Bait

Two of my favorite young female stars--Anne Hathaway and Rachel McAdams--both have movies out now.  Rachel's in Morning Glory while Anne's in Love And Other Drugs.  If you didn't play close attention, based on the ads and even the trailers, you might think these two films were upbeat romantic comedies.  I think a lot of people who went to see these films were surprised.  (Neither is much of a hit--perhaps that's what you get for defying expectations.) BTW, spoilers ahead.

Morning Glory is in the Devil Wears Prada mode--a young gal in the city trying to make it big in NYC.  There is a romance, but it's cursory. The relationship that counts--really the heart of the film--is between McAdam's perky TV morning show producer and Harrison Ford's irascible newscaster.  Of course, in Prada the boyfriend wasn't much and the real story was about the young woman dealing with her nasty boss, but everyone knew that coming in. Besides, that was set in the world of fashion, so lead Anne Hathaway got to wear all those cool clothes and travel to Paris. Of course, it was also a far better movie.  Meryl Streep was scary but interesting, while Harrison Ford's character is mostly cold and angry.

Far more of a bait and switch is Love And Other Drugs.  Let's watch the trailer:



It looks like a romp about a guy who sells Viagra and the girl he meets cute.  There is no indication of what's actually going on--she's got early-onset Parkinson's and the couple spend the movie figuring out how to deal with it.  Maybe the creators thought they had another Love Story, but I'm guessing the people in charge of promotion didn't want any suggestion this was a downer.

Incidentally, it's just been announced Anne Hathaway and James Franco will host the Oscars.  First, usually the host is a comedian.  I think these two are talented, but can they be entertaining?  Second, they're very young to host, which I'm guessing is a conscious decision to get younger viewers.  Third, it's possible one or both will be nominated.  Wouldn't that be weighing on their minds all night, and mightn't the viewer feel the strain?