Monday Morning Quarterback Part I

By BOP Staff

January 11, 2010

Sorry, bud. Can't retire just yet.

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Jim Van Nest: I know BOP loves some Amy Adams, but go talk to the average movie goer and they have no idea who she is. If you're going to have a generic Rom-Com, you'd better have a name (Bullock, Witherspoon, etc). Looking at the theater listings, I'm shocked anyone went to see this so I would say $9 million is pretty good.

Matthew Huntley: I think it was (slightly) less than what they were expecting. With Amy Adams' bankability rising over the past couple years, they probably wanted to break the double-digit mark with this one. Plus, given the genre, they probably figured it would work as counter-programming to the NFL playoffs and Avatar's inimitable hold on the market. In the end, though, the bad reviews for Leap Year seemed to catch up with it.

Reagen Sulewski: Well, it did better than New in Town did last year, so that's something at least. But this was a case where they didn't really bother pushing this film a lot and I can't really understand why. You could say that people don't know who Amy Adams is, but Julie & Julia made almost $100 million last summer (yes, Streep, but) and her doppelganger Isla Fisher got a $17 million opening out Confessions of a Shopaholic. I suspect this was just a case of them not wanting to throw any money after what they saw as a dog of a film.




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Max Braden: It beats New In Town but this falls short of 2008's 27 Dresses at $23 million. I think Adams is pleasant enough to watch and talented enough to add value to a film, but she's got a way to go before establishing an audience that will support her when nothing else in the movie does. I'm a big fan of Matthew Goode but I doubt many Americans even recognize his face or name. You know what also doesn't help a movie? When it completely fails to address its basic premise. I came out of Leap Year thinking Laws of Attraction made more sense, and does anyone remember that movie?

George Rose: I love Amy Adams. Since Enchanted, I've watched and waited for every one of her movies. How does she knooooooooooow I love her? How does she knoooooooooow I care? (Insert Disney melody) She knows because only she can get me to sing like Prince Charming, giggle like a schoolboy, and feel bad for calling red-heads Gingers. When I saw a trailer for Leap Year, that all changed. I enjoy Amy for many of the same reasons I enjoy Emily Blunt. They both have found Hollywood stardom in the last few years, are both critically acclaimed, have appeared together in Charlie Wilson's War and Sunshine Cleaning, and are both beautiful talents that remind me of the early years of Kate Winslet (albeit without a $600 million movie credit called Titanic under their belt). Basically, there was reason to believe and hope that their careers would skyrocket, and in 30 years either one could become the next Meryl Streep. These women have made great choices and have received several award nominations for their work. Emily Blunt can currently be seen in the acclaimed Young Victoria, another good choice. Amy did not leverage her previous acclaim for another shot at an Oscar. No, she sold that fame to land a lead role in a romantic comedy. One that was scheduled for the time of year when airheaded rom-coms like Bride Wars and 27 Dresses are released. Needless to say, this is the first Amy Adams movie I didn't see. Given her career to this point, I'm sure Universal was expecting more. So was I. Everyone involved should be disappointed by this release.

Michael Lynderey: I would have to think Universal was expecting more. While we may balk at romantic comedies and accuse them of being forgettable, they've shown quite some box office muscle - especially in 2009. And January of last year in particular was so kind to this type of star-driven film, that I suspect Universal scheduled Leap Year for the 8th specifically hoping for more of the same - though it turned out that dinner had already been served and the guests all went home. I'm also surprised that the presence of Amy Adams didn't help lift this higher, if only to some degree - before the movie opened, I would've called her one of the biggest female box office draws. Now, that somehow seems less true.


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