Do you remember the movie that came out some years ago starring Will Smith and Kevin Kline with the absurd title of "The Wild, Wild West"--absurd because it was not an honest or respectable re-creation of the wonderful television series--a movie that, as I recall, bombed in theaters? I like Will Smith, but James West he isn't. Even his best politically correct interpretation could not come close to touching the character. I'd looked forward to a movie version of this series. When I was a kid, I loved the banter and h/c, and when I grew up, I knew a movie version had the potential to be wriggle-in-your-seat gorgeous. There were rumors George Clooney would play James West and I couldn't have picked anyone more perfect.
Man, was I disappointed in the end result.

And as with all cinematic frustrations, I turned to fan fiction to ease my regret over the abomination that was The Wild, Wild West movie. I imagined a *good* movie that starred George Clooney and Kevin Kline (and I think they would have had fantastic chemistry) and I wrote a long fan fic which made me feel a little better. All the same, I wanted a movie from the series--and as far as I'm concerned, there still hasn't been one.

And while George and Kevin could do it justice even today, I pondered other possibilities for the roles of Jim and Artie and came up with two actors I thought could fill the roles as admirably. Michael Weatherly has just the charming drawl, killer grin, and supreme self-confidence to pull off James West. And Greg Kinnear would make an adorable Artie. What do you think?

When I was blog-browsing, I came across a meme: _______ and _______ would be great in a movie together. While some bloggers would probably start thinking of actors and actresses who might have big-screen chemistry, I went, as usual, to my mental list of guys who would create sparks in a buddy-scenario (later to be mercilessly slashed, of course) and picked out my Jim and Artie. I even stuck a couple of pictures of them together so you could see just how cute they'd be (I'm not trying to avoid getting work done, honest, I'm not). :)

So who's your perfect Jim and Artie?