Yes No Maybe So: Serena
Sunday, September 14, 2014 at 4:24PM
Manuel here to walk us through the recently released trailer for a film many of us had surely written off, Susanne Bier’s Serena. The 2012 film will finally see the light of day when it premiere next month at the London Film Festival. It kept making me think of other films and other issues; never a good sign. But we'll start positive.
YES
- This moment, mostly because it reminded me of the tenacity of Lawrence’s most accomplished roles (Katniss and Ree).
- Lawrence’s hair, makeup and costumes. 1930s country glamor? Yes, please.
- Cooper’s pecs, soon to be seen on Broadway this season in The Elephant Man.
- To sum up: Bradley Cooper & Jennifer Lawrence. Whatever qualms one may have with the one-two punch of Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, one cannot deny the fact that Cooper and Lawrence have great chemistry. I’d ask whether third time’s the charm, but for the fact that Hustle was shot, edited, and released after Serena wrapped up. These two stars are definitely the main selling point of the film. Bonus: the trailer gives us plenty of beautifully lit close-ups that showcase Cooper’s blue eyes and Lawrence’s luscious red lips.
Nos & Maybe Sos after the jump plus the trailer itself!
NO
- Fey ascotted villain threatening the hetero-couple whose love conquers all? Definitely a no.
- “Some loves can never let you go.” Maybe it’s the (intentionally?) awkward phrasing but that’s a mouthful of a line, one that just makes me wonder what that even means. Which brings me to ask:
- What is this film about other than two beautifully coiffed people amidst a number of obstacles in the wilderness; this trailer really doesn’t help you, does it? I’m not saying I needed a mini-plot synopsis in the film, but there’s little here to orient us as to what the central concerns of the film will be other than… love and something about the property? Here’s where a title or a tag-line would help us, but Serena and the aforementioned line play coy without hinting at something concrete to hold on to.
MAYBE SO
- This moment. I can't decide whether it's insanely awesome or well, awesomely insane.
- I was going to single out the below-the-line aspects of the film, but as I kept thinking about it, nothing here stands out though that’s not to say it is in any way lacking. Visually and thematically, it reminds me of John Hillcoat’s Lawless, a movie I did not much care for except for Jessica Chastain’s performance, a luminous presence in an otherwise oppressively bloody masculine storyline.
- Is it me or do filmmakers continue to cast Jennifer Lawrence in roles that skew a lot older than she is, blunting her youthful spontaneity and vivacity? She’s never not thrilling to watch, and while we may chalk up her older co-stars (Bale, Cooper, McAvoy, Fassbender are all in their late 30s) to Hollywood’s double standards, it strikes me that what a lot of us read as a strong resilient character in Winter’s Bone’s Ree became shorthand for a handful of (casting) directors as “maturity.” It’s not surprising that despite those pair of Oscar nominations, her most interesting work (even at times against the tone of the very films she shoulders) happens within the constraints of the YA juggernaut that is The Hunger Games.
- That first scene on horseback made me wish this was a 30s screwball comedy, with Lawrence in the Hepburn role but alas the rest of the film feels a bit dour with melodramatic dialogue taking center stage.
Buzz about this title has been...mixed at best (not for nothing has it been delayed for years) and this trailer, while handsome, does little to whet my appetite.
Verdict: I’m a Maybe So/No, but I’ll also admit this genre and period have never been draws for me. Have you been waiting for a glimpse of Serena for a while? Did this trailer in any way seduce you into falling for the eponymous protagonist?
Reader Comments (18)
this is gonna get ugly.
I'm glad the movie at least actually exists... lol
First, I like both these actors. I do. I don't hate on them. Please don't accuse me of hating on either.
I'm a no. Her line readings are far too modern while his feel far too mannered. There is some very strange and uneven accent work among the other actors. Visually, it looks good with some interesting set pieces, but beautiful is not enough and I agree that we don't get enough story idea to draw us in.
I"m really surprised at Lawrence. I expected more from her in terms of getting the period right. She has so much talent that I thought it would be a no brainer but every time she opens her mouth, I hear California 2014.
The problem with the buzz is the main twist regarding Lawrence's character. I've read the book and it WILL be a huge issue. The character is not likeable at all and it's a very risky movie to pull off.
I'd wager that's what kept distributors at bay.
