Yes, No, Maybe So: "People Like Us"
Monday, April 2, 2012 at 10:01AM It's time to buy your tickets -- or not -- for a new movie based entirely on its trailer. This one is called People Like Us and stars Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks (who introduces the trailer... I find it so weird when they do that). The film also stars La Pfeiffer but they weirdly pretend like it doesn't until halfway through. Which also happened with Dark Shadows. Marketing departments clearly think she has no bankability anymore which is depressing. She has a robust online fan community still -- far more than some other 80s superstars -- so it stands to reason that they go see movies if she's in them. Unfortunately there are few case studies to be had. And maybe Hollywood is basing everything on Chéri bombing a few years back?
Let's break it down after the jump.
YES
• Pfeiffer... but I guess that goes without saying.
• Pfeiffer crying.
• Pfeiffer pfeeling pfrustrated by pfamily.
• I guess I could buy Pfeiffer & Pine as being related but you know who I thought made the most convincing of all her screen children? Jonathan Jackson in Deep End of the Ocean.
• I enjoy Elizabeth Banks. Is anyone watching 30 Rock still? I swear she's gotten more mileage out of that than anything. They talk about her character "Avery" CONSTANTLY even though she hasn't been on the show in ages. Which makes it feel like she's always on the show.
• Hollywood really should be making more basic mid-size contemporary family dramas. Maybe like this. We'll see.
NO
• Trailers that are this "plotty" raise warning bells. If you have to give the whole movie away in the trailer are you nervous that you have nothing to sell?
• I'm not convinced that Chris Pine is a "star." He got lucky with Star Trek but does that mean he should be headlining? Captain Kirk sold Star Trek tickets, not Captain Chris.
• Is the manic editing -- this is not an action movie -- just the marketing team being nervous that nobody goes to dramas anymore or is the movie just very fussy. Fussy like Chris Pine waving his hands around.
• Remember when Chris Pine stole Lindsay Lohan's luck in Just My Luck?
• I apologize. That was totally uncalled for.
• Don't you feel like there is maybe a big twist at the end even though the trailer doesn't go there?
• Why are movies always about cocky frat boys who are having career trouble? Tom Cruise would have played this role if they made the movie in 1993.
• Doesn't this feel like the sort of movie that might have characters bonding while singing into hairbrushes as microphone? Or doesn't it feel like it would if it was about two half sisters instead of a half siblings?
MAYBE SO
• Character based dramas or comedies do not lend themselves as readily to trailers as genre films do. It's all in the execution so maybe this could surprise.
The trailer in question...
Are you a YES, NO or MAYBE SO?
What's with that title? Have you ever known anyone who was anything like Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks or Michelle Pfeiffer?
Reader Comments (21)
Michelle Pfeiffer I rest my pf-ing case. :D Pfor me it's a yes. Also because of the beautiful Banks. :)
And I'm still watching 30 Rock, which is better than ever. :)
This looks bad...also, I am surprised that Chris Pine isn't taking off more. Weirdly, he seems to have been picky about the work he's chosen to do since the first Star Trek was a hit. But all of the movies he chose were just crap: the throaway Denzel movie, This Means War and now this crapfest.
I guess that's why he changed representation, but even that bit him in the ass with all the PR mess that followed.
I'm very excited for this movie because two years ago and THR Oscar Roundtable discussion with the actresses they were asked if they had ever read a part in a script and wanted it and did not get it. Hilary Swank talked about this movie and how she wanted this part but they would not let her have it. Then Amy Adams admitted she was offered the part but turned it down because it was too emotionally intense for her at the time when her baby was just born so the script must be heavy.
Its the last half of this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzjoEr6CGFE
It looks okay. Is it me or should Chris Pine and Michelle Pfeiffer play lovers instead of son and mother? She's sexy, he's sexy- it'll be perfect.
Gerold-okay, THAT actually made me want to see it more than the trailer. I remember her saying that-it's weird that the part ended up with Banks, despite Swank being the bigger "star" of the two.
As this is written and directed by hack screenwriter extraordinaire Alex Kurtzman, it is an automatic maybe leaning toward no. That its written by Kurtzman and is probably also his stab at being taken "seriously" as an "artist" makes me want to run screaming for the hills.
