Timothy Hutton vs. Matthew Modine
Battle of the Button-Eyed Beanpoles

Ah, the early 80s. How we did swoon over a group of sexy young men, collectively known as The Brat Pack, who appeared en masse in movies like The Outsiders and St. Elmo's Fire. But what of the era's other, more attainable heartthrobs -- the ones who were not as conventionally cute as Tom Cruise or Rob Lowe, and who played the characters who were more sensitive and screwed-up, or had problems with their fathers, or were overcoming obstacles to their athletic careers, or were notorious graffiti artists? To play those roles, the casting directors of the early 80s looked to unusual-looking yet somewhat talented actors like Timothy Hutton and Matthew Modine. Hutton won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as the troubled, surviving child in a family grieving a dead son, and went on to early acclaim in non-teen-oriented films like Taps, The Falcon and the Snowman, Iceman, and Turk 182!. Modine, despite his debut in the teensploitation favourite Private School for Girls, went on to a comparatively distinguished run in respectable films, including Birdy, The Hotel New Hampshire, and eventually the last-Kubrick-movie-before-Eyes-Wide-Shut, Full Metal Jacket. Indeed, Hutton and Modine were the Edward Furlong and Tobey Maguire of their day -- sort of cute, and taking artistic risks in their choice of role.

Unfortunately, neither actor has lived up to his early promise. Hutton had a short run in the early 90s in forgettable thrillers like The Dark Half and The Temp, and Modine lined up to play the milquetoast role in Short Cuts and Bye Bye, Love; perhaps seeking to deviate from his established type, he appeared in the 90s answer to Heaven's Gate, Cutthroat Island. (It's not clear who exactly thought WASP prince Modine could make a credible pirate.)

As the 90s draw to a close, and each actor evidently determines that something is going badly wrong in their pursuit of success and decided to go in a completely new direction. Hutton appears this summer in The General's Daughter, presumably having elected to try his hand in a big-budget shlockfest. Modine, on the other hand, took some time off to regroup after Cutthroat Island and appeared opposite the super-cool Catherine Keener in the Tom DiCillo comedy The Real Blonde; evidently he's come to terms with his blandly attractive face and middling talent, and has decided to trade on them in roles that don't challenge him unnecessarily. No doubt Hutton was paid more to stagger through The General's Daughter, but we bet Modine sleeps better.

Advantage: Matthew Modine.