Monday Morning Quarterback Part II

By BOP Staff

June 26, 2012

This is like some alternate reality where Andre the Giant beat Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania III.

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Max Braden: Like Will Ferrell, general audiences only want to see the Steve Carell monkey dance in loud and brash roles. David's comment about premise is right (though I don't think death is the problem), because the premise splits the only market it has left. A project like this is obviously too thoughtful and sensitive to be a Due-Date-type roadtrip movie, but also too silly to capture a strong response from the film festival crowd. It really takes word-of-mouth to sell. Plus I think it would have been a better sell in wintertime.

Kim Hollis: Boy, Max, I may be in the minority, but I like sweet Steve Carell *much* better than noisy, annoying Steve Carell (and for the record, I like Will Ferrell in both kinds of roles). My favorite films of his *by far* have been The 40 Year-Old Virgin (where he is actually quite subdued), Little Miss Sunshine, Dan in Real Life, Crazy Stupid Love and now this one. There's something that is really relatable when it comes to his vulnerability. I honestly don't believe his "type" of role here had anything to do with the box office here, but rather agree that it all comes down to the depressing premise. But it's a sweet movie that is well worth watching, folks.




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Jason Barney: I wasn't aware of the budget numbers for this one, but if Edwin's $10 million is correct, I can't imagine the studio had high expectations. They put a little bit of money into a movie that is going to be released during the heart of the summer movie season. It may not have had a start, but I think that is okay. With the relatively low number of screens it was on, the ceiling was pretty visible from the beginning. It will play for the next several weeks, and the studio will be hoping for positive word-of-mouth. The budget wasn't huge, so a low opening shouldn't be too concerning.

Bruce Hall: If my reaction a while back upon seeing the movie poster and reading the synopsis was typical, David couldn't be more correct. This might be the sweetest, most endearing movie in the world, a lot of people are never going to know it. The premise is intriguing, just not to the kind of people you'd imagine flocking to Steve Carell's films. But as has been mentioned, there is a lucrative market in the home video space called "Movies for Bored Suburban Couples", and this film fits right into it. The same story could have been told direct to video or in a series of quirky home made webisodes edited on a laptop. But having such lovely people in the leads ensures both a healthy return on investment, and that Chet and Vanessa Hutchens of Peora, IL will not have to talk about their disintegrating relationship for one more night.


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