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Dedication: Too Weird for Its Own Good

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:00:00 -0700

Dedication, the directorial debut from Justin Theroux, is a weird little movie. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, Dedication gets a little too lost in its own weirdness, ultimately overwhelming what could be a sweet, unlikely love story.

At the heart of Dedication is Henry Roth (Billy Crudup), a basket case of a children's book writer who occasionally has to put heavy objects (encyclopedias or other large books, preferably) on top of himself to feel safe. The one person in the world who can tolerate his antics is his illustration partner, Rudy Holt (Tom Wilkinson), whose particular brand of tough love seems to calm Henry down. The two are working on a tough deadline for a children's book based on their character of Marty the Beaver (dreamed up, amusingly enough, in a porno theater) when Rudy dies suddenly of a brain tumor. That leaves Henry without an illustrator, not to mention without an anchor to the regular, non-neurotic world.

Enter Lucy (Mandy Moore), an illustrator plucked by editor Arthur Planck (Bob Balaban) to work with Henry. Henry spends most of his time trying to figure out just how insulting and nasty he can be to Lucy before she gives up and leaves him alone; considering she's been offered $200,000 if she gets Henry to finish the book (unbeknownst to him, of course), it will take a lot more than insults to get her to leave. It's a perfectly solid plot, but Theroux doesn't control the movie's tone enough to execute it well. To see what I mean, read more

The first half of the movie feels trippy and surreal, something straight out of a David Lynch film (an effect I doubt is coincidental - but more on that later). Henry, angry over Rudy's death, continues speaking to his dead partner in a series of dream sequences, shot with a choppy, deliberate camera effect. Crudup does a fine job of conveying Henry's various psychoses, and though much of his character is never really explained - why the books? why the OCD tendencies to rearrange the condiments at every restaurant? - he's interesting enough. One of Theroux's greatest strengths as a director is his use of music, and the soundtrack adds a lot to the story, with the disjointed sounds of Deerhoof giving an additional window into Henry's psyche and the more mellow Cat Power representing Lucy's calming presence. But in general, the effects are a little too strange to be useful; after the first couple of jolts into Henry's alternate reality where Rudy is still alive, the device felt tired.

But I still prefer the vaguely experimental tone of the movie's first half to the more standard love story it becomes in the end, because in all the trippiness, Theroux forgets to give us much reason to care about Henry or Lucy. Mandy Moore gives Lucy a good underlying toughness, but her character - who is also trying to decide whether to get back with her professor/thesis adviser (Martin Freeman) - isn't written deeply enough to understand why she'd put up with either of these guys. When the weirdness of the movie's first half starts to fall away, the story just feels empty.

Which brings me back to David Lynch. Theroux, who worked with Lynch on Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire, wrote in the press notes for Dedication about how the legendary director had influenced his own style. So I suppose it's not surprising that Dedication feels like a clumsy attempt at taking elements of Lynch's films and applying them to a romantic comedy. But, well, even Lynch himself isn't famous for his great romantic comedies.

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Mandy Premieres Her Dedication

PopSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:15:35 -0700

Mandy looked like a vamped up version of herself at the Dedication premiere in NYC last night. While we're a huge fan of the actress, we're not loving this harsh look. We bet her costar Billy Crudup wasn't into it much either. Mandy makes him look so tiny as she towers over him. Obviously from her big smile we can tell they were having fun with the situation. It reminds us that she's still her wholesome self. In fact, Mandy recently opened up to TV Guide about what sets her apart from some of Hollywood's other young stars. Here's more:

How have you been able to sidestep the troubles that have plagued Britney and Lindsay?
I think it all sort of comes down to family and having this wonderful support of people in your life. I know this sounds Pollyanna-ish, but it's not. I don't relate to that kind of lifestyle and exposure. That is never really the situation I've been in. And I feel lucky for that.

We agree that Mandy is lucky to have been able to rely on her strong family background. She's also stayed out of the scene which has helped her avoid trouble. If only LL and Brit had a support system then maybe they'd be a positive role model like Mandy.

For more of Mandy, Billy and more just read more

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Images include Justin Theroux, Amy Sedaris, Mandy Moore, Billy Crudup and Bobby Cannavale.

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First Look: Mandy Moore, Billy Crudup in Dedication

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:20:00 -0700

There hasn't been much of a publicity push for Dedication, a strange little indie romantic dramedy starring Mandy Moore and Billy Crudup, which can sometimes be a very good sign. After all, the last two movies I saw with Moore in them (Because I Said So, License to Wed) enjoyed major marketing pushes and then turned out to be some of the year's most embarrassing disappointments. For Moore's sake, I hope Dedication is a quality movie so we can see that it's not the actress that was the problem - it was the material.

Crudup plays Henry Roth, a peculiar, misanthropic and slightly unstable man who requires certain things (like sleeping with heavy objects resting on his body) to feel safe. Henry writes children's books that inform children of Santa Claus' nonexistence. When his best friend and book illustrator dies, Henry is paired with a new illustrator, the young, pretty Lucy (Moore), who possesses a quirkiness of her own. The two struggle to get along, and surely a kind of love starts to bloom between them. Amy Sedaris and Martin Freeman (the original Tim from the BBC "Office"!) also star. Dedication opens in limited release August 24, so to watch the trailer, read more

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Mandy's Film Gets Picked Up By The Weinstein Co!

