. The predictable jokes and sour treatment of women make sustained viewing a chore.
The later casting as Lex Luthor in Supergirl (2019) offered a different use for the actor so often given uptight comic parts. He had already played Luthor’s nephew Lenny in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), a poor sequel whose muddled storytelling left little to recommend. That family connection is tidier than the film, but the villainous role does mark a move beyond the familiar everyman. For his next comedy, we would like to laugh at the writing as often as we laugh at him.
Biography
Jon Cryer is an American actor. Born Jonathan Niven Cryer on 16 April 1965 in New York City, he is the son of actress and singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his film debut in No Small Affair (1984) and gained attention for his role as Duckie in Pretty in Pink (1986). He played Lenny Luthor in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).
Cryer appeared in several short-lived television series before being cast as Alan Harper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men (2003–2015). He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2009 and a second Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2012. He later portrayed Lex Luthor in the Arrowverse series Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
