We have a special group of featured clips this week in our “Rom Com Roundup” thanks to a surge of romantic comedy trailers hitting the web. The first in our line of chick flicks clips is the red band trailer with Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake who are for Friends With Benefits and then we have Friends With…I mean No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. Rounding off the quartet is the new Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston movie Just Go With It and finally Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis get a
New trailers this week
Friends With Benefits
Rom Com Roundup
Call it coincidence, fate or the true bottoming out of the romantic comedy genre, but this week on Trailer Tracker, Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake are longtime friends who decide to sleep together without repercussions in Friends With Benefits and Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman are longtime friends who decide to sleep together without repercussions in No Strings Attached. The one key difference (and one that could make all the difference) is “Friends” boasts an R-rating and the red band trailer shows emphatically the subject matter will not be palatable to all audiences. The pairing of Timberlake and Kunis is an interesting one and both of these actors have proven themselves in comedic and dramatic roles. Like most rom-coms however, the onus is on the material to offer something fresh and this is certainly not unexplored territory.
On the No Strings Attached side of things, Kutcher is no stranger to the genre, though to see Portman in a somewhat derivative looking feature is perplexing. It seems as though her mammoth Oscar buzz for Black Swan will be swiftly followed by a broad Hollywood chick flick (see Sandra Bullock just last year for how that looks). In terms of ultimate success, even if it has less teeth than its racy counterpart, always bet on the effort that will likely sport a more age-inclusive rating.
Adam Sandler returns to less juvenile comedy (though only barely) with Just Go With It, another equally un-original tale of a man who asks his friend (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend to be his wife in order to snag a hottie. Though the material seems to be more Spanglish and less Grown Ups, Sandler’s frequent collaborating director Dennis Dugan is back for his sixth go-around with the funnyman. Dugan has had his moments such as with the breakthrough effort Happy Gilmore, but when it comes to making a credible romantic comedy, his less-than-delicate touch does not seem to echo strength.
Last off on the relationship-themed docket is the slightly raunchier Hall Pass with Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis as two hitched (but wannabe) ladies men who are given a one week reprieve from their respective marriages to go wild. I honestly have no idea who Jason Sudeikis is, but IMDB tells us he is a current SNL player and judging by his obnoxious presence in the trailer this is not surprising. By now, depending on your gender, you are either drooling or cross-eyed, so read on if you want some clips with a bit less estrogen content.
Friends with Benefits
No Strings Attached
Just Go With It
Kung Fu Panda 2
Jack Black’s debut as the lovable panda Po in 2008 gave DreamWorks animation one its biggest successes and showed that the Pixar rival had some chops to boast in the heart department. A follow-up was quickly announced and all the principal animals are back including a new addition in the form of Gary Oldman, presumably as the new villain. If this sequel can deliver at least a solid portion of the laughs and charm of the original, then this will be a welcome addition to the 2011 summer line-up.
Last Night
Those looking for romance without the broad comedy may find more to like in the relationship drama Last Night which finds couple Joanna (Keira Knightly) and Michael (Sam Worthington) tested by interludes with Guillaume Canet and Eva Mendes respectively. This is director Massy Tadjedin’s first effort behind the camera after gaining some notoriety after penning the screenplay for the psychological thriller The Jacket (also with Knightly) in 2005. Look for Last Night in limited release next year.
