BuzzSugar

Reese Witherspoon Plays by the Rules

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:30:39 -0700

It seems like Reese Witherspoon has been laying lower than usual this year. (She voiced Monsters vs. Aliens, but we haven't seen her face on screen since Four Christmases!) Now her career is speeding up again. The A-lister just signed on to produce and star in Rule #1, which will follow Witherspoon as a New Yorker who gets chummy with a young Puerto Rican girl with ADD.

Those are the only storyline details as of now, but it sort of reminds me of those promos for Sandra Bullock's The Blind Side - a woman taking a challenged kid under her wing, etc. Hopefully it will steer clear of the sappiness we typically get from those types of films and show off Witherspoon's serious acting side instead.

What do you think? Does this new project sound like Oscar bait - or just another formulaic weep-fest?

Witherspoon Getting Into the Prescription Drug Business (On Screen)

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0700

When I think of pharmaceutical companies I usually yawn, or I think of those drug commercials that include a soothing voice listing off the endless number of terrible-sounding side effects.

Hollywood, however, is finding much to say about big pharmaceutical companies: Last week, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway signed up to play two people who fall in love thanks to a pharmaceutical company, and now there's news that Reese Witherspoon will get her own prescription drug movie.

The writers of Bad Santa have penned what sounds like a dark comedy about the drug industry titled Pharm Girl in which Witherspoon will play, "a woman who gets a job at a pharma powerhouse but begins to see the underbelly of the industry as she rises through the company's ranks."

I love Witherspoon in darker comedies (see: Election) so this sounds interesting, but I wonder why Hollywood is so drawn to stories about Big Pharma these days.

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Jack Nicholson to Play Paul Rudd's Dad in Rom-Com

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:30:19 -0700

This is fun to imagine: Jack Nicholson is in talks to join the cast of an untitled romantic comedy directed by James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, As Good as It Gets) as the blueblood father of a character played by Paul Rudd. The cast also includes Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson and the story "involves a love triangle, with Rudd playing a white-collar executive vying for Witherspoon's affections, and Wilson portraying a professional baseball pitcher who is also a love interest."

Nicholson's part was originally supposed to go to Bill Murray, but apparently "Murray's interest in the project waned and he fell out of touch," so Brooks asked Nicholson to step in. As Variety notes, Brooks' projects have led to two of Nicholson's three Oscar wins (one for Terms of Endearment and one for As Good as It Gets), so maybe this new comedy will bring Nicholson more good things.

Will Nicholson and Rudd make a good father-son team? Do you think Nicholson's a better fit in that role than Bill Murray would have been?

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Buzz News Roundup, 4/17

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:30:45 -0700

Elizabeth Banks and Leslie Mann will topline What Was I Thinking, a comedy that follows four female friends who take a hedonistic ski trip after one of the women gets dumped. - Zap2It
YouTube has a new special section for TV episodes and movies. - LA Times
Fox Searchlight has acquired screen rights to Jen Sacks's darkly humorous book Nice, which will be developed as a potential star vehicle for Reese Witherspoon. - Variety
Melanie Griffith will play Kimber's mom on Nip/Tuck. - TV Guide
Jennifer Jason Leigh will play Nancy's estranged sister on Weeds. - The Hollywood Reporter
Not surprisingly, The Amazing Race has been renewed. - TV.com
Thomas Dekker is reportedly in final negotiations to play the role of Jesse in director Samuel Bayer's A Nightmare on Elm Street. - ComingSoon
Fantasia Barrino and DJ AM both landed reality TV series. - The Hollywood Reporter
The Golden Girls will be remade - in Turkey! - Variety

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Witherspoon, Giamatti, and Cohen Looking to Downsize

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:30:26 -0800

I've been mulling over this movie news all day because it's this bizarre mix of intriguing and "whaaaaaaa?" I'm not sure I've figured it all out entirely, but I'll relay the stuff we know so far.

