I read an interview with Woody Allen recently in which he talked about how he releases his movies during the summer because he thinks big tentpole movies are moronic and smart people need something else to see. Whatever you think about that, it's true that a lot of comic-book movies are targeted at younger kids, and maybe you want something rated a hard R. Something like Woody Allen might make if he'd come up in Gen X. I recommend Wanderlust, David Wain's commune comedy that functions as something of a companion piece to his Wet Hot American Summer and a spiritual successor to Caddyshack and Stripes.
Each week, marketers release new movie posters, many for films whose releases are still months away. But for those who know where to look, one-sheets can reveal studios' hopes and insecurities about their products. In this space, we will attempt to decode the hidden meanings of the week's new posters.
Casa de mi Padre
What the art says: Lionsgate is going all in with this telenovela thing. No Will Ferrell in his underwear, no nods to Old School, no John C. Reilly — it’s just a man in a leisure suit with his favorite girl and a hungry eagle. And yet all the good will won with the sexy imagery, the exquisite color palette and that fearsome scowl on Ferrell’s face is almost completely squandered by those stupid fake fold lines. No one puts movie posters in their pockets guys. Pockets just aren’t that big. What the text says: Subtitles don’t scare Lionsgate. Which means Lionsgate has huge balls. Because if we were making a movie for people whose weekly reading intake consists solely of the back of a toothpaste tube, we’d be nervous about it. Instead, Lionsgate embraces it with the tagline, “The funniest movie you’ll ever read.” Good luck!
Silver:Wanderlust’s plot is so simple that even if you turned the sound off on the trailer you’d still be able to piece together the narrative. But like any good comedy, it's all in the execution. Luckily here we have super producer Judd Apatow, director/co-writer David Wain (Role Models, Wet Hot American Summer), and a veritable who’s who of performers from the alternative (but now mainstream) comedy world. But for all this, Wanderlust’s trailer is not that funny. Let's hope this is just the marketers trying to paint the film as a broad comedy, and that Wanderlust delivers better than just trite R. Kelly jokes and recycled “awkward conversations while on the toilet” scenes.
Browne: Fun fact: I was in the library and had to watch this trailer on mute, and I still know exactly how this movie is going to play out. I'm surprisingly excited.
