Snapshot: July 1-4, 1994
By Joel West
February 12, 2009
In 1994, Jeff Bridges was looking to become an action star in Blown Away. Tangent Rant: Has there been a greater cinematic crime that Jeff Bridges has never become the A-list and Oscar winning superstar that far lesser talents have become? Sure, he has been nominated for four Oscars (not for The Dude – the horror), but has only been in two $100 million plus grossing films (2003's Seabiscuit and 2008's Iron Man)! Already a bridesmaid coming off the heels of the aforementioned Speed in the mad-bomber genre, the film did possess the suddenly hot Tommy Lee Jones as the villain. Coming off his Oscar-winning performance in the hugely popular The Fugitive, Jones starred in no fewer than five films in 1994 (Blown Away, The Client, Natural Born Killers, Blue Sky, and Cobb). Luckily, Blown Away would be the first out of the gate before Jones fatigue would settle in. Ads for the film were pushing the suspense factor (commercials prominently showed household appliances as potential bomb threats) and the chance to see such critical darlings match wits. Blown Away also had the distinction of being the only R-rated choice opening over the holiday. With Speed entering into its second month, surely action fans were ready to whet the appetite on a new action opus.
The weekend's odds on favorite to flop was the aptly titled I Love Trouble. Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte starred as two competing newspaper reporters who fall in love while unraveling a mystery. Yes, Nolte and Roberts were paired as romantic leads. Nolte was still basking in his 1991 career renaissance that saw him nab an Oscar nomination and two hits (Prince of Tides - $74 million and Cape Fear - $79 million). Suddenly a box office presence, Nolte nabbed the lead role in three big films in 1994. The first two unfortunately were I'll Do Anything ($10 million) and Blue Chips ($23 million). Nolte was looking to avoid the hat trick with I Love Trouble, and his co-star was his ace in the hole. After taking a two-year break from movie domination (and likely laying low from the critical disaster that was Hook), Roberts had bounced back in 1993's The Pelican Brief ($100.7 million). The layoff had not affected America's love affair with Roberts, as they were ready for just about anything she starred in. But still, Nolte and Roberts as love interests!? Unsurprisingly, a troubled shoot, poor test screenings and unfunny ads showing the two leads bickering were not boding well for the film. Roberts would certainly be testing her relationship with the American movie-going public with this one.
The weekend's other offerings were Little Big League and Baby's Day Out. Little Big League was hoping to duplicate 1993's successful and vastly similar Rookie of the Year ($53.6 million), while Baby's Day Out was hoping to duplicate 1993's successful and vastly similar Dennis the Menace ($51.2 million). It is worth mentioning that Baby's Day Out was envisioned somewhat as a prequel to the Home Alone films. As stated earlier, The Lion King was the kid's movie of choice and neither of these films were going to stand any sort of chance.
Such is the circle of life.
Continued:
1
2
3
Print this column
