January is the time of year affectionately termed by Hollywood as “Trash Dumping Month.” It’s ironic, of course, as award season films came out right before the corporate unloading, so it’s never a surprise to see serious (and low-budgeted) Oscar contenders such as “The King’s Speech” and “Black Swan” in monetary battle with the likes of (budget-bloated) new releases such as “The Green Hornet” and “The Dilemma.” On paper, both films look like sure things: superhero adaptation with hot comedy star (Seth Rogen) and adult dramedy starring box office bonanzas Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. Unfortunately, as is the case with most things in life, execution is everything.
“The Green Hornet” initially fails as Columbia Pictures believes that superhero fans will see any adaptation, regardless of the fact that it features a relatively unknown superhero from a 1930’s radio serial, who doesn’t have super powers. To add insult to injury, the studio removed the source material’s serious tone with a “funny” interpretation co-written by and starring Rogen (“Knocked Up”) and junked it up further with unnecessary 3-D.
“The Dilemma” again suffers from the same issue: who wants to see this movie? Vaughn (“Wedding Crashers”) and James’ (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”) fans expect laugh-out-loud comedy from the two of them, and this “adult” dramedy about whether or not to tell a best friend that his wife is cheating on him has very few funny moments. The film is an uncomfortable venture and doesn’t qualify as a serious discussion of the topic because of its supposed comedic intervals interrupting dramatic buildup.
As box office draw for “The Green Hornet” proved opening weekend that money can still be milked from the superhero genre, regardless of actual recognition and quality, which says something about the core male teenager audience. Adult dramedies on the other hand, rely on emotional strength and positive reviews, which “The Dilemma” lacks, and therefore it heavily underperformed.
As Hollywood hates to deviate from tradition of a theoretical “sure thing,” theaters were bombarded with trash such as “The Green Hornet” and “The Dilemma.” The only way to avoid this is is for moviegoers to find something else to do on cold and bleak January afternoons.
Both Films: D
Ari Silber is a Loyola MBA student.Before graduate school, he worked for nine years in the Los Angeles film industry, focusing on marketing, publicity and distribution. He ca be reached at [email protected]
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