Not every film is specifically designed to gross $250 million or receive numerous nominations (aka “Awards Bait”). Some directors simply want to make movies for the best possible reason: to tell interesting stories in interesting ways. This seems to be the case with Clint Eastwood’s adaptation of the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys”.
From the trailer, and the fact that a four-time Oscar winner is behind it, you’d think Warner Bros. would have planned to release this biopic on the creation of the legendary musical group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons close to or during Awards Season. Maybe that was never the intention. Maybe, after seeing what they had, the studio decided the film just isn’t very good. But, if that was the case, why schedule its release for the middle of a crowded Summer? It’s hard to believe that WB would want to bury “Jersey Boys”. That being said, it’s likely going to open in fourth place and will be lucky if it makes $50 million domestically (the R-rating for language hurts). It appears to me that Eastwood wanted to create this film, his way, regardless of whether it receives critical praise and awards season recognition, or is forgotten by the end of the year.
Every year there are films that fall into the category of being “different”. Because of their release date, lack of star power, quirky storyline, no studio support or for no reason at all they simply fall through the cracks.
The indie “Locke”, released at the end of April, should earn star Tom Hardy Best Actor consideration. But even if Hardy and the movie are ignored (as the film has been at the box office) writer/director Steven Knight (“Eastern Promises”) achieved his goal of proving you can make an exceptional film with only one character, who spends the entire 90-minutes driving his car and talking on the phone.
“Edge of Tomorrow” is struggling at the box office, but director Doug Liman (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) deserves a lot of credit for crafting an extremely smart and sophisticated action film with humor and heart (and getting great performances from Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt). Last year’s “The Invisible Woman”, Ralph Fiennes’ previously untold the story of Charles Dickens’ “secret relationship”, was intriguing and memorable. It was practically ignored by audiences and only acknowledged by Hollywood with a Costume Design Oscar nomination. And Richard Linklater’s 2012 “Bernie” showcased Jack Black in a top career form, in a true story of a funeral director with a deadly secret. Offbeat, funny, dramatic and fascinating, the film got Black a Golden Globe nod, but little else.
Harrison Ford, in a 2011 interview in AARP Magazine following the release of the terrific but box office flop “Morning Glory”, said, “I just want to make good movies that people want to go see. I hate making movies that people don’t go to.” The problem is, sometimes the films most worth seeing, the quirky ones with unique scripts, the ones that stick with you long after the credits end, are the ones mainstream audiences ignore.
I guess that’s one of the most rewarding things about being a critic. We get to see those films and then get to try to convince everyone else to see them, too.