Get Guru
I suppose the lesson here is that when M. Night sticks to his horror guns, it doesn’t matter what the critics say. The Happening opened ten million shy of the total gross of Lady in the Water.
6/20
Wide
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Steve Carell steps into Don Adams’ shoe phones (shoes phone?) as the eponymous goofball secret agent.
WILL IT SUCK?
You’ve got the director of 50 First Dates (not bad) and the writers behind Failure to Launch (pretty bad), so, yes, Carell might strike out critically here the way he did with Evan Almighty. Still, keep a look out for Bill Murray and Masi Oka, who seems to be making a career of cameos (see The Promotion) in the Heroes off season.
Early buzz is mixed.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Between Carell and Mike Meyers, whose Love Guru opens opposite, I think audiences are equally disenchanted. Which isn’t to say totally. $101mil.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Mike Meyers does his Austin Powers jokes as an American raised in India.
WILL IT SUCK?
The most interesting thing about this film (and it’s not all that interesting) is the much-ado-about-nobody-even-knows-yet controversy surrounding the depiction of Hinduism in the film, which has spurred not only protests, but protests of those protests by Hindu reform groups - and all, of course, before anyone’s actually watched the film.
Still, Meyers is a decent comedy writer, so this should be good for a few chuckles…but, like, on a Saturday afternoon on cable.
Very preliminary buzz is not-so-great.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Okay, maybe they’re a little more tired of Meyers than Carell. $49mil.
Limited
KITT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Kid grows up in the depression. Tries to solve a mystery or something. Based on a line of dolls/books I’ve never heard of because I’m not a 10-year-old girl.
WILL IT SUCK?
They’ve certainly thrown a lot more quality at this than, say, the Bratz movie. Mansfield Park director Patricia Rozema is at the helm with Narnia co-writer Ann Peacock doing the adaptation. Not to mention that this is an independent film, already gaining cred over the studio release you’d expect for a popular toy line. Good cast, too, with Abigail Breslin in the lead supported by Joan Cusack, Stanley Tucci, Julia Ormond, Jane Krakowski and Wallace Shawn.
Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Being an indie, I’m not sure how well the advertising will hit the target demo, but we’ll see. $15mil.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
The life of an Indian woman forced into an arranged marriage in London.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is pretty good. Has received some love on the festival/award circuit. Co-adapted from Monica Ali’s novel by Angela’s Ashes adapter Laura Jones.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Similarly-themed Namesake did well last year, but that was with a name cast. $3mil.
Next Week: Pixar. ‘Nuff said.
June 16th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I love how the movie has Hindus all in an uproar but no one seems concerned about little person Vern Troyer getting thrown around in the preview. I guess dwarf-tossing is still funny to some, but Hinduism is funny to no one?
June 17th, 2008 at 10:44 am
I think it’s Don Adams’ “phone shoes”. =)
June 18th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I still think of the Love Guru as the villain of the fourth Austin Powers-movie-that-never-was. Think about it; Austin’s mojo vs. the Guru’s special powers. They just made him a good guy for a movie all on his own.