Image = Jake Gyllenhaal's Time is Now?!

I need to propose a question that has plagued me for a long time: Why isn’t Jake Gyllenhaal a huge movie star right now?  He was heartbreakingly brilliant in Brokeback Mountain and nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.  Since then though, his career has not evolved very much.  He has only made a handful of movies in eight years and a few have gotten critical notice, but nothing has come even close to Brokeback.

So, what is it?  Does Jake have bad management?  Born into a show business family, he should have the inside track to mega-stardom.  He is young, gorgeous and talented, so what’s missing?  Why isn’t he a movie star on the level of Clooney, Damon & Pitt? 

Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain

After Brokeback, what happened?  (I mean Prince of Persia?  Really?  I couldn’t even sit through the trailer for that one).  Last year Jake also did an Off-Broadway show, which boggled my mind.

What I’m saying is I want to see much more of Jake Gyllenhaal (literally & figuratively!).  From what I have seen, he is much more than a pretty face and he has not shied away from diverse roles.  Early in his career, he helmed October Sky as a budding rocket scientist and will always be recognized for the cult favorite Donnie Darko.  He was both creepy and adorable in The Good Girl and compelling in the surprisingly impactful Love & Other Drugs, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

Whatever the missing link - maybe things will change after this this weekend.  Gyllenhaal stars in the eagerly anticipated thriller Prisoners, opening today.  Will this much promoted film with an all star cast (including Hugh Jackman) put Jake back on the A-List where he belongs?  Let’s hope so because I cannot quit him.