Seven Tales of Yes
So I missed the past couple weeks of movie releases for some reason, but you can see the whole month of December here if you wonder what I thought was going to happen (ironically the film featured in that first photo got delayed to May 2009).
12/19
Wide
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Will Smith tries to atone for some bad things.
WILL IT SUCK?
Director Gabriele Muccino and Smith did a great job (or so I’m told) in 2006 with Pursuit of Happyness and I love me some Barry Pepper, so there’s hope there. On the other hand, writer did an ep of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and a couple of 8 Simple Rules. Nothing against those shows, but not a resume typical of a heavy December pic. Early buzz is not great.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The trailer is not very clear. That will make it a tougher sell to the Smith faithful. And Yes Man won’t help. But it’s still a Smith flick. $97mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Not with these reviews.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Mouse-a-touille
WILL IT SUCK?
Co-director Sam Fell also co-directed the better-than-expected Flushed Away. But the real winner here is Gary Ross, who adapted the Newbery Award-winning book by Kate DiCamillo. He’s a master at taking a cheesy premise and spinning it into gold (Big, Pleasantville, Dave). Early buzz is mixed-to-bad.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Between Yes Man this week and Bedtime Stories the next, it’s gonna get killed. $51mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Not so much.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Remember when Jim Carrey couldn’t tell a lie? Well, now he can’t say “no.”
WILL IT SUCK?
From likeable director Peyton Reed (Down With Love, Bring It On) and a group of writers who have worked on everything from acting in Liar, Liar to directing Forgetting Sarah Marshall – oh, and they’ve done some writing, too. Early buzz is not good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Marley and Me ups the cute quotient the following week, but holiday Carrey is usually a safe bet. $111mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No, but Carrey’s turn as Scrooge and all of the ghosts that haunt him in next year’s A Christmas Carol might put him in the running then.
Limited
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Darren Aronofsky revives Mickey Rourke’s career.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is sick, but mostly for Rourke. Won the Golden Lion at Venice. Aronofsky is a phenomenal director (and I say that feeling that two out of his three features are flawed-but-interesting), but the trailer is intriguing because this does not look like an Aronofsky film. I’m curious to see the approach he takes.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Crowded season, but I have a feeling that Searchlight can spin this into a minor hit, what with the redemptive storyline and all. $22mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Rourke will probably have the honor of losing to Sean Penn for Best Actor.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
I Couldn’t Afford the Rights to the Valerie Plame Story So I Wrote This Instead
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz says it’s good, but uneven and overdone (which is not far from the reception writer/director Rod Lurie’s The Contender got). Like that film, he’s assembled a strong cast: Kate Beckinsale (not Judith Miller), Vera Farmiga (not Valerie Plame), Alan Alda, Angela Bassett and Matt Dillon.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Without the budget to make as big a deal out of itself as The Contender did, this will have a hard time. $2mil.
WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No money for that campaign either.
Next Week: Look! It’s Tom Cruise! And he doesn’t suck!