Yikes. In case you didn’t notice (and you probably didn’t), Your Highness — the medieval stoner comedy starring Danny McBride tanked with critics and at the box office despite starring red-hot Oscar winner Natalie Portman and Oscar nominee James Franco. Does another comedy featuring Danny McBride, 30 Minutes or Less, have a shot at doing better? The film, which also reunites Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer with star Jesse Eisenberg (another Oscar nominee…. hmm, a pattern?), has had its first red band trailer released this week, and if this trailer is any indication, it won’t be very funny.
I mean, I can’t be the only one who thinks this is awful — the opening in which Aziz Ansari awkwardly screams and tackles Eisenberg takes a long pause where I think a laugh is supposed to go… but it doesn’t come. And I know McBride‘s comedy usually comes from the Jonah Hill “say outrageously dirty or vulgar material with an unexpected delivery” school, but his big line here falls flat too. Lastly, who does that terrible Johnny Cash remix, and even more importantly, who thought it would be a good enough song to be put in a movie?
My point here isn’t to tear a film apart based on a trailer, but the last few years have proven that R-rated comedies need strong word-of-mouth in order to be successes after opening weekend. That’s why similar R-rated comedies like The Hangover, Zombieland, and Hot Tub Time Machine were surprise hits while Your Highness, Paul, The Goods, and Youth in Revolt were not. If your friends tell you movie sucks, you won’t see it after opening weekend. So comedy trailers have to hit home runs to start that positive word of mouth going, or they risk derailing any hope of the film doing well. This… was more like a bloop single.
Anyway, 30 Minutes or Less is set for an August 12 release. Feel free to disagree with me in the comments below after viewing the trailer!
Recent Comments