Weekend Movieland Braces for Full Frontal Assault of Couple’s Retreatmer
Posted on October 9, 2009
The weekend’s big question is whether a trio of decent looking British imports can make a dent in the latest installment of Vince Vaughn’s crusade against comedy. Our guess is no.
COUPLES RETREAT
The Story: Four couples venture to a idyllic island retreat where they are forced to confront what ails their troubled relationships.
The Pitch: He’s Just Not Into You meets Wedding Crashers
Who It’s For: Stagnating mid-life couples seeking 90 minutes of release from their private hell in mocking the private hells of other mid-life couples.
Cause for Hope: Actually a couple of mild laughs in the trailer; Veronica Mars has not quite worn out her welcome yet.
Cause for Concern: It will not end here. Vaughn has at least three other comedies already in development.
Defamer Enthusio-Meter: 3
AN EDUCATION
The Story: A teenage girl in Swinging 60’s London falls for a debonair suitor (Peter Sarsgaard) twice her age.
The Pitch: Georgy Girl meets Manhattan
Who It’s For: The Smart Set
Cause for Hope: No movie set London in the Swinging 60’s has ever been there. (No, the Austin Powers films weren’t actually set there, so they don’t count.)
Cause for Concern: Early Oscar buzz is generally a harbinger of mind-numbing tedium ahead.
Defamer Enthusio-Meter: 8
GOOD HAIR
The Story: Chris Rock fronts a documentary exploring the complex world of African Americans’ hair issues.
The Pitch: Fast Food Nation meets Beauty Parlor
Who It’s For: Comedy enjoyers and documentary fans alike.
Cause for Hope: Fascinating, under-discussed topic; restores the hope for the comic documentary genre nearly bludgeoned to death by Michael Moore polemics.
Cause for Concern: If we wanted to learn, we’d go to school.
Defamer Enthusio-Meter: 8
THE DAMNED UNITED
The Story: A soccer coach (Michael Sheen) takes on the most successful team in the UK in the 1970’s, and makes waves challenging their style of play.
The Pitch: Victory meets The Full Monty
Who It’s For: Yobs and the yanks who love them.
Cause for Hope: From Peter Morgan, the screenwriter of The Queen and Frost/Nixon.
Cause for Concern: Soccer still just seems like a bunch of guys jogging around a big field and never scoring.
Defamer Enthusio-Meter: 7
BRONSON
The Story: The based-on-truth story of a British perpetual prison inmate who makes violence his art form.
The Pitch: Clockwork Orange meets Swimming to Cambodia
Who It’s For: Any remaining Brit film fans who haven’t been swallowed up this weekend by An Education or Damned United.
Cause for Hope: Looks crazy and weird enough to possibly break through the doldrums of Britain’s overworked geezers and guns genres.
Cause for Concern: Viewers are cautioned that Guy Ritchie flashbacks are extremely possible.
Defamer Enthusio-Meter: 6
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