Sat 08 Aug 2007Bourne againThere was a time when, despite his Oscar, Matt Damon seemed
destined to provide endless punchlines for Hollywood satirists.
Then he starred in
The Bourne Identity, a surprise hit that relaunched the
actor's career and helped to make him Hollywood's most bankable
star. As the film's third instalment heads for cinemas, he tells
Donald Clarkeabout tough guys, changing nappies
and holidaying with Ben AffleckThree years ago Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of
South Park, delivered an extraordinary film entitled
Team America: World Police. The picture, made using the
same sort of puppets that used to populate the set of
Thunderbirds, focused on a battle between gung-ho
vigilantes and a cadre of terrorists sponsored by the North Korean
government.
Team America'sreal subject, however, was the vanity and
pomposity that so often accompany contemporary fame. Throughout the
film, wooden caricatures of various movie stars, among them George
Clooney, Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, cued up to spout meandering
liberal platitudes and generally make idiots of themselves. Stone
and Parker were particularly cruel to Matt Damon. As chaos broke
out, the Damon doll, his head the shape of a Hovis loaf, appeared
capable of saying nothing but his own name. "Maaaat Daaaamon," he
grunted.