Preview: Rewinders, Bartletts, Vantages and Idiots
By Connect Mason Reporter Matthew Todd
One brainy thriller, two DVD rentals and another no-go hit theaters this weekend. Here's the scoop on Be Kind, Rewind, Charlie Bartlett, Vantage Point and Witless Protection, but first...
Last Weekend’s Recap
I take pride in the fact that my predictions were not far off. Yes, I predicted the critically-acclaimed Spiderwick Chronicles to be the #1 Valentine’s weekend entry, but fell slightly short (just slightly) of my predictions, coming in with a four-day tally of $27.1 million. The critically-panned Jumper grabbed the top spot with a four-day tally of $38.7 million, while Step Up 2: The Streets came in #3 with $28.7 million (it fell $2 million short of ‘Spiderwick’ in the actual three-day weekend count). Meanwhile, the $24 million-budgeted ‘Definitely, Maybe’ grossed a decent $14.5 million its first weekend.
Now, onto this week:
Be Kind, Rewind
The first of the high-profile releases is Michel Gondry’s Be Kind, Rewind (New Line, PG-13), starring Jack Black, Dante “Mos Def” Smith, Danny Glover and Mia Farrow. Jerry (Black) is a junkyard worker who attempts sabotage on a power plant (which, he believes, is melting his brain). His plan goes awry after creating a magnetic field that erases the videotapes in his best friend Mike’s (Mos Def) local video store. Now, to save business, they independently recreate and remake the films that went blank, including Ghost Busters, Rush Hour 2, Driving Miss Daisy and so on.
Written and directed by the masterful filmmaker behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the idea is as brilliant and as clever as you could imagine for a comedy. Yet, the previews did not seem to engross me as much as I wanted it to. Yes, Jack Black as the Jessica Tandy role in Miss Daisy was hilarious. But are we supposed to buy that movie fans would get absorbed into Black and Mos Def’s ultra-cheap rehashes of excellent films and “real” cinema. For me, the plot looks more fitting for sketch comedy, but nothing more, therefore it’ll just be a DVD rental for me.
The Doctor Is In
Next up is the teen comedy Charlie Bartlett (MGM, R), starring a cast of pretty-faced unknowns including Anton Yelchin and Kat Dennings, as well as talented well-known actors including Oscar-nominee Robert Downey Jr. and Hope Davis. Charlie has been kicked out of numerous private schools before finally being placed in a public school where he doesn’t fit in. But when he realizes that the popular and unpopular alike are in desperate personal need, he puts his entrepreneurial gifts to use.
Despite the inexplicable This Summer indication, for the film comes out this weekend, the preview doesn't look too bad. Made for cheap with a clever script, appealing young leads, and Downey Jr. and Davis for goodness sakes(!), Bartlett seems to have some appeal and differentiates from the rest of the dizzying and clichéd teen comedies that are responsible for the dying breed. Bartlett still looks more like a DVD rental still, but if nothing else looks more enrapturing, then it will get my $7.
Vantage Point Worth Staking Out Early
This week’s action pick is Vantage Point (Columbia, PG-13), about an assassination attempt towards the president of the United States captured through eight different points of view... before it goes into relentless gunfights, explosions and car chases.
I will admit, the film looks entertaining with Oscar-winning and nominated leads adding to its kinetic appeal, including William Hurt, Forest Whitaker and Sigourney Weaver. A brilliant cast that includes the talented Dennis Quaid and the not-so-talented Matthew Fox (‘Lost’), this is an action flick in serious thinker mode before everything gets wild, crazy and over the top. Will I fork my bucks? Oh yeah! But will this be a quality political thriller or just another action movie hampered by car chases and explosions? So far so good.
Witless Protection - Save Your Money
Finally, there is Witless Protection (Lionsgate, PG-13), about a redneck idiot who kidnaps (or tries to protect, depending on your frame of mind) a tall, blonde hottie from danger after witnessing a high-stakes Chicago crime case. The plot synopsis from the site is more complex than this, but really, this is all you need to know.
Starring once-decent and relatively known actors Eric Roberts, Joe Mantegna and Jenny McCarthy, this film looks more stupid than dead-brain comedies such as Delta Farce (also starring Larry the Cable Guy) with a cast of characters dumber than the ensemble in Hee-Haw and O Brother, Where Art Thou? combined. I could watch YouTube videos of farting dogs and be a lot more entertained. Aptly-titled, I think I’ll save my money and my vomit.
The Predictions
Number one? Hands down I'll call it for Vantage Point. I predict a $25-33 million opening after the success of such brainy thrillers as The Bourne Identity and Clear and Present Danger. As for the other three, it looks terribly iffy. Be Kind, Rewind will attract ardent Jack Black fans, which could put it in the lieu of a top 5 opening with possibly a $9-12 million take. In the meantime, there is sadly little hope for Charlie Bartlett, which may only snag a rather unimpressive $5-7 million opening if it doesn't register to teens and college students, not to mention its R-rating kind of hurts. As for Witless Protection, one can only hope it’ll repeat Delta Farce’s measly business, unless people are in desperate need for an inane, brain-cell-killing comedy.
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