PopSugar — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:33:50 -0800

Mandy's star is on the rise. She has a new album coming out this year and now her film Dedication has been picked up by The Weinstein Co. at Sundance. That's like hitting Sundance gold! Page Six reports:

"Distributors were in a fierce battle," said a source, but Weinstein secured the deal "at 4 a.m." Harvey Weinstein was huddled earlier in a corner of the Lotus Lounge at Hollywood Life House with the film's director, Justin Theroux, for hours. Moore was there as well, sealing her own deal with DJ AM. "The two were making out on the couch," said our spy. The Weinstein Co. also acquired "Grace Is Gone," starring John Cusack, for $4 million, as well as "Teeth" and "La Misma Luna." Reps for Weinstein confirmed all four picture deals.

Congrats to Mandy and her team on that deal. As for the DJ AM part, well I guess we're just happy Mandy is smiling again. More pictures of Mandy looking pretty for David Letterman, so just read more

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Mandy is a Good Girl, not a Goody-Goody

PopSugar — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:00:45 -0800

Mandy is up in Park City and managed to sneak away from her new beau, DJ AM to get some promo pics taken for her film Dedication, which also stars Billy Crudup. Could she get any cuter? Mandy may have a squeaky clean reputation, but she set some things straight in the February issue of Jane magazine. In addition to saying that she hated her past pop albums and that she's recently suffered from depression she also made it clear that she isn't your typical good girl. Here's highlights:

On why she doesn’t drink:
“I’m a control freak, and I think maybe that’s why. I’m too scared to see what will happen. I’ve been drunk maybe two or three times in my life, although I do like to have a glass of wine before going into the studio, to mellow me out.”
On her image:
“I kind of am a goody-goody. But I’m not judgmental. I’ve done a couple of movies [A Walk to Remember, Saved] where I’ve played Christian characters, so people assume I’m very religious. It’s not a completely correct perception of who I am.”
On the future:
“I’m still figuring it all out, but I want to be extraordinary. I want to live up to my full potential. I’ve always been really shy, very ‘don’t look at me.’ I’ve wanted to hide. But now I don’t want to hide.”

She seems to be pretty extraordinary to us! I mean, she's managed to grow up in the spotlight without totally losing her mind (or her underwear). And she may be a good girl but not in an annoyingly, oh just shut-up kind of way. Young Hollywood needs more people like her. We are always up for more Mandy. For more pics just read more

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FABTV: Echo & the Bunnymen, "Lips Like Sugar"

FabSugar — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:44:22 -0800

You know those songs you wish your guy would dedicate to you? This is one of mine. Whenever I hear this it makes me feel good, real good. It's uplifting, sweet, and sexy - it doesn't get much better. And I'm obviously partial to a song with "Sugar" in the title. I thought it would be fun to go live with this one, it's a pretty cool performance. I love how lead singer Ian McCulloch has a cigarette dangling from his sugar lips . . .

YumSugar's Must-Try Mac and Cheese Recipes

YumSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:50:04 -0800

I've kicked off November (the biggest food month of the year!) by resolving to give thanks for something every day. And in a few weeks, when it's holiday time, there's one thing that I'll be grateful for: our recent recipe series dedicated solely to macaroni and cheese. We sifted through numerous recipes to come up with 10 timeless dishes that, regardless of what kind of Thanksgiving you're planning, will be a smash hit. Ready for the macstravaganza? Then read on.

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Meet the Qooq, a Computer For the Kitchen

GeekSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:47:16 -0800

I would love to have a dedicated computer to use in the kitchen. Usually if I'm testing a new recipe from one of my favorite food blogs or websites I sit my laptop on the counter and toss a towel over the keyboard to keep it safe from spills or other kitchen mishaps. A French company decided to capitalize on the kitchen computer idea and just introduced the Qooq (warning: the site is in French), a new type of computer specifically designed to use in the kitchen.

The Qooq (pronounced "cook") features an easily-cleaned glass touch screen and comes preloaded with 500 recipes and 10 chef-provided recipe videos. It costs $515 for the device and initial recipes, monthly updates are available for $20. One downside: there isn't a web browser, so recipes are limited to those loaded onto the device - therefore, sadly no Internet browsing for recipes. I love this idea, but right now it's only available in French - time to dust off my class notes from college!

Would you buy a dedicated kitchen cooking device, or do you prefer to use your home computer?

Lily's Live in Milan But Will Take a Break to Start a Label

PopSugarUK — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:02:00 -0700

Lily Allen performed in Milan last night as part of her latest tour, looking comfortable in her kooky style as she padded around the stage with no shoes on. Wearing her familiar tights that looks like stockings, and with a glittery dragonfly on her face, she wore a layered look in contrast to the more dressed up look she wore in Amsterdam. She has tourdates booked up until March 2010, however after those finish she has talked about taking a break and appearing in a West End show as well as setting up a record label. She said:

"I'm not retiring from music. I might retire from singing for a bit. I feel like maybe having a bit of a break from doing that and do something else for a while. I love working in music. I like to help other bands so I'm thinking about – well, we're in talks about – setting up my own label and dedicating the next couple of years to that."

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Fab Read: Mrs. O, The Face of Fashion Democracy

FabSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:22 -0700

Michelle Obama is such an icon, there's a second book dedicated to her first-class style. Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy ($18) follows the first lady's wardrobe choices, from her wedding dress to her White House getups. You'll also find interviews with designers like Maria Pinto, Isabel Toledo, and Jason Wu, who have all dressed Michelle. The author is Mary Tomer, the same person who started the Mrs. O blog, which reports about Michelle's daily outfits.