I disagree with that statement, but I’ve been hearing it (and probably saying it) for as long as I can remember. Most recently the blogospheric screenwriting community (BSC) has lamented the demise of the adult drama, which supposedly died a few days before STATE OF PLAY opened.
I’ve seen the trailer for SoP probably twenty times and I have no idea what it’s about. All I know is that Crowe looks like Eddie Vedder. But of course, Hollywood is saying that smart movies are failing because people want dumb movies. Um, no. No one wants a dumb movie (unless it’s dumb in an ironic way).
I read a script called FUCKBUDDIES the other day. It’s about two people that try to remain friends with benefits, but– you guessed it– they fall in love. The story was formulaic: Guy meets Girl, Guy and Girl get it on, stakes are raised at the midpoint, Guy loses Girl, Girl loses Guy, Guy and Girl get back together. There’s even some cutesy Diablo-esque dialog. Lots to hate right? Wrong! FUCKBUDDIES is probably the best spec script I’ve ever read. And it’s because it gives me a tried and true formula, but with a real, believable, likeable, flawed, and complex main character.
If they make this movie right, then it will be THE romantic comedy of the 2010s. And hopefully Liz Meriwether will become the female Woody Allen.
Oh yeah, my point is, smart movies can exist in any genre, even the gimmicky romantic comedy.
And STATE OF PLAY’s incomprehensible trailer sure doesn’t make me think “smart movie,” it makes me think, “dumb marketing; the studio obviously doesn’t care about this movie enough to put out a convincing ad, so why should I care about the movie?” FAIL.
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