The good news is that this project, titled Downsizing, will be directed by Alexander Payne, the man behind Election and Sideways. And awesomely enough, he's gotten stars from both of those movies, Reese Witherspoon and Paul Giamatti, to sign on for this latest endeavor.

The plot is what loses me, however. Giamatti will play "a man low on money who decides he can have a much nicer life if he undergoes a process to shrink himself." What? Why will his life be nicer? And though the original article that posted yesterday stated that Giamatti and Witherspoon were married and that they both decide to become little people, now Variety is reporting that Witherspoon "would play a woman Giamatti meets on his journey as a miniature person." Variety also claims that Sacha Baron Cohen "would play a pint-sized foreigner." (in the earlier report, Baron Cohen was playing two different men, twins, one of whom is a "pint-sized Spaniard").

The way the article was originally written made me believe the "shrinking" meant that Giamatti would become a little person. But now I'm thinking this is more in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids realm. Apparently "Downsizing would require considerable special effects."

I'm not sold on this project just yet. Then again, maybe the details will completely change all over again and it'll seem like a fantastic movie. It is a great cast and a director I like very much. Hmm . . . Thoughts?

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Four Christmases: A (Very) Light Dash of Holiday Fun

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:00:24 -0800

It's most likely that Four Christmases wouldn't be nearly so funny or endearing (though that may be slightly too strong a word for it) if it didn't take place around the holidays. Just watching these family members be mean to each other would probably be merely sad if it weren't juxtaposed with this holiday that is supposed to be at least partially about family togetherness. The premise of the film is gimmicky for sure (four Christmases in one day?), but what happens during those four Christmases is actually a lot of fun to watch.

I didn't expect much from this film and I was delightfully surprised. It's funnier than I thought it would be, and while Vaughn and Witherspoon are pretty much devoid of chemistry, there is an undeniable quirky charm to their pairing, though their best and funniest moments are when they're not in scenes together. The two play San Francisco couple Brad and Kate who go on exotic trips for Christmas each year in order to avoid their families. This year, however, they find out at the airport that all flights are canceled for the day. When a television news crew approaches them for a comment about the cancellations, the cat is let out of the bag: Brad and Kate are, in fact, in town for Christmas. Zaniness, of course, ensues, so read more.

Having seen the news reports, all four sets of Brad and Kate's divorced parents get in touch, hoping for some time with the elusive couple. Thus begins a hectic, harrowing day of physical abuse from Brad's brothers and emotional abuse from Kate's sister. Additionally, Brad has to play Taboo with his childhood buddy who is now dating his mother (Sissy Spacek, who, after Hot Rod, is getting quite good at the comedic older mom roles), and Kate revisits one of her most traumatic childhood moments. In the end, they learn a lot about each other and themselves and their families. You know the drill.

It's actually a good date movie in that I think both men and women will get a kick out of the silly hijinks and surprisingly funny wordplay, and the humor is relatively inoffensive. There are some slower moments but for the most part there aren't many points of forced emotion. In fact, one of the best things about the movie is that it's not "message-y." There's no tearful group hug and professions of the holidays being "all about our wacky, loving family!" There's very little schmaltz, and while the schmaltz is wonderful in many holiday movies, I found the lack of it here to be refreshing.

All in all, it's a forgettable film - I don't foresee any memorable Anchorman-like quotes making their way into our pop culture lexicon, for example - but while it lasts it's a pretty good jolt of holiday fun.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Movie Preview: Four Christmases

BuzzSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:30:38 -0700

The little taste of Four Christmases in recent TV previews has only made me more curious to see a longer trailer, and now we've got it. As we know, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play Kate and Brad, who try to avoid their families around the holidays - but this year is different. Both of them have divorced parents, and they're forced to visit all four of their families for Christmas.

Sometimes I think Vince Vaughn is too snarky to be likable - especially in a movie like this - though Witherspoon is as cute and funny as ever. And the full-length trailer shows a few of the supporting actors, like Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Favreau, Robert Duvall, and Sissy Spacek, all of whom seem well-cast.

