When you decide to buy a book, you don't just look at the cover or the title to decide whether it is something that interests you. You pick it up, look inside the jacket, and read the synopsis, to give you an idea what the movie is about. Or you read the recap on Amazon.com, or Barnes and Noble, orwhatever. At least, I do. I can't exactly speak for everyone.
For movies, the closest thing there is to a jacket liner is the preview or the commercial. The preview's job is to take snippets of the best parts of the movie, provide a very brief outline of the plot, and pique your curiosity.
Yesterday, the new movie "Big Momma's House 2" came out, with heavy television advertising. The advertising shows that the movie involves Martin Lawrence dressing in drag as an overweight woman - again. It shows a couple jokes, and a sight gag or two. What the commercial DOESN'T show is any semblance of a plot.
I read a review on the Detroit Free Press, where they gave the skeleton outline - an FBI agent is tracking (someone), and in order to get inside, poses as "big momma" in order to get a job as a nanny. "Comedy" ensues.
Now, that the studio chose not to give any hint of the plot of the movie, short of "man in drag" should be a hint that this is not a movie for the general audience, and rather a movie for those people who find Martin Lawrence humorous. I can tell you that I don't intend to watch the movie, and would be surprised if anyone I know watches it. Yet, I wouldn't be surprised to see this movie make quite a bit of money, which is a sad testimony of American filmmaking expectation.
3 comments:
Heavy advertising began here yesterday. What a load of rubbish, it won't last very long here.
Just to make you feel better...it was the #1 movie this weekend.
Not only was it the number 1 movie, it was the second highest grossing January opening ever - behind only the 1997 Star Wars re-release.
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