Why Lindsay Lohan Should Play Herself on the Big Screen

Nov. 26, 2009 — -- It's been tough for Lindsay Lohan to get roles lately.

Heck, it's been hard enough for her to get free drinks -- last week, People reported that she had a major freak-out after being presented with the bill at a bar for two bottles of champagne that she and her friends downed.

But the word on the street is that Lindsay is up for a role in a romantic comedy called "One Night With You." The flick is about a child star who grows up, falls into scandal, goes to rehab, and has to figure out how to unsoil her reputation. Her flacks have an unconventional idea -- they want to send her on a reality TV dating show so that America can fall in love with her again. [PopCrunch]

This sounds like kind of the perfect role for Lindz. Honestly, we hope the filmmakers decide to take it a step farther and call the character in the movie "Lindsay Lohan" and throw in a few more recognizable details, like perhaps a female DJ ex. Why? Because meta, mind-bending roles have a proven track record for rekindling the deadest of acting careers. Don't believe me? Here are five examples.

* John Malkovich had all but disappeared from the pop culture consciousness before 1999's "Being John Malkovich," an oddball film written by Charlie Kaufman about an unhappy couple who find a portal that puts them inside John Malkovich's consciousness. Apparently, when Malkovich first read the script, he loved it and wanted to produce it, but he didn't want to star in it. It took years to convince him to play the lead. Good thing he did—the role put him back on the map. Ten years later, I can still vividly remember the scene where there are 100 of him in a restaurant, having conversations comprised of only the word "Malkovich." [IMDb]