I'm a YES because 1) Suzanne Bier is a very good director (I've yet to see a bad movie made by her), 2) JLaw and BCoop together are explosive, 3) JLaw can pull this off in her sleep (it's a mix of Ree and her character from American Hustle without the funny bits; so yes she's insane + tough as nails, watch out) and 4) I'd rather she did this kind of role that 10x more Hunger Games.
I love all the pieces of this -- actors, director, FALCON -- but this just looks stiff, mannered, phony... ugh. Doesn't seem to be playing to the strengths of the actors at all.
I read the book too, and the part of Serena is an actressexual's dream-- a zero-f**ks-giving falcon-wielding cold-blooded queen-- and I think J-Law COULD do it, but the trailer doesn't inspire much hope.For once I disagree that she's too young for the part, since in the book her character could have been mid-to-late 20s, but I do think Bradley Cooper is too old for his part.
In the tortured development history of the story there was a point where Darren Aronofsky was attached to direct Angelina Jolie as Serena, and my heart breaks for what might have been.
Yes, Margaret, Aronofsky with this could be amazing. Alas, it was not meant to be.
And yes JLaw is a bit younger than the parts asks for but of the two Bradley Cooper is the one who's too old (the problem is that he also keeps playing younger people, like early 30s which he is not). The male part called for someone like Ben Foster or Jake Gylenhaal.
If J-Law is playing a really unlikable character, maybe that is why this film has been delayed? All of her characters have been mostly heroic (Katniss, Ree) or very funny or interesting (Tiffany, Roslyn) She hasn't really been shown as a villain. Roslyn was more of an energetic comic relief than villain. But if Lawrence did a good job and gets to show off a new side that we did not think she had, why would they hide this movie away?
I don't know the book, but the trailer certainly did not present Serena the way Jay and Margaret have described her. The trailer makes it look like a fairly straight forward period romance.
lol that is quite a campy trailer, love Lawrence though
I can't wait to see this movie!
Yes: Suzanne Bier. I like her films. I like the way I'm never quite sure what to expect, and how the characters turn out to be different and deeper than I would have originally thought.
Also I love the sense of big sweeping story.
Maybe so: I'm okay with the two American leads, but I don't love them. I do love the Danish actors Bier works with, Mads Mikkelson, Connie Nielson, Nicolai Coster-Waldau, etc.
I'll see this one though. Even if it turns out to be flamboyant and overwrought, there will still be enough to keep me interested. My guess as to why they held it back was to give the public time to catch up to thinking of Lawrence as a complex grown up.
Doesn't this feel like it should star Felicity Jones and Colin Farrell instead?
Legends of the Fall: The Next Generation
Who makes the trailers? Do directors have anything to do with them, or is it all studio/distributor? Cuz this trailer bears no resemblance to anything the very talented Susanne Bier has done. I like the leads, but oh dear, this one troubles me. Has Bier fallen off her game? Add to that her newest film, A Second Chance, which premiered at TIFF to mostly mixed reviews.
I'm OBSESSED with the look on J. Law's face right after they show her name. She's dancing and that look is so...hardened. It alone makes me want to see the movie.
Pam: yes, I've read those mixed to negative reviews on A Second Chance, and I've thought, oh too bad, too. But then I read a couple of positive reviews that described it much like I've experienced her Danish films, and I thought, maybe it's one that just doesn't appeal to everyone, but I'll like it. But for her sake, I wish it had a warmer reception, so it'll be easier for her to continue working.
As much as I love Jennifer (and I'll watch it), I'm a maybe so leaning on no. My biggest issue is that Jennifer and Bradley, unlike say Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Jen's co-stars McAvoy and Fassbender, etc, have a very 'contemporary' look. American Hustle worked (and by worked I mean in the sense that they fit in that 70s look, because that movie was a hot mess), but this just looks like JLaw and BCoop are playing dress-up.
Just No.
Not a very well constructed trailer.
JLaw, I can hear 23-year-old /you/, not a depression-era Lady Fierce...
First: Don't shoot the messenger.
THR is reporting that no less than 3 buyers passed on the film before being picked up by the partner of the producing company. Says one, the editing makes no sense, says another that the Lawrence character is a mess (and not in a good way). Three different endings have been tried for select Hollywood audiences with no go. The film is being dumped in the spring and won't get a qualifying run.