Room to Breathe

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It's a little bit weird that possibly the two hottest comedies of the summer -- Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen's Pineapple Express (Sony, 8.8) and Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder (DreamWorks, 8.15) -- are opening only a week apart.

More than "possibly," I think. I've spoken to someone who saw Pineapple way back in August '07, and he assures me it's hilarious and went over big. There's no serious persuasion to be made from that Tropic Thunder trailer, trailers being the essence of film-flam, but it sure seems hilarious, and how can any film with Downey's performance as a white actor playing a black guy not be make the film an essential see?

You'd think that Pineapple would have to move itself back a week or two to create at least a couple of weeks' worth of box-office breathing room. Seems like the wiser move (not that anyone can tell Sony's distribution chief Jeff Blake anything) might be to open Pineapple on August 1st or, maybe even July 25th. Isn't it better for Pineapple's fortunes, speaking basically, not to have another hot comedy with a lot of heat opening a week later? Won't that cut into your second- and third-week action, to some extent?

comment #1

JapAdapters says ...

Didn't this happen with WEDDING CRASHERS and 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN in Summer '05?

comment #2

actionman says ...

I want to see them both. They might eat into each other's box office but remember a few summers ago when Wedding Crashers/40 Year Old Virgin opened close to one another. They were both big hits.

Also, Pineapple Express will certainly have Rogen and Apatow's paw prints all over it, but I hope some of director David Gordon Green's directorial style seeps into the film as well.

Wells--have you seen Snow Angels yet? I think it could be Green's best film to date, and that says a lot in my book. He's made 4 terrific films. Maybe All The Real Girls is his best, but I was really blown away with Snow Angels, especially by Rockwell and Beckinsale's peformances.

But back to the post at hand; if both films are as funny as the advance hype were to have you believe, I don't think either one will suffer. People always want to laugh during the summer movie season.

However, if there was one bomb-in-waiting, I think it's The Love Guru. How horrendous does that look?

comment #3

corey3rd says ...

forget eating each other's boxoffice. How about kids who will make their own double feature by watching one film and sneaking into the other one.

comment #4

Andrew On A Shelf says ...

Actionman,

I saw Snow Angels and dug it -- I finally got what all the David Gordon Green fuss was about.

And The Love Guru looks beyond awful.

comment #5

actionman says ...

Andrew: if you enjoyed Snow Angels then you should definitley check out his other work. He's a major talent in my estimation.

comment #6

James Leer says ...

Snow Angels: no. The hammiest performance Sam Rockwell ever gave -- you can practically hear him eating the scenery -- and a miscast Kate Beckinsale who refuses to glam down and lay off the Botox. Michael Angarano half is better, but it doesn't go anywhere interesting.

comment #7

actionman says ...

Hammy? Not by a long shot.

Beckinsale FINALLY proved she could act. She was great. Fine, I'll admit that it doesn't matter how "plain" you try making her look as she's always going to be gorgeous. But she finally delivered a performance where I truly cared about her on screen.

The film is all about this group of people who don't really get closure by the end of the story. Sure, plot developments occur that suggest finality, but there is a lot that is unanswered at the end of the film. The way that Green cut back and forth between all of the characters resulted in a feeling of randomness and unpredictability. Even with the foreshadowing in the begining.

comment #8

rr3333 says ...

Judging by the trailer, James Franco seems hilarious in 'Pineapple' as well. One could classify him as Eric Stoltz's brother or cousin from his Pulp Fiction role.

comment #9

The Winchester says ...

There's also Step Brothers coming out on the 25th of July, another Ferrell/McKay teaming. Looks pretty funny, but again, why so close to Pineapple? (I think Step Brothers is even produced by Apatow, too)

comment #10

actionman says ...

I detest James Franco. He has been terrible in film after film. Having said that, he looks perfect and rather brilliant in the Pineapple Express trailer.

comment #11

nemo says ...

Maybe the problem with all those Iraq war dramas that turned up duds at the box office was that they were dramas, not that they were war films.

Maybe Tropic Thunder has the right idea. If you want to sell a war film in today's environment, it's got to be a comedy.

Granted Tropic Thunder is not about Iraq. But look at Three Kings, a film about the first Iraq war that was pretty successful both artistically and commercially. It was a lot more comedy than drama.

comment #12

Craig Beilinson says ...

It might be a "little bit weird" that those films are opening a week apart, but isn't it even weirder that Get Smart and The Love Guru are opening on exactly the same day?

Why would they do this?!?

comment #13

jesse says ...

Jeff, I see your point about the closeness of these two big comedies, but the error and onus is really on Tropic Thunder here. Pineapple had the August date staked out months and months ago. Tropic Thunder was penciled in for a mid-July bow, I'm pretty sure. Then it was delayed until 8/15.

Based on the trailer and the talent, I'm guessing it's not because the movie sucks -- plus, the mid-to-late August slot has become a strong one for comedies (usually Apatow-bred -- 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad). But the decision to come a week on the heels of Pineapple when both are R-rated comedies... well, it's kinda weird. And I'm pretty sure Step Brothers is going for an R, too (though maybe after Semi-Pro the studio will force a PG-13). I'm excited for all three movies, but they do seem awfully clustered together there in the last month of the season. Seems like a good comedy could really clean up in the late-May slot (you know, like Sex and the City, except a comedy).

comment #14

romeoisbleeding says ...

I plan on seeing them both but I get your point. Rgiht now I am looking at August as pretty damn good month to go see some movies. And yeah like i said I will see them both but I have a feeling I will see Tropic Thunder a few times.

comment #15

D.Z. says ...

Jeff: "and how can any film with Downey's performance as a white actor playing a black guy not be make the film an essential see?"

Someone on a different board said they'd pay to see Pacino do that.

actionman: "They might eat into each other's box office but remember a few summers ago when Wedding Crashers/40 Year Old Virgin opened close to one another. They were both big hits."

Wedding Crashers and 40 Year Old Virgin managed to cross over as date movies. I'm not sure Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder will succeed the same way.

James: "Snow Angels: no. The hammiest performance Sam Rockwell ever gave"

Haven't seen Snow Angels, but the category looks to be topped with Choke.

nemo: "If you want to sell a war film in today's environment, it's got to be a comedy."

*cough* Team America and Jarhead *cough*

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