Thanks to one of my favorite websites: BoxOffice.com, I stumbled upon a new South Korea/China sports comedy called “Mr. Go”. It’s out in theaters in both of those countries right now and is quickly becoming a huge hit. In fact it’s grossed close to $10 million in its first four days in China. Why is this film doing so well? Because it’s about a gorilla who plays professional baseball. And while that concept may seem a little out there for many, after watching the trailer it’s clear to me that we need to bring “Mr. Go” to American theaters.
It’s not as if U.S. audiences haven’t embraced wacky animal movies in the past (“Babe”, “Stuart Little”, “Scooby Doo”, “Yogi Bear”, “Alvin and the Chipmunks”). And films starring primates (“King Kong”, the “Planet of the Apes” series, “Gorillas in the Mist”, “Space Chimps” and the Disneynature documentary “Chimpanzee”). And baseball movies don’t always hit home runs at the box office, but that doesn’t stop studios from churning them out (“Moneyball”, “Trouble With the Curve” and “42” are recent examples).
And the combination has been done before: 1996’s “Ed” featured a baseball playing chimpanzee (and Matt LeBlanc) and “M.V.P: Most Valuable Primate” centered around a chimp who played hockey. What makes “Mr. Go” different and why do we need him here in America? First of all the technology is amazing. And the trailer shows that this isn’t simply a goofy sports/animal movie. There’s a dramatic element to “Mr. Go” that compels you to watch him in action over and over again. This is a national phenomenon just ready to explode.
All we need is someone to obtain the rights to the film, add English subtitles and let it loose upon the American public. So here’s my official pitch: I am calling for all US movie studios to pursue “Mr. Go”. This film is just over two hours, so it fits right in with that current US trend. And it can be great way for American kids to be introduced to watching movies in subtitles. Plus it’s in 3D, which could bring that struggling format back to life.
In the meantime, I’m pondering an important question: Does “Mr. Go” have a shot at a Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar nomination? See for yourself by watching the official trailer.