That said, if Pine is featured in his tightie whities I may reconsider.
I think Streep was originally "attached" to this in the Pfeiffer role when it was called "Welcome to People" It will be interesting to see if she passed on a hit....
I'm a maybe so. I've just seen a TV commercial for Personal Effects airing one of these days in some channel ( If didn't see it then, why do threaten us in this way?).
Seeing Pfeiffer in this and Dark Shadows with such small roles, makes me terribly sad. But I suppose that happens to all Pfans, we want everybody to see what we do.
On the other hand, I'm glad that being in terrible films (New Years' Eve and the like) makes casting directors remember she still exists. Weaver and her are having a really weird second late chance in supporting roles which only seem to generate more supporting roles. But that's something.
No idea on what to think about the leading couple.
For me it's a maybe and that's of course of Michelle. I'd hoped that she had a bigger part and I'm also not a fan of Pine. He has little charisma.
I still have my hopes up that she will get a leading role in a great movie in the near future.
I'm a yes! Banks and Wilde rock, Pine is hot, La Pfeiffer is La Pfeiffer, plus, mother-child drama's always make me cry.
I object. Chris Pine has every right to be thrust into leading men roles as any other young white male actor in Hollywood. You're not convinced he's a star—so what? If the movie fails they'll just blame Pfeiffer. Pine will continue to get work since there's always character parts for men—remember Martha Plimpton in Searching for Debra Winger? She said there's always roles for men.
They way you pick and choose male actors is interesting to me. If Pine was a douche I'd be right there with you but he's not and he isn't awful so give him his fair break until otherwise you have a solid case against him. Maybe? This is Pfeiffer's Supporting Actress Oscar?—but this year she's up against The Bening for Imogene. White trash Annette versus non-white trash Pfeiffer? Exciting!
+The way you pick and choose etc
I'm still not sure I want to live in a world where Michelle plays Chris Pine's mom!
This movie actually looks interesting. But what's with the all vanilla cast. I did not see any color of any kind in the trailer....is there any ethnicity in this movie? I trust that there will be.
As for the story line....it really really looks original and unique.
I will go
And I hope there is at least one ethnic person with a line in the movie.
After watching the trailer, I'm leaning to maybe so - I sort of liked what I saw (I didn't go screaming into the night at any rate.) I like Banks here, and Pines didn't seem worse than any other white male of his age range. Of course Pfieffer will get a very small supporting part, which makes me cry because she is SO GOOD in just the few seconds we see of her here. I want her to be a major lead character and that ain't gonna happen. *sigh*
It's actually sort of a relief that Pines and Banks are siblings here - that means no romance to muck up the works.
I think it looks different so I'm a maybe. I'm hoping there's an unexpected twist at the end and that's it's not a usual cliche love story. I have to say when I saw the trailer and a first glimpse of Pfeiffer I was so pleased that she is stripped back with no make up and casual clothing because I find she's so underrated as people will just focus on her beauty and not her talent. Which is why Her playing this character is so intriguing to watch. But even if she is nominated at the oscars she will probably get robbed like she does..hopefully i will be proven wrong!!
I disagree Nathaniel - I think they've place Pfeiffer lat in the trailer to add all of it some weight. I read the script to this film on the weekend and it was fantastic, beautifully written and a great role for Pfeiffer. Her character holds a lot of anger and sadness, and is also stoned in one scene with Pine. I think it'll be great!
Chris Pine is great. The trailer looks good. Michelle Pfeifer was born on 29 April 1958 and Chris Pine on 26 August 1980, so yes, she could play his mother. Pfeifer is nearly 22 years older. I am looking forward to seeing this movie, except that I do not know its release date for NZ yet...
Yes for La Pfeiffer, I can truely understand the feeling of being absent of Pfeiffer in the latest movie trailers (DS and PLU), I think I just starting to get used to it and honestly I feel more comfortable with the PLU trailer as I sensed that this could be a real meaty role for her in a long time, altough just a small part, at least there will be something interesting she could "play", not someone standing there as a backdrop like what we saw in the Dark Shadows one.
Pfeiffer's in it, then YES!