I'll admit, I'm excited for the holiday films to hit theaters, so I'll surely see Four Christmases when it comes around Nov. 26, if for no other reason than because it's fun to get into the spirit of the season.

To see the full trailer and tell me what you think, read more.

Four Christmases Trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

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A First Look at Four Christmases

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:30:46 -0700

This first snippet from Four Christmases, the forthcoming holiday comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, has been popping up during various TV shows lately. I missed it during America's Next Top Model last week but finally caught it during the VMAs on Sunday, and now I'm curious to know what you think.

The movie centers on Kate and Brad, who usually find a way to avoid spending Christmas with their families - until this year, when they must visit all four of their divorced parents in a single day. Reese is typically cute in these sorts of movies, and nothing in this little clip makes me think Four Christmases will be any different. I think this movie's success will depend on the interplay between the Kate and Brad characters and their various family members, though, and there's not much of that here - so I'll be on the lookout for a longer trailer before this movie hits theaters Nov. 26.

For now, though, to watch the clip, just read more.

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:30:29 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to the titles below you can also rent the complete fifth season of Reno 911 as well as the Raven-Symoné comedy (and that's being generous) College Road Trip.

The Bank Job
I wouldn't be surprised if you missed The Bank Job while it was in theaters because it may have been written off as yet another bank heist flick. Now that it's out on DVD I think it deserves your rental/Netflix queue consideration.

Like I said before, it's an entertaining movie that is supposedly based on a true story. It centers around a group of crooks led by Terry Leather (Jason Statham ), who catches wind of a vulnerable vault of safe-deposit boxes. Little does Terry know, however, that the heist will end up having much farther-reaching implications involving several parties with a keen interest in this particular vault. It's not rocket science, sure, but it is a whole lot of fun and smartly directed. I highly recommend you check it out for yourself.

Special features include commentary with director Roger Donaldson, actress Saffron Burrows and composer J. Peter Robinson, and an "Inside The Bank Job" featurette.

Two more fun picks, so read more.

Meet Bill
Even though I didn't hear much buzz surrounding Meet Bill originally, I still hoped to see it. But time flies when you're watching everything else, and here it is, already out on DVD. It's possible that we didn't hear much about it for good reason, though I still want to give it a shot because I really like Aaron Eckhart, not to mention Elizabeth Banks.

Netflix sums up the plot as such: "Beleaguered bank employee Bill (Aaron Eckhart) has his hands full with his wife's (Elizabeth Banks) infidelity with a local television reporter (Timothy Olyphant), his oblivious father-in-law (Holmes Osborne) who runs the bank, and his own frustrated attempts to change careers in this screwball comedy. But when he's persuaded to mentor a teenager known as the Kid (Logan Lerman), things just might turn around for Bill."

Penelope
Me? I wasn't in love with Penelope but that isn't to say it doesn't have its charms and depending on the mood your in, could be just the anecdote to all these summertime superhero blockbusters.

The move stars James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon, and Christina Ricci and tells the fanciful story of a girl cursed with a pig nose. In order to break the curse she must find "one of her own" (i.e. a "blue blood") to love her just as she is and marry her. What follows is a fanciful story that is visually lovely and sometimes touching.

Special features include "The Making of Modern-Day tale" as well as a Twilight sneak peek.

Stiller and Witherspoon to Pair Up for Cameron Crowe Movie

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:31:27 -0700

There's no real information about this project - not even a title - besides the following:

It's a "romantic comedy adventure."
Cameron Crowe is directing for Columbia Pictures.
Reese Witherspoon and Ben Stiller are set to play the lead lovebirds.

Well, the Cameron Crowe part could be pretty awesome. He's responsible for bringing us Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous (I can ignore Vanilla Sky and Elizabethtown).

But is it bad that the first thing I thought of when I saw this news was, Oh, man, I so don't want to see Reese Witherspoon have to kiss Ben Stiller? Does anyone else find this pairing slightly odd? I mean, she's an Academy Award-winning actress and
he's. . . Ben Stiller.

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